[ARCHIVED] Compose Message - Turn off multi-layer "select course" menu

[mcchauvi]

Canvas - Inbox - Compose Message

Message window opens

Select course - new layer - displays links to select either Favorite Courses or More courses

This is an unnecessary level. 

How can I turn it off?

 

[kona · Accepted solution]

 @mcchauvi , greetings! As far as I'm aware, there is no way to turn this off on the front end of Canvas. There might be something on the back-end, but it's more than just a switch being flipped or something like that. It would take actual programming, etc.

Kona

[mcchauvi]

Thank you for your response.

But why was it turned on?  Did someone request it?

This extra menu appeared just a few days ago.

I have an average of 600 students each semester and I use the Canvas Inbox extensively.

The extra select menu - the side menu - is a problem. 

These side menus (everywhere) are notoriously finicky, if the cursor is not in the exact center position, the menu is gone and we have to start over. 

There is a reason why these types of menus are becoming obsolete, because they are very annoying and difficult to use.

[luke_owens]

Just wanted to echo Mary's confusion. I had a faculty member ask me about this, but I can't find any Canvas release that describes the change (granted, I'm just Googling quickly and using CTRL+F on the releases archive). It's nice to see that something driving us crazy is driving someone else crazy, too! 

I've suggested the instructor add current courses to Favorites in the Dashboard, and then use the Favorites menu when composing messages. Mac users may not see the scroll bar, which allows you to see all your Favorited courses when composing (that ended up being the crux of the issue for this user). 

[wasserst]

I found this change to be extremely frustrating.  It seems to have been a solution in search of a problem.  The old menu was perfectly fine.  The new one doesn't seem to work properly and drives me crazy because it usually requires multiple attempts to select the course I want.  The menu sometimes flickers and sometimes collapses back down at random.  It seems to be less flaky if I wait a few seconds before clicking, but I don't want to wait.  I'm using the Chrome browser.

[mcchauvi]

Has there been any additional research or work done on removing these side menus in the Canvas - Inbox?

The little menus are actually getting more unpredictable and more difficult to use. The menu boundaries are very sensitive and the lag-time from when the pointer changes from an arrow to a hand-pointing is increasing. 

Also, keyboarding does not work: tab, tab, tab, enter, tab, down, over, enter  --  with or without using [Enter] between each keystroke, I cannot get any combination of keystrokes to work on a regular basis. 

From my efforts trying to use keystrokes, it is clear that the side-menus cannot have passed ADA compliance.

It is almost impossible to select them the first or second or third time -- with either a mouse or keyboard. 

I use the "Canvas - Inbox" extensively, so I know the side menus are "new". 

Someone turned them on or implemented them very recently, since February 2020, therefore the process can be reversed to turn off the menus or remove them.

PLEASE find a means of removing the "Select course" side menus from the Canvas - Inbox.

Thank you, 

MC Chauvin

[mswhite]

I am finding it is getting more difficult to use too.  I have to go through many attempts until it randomly decides that I get to choose the course I want to email.  The extra layer that was added is unnecessary and I don't have time to do all this clicking lol.  Please make it normal again!

[wasserst]

Hello again.  I find that the trouble also occurs in the course selection menu in the top left corner of Inbox (in addition to Compose Message).  I just wrote to support to report this problem. 

In the meantime, I recommend that you mouse over Favorite Courses (after clicking Select Course) and then wait about 5 seconds, until the side menu stops blinking.  Then you can select your course without getting frustrated.  At least that's what I'm seeing.  BTW, I find that the problem doesn't occur if I compose a second message.  But refreshing the Inbox then refreshes the problem for one more occurrence.

[P_Hopkins]

Agree with the comments above - it's a pain in the B. Get rid!!

[wasserst]

Some months ago I sent the Canvas folks a screen capture showing the problem, and they were unable to reproduce the problem.  At some later time the problem went away for me.  I still have the multilayer menu, but it doesn't blink or collapse spontaneously any more.  I don't know what changed, but everything is working fine now.