Look for the email behind a course file
Use each new Canvas upload as a cue to search Gmail for messages that may explain its context or next step.
Trigger
New Canvas File Upload
Polls a Canvas course for new file uploads.
Action
Fetch emails
Fetches a list of email messages from a gmail account, supporting filtering, pagination, and optional full content retrieval.
Why this helps
A file can be hard to act on when its purpose is buried in an earlier email conversation.
- Prompt a Gmail search when a course file arrives.
- Look for related messages before deciding what to do next.
- Reduce the time spent searching across apps.
Setup
Build it in a few focused steps.
- 1Connect Canvas and Gmail once in the Notis portal.
- 2Create an automation and describe the related messages to find in one instruction.
- 3Pick New Canvas File Upload as the trigger.
- 4Choose where run reports go, then test with one real upload and review the messages found.
Questions about this workflow
Can this tell me what is inside the uploaded file?
No. This action searches Gmail. It does not fetch or read the Canvas file.
What should I do if the search lacks useful details?
Add available course or file context to the instruction. Notis can only search using information it receives or that you provide.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
Supported Triggers and Actions
Notis builds workflows that link Canvas to Gmail. A trigger fires from one place; an action lands in another.
Canvas triggers
Gmail actions
Recurring trigger
Notis starts this workflow on a schedule, such as daily, weekly, or during business hours.
Modify email labels
Adds and/or removes specified gmail labels for a message; ensure `message id` and all `label ids` are valid (use 'listlabels' for custom label ids).
Webhook trigger
Notis starts this workflow when an external tool or custom backend sends an HTTP request.
Create email draft
Creates a gmail email draft, supporting to/cc/bcc, subject, plain/html body (ensure `is html=true` for html), attachments, and threading.
Canvas Assignment Graded
Polls Canvas for newly graded submissions for a specific assignment.
Create label
Creates a new label with a unique name in the specified user's gmail account.
New Canvas Assignment Submission
Polls Canvas for new submissions to a specific assignment.
Delete Draft
Permanently deletes a specific gmail draft using its id; ensure the draft exists and the user has necessary permissions for the given `user id`.
New Canvas Discussion Message
Polls Canvas discussion topics for new messages.
Delete message
Permanently deletes a specific email message by its id from a gmail mailbox; for `user id`, use 'me' for the authenticated user or an email address to which the authenticated user has delegated access.
New Canvas Discussion Topic
Polls a Canvas course for new discussion topics.
Fetch emails
Fetches a list of email messages from a gmail account, supporting filtering, pagination, and optional full content retrieval.
New Course Created for User
Polls Canvas for newly created courses for a specific user.
Fetch message by message ID
Fetches a specific email message by its id, provided the `message id` exists and is accessible to the authenticated `user id`.
New Canvas File Upload
Polls a Canvas course for new file uploads.
Fetch Message by Thread ID
Retrieves messages from a gmail thread using its `thread id`, where the thread must be accessible by the specified `user id`.
Connect any two apps with Notis in the middle.
Canvas and Gmail, or any other combination from 1,000+ integrations.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
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