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Canvas Deploy Notes (2020-06-06)

Canvas Deploy Notes (2020-06-06)

Canvas deploys contain code changes that are intended to fix bugs, improve performance, and prepare for new features, but they do not affect customer workflows. These deploys take place every two weeks and can be tested in the beta environment before the production deploy date indicated in the title of this document. Intended changes in workflow are noted in the Canvas Release Notes published monthly.

Deploy notes may include notable fixed bugs, bugs included in the Canvas Known Issues list, and additional updates that do not affect user functionality.

Deploy Notes Change Log

Interface Updates

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Account Settings

QR Code Login Setting

Summary

The Account Settings page includes an option to manage the QR Code Login link in User Settings, which can be managed by a Customer Success Manager.

Change Benefit

This feature allows the QR Code Login link to be disabled for an institution.

Affected User Roles

Admins

The Account Settings page includes a setting to allow users to log in to the mobile apps via QR code. This setting is enabled by default and is not recommended for institutions that have enabled multi-factor authentication for any user role.

When this feature is disabled, the QR for Mobile Login link does not display in the Account Navigation Menu for all users in the institution.

Admins can contact their Customer Success Manager to disable this setting for their institution. 

Conferences

User Display Name

Summary

BigBlueButton Conferences display a user's display name instead of full name.

Change Benefit

This change aligns consistency with names displayed throughout Canvas.

Affected User Roles

All Users

When users log into a BigBlueButton conference, their name displays in the conference as their display name. Previously the Conferences interface displayed a user’s full name.

Locked Notes

This change is managed by BigBlueButton and is already available in the production environment.

Summary

Shared Notes are locked to users by default.

Change Benefit

This change allows moderators to manage who can contribute to shared notes.

Affected User Roles

All Users

When users log into a BigBlueButton conference, the Shared Notes link is shown as locked by default.

For viewers (students), the shared notes interface displays a message notifying that they need permission to edit the shared notes. Permission can be granted by a moderator (instructor) using the Users settings icon, selecting Lock Viewers, and unlocking Edit Shared Notes.

Remove Users

This change is managed by BigBlueButton and is already available in the production environment.

Summary

Moderators can remove users from a conference and prevent the user from rejoining the session.

Change Benefit

This change allows moderators to manage conference attendees.

Affected User Roles

Moderators

Moderators can remove a user from the conference from the Users settings icon and selecting Remove Users. A confirmation window displays, verifying that the moderator wants to remove the selected user. A checkbox is also included, which allows the moderator to prevent the user from rejoining the session if needed.

Courses

Canvas Elementary Theme Font Update

This feature is used in conjunction with the Canvas Elementary Theming feature option in Canvas. 

Summary

The default font for the Canvas Elementary Theme has been changed to Balsamiq Sans.

Change Benefit

This change resolves confusion that could occur among some look-alike characters in Architect’s Daughter.

Affected User Roles

Instructors, Students

The default font for the Canvas Elementary Theme has been changed to Balsamiq Sans. This font displays in the Global Navigation Menu, Course Navigation Menu, and the Rich Content Editor. The previous default font, Architect’s Daughter, will continue to be available in the Rich Content Editor as a font option.

Courses Terms Filter

Summary

The Terms drop-down menu includes search functionality.

Change Benefit

This change helps admins more easily search for courses by term.

Affected User Roles

Admins

When viewing the Courses page, the Terms menu defaults to All Terms. Opening the menu displays a cursor, which allows a term to be manually entered as a search. Applicable results immediately display in the terms list.

Terms Search Menu

Community Idea Contribution: https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/16616-need-a-way-to-sort-and-search-the-course-terms-selection... 


Dashboard

Global Announcement Notifications

Summary

Global Announcements and notifications are only displayed to users with active enrollments in the current term.

Change Benefit

This change prevents students from receiving notifications that are no longer applicable, such as when students no longer attend an institution where they were previously enrolled. Previously students received all global announcements from an institution regardless of the student’s enrollment status.

Affected User Roles

All Users

Students who have active enrollments in any course within the current term can view global announcements in their Canvas Dashboard. Once students no longer have any active enrollments in the current term, students will no longer receive notifications.

Course dates can override the term dates if the Students Can Only Participate in the Course Between These Dates checkbox is selected. If this checkbox is not selected, no override will be created for the term dates. If an institution does not use term dates, the course defaults to the Default Term, which can leave the course open indefinitely.

Community Idea Contribution: https://community.canvaslms.com/ideas/12790-global-announcements-only-for-active-courses 

Platform/Integration

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Style Guide

Content Updates

For institutions who choose to use the unsupported Canvas Style Guide (located at institution-name.instructure.com/styleguide), the Style Guide pages have been updated to remove all broken and obsolete content. The remaining HTML/CSS components can be used in the Rich Content Editor but are not actively maintained. Where possible, Instructure’s InstUI library should be used for LTI application design.

