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using CSS to hide content until I want to display it.

Question asked by Lisa Moline on Jul 29, 2019
Latest reply on Jul 29, 2019 by Lisa Moline

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I am new to Canvas, and have at least a decade of workflow using D2L that I am trying to adapt to Canvas. One thing that I would often do in D2L would be to create content for several weeks in a single HTML document, and then hide this content until it was needed. It was easier than having a separate document for EACH piece of content, and I could reveal the content by making it visible. I did this in the HTML editor using a hidden div; the end div tag simply moved to the location where the hidden content ended.

Canvas will not let me do this; the display and position properties don't seem to be accessible to me in the HTML editor. I would like to use this feature. Is there a workaround?

Kelley L. Meeusen

Jul 29, 2019 10:39 AM

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Hi Lisa Moline

First things, first - since you like using HTML, I will share that the Canvas Code will strip code content not included in the Canvas white list for security reasons. You can find the white list at Canvas HTML Editor Whitelist PDF

Secondly,Canvas has a feature called "Draft State" that allows you to publish or un-publish content. Learn more at...........

Seems like a lot, but it works exactly the same for all content, so do it once, and you've got it.

For graded content, you also have the "Available From" and "Available Until" date controls in Settings. Learn more at How do I add or edit details in an assignment?

Then there are Module requirements and prerequisites. Learn more at How do I add prerequisites to a module? , How do I add requirements to a module? and How do I lock a module? ,.

I hope all of this is helpful,

Kelley

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Kelley L. Meeusen

Jul 29, 2019 10:39 AM

Hi Lisa Moline

Secondly,Canvas has a feature called "Draft State" that allows you to publish or un-publish content. Learn more at...........

Seems like a lot, but it works exactly the same for all content, so do it once, and you've got it.

For graded content, you also have the "Available From" and "Available Until" date controls in Settings. Learn more at How do I add or edit details in an assignment?

Then there are Module requirements and prerequisites. Learn more at How do I add prerequisites to a module? , How do I add requirements to a module? and How do I lock a module? ,.

I hope all of this is helpful,

Kelley

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Lisa Moline @ Kelley L. Meeusen on Jul 29, 2019 10:46 AM

Thank you for the whitelist link. Drafts won't work because it is ONE document that has content revealed in stages, not simply separate documents that can be drafts, and therefore hidden. I've just gone ahead and made them all separate documents, which makes for a longer, cluttered site, but it was the easiest workaround. I'd like to have due dates associated with them so students are reminded to do them, but they aren't graded assignments, and I don't want them showing up as grade items in any form in the gradebook. Unless there is a way to hide them completely, for everyone, in the gradebook, I'll just keep them as pages, rather than assignments, and there will be no due date prompts.

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James Jones

@ Lisa Moline on Jul 29, 2019 11:20 AM

Lisa Moline

You can add content pages to student's To Do list: How do I create a new page in a course?

Creating an assignment with a "Display grade as" of "Not Graded" will keep it out of the gradebook, but will add it to the assignments page, calendar, and to do list for the student. Since there is no submission type, they will have to check the X to say they have completed the assignment.

If you have multiple due dates associated with them, then it really is best to create them as separate content items as Canvas only allows one due date per assignment.

One thing that can make life easier is to leverage the way Canvas works rather than trying to superimpose the way your previous LMS worked. When we try to recreate the way another piece of software worked, we sometimes miss out on a better way to do things (this is general advice, not necessarily applicable to this situation).

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Lisa Moline @ James Jones on Jul 29, 2019 12:35 PM

Sure, I understand that. I've spent about 50 hours already on getting things ready for Fall, and we don't get our sites until July, so it makes this a difficult process with limited time and complex materials. This won't be an issue going forward but taking course sites for numerous courses and having to redesign them with a new system is incredibly time-consuming, particularly when you don't know the system.

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Kelley L. Meeusen Jul 29, 2019 10:39 AM
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Hi Lisa Moline

First things, first - since you like using HTML, I will share that the Canvas Code will strip code content not included in the Canvas white list for security reasons. You can find the white list at Canvas HTML Editor Whitelist PDF

Secondly,Canvas has a feature called "Draft State" that allows you to publish or un-publish content. Learn more at...........
Seems like a lot, but it works exactly the same for all content, so do it once, and you've got it.

For graded content, you also have the "Available From" and "Available Until" date controls in Settings. Learn more at How do I add or edit details in an assignment?

Then there are Module requirements and prerequisites. Learn more at How do I add prerequisites to a module? , How do I add requirements to a module? and How do I lock a module? ,.

I hope all of this is helpful,

Kelley
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- Lisa Moline @ Kelley L. Meeusen on Jul 29, 2019 10:46 AM
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  Thank you for the whitelist link. Drafts won't work because it is ONE document that has content revealed in stages, not simply separate documents that can be drafts, and therefore hidden. I've just gone ahead and made them all separate documents, which makes for a longer, cluttered site, but it was the easiest workaround. I'd like to have due dates associated with them so students are reminded to do them, but they aren't graded assignments, and I don't want them showing up as grade items in any form in the gradebook. Unless there is a way to hide them completely, for everyone, in the gradebook, I'll just keep them as pages, rather than assignments, and there will be no due date prompts.
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  - James Jones @ Lisa Moline on Jul 29, 2019 11:20 AM
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    Lisa Moline
    You can add content pages to student's To Do list: How do I create a new page in a course?
    
    Creating an assignment with a "Display grade as" of "Not Graded" will keep it out of the gradebook, but will add it to the assignments page, calendar, and to do list for the student. Since there is no submission type, they will have to check the X to say they have completed the assignment.
    
    If you have multiple due dates associated with them, then it really is best to create them as separate content items as Canvas only allows one due date per assignment.
    
    One thing that can make life easier is to leverage the way Canvas works rather than trying to superimpose the way your previous LMS worked. When we try to recreate the way another piece of software worked, we sometimes miss out on a better way to do things (this is general advice, not necessarily applicable to this situation).
    1 person found this helpful
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    - Lisa Moline @ James Jones on Jul 29, 2019 12:35 PM
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      Sure, I understand that. I've spent about 50 hours already on getting things ready for Fall, and we don't get our sites until July, so it makes this a difficult process with limited time and complex materials. This won't be an issue going forward but taking course sites for numerous courses and having to redesign them with a new system is incredibly time-consuming, particularly when you don't know the system.
      1 person found this helpful
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using CSS to hide content until I want to display it.

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