Alternate Way to Embed Code for Video Media on Pages

tom_gibson · ‎06-21-2017

According to Canvas documentation on using video embed code on Pages, designers are instructed to use the HTML Editor. While many designers are probably versed in finding the right spot for embeds, I'm guessing there have been occasions where code gets dropped into the wrong place or even accidentally over other code!

We recently learned there is another way to embed media that some may prefer as it avoids having folks go into the HTML Editor.

Using the Rich Content Editor's file menu gives you the option to Insert Media.
The menu is hidden, but can be shown by hitting ALT + F9 (on a Windows keyboard) or ALT + FN + F9 (on a Mac keyboard).

Embed 1

Embed 2

We think this is going to be an immediate win for us with some of our less experienced online teachers and designers. Hope it is helpful from someone else.

Stef_retired · ‎06-21-2017

I cannot believe I never noticed this before, @tom_gibson Nice Work! I'm going to add a link to your blog post to the Your ideas of Canvas' best kept secrets‌ discussion.

I'm going to add a link to your blog post to the Your ideas of Canvas' best kept secrets‌ discussion.

G_Petruzella · ‎06-21-2017

Sweet! @tom_gibson Thank You for this cool workflow hack.

cholling · ‎06-23-2017

Apparently this isn't a universal action. When I press ALT F9 it just drops my cursor to a new line. 😞

G_Petruzella · ‎06-23-2017

Hmm! What OS are you running?

cholling · ‎06-23-2017

Windows 10. Chrome 59.0.3071.109 (Official Build) (64-bit)

traciebosket · ‎06-26-2017

Nice, thanks Tom

cholling · ‎06-27-2017

@G_Petruzella ‌ -- found the answer -- not what I expected 🙂

I use the Microsoft 4000 Ergonomic keyboard. the "F" keys have two functions. I have to "Lock" the keys to have it use the "F" function rather than the other.

Love the feel of the keyboard and it has really helped my hands, but it's smarter than I am.

G_Petruzella · ‎06-27-2017

Aha! You're right cholling‌, I'd not have looked to a hardware solution either. 🙂 Glad you found it, and thanks for sharing too - now I have another possible explanation to try if someone else should need troubleshooting around this issue.

Stef_retired · ‎06-27-2017

I use that awesome ergonomic keyboard as well, cholling, but since I have it connected to a Macbook, the function keys on it won't work, even if the Lock key is enabled. One thing that I always forget though is that before initiating the keyboard shortcut to reveal the hidden menu you must click in the body of the RCE itself.

khirschmann1 · ‎06-29-2017

This is great. I wonder how many other "easter eggs" there are in Canvas. Still, it makes me wonder why they make claims about how challenging it is to add this functionality when it's already there. All they would have to do is expose this button!

traciebosket · ‎06-29-2017

@tom_gibson I got this when I hit alt + F9. Any ideas why that is happening?

240200_Alt F9.jpg

aliceanderson1 · ‎06-29-2017

traciebosket‌ I tried the new file on a test page and it acts like a giant eraser. Original page content is replaced. A handy do-over, if that was the planned behavior.

tom_gibson · ‎06-29-2017

Tracie - Yes, it's opening the right Tiny MCE Toolbar. That's the inline editor Canvas uses. They choose to hide that toolbar as part of their interface to eliminate confusion and because they have customized some functions such as their own Media embed that allows for the native Canvas video capture function.
Anyway, looks like it i working right, but maybe is just dropping down the file menu to show the New Document option.

But you're seeing the right tools. Here is a quick screencast.
2017-06-29_1842

tom_gibson · ‎06-29-2017

We have actually decided to expose media embed - my developer figured out how to go ahead and load the media embed button to the rich content editor tools. Canvas uses Tiny MCE, probably the most common WYSIWYG editor around as far as ones that are built into other web apps.
https://www.tinymce.com/" title="https://www.tinymce.com/

TinyMCE | Documentation

Here's a screenshot of our test environment.

2017-06-29_1849

You'll see we added another custom button for embedding video from our video hosting platform - Wistia. It lets our users just enter a video ID and not have to mess with embed code. We are still working on options for that button such as dimensions and some other settings Wistia might let us get at via API. Once it is more functional we will open source what we did so others that use Wistia as a hosting platform can add it if they want.

sphinney · ‎07-13-2017

Very nice @tom_gibson ‌! Thanks for the tip.

Another "easter egg" that I found by accident was using the Ctrl+K keyboard shortcut to add a link. I just did it out of habit, and low-and-behold not only did I get to insert a hyperlink, but the dialog box that is displayed offers more options than the one you get if you click the "Insert Link" button from the editor's toolbar. See the screenshots for the differences.

This first one is using the keyboard shortcut:

Insert Link dialog using keyboard shortcut

This second one is what you get by clicking the button on the toolbar:

Insert Link dialog using the link button on the editor toolbar

tom_gibson · ‎07-13-2017

Really like this for adding the title or "alt" text. Thanks for sharing.

tom_gibson · ‎07-13-2017

Tiny MCE, the editor used in Canvas, does have other associated shortcuts.
I have not tried them all, and it's possible they may not work the same inside of Canvas, but worth some testing. Just be careful if you are working in your live environment or a live course.

TinyMCE | Keyboard Shortcuts

Stef_retired · ‎07-13-2017

@sphinney , I love finding Easter eggs! For more, check out https://community.canvaslms.com/message/29892?sr=search&searchId=ddba5ff8-70aa-4230-a328-3cad04ee223...‌

sphinney · ‎07-13-2017

Thanks, stefaniesanders‌! I actually searched using several different keywords, before I posted about this, because I didn't want to share what had already been shared. But my searches did not find @Chris_Hofer ‌'s comment. Funny, because, I do remember looking at that discussion not too long ago, but I guess I missed his tip. :smileyshocked: