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Dev: MyLA tool url in canvas pages

Jennifer Love edited this page Sep 15, 2020 · 4 revisions

Adding MyLA tool links to Canvas course pages

MyLA must first be deployed and installed in Canvas as an LTI. Then this separate process allows you to add MyLA links to Canvas Files, Assignments, and Grades pages, so that students can access MyLA directly from those pages.

  1. This process adds MyLA links to Canvas course pages via custom Javascript. The Java script can be embedded inside your institution's existing custom java script (if used) by copying/pasting the code in in the file MyLA-Canvas_Theme.js between $( document ).ready(function() {} from this repo
  2. Change the mylaToolId variable in file MyLA-Canvas_Theme.js to your institution's MyLA tool id for your Canvas production and test instances as per LTI configuration
       if (hostname.includes("test")) {
			mylaToolId = 'Test_myla_tool_id'
		} else {
			mylaToolId = 'Prod_myla_tool_id'
		}
  1. Currently links will be placed on grades, assignment and files page, regardless of whether you have enabled or disabled corresponding views in MyLA for the course. When a student clicks on these links, they will be redirected to the MyLA tool. The LTI is launched and the student sees the homepage for the course in MyLA just as if they can clicked on the MyLA tool link in the left navigation.

    Note: When Canvas supports intool Links LTI launch, we will support linking to views in MyLA to respective grades/assignment/files canvas pages (e.g., the link on the Grades page goes to the Grade Distribution view instead of the MyLA home page).

  2. Only people with the "student" role in the Canvas course can see the links in the Canvas course pages. You need to become a student in the course to see the links in Canvas.

    Note: We are working towards enabling the links to all the users in the course not just student. Also note that there is currently a bug in the script that causes the links not to show up for students who have more than one role in Canvas, but these users can always access the tool from the left navigation.