Alt-Text

[omachado-id]

While on the subject of a question that I just posted, I was reminded to offer these suggestions for a future version of Canvas Collections.

Suggested for the graffiti card/banner link editing area:

A) add an alternate text field so that images added as graffiti cards will be accessible.
B) add the ability to upload graffiti cards from our computers' own file explorer system (to avoid having to link to external images)
C) (this one may require some work...): add the ability to add caption files (e.g,, .SRT, .VTT) to uploaded videos using in the graffiti-card views.

Thanks for considering these suggestions.

[djplaner]

G'day,

Thank you again for taking the time to share suggestions.

Alt text

Long overdue feature - I've added an issue to do this. Hopefully sooner, rather than later.

Upload card images, rather than external images

The method we've been using for this is to

1. Upload images to the Canvas course site files area.
2. Copy and paste the resulting URL

It does rely on a bit of tacit knowledge about Canvas, so I've updated the documentation for the banner image URL to include a link to a description of this process

Adding caption files

Given the current model underpinning Collections I think a better solution might be something like the current uploading card image solution. Following describes that thinking. Mainly as an opportunity to get feedback from you. What do you think? Does this make sense for folk in your context? Would something else work better?

Collections is designed more as a digital weaver. A tool to weave together disparate existing strands. e.g the banner component enables weaving together of an existing image or video. It doesn't provide the hosting of the image or video. That's done somewhere else.

Hence the assumption that the video included in the banner is hosted somewhere else (e.g. Studio, YouTube etc). The assumption being that somewhere else should also provide the captions/transcript. Canvas Studio makes this a bit easier as I believe the iframe may/should provide the option for to see both captions and the transcript. YouTube etc should show captions. A transcript might need to be linked to from elsewhere (e.g. perhaps a link to a transcript file could be placed at the bottom/top of the descriptive text for a card?)

There are times when this weaving breaks down because the strand isn't available (e.g. image alt text) which is when Collections should provide the functionality. It's much simpler when it's something as simple as an alt text. Captions would be a fair bit harder to provide support for.

[omachado-id]

I'm glad that the test I ran was useful. And you could be right with regard to the version of the code I'm on. According to Tampermonkey, I'm currently on v 1.2.1, and clicking the update option in Tampermonkey tells me that I'm up-to-date with the script. So I may need to fiddle with that end of things so that I do indeed have the latest version, as my 1.2.1 doesn't show the alt-text enhancement that you added.

Your point on course based studio videos is yet another area to test, as I used a video from my global Studio account. When time permits, I'll set up another test with this in mind and see if it works too.

[djplaner]

It appears that the auto update of the userscript version isn't working. Initially, due to an oversight of mine and now with that fixed I'm still having problems getting the auto update to work.

A 1.2.2 version has been released (part of the oversight to be fixed), the interim solution would be to reinstall the userscript (click here)

[omachado-id]

Thanks! The update seems to have taken effect, David. Yesterday (late 9/14) I was showing off a course to an assistant dean, in which I used Collections to organize a resource site for the faculty's use--he was quite impressed with Collections, btw-- and I noticed that the version number had updated to 1.2.2. So you resolved it; no need to reinstall the script!

Now I have to go back in and add the alt-texts; but I'll happily do that.

[omachado-id]

Hi, just following up with results of my test of course-based Studio videos being able to transfer to a new course where Canvas Collections was used in the original (i.e., "source" course). Unfortunately, I have not found a way to make this work, but there are workarounds:

The problem, IMO, is with Studio, not with Canvas Collections: Whereas one is able to obtain a shareable link to a video that can be embedded in course graffiti cards when it's located in a global Studio account, no shareable link can be copied for a course-based Studio video. The Instructure folk have not provided that option for course-based videos (at least not yet). Therefore course-based videos can't be inserted in graffiti cards via shareable links from the course Studio library.

WORKAROUNDS:
The workaround is simply to download the course-based Studio video and place it in the original course's Files area, then copy THAT link into the graffiti card before exportation to a new course. That will work. The downside of this approach is that it bloats the course contents file before it's imported into the new course. Alternatively, a course-based Studio video could be uploaded into one's global Studio libraries to obtain a shareable link from there.

Both of these workarounds involve downloading/uploading the videos into some location from which a shareable link can be obtained that will work after course copying (i.e., either from global Studio libraries or from videos housed in the Files area of the course.

[djplaner]

Thank you for the detailed follow up.

This matches what I assumed might be the case. Canvas hasn't quite resolved all the use cases around Studio videos and courses. The difference in how standard course content (e.g. the files you mentioned) and Studio videos are treated creating differences in how they act with tasks like course copies.

[djplaner]

Support for alt text for banner images has now been added - including addition to documentation.

Will require an update to the Collections code you're using.

[omachado-id]

Thanks so much for your prompt work; that's excellent! I'll update it on my end. I'll post results of my course copying test (the good, the bad and the good!) in a moment.