Account Settings Instructions
Admin Guide Instructions for Customizing Account Settings
Last updated on: Mar 14, 2025
As of December 7, 2023, some settings are deprecated from the Account Settings tool
In an effort to increase reliability and improve performance for our users, the following JavaScript settings are no longer overwritten by the Account Settings tool:
- Limit by role
- Limit by course format
- Limit by user id
- Limit by course id
If your institution is using the [Account Settings] page to control any of these settings, please update your JavaScript file directly to ensure continuity.
Please contact support@cidilabs.com with any questions related to this issue. Thank you!
Overview
The Account Settings page in a customizations course allows you to manage some DesignPLUS features, including:
- Primary/Extended Content Identifiers
- Permissions to adjust Account Settings
- Launch button visibility
- Featured & disabled tools
- Default Theme
- Display options for Miscellaneous colors
- Sortable Rubrics
- Student Cards
- Ally Dropdown Relocation
Video Guide
Instructions
Accessing the Account Settings tool
To make changes to settings, you will need to use the Account Settings tool. To access the Account Settings tool:
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open your User Settings.
- In the Advanced Tools section, check Enable Account Settings Tool.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
Access to Account Settings tool
The Account Settings tool is only available while editing the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
Customizations Content Identifiers
In the Sidebar, content, styles, and tools from the customizations courses have a source label. The sources have default labels, but the labels can be changed in Account Settings.
Update the Primary Customizations Content Label
The default label for Primary Customizations content is "Local." To update the Primary Customizations course content identifier:
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your primary customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Primary Content Identifier section.
- Check the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Enter the desired Primary content identifier.
- Save the page.
Update the Extended Customizations Content Label
The default label for Extended Customizations content is "Extended." To update the Extended Customizations course content identifier:
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your extended customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Extended Content Identifier section.
- Check the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Enter the desired Extended content identifier.
- Save the page.
Limit Account Settings Editing Access
The ability to edit the Account Settings can be limited to users with root admin rights in Canvas. When this setting is enabled, users with insufficient permissions will not see the Account Settings tool in the Sidebar, and the Save button on the Account Settings page will be disabled for these users.
To Limit Account Settings Access to Root Admins
To limit account settings editing to users with Canvas root admin rights:
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Account Settings: Super Admin Access Only section.
- Check the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Check Only allow root admins to edit DesignPLUS account settings.
- Save the page.
To Remove Account Settings Editing Limits
To remove the account settings editing limits:
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Account Settings: Super Admin Access Only section.
- Check the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Uncheck Only allow root admins to edit DesignPLUS account settings.
- Save the page.
Limit Access: Hide Launch Button
The DesignPLUS Sidebar is accessed by clicking the button with the rocket ship that appears in the top right corner of the screen.
The Hide Launch Button setting hides that button so that only people who know either the Alt/Option+Shift+D or Ctrl+1 shortcut keys will have the ability to open the sidebar.
Pros
- Allows core training teams to become familiar with tools before opening more broadly
- Allows you to gradually train and role out sidebar use
- Users can see the style when editing even without knowing about the DesignPLUS Sidebar
- Users can still use the native Canvas editor to make changes
Cons
- The Canvas editor can cause issues when editing stylized content. Examples include:
- Updating links using the Canvas editor removes icons and other styles
- Changing ordered/unordered list types will convert any parent elements into lists as well
This only limits access to the DesignPLUS Sidebar. The Multi Tool and Upload/Embed Image tool will still be available to users.
To Hide the Launch Button
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Access: Hide Launch Button section.
- Check the Override JS Setting checkbox
- Check Hide Launch Button by Default.
- Save the page.
To Show the Launch Button
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Access: Hide Launch Button section.
- Uncheck the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Save the page.
Account Tools Group
The Account Tools Group provides a way to highlight specific tools. A new category will be created on the Add page with the selected tools.
This category will say "Local Tools" by default, or will show your Primary Content Identifier, if configured.
To Enable the Account Tools Group/Select Tools
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Account Tools Group section.
