Canvas Guides (English)Canvas GuidesCanvas Student GuideDiscussions RedesignHow do I view and sort discussion replies in Discussions Redesign as a student?

How do I view and sort discussion replies in Discussions Redesign as a student?

You can view all replies in a discussion by scrolling or searching content.

Discussion replies are sorted by date in descending order (newest to oldest) by default. Sorting discussion replies applies to the root replies. Threaded replies are collapsable and expandable.

You can also search for discussion replies by author or entry keywords and filter discussion replies by all or unread.

Note: This lesson shows how to view and sort discussion replies using Discussions Redesign. If your discussions do not look the same as what is shown in this lesson, please view how to view and sort discussion replies using the classic Discussions interface.

Open Discussions

Open Discussions

In Course Navigation, click the Discussions link.

Open Discussion

Open Discussions

Click the title of the discussion.

View Discussion

View Discussion

In a discussion, you have several options to view and sort discussions. Use the search field [1] to search for replies or specific authors. To filter discussion replies by All or Unread replies, select an option from the View drop-down menu [2]. To sort discussions by date posted, click the Sort button [3]. Discussion replies are sorted newest to oldest by default.

To view threaded replies in a split screen sidebar, click the View Split Screen button [4]. To view threaded replies inline, click the Inline button that displays when the View Split Screen button is clicked.

To view threaded replies all at once, click the Expand Threads button [5]. To collapse the threaded replies, click the Collapse Threads button.

You can view how many total replies and unread replies are in a thread [6]. The number on the left indicates total replies, while the number on the right indicates the number of unread replies.

To subscribe to a discussion, click the Subscribe icon [7]. Subscribing to a discussion allows you to follow the discussion and receive notifications as set in your notification settings. You are automatically subscribed to any discussions you reply to. When you create a discussion in a group—or in a course if you have permission—you are also automatically subscribed to the discussion. If you are subscribed, the icon displays a solid green background. To unsubscribe, click the Subscribe icon. When you are unsubscribed, the icon displays outlined in black.

View Graded Discussion

View Graded discussion

If your discussion is a graded discussion, you can view the discussion the same way as regular discussions. However, you can view the number of points the discussion is worth [1], and if there is a due date [2].

View Group Discussion

View Group Discussion

If a discussion is a group discussion, you can view the group discussion from the course Discussions Index Page or from your group Discussions Index Page.

View Anonymous Discussion Message

View Anonymous Discussion Message

If the discussion is an anonymous discussion, a message displays noting that your name and profile picture will be hidden from other course members.

View Replies

View Replies

Discussion replies are shown in order of post date. In discussion replies, the unread icon indicates the reply is new and unread [1]. After you view a discussion reply, the unread icon no longer displays [2]. When you scroll past a reply, navigate away from the Discussion, or refresh the page, Canvas automatically marks the replies as read. After Canvas has changed the reply status, you can manually mark discussion replies as read or unread at any time.

You can also change your Discussion Settings so you can manually mark discussion replies as read.

View Inline Discussion Thread Replies

View Inline Discussion Thread Replies

When viewing inline discussion thread replies, you can collapse and expand the discussion threads by clicking the Expand Threads and Collapse Threads buttons. When a discussion thread reply is collapsed, you can view the reply indicators showing the number of unread and total replies.

To expand the discussion thread replies inline, click the # of replies link [1].

View the read and unread replies [2].

To view threaded replies options, click the Options icon [3]. You can mark replies as read/unread, mark threaded replies as read/unread, return to the topic, quote the reply, or report the reply.

View Split Screen Discussion Thread Replies

View Discussion Thread Replies

To view threaded replies in a split screen sidebar, click the View Split Screen button [1].

When viewing split screen discussion thread replies, you can collapse and expand the discussion thread replies sidebar. When a discussion thread reply is collapsed, you can view the reply indicators showing the number of unread and total replies.

To expand the discussion thread replies sidebar, click the # of replies link [2].

View the read and unread replies [3].

To view threaded replies options, click the Options icon [4]. You can mark replies as read/unread, mark threaded replies as read/unread, return to the topic, quote the reply, or report the reply.

To collapse the discussion thread replies sidebar, click the Close icon [5].

View Liked Discussions

View Liked Discussions

If your instructor allows you to like replies in a discussion, a Like icon appears next to each reply in the discussion [1]. A solid blue like icon indicates replies that you've liked [2]. The number of total likes also appears next to the icon [3].

View Reply History

View Reply History

If you are allowed to edit their discussion posts, you can view the edit history of your post.

To view the history, click the View History link [1].

In the Edit History window, you can view any version with the date and time stamp of your post [2]. To expand all of the versions, click the Expand all button [3].

To return to the discussion, click the Close button [4].

Search for Reply

Search for Reply

To search for a discussion reply, enter any term in the Search field [1]. Search results include matches for user names [2] and reply text [3].

To clear search results and view all replies, remove your search term from the Search field.

Note: If the discussion is an anonymous discussion, student names and profile pictures do not display. Posts created by the instructor display the instructor's name and profile picture.

View Reply Options

View Reply Options

Each discussion reply has its own options menu.

To mark the selected post as read or unread, click the Mark as ... option [1].

In original discussion replies, you can return to the main discussion topic by clicking the Go To Topic option [2].

In threaded discussions, if you are viewing a reply within a reply, return to the original reply by clicking the Go To Parent option [3].

If a reply was quoted in the threaded reply click Go to Quoted Reply to view the reply that was quoted [4].

If you are allowed to edit and delete your own discussion posts, you will also view Edit and Delete options [5].

If you are allowed to report replies, you will also view the Report option [6].

Reply to Discussion

Reply to Discussion

To reply to a discussion, reply to the main discussion topic by clicking the Reply button [1]. If your discussion is threaded, you can reply to any other post in the discussion by clicking the Reply link [2].