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Notis

Create Canvas folders from Slack organization decisions

When your team agrees on a new resource area, create the Canvas folder before materials start spreading across the course.

Trigger

Channel Message Received

Triggered when a message is posted in a Slack channel (public, private, or multi-party IM). Does NOT match direct messages.

Action

Create Folder

Creates a new folder in canvas within a specified context (e.g., course, user) and optional parent folder; ensure the context and any parent folder (specified by id or path, not both) already exist.

Why this helps

A resource organization decision can get buried while you are busy preparing or teaching.

  • Turn an agreed course structure into a place for materials.
  • Reduce the chance of adding files to an unclear location.
  • Keep organizational decisions close to the conversation that made them.

Setup

Build it in a few focused steps.

  • 1Connect Slack and Canvas to Notis through the portal if you have not already.
  • 2Create an automation in Automations, or ask Notis conversationally.
  • 3Give Notis one instruction to create a Canvas folder when a Slack message clearly establishes a new resource category for a named course.
  • 4Select Slack Channel Message Received, choose a report channel, and test with one real folder decision.

Questions about this workflow

Can this create a nested folder?

Canvas supports an optional parent folder. Describe the intended parent clearly in Slack and in your prompt.

What if the course folder is not clear?

Ask Notis to report a missing course or parent context rather than create a folder in the wrong place.

When this happens · Trigger

Do this · Action

Supported Triggers and Actions

Notis builds workflows that link Slack to Canvas. A trigger fires from one place; an action lands in another.

Slack triggers

Canvas actions

Recurring trigger

Notis starts this workflow on a schedule, such as daily, weekly, or during business hours.

TriggerScheduled

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.

ActionInstant

Webhook trigger

Notis starts this workflow when an external tool or custom backend sends an HTTP request.

TriggerInstant

Create appointment group

Creates a new appointment group in canvas for schedulable time slots within specified course or group contexts.

ActionInstant

New Channel Created Trigger

Triggered when a new channel is created in Slack.

TriggerInstant

Create an assignment

Creates a new assignment within a specified course in canvas lms.

ActionInstant

Channel Message Received

Triggered when a message is posted in a Slack channel (public, private, or multi-party IM). Does NOT match direct messages.

TriggerInstant

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.

ActionInstant

Direct Message Received

Triggered when a new direct message (DM) is sent to a user in Slack. Catches all DMs across all DM channels.

TriggerInstant

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.

ActionInstant

Message Reaction Added

Triggered when a reaction is added to a message in Slack. Supports optional filtering by channel and emoji name.

TriggerInstant

Create communication channel

Creates a new communication channel (e.g., email, sms, push) for an existing canvas user to receive notifications.

ActionInstant

Message Reaction Removed

Triggered when a reaction is removed from a message in Slack. Supports optional filtering by channel and emoji name.

TriggerInstant

Create content share

Shares a canvas content item to specified users, if the sender has necessary permissions and receiver ids are valid.

ActionInstant

Reaction Added Trigger

DEPRECATED: use `SLACK_MESSAGE_REACTION_ADDED` instead. Triggered when a reaction is added to a message in Slack.

TriggerInstant

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.

ActionInstant

Connect any two apps with Notis in the middle.

Slack and Canvas, or any other combination from 1,000+ integrations.

When this happens · Trigger

Do this · Action

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