Connecting Canvas lets your association exchange course activity with your Canvas LMS site. Use this article to save the connection and choose which course types get a Canvas section for each member organization. It replaces the earlier Canvas LMS integration guides.
What It Controls
The Canvas connection is one record for your entire Rhythm account. It controls:
- The Canvas site Rhythm calls, and the access token it uses for those calls.
- The Canvas account the connection uses.
- A name for your own reference.
- Which course types get a separate Canvas section for each member organization.
Prerequisites
- Your association has enabled the Canvas integration. If it has not, Rhythm refuses the save and shows a message explaining that your account does not have access to enable it.
- You have a Canvas access token with rights to read the Canvas account you want to connect.
Connect Canvas
- In Canvas, create an access token for Rhythm to use, and note your Canvas site's address.
- In Rhythm, go to System & Security › Integrations › Canvas LMS.
- Enter the Host for your Canvas site's address and the Access Token.
- Optionally, enter an Account ID. If you leave it blank, Rhythm connects to the account your access token belongs to.
- Optionally, enter a Name and choose which course types should get their own Canvas section per organization.
- Choose Save Changes.
Result
Rhythm checks the host and token with Canvas before it saves your settings. After the connection is saved, Rhythm can exchange course activity with Canvas.
Warning
Rhythm shows the same message — "Unable to verify account information in Canvas. Please check your settings." — when the host is wrong, the token is invalid, or the token cannot access the account. If the save fails, check all three settings rather than assuming which one is wrong.
The Settings
| Setting | Options | Default | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Host | Your Canvas site's address | None | Required. Rhythm calls this address with your access token attached |
| Access Token | A Canvas access token | None | Required. After you save, this token appears in clear text, so anyone who can open this page can read it |
| Account ID | Your Canvas account's identifier | None | If you leave this blank, Rhythm asks Canvas which account your token belongs to and connects that one |
| Name | Any text | None | A label for your own reference |
| Create Organization Sections for Course Types | Your Certifications course types | None selected | Every course and course offering using one of these course types gets a Canvas section created per member organization on enrollment |
Rhythm does not check whether a course type you add to this list still exists in Certifications. If you later delete that course type, Rhythm does not automatically remove its entry here.
Dependencies and Precedence
The Create Organization Sections for Course Types list comes from your Certifications setup, so create the course types there before you select them here. This setting is separate from any External ID you set on a course offering to link it to a specific Canvas course; you can use both together.
Change Impact and How to Revert
- Changing the Host, Access Token, or Account ID makes Rhythm verify the new value with Canvas before saving. If Canvas rejects the new value, Rhythm refuses the save and keeps your previous settings.
- Once Canvas rejects the stored access token — for example, if it was revoked or expired in Canvas — you cannot save any change to the connection, even a new name, until you provide a token Canvas accepts in the same save.
- Removing the connection does not call Canvas, so it succeeds even when Canvas is rejecting the stored token. There is no on/off switch for this connection in the Console; to disable it without removing it, work with your Rhythm point of contact, since that action is not available from this page.
Permissions
Any signed-in staff member in your Rhythm account who has this integration enabled can view and change the Canvas connection, including the access token. There is no separate permission for this page.
Validation and Errors
| Situation | What you see |
|---|---|
| Host or Access Token is missing | Rhythm refuses the save as invalid before calling Canvas |
| Canvas rejects the host, token, or account | "Unable to verify account information in Canvas. Please check your settings." |
| Your account's permission profile does not allow this integration | Rhythm refuses the save and shows a message explaining that your account does not have access to enable it |
| The settings fail to load | "Unable to load Canvas settings" |