- Check the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Select the tools you want to include:
- Windows: Hold down the control (ctrl) button to select multiple options
- Mac: Hold down the command button to select multiple options
- Save the page.
To Remove the Account Tools Group
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Account Tools Group section.
- Uncheck the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Save the page.
Disabled Tools
If you have tools that you do not want users to use, you have the ability to disable specific tools.
This will disable those tools for all users. There is not a way to limit tools for specific users.
To Disable Tools/Edit Disabled Tools List
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Disabled Tools section.
- Check the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Select the tools you want to disable:
- Windows: Hold down the control (ctrl) button to select multiple options
- Mac: Hold down the command button to select multiple options
- Save the page.
To Stop Disabling Tools
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Disabled Tools section.
- Uncheck the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Save the page.
Default Theme
Enabling a default theme will automatically apply the selected theme to content when users add a theme to a page. The default theme will not be applied to content that already has a theme, and users can always make their own theme selections to replace the default.
Applies to All Courses
This is an account level setting because there is not a way to store a variable at the course level. Enabling this feature will enable it for all courses in the account.
To Set a Default Theme
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Default Theme section.
- Check the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Select one of the themes from the list.
- Save the page.
To Disable Default Theme
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Default Theme section.
- Uncheck the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Save the page.
Branding Colors Only
This updated feature gives admins the ability to use the Account Settings tool to toggle off the visibility of the miscellaneous swatches in class-based color pickers.
Applies to All Courses
This is an account level setting because there is not a way to store a variable at the course level. Enabling this feature will enable it for all courses in the account.
To Disable Miscellaneous Colors
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Branding Colors Only section.
- Check the Override JS Setting and Branding Colors Only checkboxes.
- Save the page.
To Enable Miscellaneous Colors
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Branding Colors Only section.
- Uncheck the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Save the page.
Sortable Rubrics
Enabling sortable rubrics will allow those editing a rubric to move criteria up or down in the list. A Make Rubric Sortable button will appear above the rubric table. Clicking this button will add arrow buttons next to each row that can be used to move that criteria up or down in the list.
A Word of Caution
While this feature has worked well for years, there is always a chance that an update in Canvas will break this functionality with or without notice. If that happens, we will do what we can to restore functionality but it is not guaranteed.
Applies to All Courses
This is an account level setting because there is not a way to store a variable at the course level. Enabling this feature will enable it for all courses in the account.
To Enable Sortable Rubrics
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Sortable Rubrics section.
- Check the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Check the Enable Sortable Rubrics checkbox.
- Save the page.
To Disable Sortable Rubrics
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Sortable Rubrics section.
- Uncheck the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Save the page.
Student Cards
The student cards feature provides an alternate view for the People page in Canvas. A Student Cards button is added to the top right of the Canvas People page that allows you to switch views.
Canvas People Page
Student Cards
A Word of Caution
While this feature has worked well for years, there is always a chance that an update in Canvas will break this functionality with or without notice. If that happens, we will do what we can to restore functionality but it is not guaranteed.
Also, while this can add some fun functionality to Canvas, there are a few limitations:
- This is transforming the list of students in Canvas so you will need to make sure all of the students have loaded in the default Canvas view before turning on the cards if you want to see all of your students.
- The cards are links but they will redirect to the user page rather than opening up the slide out student card like the original Canvas links.
Applies to All Courses
This is an account level setting because there is not a way to store a variable at the course level. Enabling this feature will enable it for all courses in the account.
To Enable Student Cards
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Student Cards section.
- Check the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Check the Enable Student Cards checkbox.
- Save the page.
To Disable Student Cards
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Student Cards section.
- Uncheck the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Save the page.
Ally Dropdown Relocation
The DesignPLUS Sidebar provides stylized headings that can be used in place of the default content title added by Canvas.
Blackboard Ally added an Alternative Formats dropdown to the Canvas page title which the DesignPLUS code would hide when a stylized heading was added.
We have created an admin option that can be set to attempt to relocate the Ally dropdown so that we can still hide the heading. Here is an example of what that looks like:
Before Relocation
After Relocation
This has been a pretty stable feature with only a few tweaks over the years.
