video display defaults: rich text vs raw HTML

[AlanIsaac]

In the rich text editor for a Canvas page, if I create a link to a YouTube link to using the rich text editor, it displays like a link with no thumbnail. Good. But if I do this in the HTML editory, a thumbnail displays. Looking at the HTML, the reason is that the rich text editor adds `class="inline_disabled"` to the anchor. This means that the default Canvas style sheet is imposing a non-standard display, which moreover differs from the rich text display.

Why? Why is this non-standard display the default when the behavior of the rich-text editor indicates that Instructure knows most users do not want this. (It quickly becomes cluttered and ugly.)

Here are some solutions I would find acceptable, in ranked order.

1. A change the default style sheet by Instructure or by my institution. My institution (somewhat naturally) prefers not to meddle at all with the default stylesheet.

2. Ability to choose my own style sheet at the course or user level. My institution claims this requires the creation of a subaccount, and (for reason not fully transparent to me) prefers not to do so.

3. Ability to add style at the page level. This is much less useful but I could live with it. However, although it is valid HTML (I believe), `style` elements added to a page are immediately removed by Canvas, at least at my institution.

I know many, many users want more higher-level control over styling. Is Instructure making any moves in towards any of these solutions?

[Chris_Hofer]

Hi @AlanIsaac ...

While this isn't a direct answer to your question (because I honestly don't know if Instructure is considering other solutions as you suggest), but I wanted to briefly outline my process for embedding YouTube videos (or other similar media) in Canvas content pages.  For me, I will harvest the embed code from a YouTube video and then use the functions of the RCE (Rich Content Editor) to paste in the embed code.  Typically, this involves putting the cursor at the location on the Canvas page where I want to embed the video, then I click on the "Insert" >> "Embed" option of the RCE.  I then paste in the embed code for the YouTube video into the provided box, and then I click the "Submit" button.  This usually gives me a nicely sized video for the page that I am building.  But, you could adjust the width and height of the video via the embed code if you really wanted to.

How do I link to or embed a YouTube video in the Rich Content Editor?

There are other ways to embed videos in Canvas pages outlined in the link above, but I much prefer to use the method I've outlined.

Again, I know this didn't fully address your question, but I wanted to provide my $0.02 ... for what it's worth.  I hope it will help in some way.

[AlanIsaac]

I am looking for a different outcome because I have pages with many video links. I want just the text links, with no graphics (no thumbnail). Otherwise the page becomes cluttered and hard to read. But more deeply, I want any raw HTML to display without odd deviations from the usual browser behavior, and I'd like control at least at the page level (not element by element) over style. Cheers.

[JeffCampbell]

You mentioned style elements being removed by Canvas. Since it sounds as if your institution prefers to use the default stylesheet, then it is possible the element you are trying to implement is not on the Allow List. Check that list and if the style element is allowed, then something else could be going on. You could try sharing the html being used here in case someone on here might have a thought as to what is going on.