Suggestion: Please make ALT text "stick" to the image source in Canvas

Anyone know where we now post Ideas/Suggestions, like this one???

When we upload images directly to a Canvas page, the interface allows us to add alt text to that image, which is excellent (maybe make it not 'hidden', to encourage more people to use it!!!). It would be SOOOOOOO good if this alt text was actually saved to the image itself, so that subsequent uses of that image automatically included the alt text.

It is something of an art, writing good alt text, and having to find those perfect words again (and again… and again…) can be time consuming!

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Chris_Hofer

Hi there, @DeonScanlon …

As you've probably noticed, the Canvas Community website just re-launched using a new platform. And, I'm guessing that you're looking for the space to post new ideas for Canvas. I don't think that space is quite ready yet, however. I'm basing that on the blog post from Kristin which you can find here:

Your Community, Refreshed - Instructure Community (look at the last paragraph under "Your Voice, Your Community")

I don't have a timeline on this, so we'll just have to wait for the Community Managers to work their magic to ensure the new idea process launches with minimal issues.

I know this might not be the exact answer you were looking for, but I hope this helps to answer your question in some way.

Take care…be well.

AMye1

Hello Deon,

I believe the Alt text saves and is stored in Canvas when done through the RCE, but not when added through other means like Files.

bwsf

I would like to second how useful this would be! While context determines what is appropriate alt text, the context is often pretty stable for a particular instructor. So being able to save the default alt text in Canvas (sort of like a content management system) would be a huge help.

Possible path toward a fix: Some image files themselves can be saved to include metadata, using tags defined by the IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council) and/or the Dublin Core schema. Perhaps Canvas could read a description tag from the metadata and automatically apply it as drafted alt text. (Free software like ExifTool and Photini can add or edit this metadata to image files; I have not gone deeper down this rabbit hole, Canvas and CidiLabs DesignPLUS aren't set up to use the metadata. I asked CidiLabs about this possibility in October.)

bwsf

Hi AMye1,

That would be fantastic. I just checked it out, though, and could not get the alt text that I saved when uploading a new picture (through the RCE in a page) to apply to another copy of the same picture (added to a page via RCE, from the course file). It defaulted to the image file name as alt text. If there's another way you know to get alt text to transfer to the next usage of a file, please walk us through it.

Thanks!

DeonScanlon

I usually add images through the RCE. If you can provide a walkthrough of your workflow for this, it would be appreciated greatly, because I have tried a number of things, and none of them work.

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