[Course Import/Export] add a stop/cancel button for imports

A stop or cancel button on imports could be a lifesaver for all Canvas users. I see it being helpful in scenarios such as:

 

  • You start to import the wrong content
  • You accidentally selected "All content" when you intended to choose "Select specific content," or vice versa
  • You forgot to adjust or remove the dates
  • An import is stuck in queue, and you want to cancel it before starting another import (This would prevent the queued import from running at a later time and overwriting course content.)
30 Comments
Renee_Carney
Community Team
Community Team

Greetings!

This is a great idea.  Our product team has evaluated the scope of this project and available resources.  It is something we will keep in mind in the future, but more than likely will not develop in the next 6-18 months.

Please continue to comment and provide use cases on this thread.  Follow this idea to receive updates as they are available.

ejackson
Community Champion

This is needed SO much! I'm always so afraid of hitting the wrong button and really messing things\ up. I am pretty klutzy and it could happen very easily!!

Renee_Carney
Community Team
Community Team
  Idea is currently in Product Radar Learn more about this stage...
waz107
Community Contributor

I recently did that as well. It was a major headache because the course had quizzes and assignments with the same title so my old ones were overwritten! 

williams_r
Community Explorer

This 2017 and this still is not an option. This would be a great addition to Canvas. I just did it today importing content into a course by accident (that already had content in it). It would have been nice to be able to cancel the import. Luckily I was able to act quickly and make a course export before the import finished so I could save what was in the course originally. 

bogardde
Community Participant

Fast thinking - smart! I will remember that trick just in case...

Chris_Hofer
Community Coach
Community Coach

 @williams_r ...

Another option for you (had the import finished before you were able to export) would have been to log into your school's Beta environment to export your course.  Here's a Guide: How do I access the Canvas beta environment as an instructor?

Renee_Carney
Community Team
Community Team

The Radar idea stage has been removed from the Feature Idea Process.  You can read more about why in the blog post Adaptation: Feature Idea Process Changes.

 

This change will only impact the stage sort of this idea and will not change how it is voted on or how it is considered during prioritization activities.  This change will streamline the list of ideas 'open for voting', making it easier for you to see the true top voted ideas in one sort, here.

Steven_S
Community Champion

An import is stuck in queue, and you want to cancel it before starting another import (This would prevent the queued import from running at a later time and overwriting course content.)

I think this is, perhaps, the most important reason to add this feature.  Since courses from various semesters have similar names, it is easy to get to the point of selecting content, and discover that you have selected the wrong course.  While the upload will not run until you select some content, the option to select content remains indefinitely.  When there are multiple individuals with permissions to use these settings (multiple instructors, for example) it is easy for miscommunications to result in mistakenly starting these incorrect uploads.

bstrickl
Community Participant

How and why is this not a thing nearly 5 years after being brought up?