Canvas LMS

Overview

This node interacts with the Canvas LMS API to retrieve multiple assignments for a specified course. It supports fetching many assignments at once, optionally filtered and ordered by various criteria. This operation is useful for educators or administrators who want to programmatically access assignment data from their courses in bulk.

Typical use cases include:

• Synchronizing all assignments of a course into another system.
• Generating reports on assignments with specific filters like assignment group or due date.
• Automating workflows that depend on the list of assignments in a course.

For example, an educator could use this node to get all assignments in a course ordered by due date, including submission history, to analyze student performance trends.

Properties

Output

The output is a JSON array under the data field containing assignment objects as returned by the Canvas LMS API. Each object represents an assignment with its properties such as name, description, points possible, due date, and any included additional data requested.

Example structure of one item in data:

{
  "id": 123,
  "name": "Assignment 1",
  "description": "Description text",
  "points_possible": 100,
  "due_at": "2024-07-01T23:59:00Z",
  "submission_history": [...],          // if included
  "assignment_visibility": {...},       // if included
  "overrides": [...],                   // if included
  "observed_users": [...]               // if included
}

No binary data is output by this operation.

Dependencies

• Requires an API key credential for authenticating with the Canvas LMS API.
• The node makes HTTP requests to the Canvas LMS REST API endpoints.
• Proper permissions on the Canvas LMS account are necessary to read assignment data.
• No additional external dependencies beyond the Canvas API and n8n's HTTP request helpers.

Troubleshooting

• Common issues:

  • Invalid or missing Course ID will cause the API call to fail.
  • Insufficient permissions on the API token may result in authorization errors.
  • Exceeding rate limits of the Canvas API can cause temporary failures.
  • Incorrect filter values (e.g., invalid assignment group ID) may return empty results.

• Error messages:

  • "Error in "assignment" operation "getAll": ..." indicates a failure during the API request; check credentials and parameters.
  • Network or authentication errors will be wrapped and surfaced as node operation errors.

• Resolutions:

  • Verify the Course ID is correct and accessible.
  • Ensure the API key has sufficient scope to read assignments.
  • Adjust the limit parameter to avoid large payloads.
  • Check network connectivity and Canvas API status.

Links and References

• Canvas LMS API Documentation - Assignments
• Canvas LMS Developer Key Setup
• n8n Documentation - Creating Custom Nodes