Delete multiple pages

Deleting pages one at a time can be time-consuming - 3 clicks per page.  It would be great to mark them and delete in bulk.  Seems like most course creators will face this at one time or other.  I'm resubmitting this idea, which failed to get enough votes. I wonder if it was the time period - end of semester, so not when people are creating or updating their courses.  Maybe now is a better time for this idea!

 

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

For more information, please read through the Canvas Release Notes (2020-08-15) 

44 Comments
noel_pillay
Community Novice

Its a simple feature and is everywhere. Why is Canvas adamant to not have this feature that is essentially basic? Does Canvas wants us to move elsewhere?!

nb310
Community Novice

I needed to quickly delete all pages on one of my course sites after a content migration gone awry, and the best solution (sadly enough!) was to write a quick Python script using UCF's outstanding Canvas API wrapper for Python.  You'll first need to install this module into your Python environment (as easy as pip install canvasapi) and then generate an access token for the API.  Just fill in your access token, your institution's API URL, and your course ID, and this script will quickly and easily delete all pages within your course.  You should also remove your front page before proceeding as the script will otherwise exit with an error when it encounters your front page.

Note that this also works with assignments, quizzes, etc.  Just replace the call to get_pages() with get_assignments(), get_quizzes(), etc.

from canvasapi import Canvas

api_token = '' # add your token between the single quotation marks
api_url = '' # add your institution's API url (i.e., https://canvas.yourcampus.edu/api/v1) between the single quotation marks
course_id = 0 # replace 0 with your course ID

canvas = Canvas(api_url, api_token)
course = canvas.get_course(course_id)
pages = course.get_pages()
for page in pages:
    page.delete()‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍
kgrewe
Community Explorer

Please. This would really save a lot of time for many of us. 

John_Bradshaw
Community Participant

It is nothing short of comedy that something as innocuous, simple, and yet useful as "select and delete multiple items/pages" needs to sit in committee vote for nearly 5 years before being considered nay implemented for instructors.

The East German Politiboro has nothing on you guys for glacial, bureaucratic foot-dragging.

smadgey
Community Novice

I want to second this! This seems to be such a simple addition that would make the creating and editing of courses so much easier!

trey_arey
Community Member

Please add this feature.  Need to get things in my courses cleaned up more quickly.  

k_shilpiya
Community Novice

Please, please, please bring this feature! 

jdonovan
Community Novice

Please! this is a simple feature that will really help instructors focus their time and energy where it is most needed.

tommy_flynn
Community Explorer

Yes, pages and so many Canvas workflows keep users doing repetitive tasks one mind-numbing item by mind-numbing item. From misguided interfaces like the "speed" grader to loading audiovisual content onto pages, workflows in Canvas are soul-crushingly tedious. How else could I justify the time I am giving to this post while my work remains unfinished? My shoulders droop to imperceptibly lower levels between each sequence of;

"point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click, refresh-point-click-point-click-paste-point-click..."

By the time I complete a round of grading 140 student submissions (or deleting 80 pages mistakenly copied to my sandbox), my head, neck, and shoulders are hunched inches from my desk as tears fall silently into the keys.

Wow, it feels good to vent. Now I see why you created the community. Nice move, Instructure.

charlie_amiot
Community Member

Hooooow is this not a thing? I can't even in good faith ask my RA to do it for me, because talk about punishment without learning anything.