LTI Variable Substitutions
Variable substitution (aka variable expansion) is where custom variables really start to shine. They provide a mechanism for tool providers to request that specific, contextual information be sent across in the launch. When the tool consumer processes the launch request, it detects requested variable substitutions and sends the appropriate data where possible. Adding variable substitutions is exactly the same as adding custom variables, except the values are variables instead of constants. This is denoted by prefixing the value with a $. If the tool consumer doesn't recognize, or can't substitute, the value it will just send the variable as if it were are regular custom variable (i.e. the name of the substitution variable will be sent rather than the value).
This allows Canvas to expose data as LTI launch parameters during the LTI launch rather than requiring access to the Canvas API, which can be expensive for Canvas and the tool. It allows tool providers to be much more surgical when requesting user data, and it paves the way for us to be more transparent to tool installers, by showing them exactly what data the LTI tool will be given access to. Additionally, variable substitutions are generally simple to add to Canvas relative to gaining API access.
There are currently over 80 substitutions available. Many of the substitutions simply give access to additional user and context information. An LTI tool can request things like SIS ids, names, an avatar image, and an email address. Other variable substitutions assist tools with accessibility (prefersHighContrast), course copy (previousCourseIds), and masquerading users. Additionally, when we don't provide enough information or customization directly through LTI, tools can request everything they need to use the Canvas API for an even richer experience.
Some substitutions may be used as 'enabled_capabilities' for LTI2 tools. These substitutions have a 'Launch Parameter' label indicating the parameter name that will be sent in the tool launch if enabled.
For more information on variable substitution, see the IMS LTI specification.
Usage/Configuration
Variable substitutions can be configured for a tool in 3 ways:
Via UI
Custom fields can be configured via UI by editing the tool configuration and adding the desired variable to the Custom Fields text box.
The following would add the domain as a launch parameter called custom_arbitrary_name:
arbitrary_name=$Canvas.api.domain
Via API
Custom fields can also be configured via API.
This would install a course-level tool with domain as a custom field:
curl 'https://<domain>.instructure.com/api/v1/courses/<course_id>/external_tools' \
-X POST \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <token>;" \
-F 'name=LTI Example' \
-F 'consumer_key=some_key' \
-F 'shared_secret=some_secret' \
-F 'url=https://example.com/ims/lti' \
-F 'privacy_level=name_only' \
-F 'custom_fields[domain]=$Canvas.api.domain'Via JSON Configuration (LTI 1.3)
JSON can be used to configure an LTI 1.3 Developer Key.
The following JSON would create a developer key with the a placement specfic custom field and a tool-level custom field:
{
"title":"Variable Expansion Tool",
"scopes":[
],
"extensions":[
{
"domain":"variableexpander.com",
"tool_id":"variable-expansion-example",
"platform":"canvas.instructure.com",
"settings":{
"text":"Variation Expansion Tool Text",
"icon_url":"https://some.icon.url",
"placements":[
{
"text":"User Navigation Placement",
"enabled":true,
"icon_url":"https://static.thenounproject.com/png/131630-200.png",
"placement":"user_navigation",
"message_type":"LtiResourceLinkRequest",
"target_link_uri":"https://lti-ri.imsglobal.org/lti/tools/281/launches",
"canvas_icon_class":"icon-lti",
"custom_fields":{
"foo":"$Canvas.user.id"
}
}
]
}
}
],
"public_jwk":{
"kty":"RSA",
"alg":"RS256",
"e":"AQAB",
"kid":"8f796169-0ac4-48a3-a202-fa4f3d814fcd",
"n":"nZD7QWmIwj-3N_RZ1qJjX6CdibU87y2l02yMay4KunambalP9g0fU9yZLwLX9WYJINcXZDUf6QeZ-SSbblET-h8Q4OvfSQ7iuu0WqcvBGy8M0qoZ7I-NiChw8dyybMJHgpiP_AyxpCQnp3bQ6829kb3fopbb4cAkOilwVRBYPhRLboXma0cwcllJHPLvMp1oGa7Ad8osmmJhXhM9qdFFASg_OCQdPnYVzp8gOFeOGwlXfSFEgt5vgeU25E-ycUOREcnP7BnMUk7wpwYqlE537LWGOV5z_1Dqcqc9LmN-z4HmNV7b23QZW4_mzKIOY4IqjmnUGgLU9ycFj5YGDCts7Q",
"use":"sig"
},
"description":"1.3 Test Tool",
"custom_fields":{
"bar":"$Canvas.user.sisid"
},
"target_link_uri":"https://your.target_link_uri",
"oidc_initiation_url":"https://your.oidc_initiation_url"
}Via XML Configuration (LTI 1.1)
Custom fields can also be configured via XML.
This would create a tool in a course with custom fields, some of which are specific for a particular placement:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<cartridge_basiclti_link xmlns="http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/imslticc_v1p0"
xmlns:blti = "http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/imsbasiclti_v1p0"
xmlns:lticm ="http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/imslticm_v1p0"
xmlns:lticp ="http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/imslticp_v1p0"
xmlns:xsi = "http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation = "http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/imslticc_v1p0 http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/lti/ltiv1p0/imslticc_v1p0.xsd
http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/imsbasiclti_v1p0 http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/lti/ltiv1p0/imsbasiclti_v1p0.xsd
http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/imslticm_v1p0 http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/lti/ltiv1p0/imslticm_v1p0.xsd
http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/imslticp_v1p0 http://www.imsglobal.org/xsd/lti/ltiv1p0/imslticp_v1p0.xsd">
<blti:title>Wikipedia</blti:title>
<blti:launch_url>https://www.wikipedia.org/</blti:launch_url>
<blti:custom>
<lticm:property name="user_sis_id">$Person.sourcedId</lticm:property>
</blti:custom>
<blti:extensions platform="canvas.instructure.com">
<lticm:property name="domain">wikipedia.org</lticm:property>
<lticm:options name="custom_fields">
<lticm:property name="canvas_api_domain">$Canvas.api.domain</lticm:property>
<lticm:property name="canvas_user_id">$Canvas.user.id</lticm:property>
</lticm:options>
<lticm:options name="course_navigation">
<lticm:property name="url">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Unusual_articles#mediaviewer/File:Cow-on_pole,_with_antlers.jpeg</lticm:property>
<lticm:property name="text">Cow With Antlers</lticm:property>
<lticm:options name="custom_fields">
<lticm:property name="concluded_roles">$Canvas.membership.concludedRoles</lticm:property>
</lticm:options>
</lticm:options>
</blti:extensions>
</cartridge_basiclti_link>Supported Substitutions
ResourceLink.id
LTI - Custom parameter substitution: ResourceLink.id Returns the LTI value for the resource_link.id property Returns "$ResourceLink.id" otherwise.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: resourcelink_id
Context.title
The title of the context.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: context_title
"Example Course"
ResourceLink.description
LTI - Custom parameter substitution: ResourceLink.description Returns the LTI value for the resource_link.description property Returns "$ResourceLink.description" otherwise.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: resourcelink_description
com.instructure.Editor.contents
The contents of the text editor associated with the content item launch.
Availability: when the tool is launched from the editor_button placement
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_editor_contents
"This text was in the editor"
ResourceLink.title
LTI - Custom parameter substitution: ResourceLink.title Returns the LTI value for the resource_link.title property Returns "$ResourceLink.title" otherwise.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: resourcelink_title
com.instructure.Editor.selection
The contents the user has selected in the text editor associated with the content item launch.
