Create Multiple Assignments via API

Hi,

I am setting up many assignments across many different courses.

So I have downloaded the 'Postman' API tool to help with this process.

I have set up my authorisation token and used a GET to display basic course data from our Canvas build to test the connection - which was a success.

I then used POST and created a test assignment in one of our courses using the following JSON code:

{

"assignment": {

"name": "Test assessment 1",

"submission_types": [

"none"

"points_possible": 1,

"grading_type": "points",

"due_at": "2015-10-18T00:00:00+01:00",

"muted": "true",

"published": "false"

}

Which was also a success - so far all good.

As we have quite a few courses each with many different assignments each with different settings such as the 'points_possible', 'due_at' etc.. so I started a spreadsheet and populated it with the headings of 'name','points_possible','due_at','published','submission_type','description' I then set this up in JSON format using CSV To JSON Converter but there are a few different variations of JSON formatting and none have worked. e.g JSON column array or keyed JSON...

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can transfer this spreadsheet across to postman and through using the canvas API start adding assignments to our multiple online courses?

Thanks!!

Huw

Find more posts tagged with

Open API

Accepted answers

All comments

garth

@h_jones I am not aware of any scripting capabilities in Postman.

I know you can string together a sequence of API calls, but not sure you can "program" it to read a spreadsheet.

Someone may be able to correct me on this, let's see if anyone else chimes in.

Here is an article posted by @James showing how to use Google sheets to make a series of API calls to adjust multiple courses:

Adjust All Assignment Dates on One Page

This might be a good approach to take.

I have also posted a .NET project showing how to leverage the API in c#.

.NET - Canvas API Implementation

The code is based on an application I wrote to implement many different types of workflows using the API, and would also be a potential approach.

I hope this helps.

unknown

Thanks @garth and llawson

I am not wanting Postman to directly read the spreadsheet. I am using raw JSON in postman's body field to create the assignments with a POST action.

The problem i am having is correctly formatting the JSON in an error free way so the API can recognise the JSON and create the new assignments.

The initial data is in a spreadsheet, but I am transferring this to JSON using this tool: CSV To JSON Converter

But every attempt to format/re-format the JSON fails - for example when I attempt to POST the following JSON to https://.instructure.com/api/v1/courses//assignments :

{

"assignment": [

{

"name": "Review of Space I",

"points_possible": "75",

"due_at": "2016-01-31T00:00:00Z",

"published": true,

"submission_type": "on_paper",

"description": "

Please print out and complete these homework assignments

Hand in to your mentor at the end of the due date week."

{

"name": "Review of Space II",

"points_possible": "75",

"due_at": "2016-02-07T00:00:00Z",

"published": true,

"submission_type": "on_paper",

"description": "

Please print out and complete these homework assignments

Hand in to your mentor at the end of the due date week."

{

"name": "Motors & Generators I",

"points_possible": "65",

"due_at": "2016-02-14T00:00:00Z",

"published": true,

"submission_type": "on_paper",

"description": "

Please print out and complete these homework assignments

Hand in to your mentor at the end of the due date week."

}

]

}

I get the following error:

{

"errors": [

{

"message": "An error occurred.",

"error_code": "internal_server_error"

}

"error_report_id": 580

}

I also get other errors when attempting other types of formatting - for example using an array format also provides the error:

{

"assignment": [

{

"name":["Review of Space I","Review of Space II","Motors & Generators I","Motors & Generators II","Motors & Generators III","Motors & Generators IV","Term 1 Exam","Review & M&G Practicals","Ideas to Implementation I","Ideas to Implementation II"],

"points_possible":["75","75","65","65","65","65","100","-","65","65"],

"due_at":["2016-01-31T00:00:00Z","2016-02-07T00:00:00Z","2016-02-14T00:00:00Z","2016-02-21T00:00:00Z","2016-02-28T00:00:00Z","2016-03-06T00:00:00Z","2016-03-13T00:00:00Z","2016-03-20T00:00:00Z","2016-04-03T00:00:00Z","2016-04-10T00:00:00Z"],

"published":[true,true,true,true,true,true,true,true,true,true],

"submission_type":["on_paper","on_paper","on_paper","on_paper","on_paper","on_paper","on_paper","on_paper","on_paper","on_paper"],

"description":["