sending links that open directly in an APP

[davidbohn]

How do i send links from my discussion posts to my student that will open directly in the canvas student app? When i send the url in a text or email it opens in a browser when my students click the link on their smart devices.

[tlampley]

Greetings  @davidbohn 

It's nice to meet you, and welcome to the Canvas Community!

I want to make sure I'm understanding you correctly. 

Are you asking:

• How do I use the Rich Content Editor to create hyperlinks for students to access--using the Canvas Mobile App for teachers? OR...
• How do I create links for students using the Mobile App that will open directly inside the LMS and not within a separate browser window?

Appreciate your clarification.  I may just need more caffeine

Have a SUPER Day!

[davidbohn]

Your second bullet - How do I create links for students using the Mobile App that will open directly inside the LMS(mobile app) and not within a separate browser window on their smart device/phone? Thanks!

[tlampley]

Hi David,

I think I understand.  Another question please: What is the destination of the links?  That is say,  where are these links pointing to?  For example, are they resources from the course files (internally located), or links from outside of Canvas (YouTube video, or other external resource).

The reason I ask, and if memory serves, there may be some type of security contingency to opening links from external locations via a web browser.

Thank you much!

[davidbohn]

Most of the time I am sending a URL link of a discussion post I want my class to access. Within that post I often embed short videos, attach files, post pics. The complaint I am receiving is when they get that URL it always opens a browser window and not the canvas student app. They want the APP to open from that link and put them in that post. Thanks again!

[bchatch]

This may have been answered partially above, but I believe my request/suggestion, while fundamentally similar, is functionally different. 

As a parent who receives a lot of messages from teachers that contain links to Canvas content, how would they structure those links to open my Canvas app that automatically logs in and goes directly to the content the teacher is referencing rather than taking me to a mobile browser where I have to use username/password to log in each and every time. It is so time-consuming and frustrating that most of the time I just don't bother to go further.

If the teachers used the same canvas-courses URL scheme you mention above in their emails, would those links take you directly to the content without the time-consuming and frustrating process of having to log on each and every time via a mobile web browser?

If not, can you use the tech around us to help us get there with a single tap? The whole point of having the Canvas App with parent access it to use it. The way we receive messaging from the schools totally negates the use of the app if you have to log in to a mobile web browser each time and view content there vice on the app.

Warm regards,

Brian

[rseilham · Accepted solution]

Hi  @davidbohn ‌ and  @tlampley ‌, 

If you want to redirect to the Canvas Mobile app through a web browser, you will need to use the Canvas Mobile URL schemes found here: 

Android and iOS 2.0 Mobile App API Documentation - Instructure Tech Blog 

For example, instead of linking to an assignment/discussion/etc which would produce a URL similar to: 

https://example.instructure.com/courses/:courseID/assignments/:assignmentID

You would use the canvas-courses URL scheme: 

canvas-courses://example.instructure.com/courses/:courseID/assignments/:assignmentID

Here's an example of it in action from a webpage inside the app, but it works the same from the native mobile browser: 

This video is currently being processed. Please try again in a few minutes.

This would require you supplying multiple links, but it does work. Good luck!

[davidbohn]

Ryan, That's it! Many thanks.

[claire_purcell1]

Hello! I have been using this for over a year and suddenly it stopped working for half of my students. It does not appear as a link at all on their iPad and they cannot click it. The other half of my students it continues just fine, and I have checked every setting etc but cannot figure out why this is happening to some of my kids. Any suggestions?

[bchatch]

This may have been answered partially above, but I believe my request/suggestion, while fundamentally similar, is functionally different. 

As a parent who receives a lot of messages from teachers that contain links to Canvas content, how would they structure those links to open my Canvas app that automatically logs in and goes directly to the content the teacher is referencing rather than taking me to a mobile browser where I have to use username/password to log in each and every time. It is so time-consuming and frustrating that most of the time I just don't bother to go further.

If the teachers used the same canvas-courses URL scheme you mention above in their emails, would those links take you directly to the content without the time-consuming and frustrating process of having to log on each and every time via a mobile web browser?

If not, can you use the tech around us to help us get there with a single tap? The whole point of having the Canvas App with parent access it to use it. The way we receive messaging from the schools totally negates the use of the app if you have to log in to a mobile web browser each time and view content there vice on the app.

Warm regards,

Brian