Canvas LMS

Overview

This node integrates with the Canvas LMS API to manage groups within a course. Specifically, the "Group - Create" operation allows users to create a new group in a specified course by providing the group's name and an optional description.

Use cases include automating the creation of student or project groups in courses, organizing participants for assignments or discussions, or managing collaborative teams programmatically within Canvas LMS.

For example, an educator could use this node to automatically create groups for different project teams based on data from another system, streamlining course setup and management.

Properties

Output

The node outputs JSON data containing the response from the Canvas LMS API after creating the group. The output JSON is structured as:

{
  "data": {
    // Canvas API response object representing the newly created group
  }
}

This typically includes details such as the group's ID, name, description, and other metadata returned by Canvas LMS.

No binary data output is produced by this operation.

Dependencies

• Requires an active connection to the Canvas LMS API via an API key credential.
• The node expects the Canvas LMS base URL and access token to be configured in the credentials.
• The user must specify the Course ID contextually when creating a group, as groups are created within a specific course.

Troubleshooting

• Common issues:

  • Missing or invalid API credentials will cause authentication failures.
  • Providing an invalid or non-existent Course ID will result in errors from the Canvas API.
  • Omitting the required "Group Name" property will prevent the request from being sent.

• Error messages:

  • Errors from the Canvas API are wrapped and surfaced as node operation errors with messages indicating the resource and operation involved.
  • For example, "Error in "group" operation "create": <Canvas API error message>".

• Resolution tips:

  • Verify that the API key credential is correctly set up and has sufficient permissions.
  • Ensure the Course ID is correct and accessible by the authenticated user.
  • Provide all required fields, especially the group name.

Links and References

• Canvas LMS API Documentation - Groups
• Canvas LMS API Authentication