Availability: when the tool is launched from the editor_button placement
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_editor_selection
"this text was selected by the user"
ResourceLink.available.startDateTime
LTI - Custom parameter substitution: ResourceLink.available.startDateTime Returns the ISO 8601 date and time when this resource is available for learners to access Returns "$ResourceLink.available.startDateTime" otherwise.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: resourcelink_available_startdatetime
com.instructure.PostMessageToken
A token that can be used for frontend communication between an LTI tool and Canvas via the Window.postMessage API.
Availability: **
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_post_message_token
"9ae4170c-6b64-444d-9246-0b7dedd5f560"
ResourceLink.available.endDateTime
LTI - Custom parameter substitution: ResourceLink.available.endDateTime Returns the ISO 8601 date and time when this resource ceases to be available for learners to access Returns "$ResourceLink.available.endDateTime" otherwise.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: resourcelink_available_enddatetime
ResourceLink.submission.endDateTime
LTI - Custom parameter substitution: ResourceLink.submission.endDateTime Returns the ISO 8601 date and time when this resource stops accepting submissions. Returns "$ResourceLink.submission.endDateTime" otherwise.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: resourcelink_submission_enddatetime
com.instructure.Assignment.lti.id
The LTI assignment id of an assignment. This value corresponds with
the ext_lti_assignment_id send in various launches and webhooks.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_assignment_lti_id
"9ae4170c-6b64-444d-9246-0b7dedd5f560"
com.instructure.User.observees
If the current user is an observer in the launch context, this substitution returns a comma-separated list of user IDs linked to the current user for observing. For LTI 1.3 tools, the user IDs will correspond to the "sub" claim made in LTI 1.3 launches (a UUIDv4), while for all other tools, the user IDs will be the user's typical LTI ID.
Returns an empty string otherwise.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_user_observees
LTI 1.3: "a6e2e413-4afb-4b60-90d1-8b0344df3e91",
All Others: "c0ddd6c90cbe1ef0f32fbce5c3bf654204be186c"
com.instructure.Assignment.description
The LTI assignment description of an assignment.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_assignment_description
"Example Description"
com.instructure.User.sectionNames
Returns an array of the section names in a JSON-escaped format that the user is enrolled in, if the context of the tool launch is within a course. The names are sorted by the course_section_id, so that they are useful in conjunction with the Canvas.course.sectionIds substitution.
Availability: when launched from a course (or a Group within a course)
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_user_section_names
[\"Section 1, M-T\", \"Section 2, W-Th\", \"TA Section\"]
com.instructure.Assignment.allowedFileExtensions
A comma separated list of the file extensions that are allowed for submitting to this assignment. If there are no limits on what files can be uploaded, an empty string will be returned. If the assignment does not allow file uploads as a submission type, then no substitution will be performed.
Availability: when the tool is used to upload a file as an assignment submission
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_assignment_allowed_file_extensions
"docx,pdf,txt"
com.instructure.RCS.app_host
Returns the host of the rich content service for the current region.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_rcs_app_host
"rich-content-iad.inscloudgate.net"
com.instructure.OriginalityReport.id
The Canvas id of the Originality Report associated with the launch.
Availability: **
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_originality_report_id
23
com.instructure.User.student_view
Returns true if the user is launching from student view.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_user_student_view
"true"
"false"
com.instructure.Submission.id
The Canvas id of the submission associated with the launch.
Availability: **
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_submission_id
23
com.instructure.File.id
The Canvas id of the file associated with the submission in the launch.
Availability: **
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_file_id
23
CourseOffering.sourcedId
the LIS identifier for the course offering.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
Launch Parameter: lis_course_offering_sourcedid
1234
Context.id
an opaque identifier that uniquely identifies the context of the tool launch.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: context_id
"cdca1fe2c392a208bd8a657f8865ddb9ca359534"
com.instructure.Observee.sisIds
returns all observee ids linked to this observer as an String separated by ,.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_observee_sis_ids
"A123,B456,..."
com.instructure.Context.globalId
The Canvas global identifier for the launch context.
Availability: always
10000000000070
Context.title
The title of the context.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: context_title
"Example Course"
com.instructure.Context.uuid
The Canvas UUID for the launch context.
Availability: always
4TVeERS266frWLG5RVK0L8BbSC831mUZHaYpK4KP
Context.sourcedId [duplicates Person.sourcedId]
If the context is a Course, returns sourced Id of the context.
Availability: always
1234
com.instructure.Editor.contents
The contents of the text editor associated with the content item launch.
Availability: when the tool is launched from the editor_button placement
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_editor_contents
"This text was in the editor"
com.instructure.Editor.selection
The contents the user has selected in the text editor associated with the content item launch.
Availability: when the tool is launched from the editor_button placement
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_editor_selection
"this text was selected by the user"
Context.id.history
With respect to the current course, recursively returns the context ids of the courses from which content has been copied (excludes cartridge imports). Will show a limit of 1000 context ids. When the number passes 1000, 'truncated' will show at the end of the list.
This is an alias of Canvas.course.previousContextIds.recursive.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
"1234,4567"
Message.documentTarget
communicates the kind of browser window/frame where the Canvas has launched a tool.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: launch_presentation_document_target
"iframe"
com.instructure.PostMessageToken
A token that can be used for frontend communication between an LTI tool and Canvas via the Window.postMessage API.
Availability: **
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_post_message_token
"9ae4170c-6b64-444d-9246-0b7dedd5f560"
Message.locale
returns the current locale.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: launch_presentation_locale
"de"
ToolConsumerInstance.guid
returns a unique identifier for the Tool Consumer (Canvas).
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: tool_consumer_instance_guid
"0dWtgJjjFWRNT41WdQMvrleejGgv7AynCVm3lmZ2:canvas-lms"
com.instructure.Assignment.lti.id
The LTI assignment id of an assignment. This value corresponds with
the ext_lti_assignment_id send in various launches and webhooks.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_assignment_lti_id
"9ae4170c-6b64-444d-9246-0b7dedd5f560"
Canvas.api.domain
returns the canvas domain for the current context.
Availability: always
"canvas.instructure.com"
com.instructure.Assignment.description
The LTI assignment description of an assignment.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_assignment_description
"Example Description"
Canvas.api.collaborationMembers.url
returns the api url for the members of the collaboration.
Availability: always
"https://canvas.instructure.com/api/v1/collaborations/1/members"
com.instructure.Assignment.allowedFileExtensions
A comma separated list of the file extensions that are allowed for submitting to this assignment. If there are no limits on what files can be uploaded, an empty string will be returned. If the assignment does not allow file uploads as a submission type, then no substitution will be performed.
Availability: when the tool is used to upload a file as an assignment submission
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_assignment_allowed_file_extensions
"docx,pdf,txt"
Canvas.api.baseUrl
returns the base URL for the current context.
Availability: always
"https://canvas.instructure.com"
com.instructure.OriginalityReport.id
The Canvas id of the Originality Report associated with the launch.
Availability: **
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_originality_report_id
23
ToolProxyBinding.memberships.url
returns the URL for the membership service associated with the current context.
This variable is for future use only. Complete support for the IMS Membership Service has not been added to Canvas. This will be updated when we fully support and certify the IMS Membership Service.
Availability: always
"https://canvas.instructure.com/api/lti/courses/1/membership_service"
com.instructure.Submission.id
The Canvas id of the submission associated with the launch.
Availability: **
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_submission_id
23
Canvas.account.id
returns the account id for the current context.
Availability: always
1234
Canvas.account.name
returns the account name for the current context.
Availability: always
"School Name"
com.instructure.File.id
The Canvas id of the file associated with the submission in the launch.
Availability: **
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_file_id
23
Canvas.account.sisSourceId
returns the account's sis source id for the current context.
Availability: always
"sis_account_id_1234"
CourseOffering.sourcedId
the LIS identifier for the course offering.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
Launch Parameter: lis_course_offering_sourcedid
1234
Canvas.rootAccount.id
returns the Root Account ID for the current context.
