Acknowledge new Canvas submissions with a WhatsApp reply
Make submission acknowledgements easier to send when work arrives in Canvas.
Trigger
New Canvas Assignment Submission
Polls Canvas for new submissions to a specific assignment.
Action
Send reply
Send a reply to a specific message in a whatsapp conversation. this creates a contextual reply that shows which message you're responding to. note: the reply will be delivered to the recipient only if they have texted first.
Why this helps
Manually acknowledging submissions adds another inbox and follow-up step to a busy teaching day.
- Promptly acknowledge incoming work.
- Keep a reply linked to a specific WhatsApp message when available.
- Reduce manual submission follow-up.
Setup
Build it in a few focused steps.
- 1Connect Canvas and WhatsApp once in the Notis portal.
- 2Create an automation in Automations, New Automation, and give it a name.
- 3Tell Notis to send an appropriate WhatsApp reply when a new submission arrives for the specified assignment.
- 4Pick the New Canvas Assignment Submission trigger and choose where run reports go.
- 5Test with one real submission and review the resulting reply.
Questions about this workflow
Does Canvas create a WhatsApp conversation for the student?
No. WhatsApp regular messages and replies are delivered only if the recipient has texted the WhatsApp number first.
Can I tailor the acknowledgement?
Yes. Describe the acknowledgement you want in the automation instruction and check the wording with a real example.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
Supported Triggers and Actions
Notis builds workflows that link Canvas to Whatsapp. A trigger fires from one place; an action lands in another.
Canvas triggers
Whatsapp actions
Recurring trigger
Notis starts this workflow on a schedule, such as daily, weekly, or during business hours.
Create message template
Create a new message template for the whatsapp business account. templates must be approved by whatsapp before they can be used. templates are required for marketing messages and messages sent outside the 24-hour window.
Webhook trigger
Notis starts this workflow when an external tool or custom backend sends an HTTP request.
Delete message template
Delete a message template from the whatsapp business account. this permanently removes the template and it cannot be recovered. only delete templates that are no longer needed.
Canvas Assignment Graded
Polls Canvas for newly graded submissions for a specific assignment.
Get business profile
Get the business profile information for a whatsapp business phone number. this includes business details like description, address, website, and contact info.
New Canvas Assignment Submission
Polls Canvas for new submissions to a specific assignment.
Get media
Get information about uploaded media including a temporary download url. the download url is valid for 5 minutes and can be used to retrieve the actual media file. this is useful for downloading media that was sent to your whatsapp number.
New Canvas Discussion Message
Polls Canvas discussion topics for new messages.
Get media info
Get metadata about uploaded media without generating a download url. this is useful for checking file size, type, and hash without downloading the file. use get media if you need the actual download url.
New Canvas Discussion Topic
Polls a Canvas course for new discussion topics.
Get message templates
Get all message templates for the whatsapp business account. templates are required for sending messages outside the 24-hour window and for marketing/utility messages.
New Course Created for User
Polls Canvas for newly created courses for a specific user.
Get phone number
Get details of a specific phone number associated with a whatsapp business account.
New Canvas File Upload
Polls a Canvas course for new file uploads.
Get phone numbers
Get all phone numbers associated with a whatsapp business account (waba).
Connect any two apps with Notis in the middle.
Canvas and Whatsapp, or any other combination from 1,000+ integrations.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
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