Merge Tags for Personalization

Hi Community,

On another LMS I used recently, if I add "{FirstName}" to the text of an announcement or message, it displays the first name of the user who views it. For example, if the course has an announcement that says "Hi {FirstName}!", it would read to a user named Bob as "Hi Bob!"

I think what I described might be called a "merge tag" or "shortcode". Whatever it is actually called, it is a good tool for personalizing communications and student experience without putting in tedious work. Is there a similar functionality on Canvas?

Happy learning!

Burkay

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Accepted answers

mzimmerman

Hi @burkay_ozturk

It sounds like you are describing Blackboard's "template variables" functionality.

There is no built-in equivalent in Canvas. A few Canvas administrators have come up with ways to do similar things in Canvas through editing the Canvas theme settings. See https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Higher-Ed-Canvas-Users/simulating-replicating-Blackboard-quot-template-variables-quot/ba-p/571524

All comments

mzimmerman

Hi @burkay_ozturk

It sounds like you are describing Blackboard's "template variables" functionality.

burkay_ozturk

Hi @mzimmerman ,

Thank you for the reply. The code is great.

However, I don't have admin rights and there is no way I can get a custom mod to javascript approved by our admins in a reasonable time frame. Last time, simply enabling SCORM LTI integration with Canvas took more than a year of messages back and forth, and produced nothing. I won't even bother this time.

I will be on the lookout in case the situation changes and a streamlined, native template variable functionality is introduced here on CANVAS.

burkay_ozturk

Thank you for writing up the idea and providing the roadmap to the solution. I hope it gets picked up. It is clearly needed.

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