TidyUP integrates seamlessly with the UW's Canvas learning management system to scan for unused files uploaded by instructors. TidyUP identifies extra files, folders, pages, and assignments that are not in use. It then makes it easy for you to remove content that is duplicative or left over from previous versions of your course.
We recommend running TidyUP before UDOIT in order to ensure that you are not remediating unused content.
NOTE: Your browser must have third-party cookies or cross-site tracking (for Safari users) enabled to properly view and use the TidyUP integration in Canvas.
In this article:
About
Provided by Cidi Labs, TidyUP started out as a simple utility to identify and delete unused files, but today offers features that help you get a comprehensive look at all of the content in your course - including files, folders and Canvas content.
TidyUP allows you to easily do the following in your Canvas courses:
- Identify and delete files that are not currently being used in your course.
- See what files are being used in your course and where they are being used.
- Find empty folders in the files section of your course and delete them.
- View a list of all your Canvas pages, assignments, quizzes or discussions with information about each page and the ability to delete multiple pages at once.
Guides
Cidi Labs, the makers of TidyUP, have both a short video tutorial and written guide for how to get started with this tool.
For more information, explore the Cidi Labs TidyUP user guide.
FAQs
- What does TidyUP do?
TidyUP scans your files, folders, and Canvas content to determine what is not being used in the course. See TidyUp Features for more information.
- Why was TidyUP added to UW Canvas?
To help instructors as they work to make their Canvas course materials more accessible. TidyUP allows instructors to easily identify and remove unused content from their courses so that they can focus their accessibility efforts on content that is in active use.
- Who can see TidyUP?
This tool is only visible to teachers, designers, and Canvas administrators. Students and observers will not be able to access TidyUP or see the results of a course scan.
- I don't see TidyUP in my course. Where can I find it?
If TidyUP isn’t already visible in your course navigation menu, you may need to customize your course navigation to include it.
- Am I required to use TidyUP or to act upon the recommendations it provides?
No. This tool is one of several that UW-IT is offering instructors to help with ongoing work to improve the accessibility of course materials. Its use is recommended, as it’s likely to save time for instructors and staff who are working to make their courses more accessible, but it is not required.
- Some of the images and files I’m actively using in my course are getting marked as unused by TidyUP. Why?
Files embedded in quiz questions, question banks, or external tools such as Hypothesis are unable to be scanned by TidyUP and will be marked as unused. We recommend creating folders in your course Files section for images/files related to quizzes or external tools so that you can easily identify these files and differentiate them from other content scanned by TidyUP.
- TidyUP is marking some files as unused that appear to be Ally content, or content I am not familiar with. What are these files?
This content is part of the standard UW Seattle course template that is added to courses when they are created explaining various resources available to instructors including Ally. The pages with this content are unpublished and part of an unpublished Module and can be deleted or retained as you see fit. If you are unsure whether or not this content is part of the template, TidyUP lists the Pages that are associated with each item, so you can see where and how it is being used.
- What if I delete a file accidentally?
- Option 1: You can easily restore individual items using your course's undelete page.
- Sign into https://canvas.uw.edu with your NetID.
- Navigate to the home page of your course.
- Check the URL for the page. It should look something like "https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/0123456"
- At the end of this URL, type /undelete. The new URL should look like "https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/0123456/undelete".
- Press your enter or return key to confirm the new address. This will take you to a list of restorable content, including files, pages, assignments, and quizzes.
Note: The undelete page can only show a certain number of items at a time. If you do not see the item you are looking for, you may need to restore some other items first to have that item appear.
- Option 2: You can find recently archived versions of your course on the Beta and Test versions of UW Canvas. On each of these sites, you can log in with your UW NetID to access a version of your course that existed the last time each of these systems was synced with the main version of UW Canvas. From there, you can download individual files or export course content to re-import into your current UW Canvas course on https://canvas.uw.edu.
- What should I do if TidyUP appears to have gotten stuck while running the scan?
Refresh the page or navigate away, then return to TidyUP and click to start the scan again.
- I'm stuck. Where can I get help?
The UW Learning Technologies team can help identify or escalate issues you encounter with TidyUP. Email help@uw.edu with a Canvas link to your course and a description of the issue you're experiencing.