Availability: always
1234
Canvas.rootAccount.sisSourceId
returns the root account's sis source id for the current context.
Availability: always
"sis_account_id_1234"
Context.id
an opaque identifier that uniquely identifies the context of the tool launch.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: context_id
"cdca1fe2c392a208bd8a657f8865ddb9ca359534"
com.instructure.Context.globalId
The Canvas global identifier for the launch context.
Availability: always
10000000000070
Canvas.externalTool.global_id
returns the global ID for the external tool that was launched. Only available for LTI 1.
Availability: when in an LTI 1
1234
Canvas.externalTool.url
returns the URL for the external tool that was launched. Only available for LTI 1.
Availability: always and when in an LTI 1
"http://example.url/path"
com.instructure.Context.uuid
The Canvas UUID for the launch context.
Availability: always
4TVeERS266frWLG5RVK0L8BbSC831mUZHaYpK4KP
com.instructure.brandConfigJSON.url
returns the URL to retrieve the brand config JSON for the launching context.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
"http://example.url/path.json"
com.instructure.brandConfigJSON
returns the brand config JSON itself for the launching context.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
{"ic-brand-primary-darkened-5":"#0087D7"}
Context.sourcedId [duplicates Person.sourcedId]
If the context is a Course, returns sourced Id of the context.
Availability: always
1234
com.instructure.brandConfigJS.url
returns the URL to retrieve the brand config javascript for the launching context. This URL should be used as the src attribute for a script tag on the external tool provider's web page. It is configured to be used with the instructure-ui node module. More information on on how to use instructure ui react components can be found here.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
"http://example.url/path.js"
Context.id.history
With respect to the current course, recursively returns the context ids of the courses from which content has been copied (excludes cartridge imports). Will show a limit of 1000 context ids. When the number passes 1000, 'truncated' will show at the end of the list.
This is an alias of Canvas.course.previousContextIds.recursive.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
"1234,4567"
Canvas.css.common
returns the URL for the common css file.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
"http://example.url/path.css"
Message.documentTarget
communicates the kind of browser window/frame where the Canvas has launched a tool.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: launch_presentation_document_target
"iframe"
Canvas.shard.id
returns the shard id for the current context.
Availability: always
1234
Message.locale
returns the current locale.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: launch_presentation_locale
"de"
Canvas.root_account.global_id
returns the root account's global id for the current context.
Availability: always
123400000000123
ToolConsumerInstance.guid
returns a unique identifier for the Tool Consumer (Canvas).
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: tool_consumer_instance_guid
"0dWtgJjjFWRNT41WdQMvrleejGgv7AynCVm3lmZ2:canvas-lms"
Canvas.root_account.id [deprecated]
returns the root account id for the current context.
Availability: always
1234
Canvas.api.domain
returns the canvas domain for the current context.
Availability: always
"canvas.instructure.com"
vnd.Canvas.root_account.uuid
returns the account uuid for the current context.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: vnd_canvas_root_account_uuid
"Ioe3sJPt0KZp9Pw6xAvcHuLCl0z4TvPKP0iIOLbo"
Canvas.api.collaborationMembers.url
returns the api url for the members of the collaboration.
Availability: always
"https://canvas.instructure.com/api/v1/collaborations/1/members"
Canvas.root_account.sisSourceId [deprecated]
returns the root account sis source id for the current context.
Availability: always
1234
Canvas.api.baseUrl
returns the base URL for the current context.
Availability: always
"https://canvas.instructure.com"
Canvas.course.id
returns the current course id.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
1234
ToolProxyBinding.memberships.url
returns the URL for the membership service associated with the current context.
This variable is for future use only. Complete support for the IMS Membership Service has not been added to Canvas. This will be updated when we fully support and certify the IMS Membership Service.
Availability: always
"https://canvas.instructure.com/api/lti/courses/1/membership_service"
Canvas.account.id
returns the account id for the current context.
Availability: always
1234
vnd.instructure.Course.uuid
returns the current course uuid.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
"S3vhRY2pBzG8iPdZ3OBPsPrEnqn5sdRoJOLXGbwc"
Canvas.account.name
returns the account name for the current context.
Availability: always
"School Name"
Canvas.course.name
returns the current course name.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
"Course Name"
Canvas.account.sisSourceId
returns the account's sis source id for the current context.
Availability: always
"sis_account_id_1234"
Canvas.rootAccount.id
returns the Root Account ID for the current context.
Availability: always
1234
Canvas.course.sisSourceId
returns the current course sis source id.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
1234
Canvas.rootAccount.sisSourceId
returns the root account's sis source id for the current context.
Availability: always
"sis_account_id_1234"
com.instructure.Course.integrationId
returns the current course integration id.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
1234
Canvas.course.startAt
returns the current course start date.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
2018-01-15 00:00:00 -0700
Canvas.externalTool.global_id
returns the global ID for the external tool that was launched. Only available for LTI 1.
Availability: when in an LTI 1
1234
Canvas.course.endAt
returns the current course end date.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
2018-05-01 00:00:00 -0700
Canvas.externalTool.url
returns the URL for the external tool that was launched. Only available for LTI 1.
Availability: always and when in an LTI 1
"http://example.url/path"
com.instructure.brandConfigJSON.url
returns the URL to retrieve the brand config JSON for the launching context.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
"http://example.url/path.json"
Canvas.course.workflowState
returns the current course workflow state. Workflow states of "claimed" or "created" indicate an unpublished course.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
"active"
com.instructure.brandConfigJSON
returns the brand config JSON itself for the launching context.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
{"ic-brand-primary-darkened-5":"#0087D7"}
com.instructure.brandConfigJS.url
returns the URL to retrieve the brand config javascript for the launching context. This URL should be used as the src attribute for a script tag on the external tool provider's web page. It is configured to be used with the instructure-ui node module. More information on on how to use instructure ui react components can be found here.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
"http://example.url/path.js"
Canvas.term.startAt
returns the current course's term start date.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course) that has a term with a start date
2018-01-12 00:00:00 -0700
Canvas.css.common
returns the URL for the common css file.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
"http://example.url/path.css"
Canvas.term.endAt
returns the current course's term end date.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course) that has a term with a end date
2018-01-12 00:00:00 -0700
Canvas.shard.id
returns the shard id for the current context.
Availability: always
1234
Canvas.term.name
returns the current course's term name.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course) that has a term with a name
Launch Parameter: canvas_term_name
"W1 2017"
Canvas.root_account.global_id
returns the root account's global id for the current context.
Availability: always
123400000000123
Canvas.term.id
returns the current course's term numerical id.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course) that has a term *
**Launch Parameter: *canvas_term_id
123
Canvas.root_account.id [deprecated]
returns the root account id for the current context.
Availability: always
1234
CourseSection.sourcedId
returns the current course sis source id to return the section source id use Canvas.course.sectionIds.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
Launch Parameter: lis_course_section_sourcedid
1234
Canvas.enrollment.enrollmentState
returns the current course enrollment state.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
"active"
vnd.Canvas.root_account.uuid
returns the account uuid for the current context.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: vnd_canvas_root_account_uuid
"Ioe3sJPt0KZp9Pw6xAvcHuLCl0z4TvPKP0iIOLbo"
Canvas.root_account.sisSourceId [deprecated]
returns the root account sis source id for the current context.