The styleguide page only includes the following basic HTML/CSS components:

  • Borders
  • Buttons
  • Forms
  • Grid
  • Icons
  • Spacing
  • Tables
  • Typography

Fixed Bugs

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Conversations

Sent Messages and Starred Folder

Sent messages marked with a star display in the Starred folder.

Explanation: When a message was starred in the Sent box, the message did not appear in the Starred folder until at least one response had been received from a recipient. Canvas code has been updated to display starred messages in the Starred folder.

New Rich Content Editor

All Documents Filter and Inline Previews

Documents selected from the All Documents filter include a preview option.

Explanation: When the All Documents filter was selected to locate a document in the New Rich Content Editor, the link to the document was displayed but did not include a document preview. Canvas code has been updated to preview documents selected from the All Documents filter.

Quizzes

Quizzes Page and Point Totals

Total point values for a quiz in the Quizzes page include decimal point values.

Explanation: When either a Classic or new Quiz was created for a course whose total points include a decimal point value, the Quizzes page displayed points as a whole number. However, this behavior did not affect the Assignments page. Canvas code has been updated to support decimal point values when displaying quiz totals in the Quizzes page.

Source Code Summary

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To view a summary of all code included in the deploy, please see the Deploy Source Code Summary (2020-06-06) reference sheet.

Deploy Notes Change Log

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Date
2020-05-27

Deploy Notes Published

Added—Interface Updates

  • Conferences: Locked Notes, Remove Users

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Comments

Thanks, Erin for the information.

I really like the HTML tabs in Canvas pages, but I’m afraid that they will be broken by the time this feature set is deployed. Furthermore, InstUI should also be implemented for the Rich Content Editor in order to maintain compatibility.

I don't know that the text entry option in the term filter will peed my workflow much. What I'd really love to see "Active Terms" as a selectable option. 

Question on the Global Announcement Notifications.

So, if we use Terms but don't have dates associated with the terms and there's not an area in a Global Announcement to actually pick the "term" what will happen with the global announcement?  As we don't use "Default Term" (ie, none of our courses live in that term) which the directions above says... "If an institution does not use term dates, the course defaults to the Default Term, which can leave the course open indefinitely."

Hi, Susan,

In Global Announcements, you select the user roles that should receive the announcement. Canvas looks at user roles and where their enrollments are in courses. If it can find an active enrollment, that user role will receive the announcement. Enrollment dates are based on section, course, or term dates, so if you don't have any of those specified, then the enrollment is open indefinitely, and so are the announcements.

Erin

What is considered an enrollment in an active term?  Which term dates are being used?  We are currently using term dates to manage what is available and when based on testing of the functionality of the dashboard and inbox.  If we could get some answers so we know what to expect that would be helpful.  There isn't any details on what is considered the "active" term and there are several sets of dates that could be used as this criteria.  If we know which set(s) of dates may control this functionality then we can make sure that we have things configured properly.  Thanks!

Thank you!

Summer 2020 (active)

Term Runs from 
whenever
 to 
whenever
Students can access from  
May 11 at 12am
 to 
Aug 10 at 12am
Teachers can access from  
whenever
 to 
term end
TAs can access from  
whenever
 to 
term end
Designers can access from  
whenever
 to 
term end

Courses in Development/Archived Courses

Term Runs from 
Jan 1, 2050 at 12am
 to 
Jan 1, 2050 at 12am
Students can access from  
term start
 to 
term end
Teachers can access from  
whenever
 to 
term end
TAs can access from  
whenever
 to 
term end
Designers can access from  
whenever
 to 
term end

Past Terms

Term Runs from 
Jun 20, 2019 at 12am
 to 
Sep 20, 2019 at 12am
Students can access from  
Jun 20, 2019 at 12am
 to 
Aug 7, 2019 at 12am
Teachers can access from  
Jun 20, 2019 at 12am
 to 
Sep 20, 2019 at 12am
TAs can access from  
Jun 20, 2019 at 12am
 to 
Sep 20, 2019 at 12am
Designers can access from  
Jun 20, 2019 at 12am
 to 
Sep 20, 2019 at 12am

Hi, Joni,

If you don't have any dates specified in the Term Runs from entry, no term dates have been defined. So in your active term, you don't have an end date so it will be open indefinitely. Details about term dates (and examples) can be found in How do term dates, course dates, and section dates work in Canvas?

Thanks!

Erin

Hi, all,

Notes have been published for our next deploy: Canvas Deploy Notes (2020-06-17) 

Please note that as of our upcoming deploy, our engineering team will resume weekday deploys and no longer deploy on the weekend.

Thanks,

Erin