Why does my post reply blank?

[YuriTakeda]

I was working on a discussion, and when I submitted, it was nothing but a blank. Now it's past the due date and half points deducted... Thanks, Canvas.

Is this a bug or any method I can pull back my reply?

[greydon · Accepted solution]

Hello @YuriTakeda 

Thank you for contacting Canvas Support. We're sorry to hear you've been experiencing issues with a discussion reply posting blank. Thank you for providing the screenshot. There are a number of reasons that could cause a reply coming through blank but it normally comes down to your browser or network connection. For example, if you click reply but leave the screen up for a long while and it times out, it can render a blank reply. Any lapse in connectivity or network/wifi disruption could also cause an issue. We highly recommend that you semi-regularly clear your cache and cookies and update your browser.

In Chrome
On your computer, open Chrome.
At the top right, click the three dots
Click settings
On the left, choose Privacy and Security
Then, clear browsing data
At the top, choose a time range. To delete everything, select All time. I suggest at least 4 weeks
Next to "Cookies and other site data" and "Cached images and files," check the boxes.
Click Clear data.

It is likely that your reply never made it to us but because of the complexity of the issue, and the concerns for privacy, it would be best if you contacted Canvas Support directly to pinpoint the source of the issue and provide a resolution:

https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Canvas-Basics-Guide/How-do-I-contact-Canvas-Support/ta-p/389767 

[distance_ed1]

For what it's worth, while I don't have a solution to this, an alarming number of students at our institution are having this same problem across multiple browsers, devices, and internet connections. We've submitted a ticket to Canvas about it, and I recommend you also report this to your institution's Canvas team!

All the best,
Danielle Casey
eLearning Program Specialist
Lower Columbia College

[Michael_17]

I reported a similar issue a few weeks ago. We found that if you are on a Discussion page, there is a shortcut that if you press the letter N on your keyboard, it opens a new reply. If you press N to create a new reply while a reply is still open, the page appears to add space above the original reply window. If you try to post anything while the page is in this state, your post will come out blank. Attached video to help explain what we found.