Availability: always
1234
com.instructure.Assignment.anonymous_grading
returns true if the assignment has anonymous grading enabled.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_assignment_anonymous_grading
true
Canvas.course.id
returns the current course id.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
1234
vnd.instructure.Course.uuid
returns the current course uuid.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
"S3vhRY2pBzG8iPdZ3OBPsPrEnqn5sdRoJOLXGbwc"
com.instructure.Assignment.restrict_quantitative_data
returns true if the assignment restricts quantitative data. Assignment types: points, percentage, gpa_scale are all considered quantitative.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_assignment_restrict_quantitative_data
true
Canvas.course.name
returns the current course name.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
"Course Name"
Canvas.course.sisSourceId
returns the current course sis source id.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
1234
com.instructure.Course.gradingScheme
returns the grading scheme data for the course it is an array of objects of grade levels.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_course_grading_scheme
[
{name: "A", value: 94.0},
{name: "A-", value: 90.0},
{name: "B+", value: 87.0},
]
com.instructure.Course.integrationId
returns the current course integration id.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
1234
com.Instructure.membership.roles
returns the current course membership roles using the LIS v2 vocabulary.
Availability: when launched from a course or an account (or a Group within a course or account)
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_membership_roles
"http://purl.imsglobal.org/vocab/lis/v2/institution/person#Student"
Canvas.course.startAt
returns the current course start date.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
2018-01-15 00:00:00 -0700
Canvas.membership.roles
returns the current course membership roles.
Availability: when launched from a course or an account (or a Group within a course or account)
Launch Parameter: canvas_membership_roles
"StudentEnrollment"
Canvas.membership.concludedRoles
This is a list of IMS LIS roles should have a different key.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
"urn:lti:sysrole:ims/lis/None"
Canvas.course.endAt
returns the current course end date.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
2018-05-01 00:00:00 -0700
Canvas.membership.permissions<>
Returns a comma-separated list of permissions granted to the user in the current context,
given a comma-separated set to check using the format
$Canvas.membership.permissions<example_permission,example_permission2,..>.
Availability: when launched from a course or an account (or a Group within a course or account)
"example_permission_1,example_permission_2"
Canvas.course.previousContextIds
With respect to the current course, returns the context ids of the courses from which content has been copied (excludes cartridge imports).
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
"1234,4567"
Canvas.course.workflowState
returns the current course workflow state. Workflow states of "claimed" or "created" indicate an unpublished course.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
"active"
Canvas.course.previousContextIds.recursive
With respect to the current course, recursively returns the context ids of the courses from which content has been copied (excludes cartridge imports). Will show a limit of 1000 context ids. When the number passes 1000, 'truncated' will show at the end of the list.
This is an alias of $Context.id.history.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
"1234,4567"
Canvas.course.previousCourseIds
With respect to the current course, returns the course ids of the courses from which content has been copied (excludes cartridge imports).
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
1234
Person.name.full
Returns the full name of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: lis_person_name_full
"John Doe"
Canvas.term.startAt
returns the current course's term start date.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course) that has a term with a start date
2018-01-12 00:00:00 -0700
Person.name.display
Returns the display name of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: person_name_display
"John Doe"
Canvas.term.endAt
returns the current course's term end date.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course) that has a term with a end date
2018-01-12 00:00:00 -0700
Person.name.family
Returns the last name of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: lis_person_name_family
"Doe"
Canvas.term.name
returns the current course's term name.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course) that has a term with a name
Launch Parameter: canvas_term_name
"W1 2017"
Person.name.given
Returns the first name of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: lis_person_name_given
"John"
Canvas.term.id
returns the current course's term numerical id.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course) that has a term *
**Launch Parameter: *canvas_term_id
123
com.instructure.Person.name_sortable
Returns the sortable name of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_person_name_sortable
"Doe, John"
CourseSection.sourcedId
returns the current course sis source id to return the section source id use Canvas.course.sectionIds.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
Launch Parameter: lis_course_section_sourcedid
1234
Canvas.enrollment.enrollmentState
returns the current course enrollment state.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
"active"
Person.email.primary
Returns the primary email of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: lis_person_contact_email_primary
"john.doe@example.com"
com.instructure.Assignment.anonymous_grading
returns true if the assignment has anonymous grading enabled.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_assignment_anonymous_grading
true
com.instructure.Person.pronouns
Returns pronouns for the current user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_person_pronouns
"She/Her"
com.instructure.Assignment.restrict_quantitative_data
returns true if the assignment restricts quantitative data. Assignment types: points, percentage, gpa_scale are all considered quantitative.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_assignment_restrict_quantitative_data
true
vnd.Canvas.Person.email.sis
Returns the institution assigned email of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user that was added via SIS
"john.doe@example.com"
com.instructure.Course.gradingScheme
returns the grading scheme data for the course it is an array of objects of grade levels.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_course_grading_scheme
[
{name: "A", value: 94.0},
{name: "A-", value: 90.0},
{name: "B+", value: 87.0},
]
Person.address.timezone
Returns the name of the timezone of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
"America/Denver"
com.Instructure.membership.roles
returns the current course membership roles using the LIS v2 vocabulary.
Availability: when launched from a course or an account (or a Group within a course or account)
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_membership_roles
"http://purl.imsglobal.org/vocab/lis/v2/institution/person#Student"
User.image
Returns the profile picture URL of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: user_image
"https://example.com/picture.jpg"
Canvas.membership.roles
returns the current course membership roles.
Availability: when launched from a course or an account (or a Group within a course or account)
Launch Parameter: canvas_membership_roles
"StudentEnrollment"
User.id [duplicates Canvas.user.id]
Returns the Canvas user_id of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: user_id
420000000000042
Canvas.membership.concludedRoles
This is a list of IMS LIS roles should have a different key.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
"urn:lti:sysrole:ims/lis/None"
Canvas.membership.permissions<>
Returns a comma-separated list of permissions granted to the user in the current context,
given a comma-separated set to check using the format
$Canvas.membership.permissions<example_permission,example_permission2,..>.
Availability: when launched from a course or an account (or a Group within a course or account)
"example_permission_1,example_permission_2"
Canvas.user.id [duplicates User.id]
Returns the Canvas user_id of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
420000000000042
Canvas.course.previousContextIds
With respect to the current course, returns the context ids of the courses from which content has been copied (excludes cartridge imports).
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
"1234,4567"
vnd.instructure.User.uuid [duplicates User.uuid]
Returns the Canvas user_uuid of the launching user for the context.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
"N2ST123dQ9zyhurykTkBfXFa3Vn1RVyaw9Os6vu3"
Canvas.course.previousContextIds.recursive
With respect to the current course, recursively returns the context ids of the courses from which content has been copied (excludes cartridge imports). Will show a limit of 1000 context ids. When the number passes 1000, 'truncated' will show at the end of the list.
This is an alias of $Context.id.history.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
"1234,4567"
vnd.instructure.User.current_uuid [duplicates User.uuid]
Returns the current Canvas user_uuid of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
"N2ST123dQ9zyhurykTkBfXFa3Vn1RVyaw9Os6vu3"
Canvas.course.previousCourseIds
With respect to the current course, returns the course ids of the courses from which content has been copied (excludes cartridge imports).
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
1234
Person.name.full
Returns the full name of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: lis_person_name_full
"John Doe"
Canvas.user.prefersHighContrast
Returns the users preference for high contrast colors (an accessibility feature).
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
false
Person.name.display
Returns the display name of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: person_name_display
"John Doe"
com.instructure.Course.groupIds
returns the Canvas ids of all active groups in the current course.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_course_groupids
"23,24,..."
Person.name.family
Returns the last name of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: lis_person_name_family
"Doe"
Canvas.group.contextIds
returns the context ids for the groups the user belongs to in the course.
Availability: always
"1c16f0de65a080803785ecb3097da99872616f0d,d4d8d6ae1611e2c7581ce1b2f5c58019d928b79d,..."
