Post email updates into Canvas discussions
Keep course conversations current without copying and pasting email updates.
Trigger
New Outlook Message
Triggered when a new message is received in the Outlook mailbox.
Action
Create discussion entry
Tool to create a new entry in a canvas discussion topic. use when posting a message with optional attachments to a discussion topic.
Why this helps
Important updates stay trapped in inboxes instead of reaching the class discussion.
- Share updates faster
- Reduce duplicate communication
- Keep discussions current
Setup
Build it in a few focused steps.
- 1Connect Outlook and Canvas once in Notis.
- 2Create an automation named Email to Discussion Entry.
- 3Tell Notis how to identify relevant emails and post a concise entry to the specified discussion topic.
- 4Pick New Outlook Message as the trigger and choose a report channel.
- 5Test it with one update email.
Questions about this workflow
Can Notis summarize a long email first?
Yes. In the instruction, ask it to summarize the email before posting.
Does this create a new discussion topic?
No. This workflow adds an entry to an existing topic.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
Supported Triggers and Actions
Notis builds workflows that link Outlook to Canvas. A trigger fires from one place; an action lands in another.
Outlook triggers
Canvas actions
Recurring trigger
Notis starts this workflow on a schedule, such as daily, weekly, or during business hours.
Create account notification
Creates a global notification within a canvas account, ensuring `end at` is after `start at` and any specified `notification roles` are valid.
Webhook trigger
Notis starts this workflow when an external tool or custom backend sends an HTTP request.
Create appointment group
Creates a new appointment group in canvas for schedulable time slots within specified course or group contexts.
New Contact Added
Triggered when a new contact is added in the Outlook contacts.
Create an assignment
Creates a new assignment within a specified course in canvas lms.
Calendar Event Changes
Triggered when a new calendar event occurs (created, updated, or deleted) in the Outlook calendar.
Create assignment override
Creates an assignment override to adjust due/unlock/lock dates for an assignment in a course, targeting specific students (requires `title`), a group, or a course section; at least one target (`student ids`, `group id`, or `course section id`) is required.
New Calendar Event
Triggered when a new calendar event is created in the Outlook calendar.
Create Calendar Event
Creates a calendar event with options for recurrence (finite `rrule` series only), section-specific timings, and blackout dates within a specified context.
New Outlook Message
Triggered when a new message is received in the Outlook mailbox.
Create communication channel
Creates a new communication channel (e.g., email, sms, push) for an existing canvas user to receive notifications.
New Sent Message
Triggered when a new message is sent from the Outlook mailbox.
Create content share
Shares a canvas content item to specified users, if the sender has necessary permissions and receiver ids are valid.
Create conversation
Use to send messages in canvas by creating a new conversation or adding to an existing one; an existing conversation with the same recipients (and matching scope/filter, if specified) may be reused unless `force new` is true.
Connect any two apps with Notis in the middle.
Outlook and Canvas, or any other combination from 1,000+ integrations.
When this happens · Trigger
Do this · Action
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