Embed images in Inbox messages?

[kjohn113]

Is there any plan for Canvas to permit embedding of images in messages sent through the Inbox?  For some of the courses I teach my students and I exchange a lot of screenshots in our emails, and it's really convenient to be able to discuss an image when it's right above and/or below the text that refers to it, rather than having to download images as attachments, open them separately, and have them on the side of the text we're exchanging. For this reason I tell my students in those classes to just email me directly and not use Inbox messaging.  Students tend to prefer the Inbox option, so it would be nice to be able to embed images in messages in it.

Keith

[Chris_Hofer]

Good morning, @kjohn113 ...

There has been a Feature Idea in the Community that's been around for quite a while called Add rich-content editor to Conversations - Instructure Community which may be of interest to you.  Although the original idea which was submitted doesn't specifically address embedding images, I could imagine that if the RCE (Rich Content Editor) was ever added to the Canvas Inbox (Conversations), that it would include some of the same functionality that is currently available in the RCE when building course content.

I know this might not be a direct answer to your question, but I hope it helps a little.  Please let Community members know if you have any other questions about this...thanks!

[kjohn113]

Greetings, @Chris_Hofer

Thanks for this.  I see that the topic is fairly old, so I guess I was using non-standard terminology in searching for something about it.  I imagine you're right in that having rich text features will also allow for image options like embedding, and I like the ideas I saw in the thread, so I hope one day we can get this. 

Keith

[afox2]

I agree, this would be really beneficial because images and posters are really helpful for giving information to students. 

They tend to look at things more when they are in an image and not just a written text message box. 

I also think it would be highly beneficial if you guys could please consider more personalization tools in the canvas inbox such as emoji, font personalization, bold, italicized, paragraph formatting, hyperlinks, etc... 

Traditional email platforms are offering these things already, makes sense for Canvas to stay up to date with the same. Otherwise, it's just a very basic limited text-heavy tool that native internet users just don't appreciate as much. Painful for most students - especially the young kiddos reading them. 😞

[Chris_Hofer]

@afox2 ...

I'd encourage you to follow the link that I posted above:

[Inbox] Add rich-content editor to Conversations - Instructure Community - 357121 (canvaslms.com)

You'll notice that this existing Idea has been added to a larger Theme (with a status of "Identified") called:

Improve the inbox functionality to provide for mor... - Instructure Community - 554869 (canvaslms.co...

Follow both of these links so that you'll have a chance to participate in those discussions if/when they become open for voting...which is twice a year.

• How do I participate with themes? - Instructure Community - 552455 (canvaslms.com)
• How do Ideas and Themes work in the Instructure Co... - Instructure Community - 2980 (canvaslms.com)

I hope this will be of help to you!