Person.name.given
Returns the first name of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: lis_person_name_given
"John"
Membership.role
Returns the IMS LTI membership service roles for filtering via query parameters. Or, for LTI 1.3 tools, returns the IMS LTI Names and Role Provisioning Service roles for filtering via query parameters.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: roles
"http://purl.imsglobal.org/vocab/lis/v2/institution/person#Administrator"
com.instructure.Person.name_sortable
Returns the sortable name of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_person_name_sortable
"Doe, John"
Canvas.xuser.allRoles [duplicates ext_roles which is sent by default]
Returns list of LIS role full URNs. Note that this will include all roles the user has. There are 3 different levels of roles defined: Context, Institution, System. Context role urns start with "urn:lti:ims" and include roles for the context where the launch occurred. Institution role urns start with "urn:lti:instrole" and include roles the user has in the institution. This will include roles they have in other courses or at the account level. Note that there is not a TA role at the Institution level. Instead Users with a TA enrollment will have an institution role of Instructor. System role urns start with "urn:lti:sysrole" and include roles for the entire system.
Availability: always
"urn:lti:instrole:ims/lis/Administrator,urn:lti:instrole:ims/lis/Instructor,urn:lti:sysrole:ims/lis/SysAdmin,urn:lti:sysrole:ims/lis/User"
Person.email.primary
Returns the primary email of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: lis_person_contact_email_primary
"john.doe@example.com"
com.instructure.User.allRoles
Same as "Canvas.xuser.allRoles", but uses roles formatted for LTI Advantage.
Availability: always
"http://purl.imsglobal.org/vocab/lis/v2/institution/person#Student",
"http://purl.imsglobal.org/vocab/lis/v2/membership#Instructor",
"http://purl.imsglobal.org/vocab/lis/v2/system/person#User"
com.instructure.Person.pronouns
Returns pronouns for the current user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_person_pronouns
"She/Her"
Canvas.user.globalId
Returns the Canvas global user_id of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
420000000000042
vnd.Canvas.Person.email.sis
Returns the institution assigned email of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user that was added via SIS
"john.doe@example.com"
Canvas.user.isRootAccountAdmin
Returns true for root account admins and false for all other roles.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
true
Person.address.timezone
Returns the name of the timezone of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
"America/Denver"
User.image
Returns the profile picture URL of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: user_image
"https://example.com/picture.jpg"
Canvas.user.adminableAccounts
Returns a string with a comma-separated list of the (local) account IDs
that a user has admin rights in, which fall under the root account that
the tool was launched under. This list includes the IDs of
all subaccounts of these accounts (and their subaccounts, etc.), since
the admin privileges carry from an account to all its subaccounts.
Root account admins are not supported by this variable,
use Canvas.user.isRootAccountAdmin instead.
Example:
- Root account
- Subaccount 1 (user is account admin)
- Subaccount 2
- Subaccount 3
- Subaccount 4
- Subaccount 2
- Subaccount 5
- Subaccount 1 (user is account admin)
Result: "1,2,4,3"
Will show a limit of 40000 characters. If the account IDs list is too big to fit into 40000 characters, 'truncated' will show at the end of the list. The result is cached for 5 minutes.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
123,456,798
123,456,789,1234,truncated
User.id [duplicates Canvas.user.id]
Returns the Canvas user_id of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: user_id
420000000000042
User.username [duplicates Canvas.user.loginId]
Username/Login ID for the primary pseudonym for the user for the account. This may not be the pseudonym the user is actually logged in with.
Availability: when pseudonym is in use
"jdoe"
Canvas.user.id [duplicates User.id]
Returns the Canvas user_id of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
420000000000042
vnd.instructure.User.uuid [duplicates User.uuid]
Returns the Canvas user_uuid of the launching user for the context.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
"N2ST123dQ9zyhurykTkBfXFa3Vn1RVyaw9Os6vu3"
Canvas.user.loginId [duplicates User.username]
Username/Login ID for the primary pseudonym for the user for the account. This may not be the pseudonym the user is actually logged in with.
Availability: when pseudonym is in use
"jdoe"
vnd.instructure.User.current_uuid [duplicates User.uuid]
Returns the current Canvas user_uuid of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
"N2ST123dQ9zyhurykTkBfXFa3Vn1RVyaw9Os6vu3"
Canvas.user.sisSourceId [duplicates Person.sourcedId]
Returns the sis source id for the primary pseudonym for the user for the account This may not be the pseudonym the user is actually logged in with.
Availability: when pseudonym is in use
"sis_user_42"
Canvas.user.prefersHighContrast
Returns the users preference for high contrast colors (an accessibility feature).
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
false
Canvas.user.sisIntegrationId
Returns the integration id for the primary pseudonym for the user for the account This may not be the pseudonym the user is actually logged in with.
Availability: when pseudonym is in use
"integration_user_42"
com.instructure.Course.groupIds
returns the Canvas ids of all active groups in the current course.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
Launch Parameter: com_instructure_course_groupids
"23,24,..."
Person.sourcedId [duplicates Canvas.user.sisSourceId]
Returns the sis source id for the primary pseudonym for the user for the account This may not be the pseudonym the user is actually logged in with.
Availability: when pseudonym is in use
Launch Parameter: lis_person_sourcedid
"sis_user_42"
Canvas.group.contextIds
returns the context ids for the groups the user belongs to in the course.
Availability: always
"1c16f0de65a080803785ecb3097da99872616f0d,d4d8d6ae1611e2c7581ce1b2f5c58019d928b79d,..."
Canvas.logoutService.url
Returns the logout service url for the user. This is the pseudonym the user is actually logged in as. It may not hold all the sis info needed in other launch substitutions.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
"https://<domain>.instructure.com/api/lti/v1/logout_service/<external_tool_id>-<user_id>-<current_unix_timestamp>-<opaque_string>"
Membership.role
Returns the IMS LTI membership service roles for filtering via query parameters. Or, for LTI 1.3 tools, returns the IMS LTI Names and Role Provisioning Service roles for filtering via query parameters.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
Launch Parameter: roles
"http://purl.imsglobal.org/vocab/lis/v2/institution/person#Administrator"
Canvas.masqueradingUser.id
Returns the Canvas user_id for the masquerading user. This is the pseudonym the user is actually logged in as. It may not hold all the sis info needed in other launch substitutions.
Availability: when the user is being masqueraded
420000000000042
Canvas.xuser.allRoles [duplicates ext_roles which is sent by default]
Returns list of LIS role full URNs. Note that this will include all roles the user has. There are 3 different levels of roles defined: Context, Institution, System. Context role urns start with "urn:lti:ims" and include roles for the context where the launch occurred. Institution role urns start with "urn:lti:instrole" and include roles the user has in the institution. This will include roles they have in other courses or at the account level. Note that there is not a TA role at the Institution level. Instead Users with a TA enrollment will have an institution role of Instructor. System role urns start with "urn:lti:sysrole" and include roles for the entire system.
Availability: always
"urn:lti:instrole:ims/lis/Administrator,urn:lti:instrole:ims/lis/Instructor,urn:lti:sysrole:ims/lis/SysAdmin,urn:lti:sysrole:ims/lis/User"
com.instructure.User.allRoles
Same as "Canvas.xuser.allRoles", but uses roles formatted for LTI Advantage.
Availability: always
"http://purl.imsglobal.org/vocab/lis/v2/institution/person#Student",
"http://purl.imsglobal.org/vocab/lis/v2/membership#Instructor",
"http://purl.imsglobal.org/vocab/lis/v2/system/person#User"
Canvas.masqueradingUser.userId
Returns the opaque user_id for the masquerading user. This is the pseudonym the user is actually logged in as. It may not hold all the sis info needed in other launch substitutions.
