Feature #13650
openForum Attachments in Group Library
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Description
This seems like a bit of a thorny issue but I wanted to write it up because it presents an important use case highlighting user confusion with the group library.
A faculty member is using a group to teach on the Commons. She only added two items to her group library: an external link to her one drive which was already set up with PDF readings (1) and the class zoom link (2).
Students have been uploading images, pdfs, word docs, etc to the forum. Now the group library is "too messy" and her original links have been shifted to page two since they were the first items added. From what I can tell, she cannot delete the forum attachments or put the forum attachments in a folder because when she goes to edit the attachments from the library, she is taken to the forum post - not the typical edit library item page because the items were not added via library.
The faculty member was confused by the auto-add of forum attachments to the library (since she did not want this) and was dismayed that she could not organize, delete, or hide the attachments to clean up the library.
A few questions:
- Can forum attachments be deleted from a group library? (maybe I am missing something here.) Is the only way to delete attachments from the library to delete the original forum post? We may want to consider having a way to hide, delete, or add forum attachments to a folder so that they do not clog up the library.
- The drop down allows a user to view forum attachments but not a way to hide these attachments from view. Could we consider a way to hide forum attachments in the library or auto-create a forum attachments folder that makes attachments only visible when this folder is opened?
I realize this might be partially mitigated by the release next week so might be best to table this info for now but I wanted to be sure to write it up. And perhaps a possible next step might be to auto-add a forum attachment folder and/or a way to show/hide forum attachments.
Updated by Laurie Hurson almost 4 years ago
- Tracker changed from Support to Feature
Updated by Matt Gold almost 4 years ago
I agree that this can be confusing and like your suggestions, Laurie. We should discuss as a team, but the idea of showing just the folder of forum attachments in the library view, rather than all of the individual attachments, seems promising to me
Updated by Colin McDonald almost 4 years ago
I've been thinking about this too, as I noticed in #13640 that even deleting a forum post doesn't delete its attachment in the Library. Boone agrees that's a bug to fix soon in that ticket.
Regarding hiding forum attachments from the library by default, I wonder if that will just create problems for others because we've been doing it the opposite (though I agree sometimes messy) way for so long. I see the benefit of being able to filter out forum attachments when needed, though.
Sorry if it's obvious, but we can also make sure professors like this know they can create a folder saying something like "Class Essentials" that will be a button right at the top once we launch on Tuesday, and students could easily filter to the links the professor adds there. They could also consider a pinned forum post instead (or in addition).
Updated by Boone Gorges almost 4 years ago
- Target version set to 1.19.0
A 'Forum Attachments' pseudo-folder ("pseudo" because it's not something you create manually) feels like a fine compromise to me. It means that it won't be possible to place these items in other folders, but you can't do that anyway. Colin mentions "hiding" the attachments, but putting them in a well-labeled folder feels different from hiding. The forum attachments are still visible in their "primary" location, which is the context of the forum post where they were originally updated. The only reason we show them in the Library area in the first place (and previously, the 'Files' area) was as a convenience, and we're not taking that convenience away, just tucking it behind one more button click.
I would prefer this to a "hide forum attachments" button or some other bespoke piece of UI.
Updated by Colin McDonald almost 4 years ago
Sounds good to me too, thanks Boone.
Updated by Boone Gorges about 3 years ago
- Target version changed from 1.19.0 to Future release
This may be a good candidate for a round of teaching-focused improvements in an upcoming release.