External Tools API documentation is inconsistent

[ToeBee]

The External Tools page in the API documentation does not match the other pages I've seen.

Specifically I am looking for an authoritative definition of what an "External Tool" object looks like. I was expecting it to be linked on the API calls like it is on other pages where it says (for example on the Users page) "Returns a User"

There are examples of response JSON that I can probably use for now but the page doesn't match the rest of the API docs.

[ToeBee]

It looking at this some more today I found the following fields returned in the JSON are not documented anywhere:

• workflow_state
• post_grades
• vendor_help_link
• similarity_detection
• collaboration
• assignment_selection (mentioned in one place but says "see create API for values" and isn't mentioned there)
• assignment_menu
• course_assignments_menu
• course_settings_sub_navigation
• discussion_topic_menu
• file_menu
• global_navigation
• module_menu
• quiz_menu
• wiki_page_menu

I'm pretty sure most of the _menu and _navigation ones are all the same as far as what sub-values are accepted for them but they should probably still be mentioned in the documentation.

[ToeBee]

All of the _navigation elements are documented in the external tool creation call but in reality some tools contain options that are not documented anywhere. I just got one back that looks like this:

"course_navigation":{  
     "custom_fields":{  
        "Domain_URL":"https://k-state.instructure.com/"
     },
     "default":"disabled",
     "enabled":true,
     "selection_height":400,
     "selection_width":800,
     "label":"i\u003EClicker"
}

And that custom_fields object is not mentioned anywhere in the documentation. It is listed as a possible field in the top level external tool object but not inside of the _navigation objects.

[ahmadhasankhan]

True, I am also facing the same issue.

APIs are not documented properly.

Not sure how to these LTI 2.0 APIs. https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/file.tools_variable_substitutions.html

[stale[bot]]

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[ToeBee]

I mean... I don't think this has been addressed at all.