Canvas Catalog- Add option to hide or remove action button in email template

[choryuen_wong]

Instructure added a new feature last year to allow Canvas admins to customize email templated in Canvas Catalog.
https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Canvas-Catalog/How-do-I-create-custom-email-templates-for-a-catal...

After reviewing the email template settings, we found there are some limitations on what can be customized. Currently, there is no options to customize the action button which appears at the bottom of email in all the templates.

We would like to have an option to hide or remove the action button, or an option to edit the URL from the action button. With the option to hide or remove the action button, we can provide embed links within the body of the email instead of at the footer. This will allow admins to provide further specific instructions. For example, in the Waitlist Invite Email, the action button link does not work as intended unless the user is logged into Canvas prior to clicking on the action button. If the user clicks on the action button without logging in, they will be prompted to create a new account which in turn will cause Canvas to send another Waitlist Invite Email.

Also, we have been in discussion with our information security teams about Instructure email communications. They were quite disappointed on the email customization capabilities in Instructure.

In their experience, phishing attempts that capture credential or encourage users to download files are the single greatest cybersecurity risk to UBC and most other institutions. UBC is consistently pursuing a strategy to minimize links we send to user communities so that users don’t become accustomed to clicking on links in emails, and become more adept at critically evaluating the links they do receive. Consequently applications that do not give UBC the capability to fully customize emails they send and unnecessarily force them to send links go against this principle, and significantly increase the risk of a cyber breach. UBC has received a number of complaints about Instructure emails from its user community as they really struggle to differentiate Canvas emails from phishing attempts. We urge Instructure to prioritize allowing it’s client to fully customize emails enabling them the appropriately manage this risk.

[ProductPanda]

Comments from Instructure

As part of the new Ideas & Themes process, all ideas in Idea Conversations were reviewed by the Product Team. Any Idea that was associated with an identified theme was moved to the new Idea & Themes space. Any Idea that was not part of the move is being marked as Archived. This will preserve the history of the conversations while also letting Community members know that Instructure will not explore the request at this time.