Only happens when a Banner Title exists in the content
The relocation of the Ally dropdown only happens when content was created using DesignPLUS and that content contains a Banner Title at the top of the content.
Using the Banner Title tool, you can also choose to display the Canvas content title which would leave the Canvas title and Ally dropdown in tact.
Third Party Warning
While we are happy to adjust this code as Ally changes, it is possible that the dropdown may not be accessible for a short period of time if Ally does make a change. Cidi Labs does not use Ally so we can only be reactive to Ally changes after they happen and rely on customers using Ally to notify us if something is not working like it should.
To Allow the DesignPLUS Sidebar to Relocate the Ally Dropdown
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Ally Dropdown Relocation section.
- Check the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Check the Relocate Ally alternate formats dropdown checkbox.
- Save the page.
To Disable Ally Dropdown Relocation
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Ally Dropdown Relocation section.
- Uncheck the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Save the page.
Hide Imported Cidi Labs Customizations Content
Cidi Labs creates and hosts customizations content such as Content Blocks that are automatically imported into the Sidebar. This pre-built content can give your users some fun, beautifully designed pieces to get started with! However, we understand that some institutions prefer to stay within certain style guidelines, and may not want to make our content available to their users, if it doesn't fall within those specifications.
If your institution would prefer not to make customizations built by Cidi Labs available to your users, you may do so:
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Hide Imported Cidi Labs Customizations Content section.
- Check the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Check the Prevent Cidi Labs customizations content from automatically importing in the Sidebar checkbox.
- Save the page.
Hide Font Style Options
Cidi Labs offers several imported Google Fonts for users to style text within the Advanced Style Editor tool and provides the ability to change font size. If you would not like your users to have these text-styling options, you may remove them.
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Hide Font Style Options section.
- Check the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Check the Do not allow font style options for users in the sidebar checkbox.
- Save the page.
Enable QuickStart Wizard
Use the QuickStart Wizard button to quickly add DesignPLUS content to the editor. Enabling this setting will make the QuickStart Wizard button available for users working in the account/sub-account associated with this [Account Settings] page, regardless of whether the sidebar launch button is hidden or not.
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Enable QuickStart Wizard section.
- Check the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Check the Enable the QuickStart Wizard Button for all users checkbox.
- Save the page.
Hide Imported Cidi Labs Resources in the QuickStart Wizard
Cidi Labs creates and hosts Templates and Content Blocks that are automatically imported into the Quick Start Wizard. This pre-built content can give your users some fun, beautifully designed pieces to get started with! However, we understand that some institutions prefer to stay within certain style guidelines, and may not want to make our content available to their users, if it doesn't fall within those specifications.
If your institution would prefer not to make customizations built by Cidi Labs available to your QuickStart Wizard users, you may do so:
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Hide Imported Cidi Labs Resources in the QuickStart Wizard section.
- Check the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Check the Prevent Cidi Labs templates and blocks from automatically importing in the QuickStart Wizard checkbox.
- Save the page.
Disable Course Sidebar
The Course Sidebar gives user access to special tools that can make course wide changes such as the Course Upgrade Tool. Enabling this setting will disable access to the Course Sidebar so that users working in the account/sub-account associated with this [Account Settings] page cannot use these special tools.
- Edit the [Account Settings] page in your customizations course.
- Open the Advanced panel of the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
- Click the Account Settings tool.
- Find the Disable Course Sidebar section.
- Check the Override JS Setting checkbox.
- Check the Disable access to the Course Sidebar in the Settings page checkbox.
- Save the page.
JavaScript Account Settings
Prior to December 7, 2023, these settings were adjustable through the Account Settings page in the Customizations course. To improve performance and reliability, these settings are now editable only through the JavaScript files themselves.
Action May Be Needed
If your institution is/was using the [Account Settings] page to control the following settings, please update your JavaScript file Links to an external site. directly to ensure continuity. Please contact support@cidilabs.com with any questions related to this issue. Thank you!