For LTI 1.3 tools, the opaque user IDs are UUIDv4 values (also used in the "sub" claim in LTI 1.3 launches), while for other LTI versions, the user ID will be the user's 40 character opaque LTI id.
Availability: when the user is being masqueraded
LTI 1.3: "8b9f8327-aa32-fa90-9ea2-2fa8ef79e0f9",
All Others: "da12345678cb37ba1e522fc7c5ef086b7704eff9"
Canvas.user.globalId
Returns the Canvas global user_id of the launching user.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
420000000000042
Canvas.xapi.url
Returns the xapi url for the user.
Availability: always
"https://<domain>.instructure.com/api/lti/v1/xapi/<external_tool_id>-<user_id>-<course_id>-<current_unix_timestamp>-<opaque_id>"
Canvas.user.isRootAccountAdmin
Returns true for root account admins and false for all other roles.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
true
Caliper.url
Returns the caliper url for the user.
Availability: always
"https://<domain>.instructure.com/api/lti/v1/caliper/<external_tool_id>-<user_id>-<course_id>-<current_unix_timestamp>-<opaque_id>"
Canvas.user.adminableAccounts
Returns a string with a comma-separated list of the (local) account IDs
that a user has admin rights in, which fall under the root account that
the tool was launched under. This list includes the IDs of
all subaccounts of these accounts (and their subaccounts, etc.), since
the admin privileges carry from an account to all its subaccounts.
Root account admins are not supported by this variable,
use Canvas.user.isRootAccountAdmin instead.
Example:
- Root account
- Subaccount 1 (user is account admin)
- Subaccount 2
- Subaccount 3
- Subaccount 4
- Subaccount 2
- Subaccount 5
- Subaccount 1 (user is account admin)
Result: "1,2,4,3"
Will show a limit of 40000 characters. If the account IDs list is too big to fit into 40000 characters, 'truncated' will show at the end of the list. The result is cached for 5 minutes.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
123,456,798
123,456,789,1234,truncated
Canvas.course.sectionIds
Returns a comma separated list of section_id's that the user is enrolled in.
Availability: when launched from a course (or a Group within a course)
"42, 43"
Canvas.course.sectionRestricted
Returns true if the user can only view and interact with users in their own sections.
Availability: when launched from a course (or a Group within a course)
true
User.username [duplicates Canvas.user.loginId]
Username/Login ID for the primary pseudonym for the user for the account. This may not be the pseudonym the user is actually logged in with.
Availability: when pseudonym is in use
"jdoe"
Canvas.course.sectionSisSourceIds
Returns a comma separated list of section sis_id's that the user is enrolled in.
Availability: when launched from a course (or a Group within a course)
"section_sis_id_1, section_sis_id_2"
Canvas.user.loginId [duplicates User.username]
Username/Login ID for the primary pseudonym for the user for the account. This may not be the pseudonym the user is actually logged in with.
Availability: when pseudonym is in use
"jdoe"
com.instructure.contextLabel
Returns the course code.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
Launch Parameter: context_label
"CS 124"
Canvas.module.id
Returns the module_id that the module item was launched from.
Availability: when content tag is present
1234
Canvas.user.sisSourceId [duplicates Person.sourcedId]
Returns the sis source id for the primary pseudonym for the user for the account This may not be the pseudonym the user is actually logged in with.
Availability: when pseudonym is in use
"sis_user_42"
Canvas.moduleItem.id
Returns the module_item_id of the module item that was launched.
Availability: when content tag is present
1234
Canvas.user.sisIntegrationId
Returns the integration id for the primary pseudonym for the user for the account This may not be the pseudonym the user is actually logged in with.
Availability: when pseudonym is in use
"integration_user_42"
Canvas.assignment.id
Returns the assignment_id of the assignment that was launched.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
1234
Person.sourcedId [duplicates Canvas.user.sisSourceId]
Returns the sis source id for the primary pseudonym for the user for the account This may not be the pseudonym the user is actually logged in with.
Availability: when pseudonym is in use
Launch Parameter: lis_person_sourcedid
"sis_user_42"
Canvas.assignment.description
Returns the assignment_description of the assignment that was launched.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
"Example Description"
Canvas.logoutService.url
Returns the logout service url for the user. This is the pseudonym the user is actually logged in as. It may not hold all the sis info needed in other launch substitutions.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
"https://<domain>.instructure.com/api/lti/v1/logout_service/<external_tool_id>-<user_id>-<current_unix_timestamp>-<opaque_string>"
com.instructure.Group.id
Returns the Canvas id of the group the current user is in if launching from a group assignment.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user and when launched as an assignment
Launch Parameter: vnd_canvas_group_id
481
Canvas.masqueradingUser.id
Returns the Canvas user_id for the masquerading user. This is the pseudonym the user is actually logged in as. It may not hold all the sis info needed in other launch substitutions.
Availability: when the user is being masqueraded
420000000000042
com.instructure.Group.name
Returns the name of the group the current user is in if launching from a group assignment.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user and when launched as an assignment
Launch Parameter: vnd_canvas_group_name
"Group One"
Canvas.masqueradingUser.userId
Returns the opaque user_id for the masquerading user. This is the pseudonym the user is actually logged in as. It may not hold all the sis info needed in other launch substitutions.
For LTI 1.3 tools, the opaque user IDs are UUIDv4 values (also used in the "sub" claim in LTI 1.3 launches), while for other LTI versions, the user ID will be the user's 40 character opaque LTI id.
Availability: when the user is being masqueraded
LTI 1.3: "8b9f8327-aa32-fa90-9ea2-2fa8ef79e0f9",
All Others: "da12345678cb37ba1e522fc7c5ef086b7704eff9"
Canvas.assignment.title
Returns the title of the assignment that was launched.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
"Deep thought experiment"
Canvas.assignment.pointsPossible
Returns the points possible of the assignment that was launched.
This is an alias of LineItem.resultValue.max.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
100
Canvas.xapi.url
Returns the xapi url for the user.
Availability: always
"https://<domain>.instructure.com/api/lti/v1/xapi/<external_tool_id>-<user_id>-<course_id>-<current_unix_timestamp>-<opaque_id>"
Canvas.assignment.hideInGradebook
Returns true if the assignment is hidden in the gradebook.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
true
Caliper.url
Returns the caliper url for the user.
Availability: always
"https://<domain>.instructure.com/api/lti/v1/caliper/<external_tool_id>-<user_id>-<course_id>-<current_unix_timestamp>-<opaque_id>"
Canvas.assignment.omitFromFinalGrade
Returns true if the assignment is omitted from students' final grade.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
true
Canvas.course.sectionIds
Returns a comma separated list of section_id's that the user is enrolled in.
Availability: when launched from a course (or a Group within a course)
"42, 43"
Canvas.assignment.unlockAt [deprecated]
deprecated in favor of ISO8601.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
Canvas.course.sectionRestricted
Returns true if the user can only view and interact with users in their own sections.
Availability: when launched from a course (or a Group within a course)
true
Canvas.course.sectionSisSourceIds
Returns a comma separated list of section sis_id's that the user is enrolled in.
Availability: when launched from a course (or a Group within a course)
"section_sis_id_1, section_sis_id_2"
Canvas.assignment.lockAt [deprecated]
deprecated in favor of ISO8601.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
com.instructure.contextLabel
Returns the course code.
Availability: when launched in a course (or a Group within a course)
Launch Parameter: context_label
"CS 124"
Canvas.assignment.dueAt [deprecated]
deprecated in favor of ISO8601.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
Canvas.module.id
Returns the module_id that the module item was launched from.
Availability: when content tag is present
1234
Canvas.assignment.unlockAt.iso8601
Returns the unlock_at date of the assignment that was launched.
Only available when launched as an assignment with an unlock_at set.
