This document discusses automating the import of content into Canvas by using course cartridges and the Common Cartridge format. It describes the components and structure of course cartridges, including modules, assignments, quizzes and wiki pages. It provides two approaches for performing search and replace on all wiki pages within a cartridge. It also discusses how to import content as wiki pages or quizzes by modifying the cartridge files. Sample code and links to tools that generate QTI quiz files from other formats are included.

1. Automating Content Import
David Lippman
Pierce College
Lumen Learning

2. The Problem
You have large quantities of content (text,
quizzes, etc.) you want in Canvas.
Option 1: Cut and Paste
Option 2: Use the API
Option 3: Build a course cartridge

3. Key Format
Common Cartridge
• Basis for Canvas’s export format
• Exports are renamed zip files

4. Cartridge Components
Course settings XML
Files info XML
Syllabus HTML
Module layout as
modules_meta.xml
Using this will provide a more
predictable Module structure
than using standard common
cartridge

5. Cartridge Components
One folder per
assignment/discussion/quiz
Quizzes contain:
assessment_meta.xml
Display settings
assessment_qti.xml
Actual questions, in QTI format

6. Cartridge Components
All the wiki pages for the
course, in HTML format
Note: spaces and dots in wiki
page names get converted to
dashes in the file name.

7. Cartridge Components
The main mainfest for the whole
cartridge
<resource>
shows type and location of items
<organization> <item>
shows item structure (modules)

9. Best way to get familiar
Export a course
Rename it .zip and unzip it
Go exploring

10. So what can we do with this?
Universal search and replace on all wiki pages
Approach 1:
• Unzip the cartridge
• Use an editor that can do multi-file search
and replace
• Run against the wiki_content directory
• Rezip and upload

11. So what can we do with this?
Universal search and replace on all wiki pages
Approach 2:
• Write a script

12. require("phpQuery-onefile.php");
$zip = new ZipArchive;
$zip->open($file);
phpQuery::newDocumentXML(
$zip->getFromName("imsmanifest.xml"));
$ref = pq("resource");
foreach ($ref as $r) {
$reflist[pq($r)->attr("identifier")] =
pq($r)->attr("href");
$reftype[pq($r)->attr("identifier")] =
pq($r)->attr("type");
}

13. $items = pq(“item”);
foreach ($items as $item) {
$iref = pq($item)->attr("identifierref");
if (isset($reftype[$iref]) &&
$reftype[$iref]=="webcontent") {
$filename = $reflist[$iref]);
$html = $zip->getFromName($filename);
$html = str_replace(„</body>‟,
$attribution.‟</body>‟, $html);
$zip->addFromString($filename, $html);
}
}

14. So what can we do with this?
Import a collection of files as wiki pages
• Start with a clean export file
• Add pages in wiki_content
• Add new <resource> listings
• Add new <item> to imsmanifest and
modules_meta
• Or, just create new imsmanifest and
modules_meta files

15. QTI
• Standard format for quiz exchange
• Can import a QTI quiz into Canvas without a
full cartridge

19. Making it Easier
Generate QTI files from HTML or pasted Word
https://www.myopenmath.com/util/wordtoquiz.php
https://www.myopenmath.com/util/wordtoquiz2.php
https://www.myopenmath.com/util/wordtoquiz3.php

20. Sample Code
https://github.com/drlippman/canvas-scripts
• Search-and-replace in a cartridge example
• Generic content-to-CC
• Some specific examples of content-to-CC
• QTI generating scripts