Edit the JavaScript File to Limit Access
To limit Sidebar access, you'll need to edit the JavaScript file for your Canvas Theme. To do so:
- Navigate to Account or Sub-account where DesignPLUS is installed.
- Access the Themes page from the Account navigation menu.
- Find the current theme, and open it in the Theme Editor.
- Within the Theme Editor, select the Upload tab in the top left.
- To the right of the "JavaScript file" title, select the View File link.
- Anywhere on the page, right click, and select "Save As." It is helpful to add a suffix to the file name with the date you're making changes, so you can easily differentiate versions of this file.
- Open the file in a code editing program or a simple text editor (like Notepad for Windows or TextEdit for Mac).
- Follow the steps shown in any of the panels below, to limit access by Course Format, User Roles, User ID, or Course ID.
- Save the file to your computer with a .js file extension. For example, "myJavaScriptFile.js"
- If you're using Notepad, make sure to choose "All Files" when saving it so you can use a .js file extension.
- If you're using TextEdit, make sure to choose Format > Make Plain Text before saving the file.
- Return to the Theme Editor in Canvas.
- Within the same theme, choose the Select button for the JavaScript file.
- Locate and select the .js file you just saved. (If you added a date suffix, you can easily search for it!)
- Click the Open button.
- Select the Preview Your Changes button in the center of your screen.
- Test any limitations you've added/removed.
- Once satisfied, select the Save Theme button in the lower right. You will be prompted to name the theme.
- Select the Apply Theme button in the lower left, and select Ok on the browser alert to apply the changes to the entire account or sub-account.
Limit Access: Course Format JavaScript Only
Access to all DesignPLUS tools (DesignPLUS Sidebar, Multi Tool, and Upload/Embed Image Tool) can be tied to the format set in the course settings.
This method works when when piloting DesignPLUS or when you want to initially limit the tools to a select number of courses when the courses are mixed into accounts with other courses
Pros
- Allows the DesignPLUS tools to be enabled in specific courses
- Enables the tools for anyone who can edit that course
Cons
- The course format must be set/changed in each course where you want the tools to load
- Since it is tied to the course and not the user, users can get confused when they can't access the tools in other courses
To Limit Access by Course Format/Change Selected Formats
Complete steps 1-7 of the Edit the JavaScript File to Limit Access panel above. Then:
- Under the DpPrimary = { section, locate the locate: courseFormats: [],
- Place your cursor in between the two brackets [] .
- Type one or more of the following limiters, separated by commas, between the brackets, including the single quotes as shown:
- 'online'
- 'on_campus'
- 'blended'
Example: courseFormats: ['online','blended'],
Add additional limitations, if desired, and continue with steps 9-17 of Edit the JavaScript File to Limit Access panel above.
To Remove Course Format Limitation
Complete steps 1-7 of the Edit the JavaScript File to Limit Access panel above. Then:
- Under the DpPrimary = { section, locate the locate: courseFormats: [],
- Delete any text between the two brackets [] .
Continue with steps 9-17 of Edit the JavaScript File to Limit Access panel above.
Limit Access: User Roles JavaScript Only
Access to all DesignPLUS tools (DesignPLUS Sidebar, Multi Tool, and Upload/Embed Image Tool) can be tied to user roles.
Student Access
The very nature of the tools already limits student access to most tools.
- Multi Tool
- This is a course admin LTI tool so students will never have access to this tool.
- DesignPLUS Sidebar
- This is tied to the permission to edit course content. The only way that students would encounter this tool in a course is if a page is set to allow students to edit that page. Students would be able to see this tool when building content in groups.
- Upload/Embed Image Tool
- This is the one tool students are likely to see. It allows them to crop and upload images to their user files (not course files). This is something that they can already do in a number of ways in Canvas, however, this option optimizes the size of images so students are not uploading really large images.
Custom Roles
When a user is assigned a custom Canvas role, that role will be categorized based on the default Canvas role on which it was originally based.
Pros
- Can be used for admins to become familiar with the tools before opening up to other users
Cons
- DesignPLUS applies the styles seen when saved to the Canvas editor. Users without access to the tools will not be able to see the styled content in the editor and may not know that they have broken something until they save the content.