Availability: always
2018-02-18T00:00:00Z
Canvas.moduleItem.id
Returns the module_item_id of the module item that was launched.
Availability: when content tag is present
1234
Canvas.assignment.id
Returns the assignment_id of the assignment that was launched.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
1234
Canvas.assignment.description
Returns the assignment_description of the assignment that was launched.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
"Example Description"
com.instructure.Group.id
Returns the Canvas id of the group the current user is in if launching from a group assignment.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user and when launched as an assignment
Launch Parameter: vnd_canvas_group_id
481
com.instructure.Group.name
Returns the name of the group the current user is in if launching from a group assignment.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user and when launched as an assignment
Launch Parameter: vnd_canvas_group_name
"Group One"
Canvas.assignment.title
Returns the title of the assignment that was launched.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
"Deep thought experiment"
Canvas.assignment.pointsPossible
Returns the points possible of the assignment that was launched.
This is an alias of LineItem.resultValue.max.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
100
Canvas.assignment.hideInGradebook
Returns true if the assignment is hidden in the gradebook.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
true
Canvas.assignment.omitFromFinalGrade
Returns true if the assignment is omitted from students' final grade.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
true
Canvas.assignment.unlockAt [deprecated]
deprecated in favor of ISO8601.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
Canvas.assignment.lockAt [deprecated]
deprecated in favor of ISO8601.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
Canvas.assignment.dueAt [deprecated]
deprecated in favor of ISO8601.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
Canvas.assignment.unlockAt.iso8601
Returns the unlock_at date of the assignment that was launched.
Only available when launched as an assignment with an unlock_at set.
Availability: always
2018-02-18T00:00:00Z
Canvas.assignment.lockAt.iso8601
Returns the lock_at date of the assignment that was launched.
Only available when launched as an assignment with a lock_at set.
Availability: always
2018-02-20:00:00Z
Canvas.assignment.dueAt.iso8601
Returns the due_at date of the assignment that was launched.
If the tool is launched as a student, this will be the date that assignment
is due for that student (or unexpanded -- "$Canvas.assignment.dueAt.iso8601" --
if there is no due date for the student).
If the tool is launched as an instructor and there are multiple
possible due dates (i.e., there are multiple sections and at
least one has a due date override), this will be the LATEST effective
due date of any section or student.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
2018-02-19:00:00Z
Canvas.assignment.earliestEnrollmentDueAt.iso8601
Returns the due_at date of the assignment that was launched.
If the tool is launched as a student, this will be the date that
assignment is due for that student (or an empty string if there is no due
date for the student). If the tool is launched as an instructor and different
students are assigned multiple due dates (i.e., there are students in sections
with overrides / different effective due dates), this will be the
EARLIEST due date of any enrollment (or an empty string if there are no
enrollments with due dates). Note than like allDueAts, but unlike the dueAt
expansion, there must be at least one enrollment in a section for its due
date to be considered.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
2018-02-19:00:00Z
Canvas.assignment.allDueAts.iso8601
In Canvas, users, sections and groups can have distinct due dates for the same assignment.
This returns all possible due_at dates of the assignment that was launched.
If the assignment is assigned to anyone without a due date, an empty string
will be present in the list (hence the ",," in the example)
Only available when launched as an assignment.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
2018-02-19:00:00Z,,2018-02-20:00:00Z
Canvas.assignment.published
Returns true if the assignment that was launched is published. Only available when launched as an assignment.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
true
Canvas.assignment.lockdownEnabled
Returns true if the assignment is LDB enabled. Only available when launched as an assignment.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
true
Canvas.assignment.allowedAttempts
Returns the allowed number of submission attempts.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
5
Canvas.assignment.submission.studentAttempts
Returns the number of submission attempts which the student did.
Availability: when launched as an assignment by a student
2
LtiLink.custom.url
Returns the endpoint url for accessing link-level tool settings Only available for LTI 2.0.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
"https://<domain>.instructure.com/api/lti/tool_settings/<link_id>"
ToolProxyBinding.custom.url
Returns the endpoint url for accessing context-level tool settings Only available for LTI 2.0.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
"https://<domain>.instructure.com/api/lti/tool_settings/<binding_id>"
Canvas.assignment.lockAt.iso8601
Returns the lock_at date of the assignment that was launched.
Only available when launched as an assignment with a lock_at set.
Availability: always
2018-02-20:00:00Z
ToolProxy.custom.url
Returns the endpoint url for accessing system-wide tool settings Only available for LTI 2.0.
Availability: always
"https://<domain>.instructure.com/api/lti/tool_settings/<proxy_id>"
Canvas.assignment.dueAt.iso8601
Returns the due_at date of the assignment that was launched.
If the tool is launched as a student, this will be the date that assignment
is due for that student (or unexpanded -- "$Canvas.assignment.dueAt.iso8601" --
if there is no due date for the student).
If the tool is launched as an instructor and there are multiple
possible due dates (i.e., there are multiple sections and at
least one has a due date override), this will be the LATEST effective
due date of any section or student.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
2018-02-19:00:00Z
Canvas.assignment.earliestEnrollmentDueAt.iso8601
Returns the due_at date of the assignment that was launched.
If the tool is launched as a student, this will be the date that
assignment is due for that student (or an empty string if there is no due
date for the student). If the tool is launched as an instructor and different
students are assigned multiple due dates (i.e., there are students in sections
with overrides / different effective due dates), this will be the
EARLIEST due date of any enrollment (or an empty string if there are no
enrollments with due dates). Note than like allDueAts, but unlike the dueAt
expansion, there must be at least one enrollment in a section for its due
date to be considered.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
2018-02-19:00:00Z
ToolConsumerProfile.url
Returns the Tool Consumer Profile url for the tool. Only available for LTI 2.0.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
"https://<domain>.instructure.com/api/lti/courses/<course_id>/tool_consumer_profile/<opaque_id>"
"https://<domain>.instructure.com/api/lti/accounts/<account_id>/tool_consumer_profile/<opaque_id>"
Canvas.assignment.allDueAts.iso8601
In Canvas, users, sections and groups can have distinct due dates for the same assignment.
This returns all possible due_at dates of the assignment that was launched.
If the assignment is assigned to anyone without a due date, an empty string
will be present in the list (hence the ",," in the example)
Only available when launched as an assignment.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
2018-02-19:00:00Z,,2018-02-20:00:00Z
vnd.Canvas.OriginalityReport.url
The originality report LTI2 service endpoint.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: vnd_canvas_originality_report_url
"api/lti/assignments/{assignment_id}/submissions/{submission_id}/originality_report"
Canvas.assignment.published
Returns true if the assignment that was launched is published. Only available when launched as an assignment.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
true
vnd.Canvas.submission.url
The submission LTI2 service endpoint.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: vnd_canvas_submission_url
"api/lti/assignments/{assignment_id}/submissions/{submission_id}"
Canvas.assignment.lockdownEnabled
Returns true if the assignment is LDB enabled. Only available when launched as an assignment.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
true
vnd.Canvas.submission.history.url
The submission history LTI2 service endpoint.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: vnd_canvas_submission_history_url
"api/lti/assignments/{assignment_id}/submissions/{submission_id}/history"
Canvas.assignment.allowedAttempts
Returns the allowed number of submission attempts.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
5
Canvas.assignment.submission.studentAttempts
Returns the number of submission attempts which the student did.
