Canvas LMS Scripts

This repo is a collection of scripts I use regularly when working in Canvas. Some of them are for admin purposes, others are for course management and pulling out some student data that is hard to get from the admin or course tools.

Using Scripts

To use any of the Python scripts, use pip install -r requirements.txt to install canvasapi and dependencies. You should do this is a virtual environment, if possible. Type annotations are Python 3.7+, but scripts should work in 3.6+. The canvasapi library is 3.6+ only.

Set up Canvas URLs and Keys

Make a copy of config.example.py and set your institution's URL and API keys. You can import the URL/key pair you want for each script rather than hard-coding them in each file. This also makes it easier to invalidate keys that are accidentally exposed.

Contributions

pip install -r requirements-dev.txt to install development packages. mypy, black, and flake8 are for type checks and linting. I don't have many unittests because many of these scripts are one-offs and not too complex. For more complicated tools (like assignment_rubrics), I do have some tests in place to check the returned dictionary structure.

This is open for contributions if you have scripts you'd like to share. Open a PR with the script file and an updated README with a short description of what it does.

Scripts

assignment_rubrics

This specifies an assignment and returns a list of user scores with any rubric scores for that assignment. Only Outcomes linked to rubrics are returned.

Return structure

{
	[
		'id': 1234,
		'name': 'Last, First',
		'rubric': {
			'123_456': {
				'comments': '',
				'points': 3.0,
				'rating_id': '7364_2363'
			},
			'987_654': {
				'comments': '',
				'points': 1.0,
				'rating_id': '7364_4639'
			},
		'score': 92.0
		}
	...]
}

associate_blueprint

From an Instructure course.csv, batch-associate courses to a blueprint course without needing an SIS ID.

canvas_postman

Create a JSON file of all Canvas API methods which can be imported into a Postman collection.

copy_enrollments

Duplicate an entire course's enrollments into a new course shell without requiring users to accept a new course invitation.

course_average

Calculate the average score in a course or a section.

create_dummy_students

Quickly create several test students without linking them to an email address. Useful if you need throwaway accounts for demonstrations or testing.

missing_assignments

Within a course, create a CSV report for all students and assignments marked as missing or unsubmitted.

quick_enroll_no_confirm

Because dummy students don't have emails, they can't accept course invitations. This script will enroll students (users) into any course without sending a confirmation or requiring them to accept an invitation.

score_all_submissions

This will fill in a score for an assignment if a submission is present. This is helpful if you want to give credit for completion without having to load the gradebook or go through the SpeedGrader.