To Limit Access by User Roles/Change Selected Roles
Complete steps 1-7 of the Edit the JavaScript File to Limit Access panel above. Then:
- Under the DpPrimary = { section, locate the locate: canvasRoles: [],
- Place your cursor in between the two brackets [] .
- Type one or more of the following limiters, separated by commas, between the brackets, including the single quotes as shown:
- 'student'
- 'teacher'
- 'admin'
Example: canvasRoles: ['admin','teacher'],
Add additional limitations, if desired, and continue with steps 9-17 of Edit the JavaScript File to Limit Access panel above.
To Remove User Role Limitation
Complete steps 1-7 of the Edit the JavaScript File to Limit Access panel above. Then:
- Under the DpPrimary = { section, locate the locate: canvasRoles: [],
- Delete any text between the two brackets [] .
Continue with steps 9-17 of Edit the JavaScript File to Limit Access panel above.
Limit Access: User ID JavaScript Only
Access to all DesignPLUS tools (DesignPLUS Sidebar, Multi Tool, and Upload/Embed Image Tool) can be tied to specific Canvas User IDs.
Canvas ID (not Login or SIS ID)
This uses the numerical ID that Canvas assigns to each user, not their login ID or the ID pulled from an SIS system.
Pros
- Can be used to get a core group of users familiar with the tools before opening to a wider audience.
Cons
- List must be edited anytime you want to add a new user
- DesignPLUS applies the styles seen when saved to the Canvas editor. Users without access to the tools will not be able to see the styled content in the editor and may not know that they have broken something until they save the content.
To Limit Access by User ID/Change User List
Complete steps 1-7 of the Edit the JavaScript File to Limit Access panel above. Then:
- Under the DpPrimary = { section, locate the locate: canvasUsers: [],
- Place your cursor in between the two brackets [] .
- Between the brackets, type the Canvas user IDs to which you would like to limit the Sidebar. Place single quotes around the IDs and separate them by commas. Example: canvasUsers: ['111','222','333'],
Add additional limitations, if desired, and continue with steps 9-17 of Edit the JavaScript File to Limit Access panel above.
To Remove User ID Limitation
Complete steps 1-7 of the Edit the JavaScript File to Limit Access panel above. Then:
- Under the DpPrimary = { section, locate the locate: canvasUsers: [],
- Delete any text between the two brackets [] .
Continue with steps 9-17 of Edit the JavaScript File to Limit Access panel above.
Limit Access: Course ID JavaScript Only
Access to all DesignPLUS tools (DesignPLUS Sidebar, Multi Tool, and Upload/Embed Image Tool) can be tied to specific Canvas course IDs.
IDs can change
When a course is reset or copied to a new term, it gets a new ID.
Pros
- Can be useful for piloting the tools with a limited number of courses
Cons
- Since the course ID is different every term, this option is not sustainable over time.
To Limit Access by Course ID/Change Course List
Complete steps 1-7 of the Edit the JavaScript File to Limit Access panel above. Then:
- Under the DpPrimary = { section, locate the locate: canvasCourseIds: [],
- Place your cursor in between the two brackets [] .
- Between the brackets, type the Canvas course IDs to which you would like to limit the Sidebar. Place single quotes around the IDs and separate them by commas. Example: canvasCourseIds: ['111','222','333'],
Add additional limitations, if desired, and continue with steps 9-17 of Edit the JavaScript File to Limit Access panel above.
Include Your Customization Course ID(s)
If you are limiting by course IDs, it is imperative that you include the ID for your DesignPLUS Primary Customizations course, and any Extended or Shared Customizations courses you have.
To Remove Course ID Limitation
Complete steps 1-7 of the Edit the JavaScript File to Limit Access panel above. Then:
- Under the DpPrimary = { section, locate the locate: canvasCourseIds: [],
- Delete any text between the two brackets [] .
Continue with steps 9-17 of Edit the JavaScript File to Limit Access panel above.