Availability: when launched as an assignment by a student
2
Canvas.file.media.id
Availability: when an attachment is present and it has either a media object or media entry id defined
LtiLink.custom.url
Returns the endpoint url for accessing link-level tool settings Only available for LTI 2.0.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
"https://<domain>.instructure.com/api/lti/tool_settings/<link_id>"
Canvas.file.media.type
Availability: when an attachment is present and has a media object defined
ToolProxyBinding.custom.url
Returns the endpoint url for accessing context-level tool settings Only available for LTI 2.0.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
"https://<domain>.instructure.com/api/lti/tool_settings/<binding_id>"
Canvas.file.media.duration
Availability: when an attachment is present and has a media object defined
Canvas.file.media.size
Availability: when an attachment is present and has a media object defined
Canvas.file.media.title
Availability: when an attachment is present and has a media object defined
ToolProxy.custom.url
Returns the endpoint url for accessing system-wide tool settings Only available for LTI 2.0.
Availability: always
"https://<domain>.instructure.com/api/lti/tool_settings/<proxy_id>"
Canvas.file.usageRights.name
Availability: when an attachment is present and has usage rights defined
ToolConsumerProfile.url
Returns the Tool Consumer Profile url for the tool. Only available for LTI 2.0.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
"https://<domain>.instructure.com/api/lti/courses/<course_id>/tool_consumer_profile/<opaque_id>"
"https://<domain>.instructure.com/api/lti/accounts/<account_id>/tool_consumer_profile/<opaque_id>"
Canvas.file.usageRights.url
Availability: when an attachment is present and has usage rights defined
vnd.Canvas.OriginalityReport.url
The originality report LTI2 service endpoint.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: vnd_canvas_originality_report_url
"api/lti/assignments/{assignment_id}/submissions/{submission_id}/originality_report"
Canvas.file.usageRights.copyrightText
Availability: when an attachment is present and has usage rights defined
vnd.Canvas.submission.url
The submission LTI2 service endpoint.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: vnd_canvas_submission_url
"api/lti/assignments/{assignment_id}/submissions/{submission_id}"
com.instructure.Course.accept_canvas_resource_types
Returns the types of resources that can be imported to the current page, forwarded from the request. Value is a comma-separated array of one or more values of: ["assignment", "assignment_group", "audio", "discussion_topic", "document", "image", "module", "quiz", "page", "video"]
Only functional when com_instructure_course_accept_canvas_resource_types is included as a query param
in Canvas-side GET request that triggers the LTI launch.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
"page"
"module"
"assignment,discussion_topic,page,quiz,module"
vnd.Canvas.submission.history.url
The submission history LTI2 service endpoint.
Availability: always
Launch Parameter: vnd_canvas_submission_history_url
"api/lti/assignments/{assignment_id}/submissions/{submission_id}/history"
com.instructure.Course.canvas_resource_type
Returns the target resource type for the current page, forwarded from the request. Value is the largest logical unit of the page. Possible values are: ["assignment", "assignment_group", "audio", "discussion_topic", "document", "image", "module", "quiz", "page", "video"] on Pages Index -> 'page' on Modules -> 'module' and so on.
Only functional when com_instructure_course_canvas_resource_type is included as a query param
in Canvas-side GET request that triggers the LTI launch.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
page
Canvas.file.media.id
Availability: when an attachment is present and it has either a media object or media entry id defined
Canvas.file.media.type
Availability: when an attachment is present and has a media object defined
com.instructure.Course.canvas_resource_id
Returns the target resource id for the current page, forwarded from the request. Only functional when
com_instructure_course_canvas_resource_type is included as a query param. Currently, this is not
supported generally, and is only implemented for specific use cases.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
123123
Canvas.file.media.duration
Availability: when an attachment is present and has a media object defined
Canvas.file.media.size
Availability: when an attachment is present and has a media object defined
com.instructure.Course.allow_canvas_resource_selection
Returns whether a content can be imported into a specific group on the page, forwarded from the request. True for Modules page and Assignment Groups page. False for other content index pages.
Only functional when com_instructure_course_allow_canvas_resource_selection is included as a query param
in Canvas-side GET request that triggers the LTI launch.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
true
Canvas.file.media.title
Availability: when an attachment is present and has a media object defined
Canvas.file.usageRights.name
Availability: when an attachment is present and has usage rights defined
Canvas.file.usageRights.url
Availability: when an attachment is present and has usage rights defined
com.instructure.Course.available_canvas_resources
Returns a JSON-encoded list of content groups which can be selected, providing ID and name of each group, forwarded from the request. Empty value if com.instructure.Course.allow_canvas_resource_selection is false.
Only functional when com_instructure_course_available_canvas_resources is included as a query param
in Canvas-side GET request that triggers the LTI launch.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
[{"id":"3","name":"First Module"},{"id":"5","name":"Second Module"}]
Canvas.file.usageRights.copyrightText
Availability: when an attachment is present and has usage rights defined
com.instructure.Account.usage_metrics_enabled
Availability: always
com.instructure.Course.accept_canvas_resource_types
Returns the types of resources that can be imported to the current page, forwarded from the request. Value is a comma-separated array of one or more values of: ["assignment", "assignment_group", "audio", "discussion_topic", "document", "image", "module", "quiz", "page", "video"]
Only functional when com_instructure_course_accept_canvas_resource_types is included as a query param
in Canvas-side GET request that triggers the LTI launch.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
"page"
"module"
"assignment,discussion_topic,page,quiz,module"
com.instructure.user.lti_1_1_id.history
Returns a comma-separated list of historical lti_context_id of a user in chronological order including the current id.
The lti_context_id of a user is the same that is sent as user_id in 1.1 launches.
This variable helps tools handle the merged user's history.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
123,456,789
com.instructure.Course.canvas_resource_type
Returns the target resource type for the current page, forwarded from the request. Value is the largest logical unit of the page. Possible values are: ["assignment", "assignment_group", "audio", "discussion_topic", "document", "image", "module", "quiz", "page", "video"] on Pages Index -> 'page' on Modules -> 'module' and so on.
Only functional when com_instructure_course_canvas_resource_type is included as a query param
in Canvas-side GET request that triggers the LTI launch.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
page
LineItem.resultValue.max
Returns the points possible of the assignment that was launched. For other LineItem properties, use the LTI 1.3 Assignments and Grade Services
This is an alias of Canvas.assignment.pointsPossible.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
100
com.instructure.Course.canvas_resource_id
Returns the target resource id for the current page, forwarded from the request. Only functional when
com_instructure_course_canvas_resource_type is included as a query param. Currently, this is not
supported generally, and is only implemented for specific use cases.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
123123
com.instructure.Course.allow_canvas_resource_selection
Returns whether a content can be imported into a specific group on the page, forwarded from the request. True for Modules page and Assignment Groups page. False for other content index pages.
Only functional when com_instructure_course_allow_canvas_resource_selection is included as a query param
in Canvas-side GET request that triggers the LTI launch.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
true
com.instructure.Course.available_canvas_resources
Returns a JSON-encoded list of content groups which can be selected, providing ID and name of each group, forwarded from the request. Empty value if com.instructure.Course.allow_canvas_resource_selection is false.
Only functional when com_instructure_course_available_canvas_resources is included as a query param
in Canvas-side GET request that triggers the LTI launch.
Availability: when a tool is launched (excludes background messages like PNS notices)
[{"id":"3","name":"First Module"},{"id":"5","name":"Second Module"}]
com.instructure.Account.usage_metrics_enabled
Availability: always
com.instructure.user.lti_1_1_id.history
Returns a comma-separated list of historical lti_context_id of a user in chronological order including the current id.
The lti_context_id of a user is the same that is sent as user_id in 1.1 launches.
This variable helps tools handle the merged user's history.
Availability: when launched by a logged in user
123,456,789
LineItem.resultValue.max
Returns the points possible of the assignment that was launched. For other LineItem properties, use the LTI 1.3 Assignments and Grade Services
This is an alias of Canvas.assignment.pointsPossible.
Availability: when launched as an assignment
100