Organize Discussions Into Dedicated Channels
A new Canvas discussion topic opens, but the conversation stays scattered across the forum. Notis creates a dedicated Slack channel for each topic so your team can discuss, organize, and archive conversations together in one structured space.
Trigger
New Canvas Discussion Topic
Polls a Canvas course for new discussion topics.
Action
Create a channel-based conversation
Creates a new public or private slack channel with a unique name; the channel can be org-wide, or team-specific if `team id` is given (required if `org wide` is false or not provided).
Why this helps
Canvas discussions feel fragmented. Multiple topics are hard to follow in the forum, peers miss threads, and conversations don't get the focused attention they deserve. You end up talking about the discussion in Slack anyway—why not centralize it from the start?
- Organized, focused discussion—one topic per channel
- Easier to follow threads without forum navigation
- Team can collaborate in Slack rather than the LMS
- Archive full discussions by archiving the channel
Setup
Build it in a few focused steps.
- 1Connect Canvas and Slack.
- 2Create Automation: Name ('Discussion Channels'), Prompt ('Create a dedicated Slack channel for each new Canvas discussion topic so our team can discuss and organize the conversation'), Channel (your course or team channel), Trigger ('New Canvas Discussion Topic').
- 3A new Slack channel is created automatically for each discussion topic, pre-named and ready for collaboration.
Questions about this workflow
How are the channels named?
Notis uses the discussion topic name to create a descriptive channel name (e.g., 'discussion-unit-3-critical-thinking').
Can I add users automatically to new channels?
Yes—refine the prompt to invite specific team members or your study group to each new discussion channel.
What if I want to close discussion when it's finished?
You can archive the channel when the discussion resolves, creating a searchable archive of the full conversation.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
Supported Triggers and Actions
Notis builds workflows that link Canvas to Slack. A trigger fires from one place; an action lands in another.
Canvas triggers
Slack actions
Canvas Assignment Graded
Polls Canvas for newly graded submissions for a specific assignment.
Set snooze duration
Deprecated: turns on do not disturb mode for the current user, or changes its duration. use `set dnd duration` instead.
New Canvas Assignment Submission
Polls Canvas for new submissions to a specific assignment.
Add a custom emoji to a Slack team
Deprecated: adds a custom emoji to a slack workspace given a unique name and an image url. use `add emoji` instead.
New Canvas Discussion Message
Polls Canvas discussion topics for new messages.
Add an emoji alias
Adds an alias for an existing custom emoji in a slack enterprise grid organization.
New Canvas Discussion Topic
Polls a Canvas course for new discussion topics.
Add a remote file
Adds a reference to an external file (e.g., google drive, dropbox) to slack for discovery and sharing, requiring a unique `external id` and an `external url` accessible by slack.
New Course Created for User
Polls Canvas for newly created courses for a specific user.
Add a star to an item
Stars a channel, file, file comment, or a specific message in slack.
New Canvas File Upload
Polls a Canvas course for new file uploads.
Add call participants
Registers new participants added to a slack call.
Add emoji
Adds a custom emoji to a slack workspace given a unique name and an image url; subject to workspace emoji limits.
Add reaction to message
Adds a specified emoji reaction to an existing message in a slack channel, identified by its timestamp; does not remove or retrieve reactions.
Connect any two apps with Notis in the middle.
Not just Canvas and Slack. Any combination from 1,000+ integrations.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
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