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canvases.edit method

Facts​

DescriptionUpdate an existing canvas
Method Access
POST https://slack.com/api/canvases.edit
Scopes
Bot token:
User token:
Content types
application/x-www-form-urlencoded
application/json
Rate LimitsTier 3: 50+ per minute

Arguments​

Required arguments

tokenstringRequired

Auth token with which to authenticate the session

Example: xxxx-xxxxxxxxx-xxxx
canvas_idRequired

Encoded ID of the canvas

Example: F1234ABCD
changesarrayRequired

List of changes to apply on the specified canvas

Example: [{"operation":"insert_before","document_content":{"type":"markdown","markdown":"Example content"},"section_id":"temp:C:AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"}]

Usage info​

This method is used to edit an existing canvas that the actor has write access to.

Different operations may be used to target different kinds of edits to a canvas. Sections may be deleted or replaced. New content can be added to the beginning or end of a canvas, or inserted relative to an existing section. Only one operation per API call is currently supported.

Formatting the changes argument​

The changes argument is an array of objects that provide instructions on how to edit the canvas. Each element in the changes array contains two properties: operation and either document_content or title_content (in the case of renaming the canvas).

Content operations​

The operation property is a string that can be any of the following:

  • insert_after
  • insert_before
  • insert_at_start
  • insert_at_end
  • replace
  • delete

Using insert_after and insert_before requires providing a section_id and document_content. These updates are made relative to a section of the canvas, hence the required section_id. For details on how to find a section_id, refer to the canvases.sections.lookup method.

Alternatively, information can be added to the beginning or the end of the canvas using insert_at_start or insert_at_end, respectively. Using these operations requires providing a document_content argument.

Using the replace operation also requires providing a document_content argument. You can optionally specify a section_id or omit it to replace the entire canvas.

Using the delete operation requires providing a section_id, and you can only delete a section with this method. To delete an entire canvas, use the canvases.delete method instead. Once a canvas is deleted, there is no way to get it back.

Document content​

You might recognize document_content from the canvases.create method; it works the same.

The following formatting elements are supported in the document_content object:

  • bold
  • bulleted lists
  • checklist
  • canvas unfurl
  • code block
  • code span
  • divider (horizontal rule)
  • emojis—standard and custom
  • file unfurls
  • hard line break
  • headings h1-h3
  • italic
  • link (in line)
  • link reference
  • markdown table
  • message unfurl
  • ordered lists
  • paragraph
  • profile unfurl
  • quote block
  • strikethrough
  • website unfurl
  • @ mentions for users and channels

Find more details about formatting the document_content object in the Canvas surface documentation.

Title operations​

The operation property can also be used to rename the canvas, using rename and title_content, shown here:

{
  "canvas_id": "F1234ABCD",
  "changes": [
    {
      "operation": "rename",
      "title_content": {
        "type": "markdown",
        "markdown": "Project Status :white_check_mark:"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Renaming the canvas supports markdown format only, including emojis in markdown format (e.g. :white_check_mark:). Differing from updating document content, the rename operation does not use a section_id.

Examples​

This example shows inserting grocery items in a list format after providing the section_id.

{
    "canvas_id": "F0166DCSTS7",
    "changes": [
        {
            "operation": "insert_after",
            "section_id": "temp:C:VXX8e648e6984e441c6aa8c61173",
            "document_content": {
                "type": "markdown",
                "markdown": "- [ ] asparagus\n- [ ] coffee\n"
            }
        }
    ]
}

Then, we could update that same grocery list to check an item off. First, we would need to look up the item's ID, using the canvases.sections.lookup method. Using the ID that is returned with that, we can check off the item like this:

{
    "canvas_id": "F0166DCSTS7",
    "changes": [
        {
            "operation": "replace",
            "section_id": "temp:C:VXX37d27db7718d44e28803566ae",
            "document_content": {
                "type": "markdown",
                "markdown": "- [x] asparagus\n"
            }
        }
    ]
}

Response​

Typical success response

{
  "ok": true
}

Typical error response for bad content

{
  "ok": false,
  "error": "canvas_editing_failed",
  "detail": "'content' error: line 28: Unsupported block type (List) within block quote"
}

Errors​

This table lists the expected errors that this method could return. However, other errors can be returned in the case where the service is down or other unexpected factors affect processing. Callers should always check the value of the ok parameter in the response.

Error
Description
access_denied

Access to a resource specified in the request is denied.

accesslimited

Access to this method is limited on the current network

account_inactive

Authentication token is for a deleted user or workspace when using a bot token.

canvas_disabled_user_team

Canvas is disabled on user's team

canvas_editing_failed

The changes to the canvas failed to be applied.

canvas_not_found

The canvas you wish to apply changes to is not available.

deprecated_endpoint

The endpoint has been deprecated.

ekm_access_denied

Administrators have suspended the ability to post a message.

enterprise_is_restricted

The method cannot be called from an Enterprise.

fatal_error

The server could not complete your operation(s) without encountering a catastrophic error. It's possible some aspect of the operation succeeded before the error was raised.

free_teams_cannot_edit_standalone_canvases

Free teams cannot edit standalone canvases

internal_error

The server could not complete your operation(s) without encountering an error, likely due to a transient issue on our end. It's possible some aspect of the operation succeeded before the error was raised.

invalid_arg_name

The method was passed an argument whose name falls outside the bounds of accepted or expected values. This includes very long names and names with non-alphanumeric characters other than _. If you get this error, it is typically an indication that you have made a very malformed API call.

invalid_arguments

The method was called with invalid arguments.

invalid_array_arg

The method was passed an array as an argument. Please only input valid strings.

invalid_auth

Some aspect of authentication cannot be validated. Either the provided token is invalid or the request originates from an IP address disallowed from making the request.

invalid_charset

The method was called via a POST request, but the charset specified in the Content-Type header was invalid. Valid charset names are: utf-8 iso-8859-1.

invalid_form_data

The method was called via a POST request with Content-Type application/x-www-form-urlencoded or multipart/form-data, but the form data was either missing or syntactically invalid.

invalid_post_type

The method was called via a POST request, but the specified Content-Type was invalid. Valid types are: application/json application/x-www-form-urlencoded multipart/form-data text/plain.

method_deprecated

The method has been deprecated.

missing_post_type

The method was called via a POST request and included a data payload, but the request did not include a Content-Type header.

missing_scope

The token used is not granted the specific scope permissions required to complete this request.

no_permission

The workspace token used in this request does not have the permissions necessary to complete the request. Make sure your app is a member of the conversation it's attempting to post a message to.

not_allowed_token_type

The token type used in this request is not allowed.

not_authed

No authentication token provided.

org_login_required

The workspace is undergoing an enterprise migration and will not be available until migration is complete.

ratelimited

The request has been ratelimited. Refer to the Retry-After header for when to retry the request.

request_timeout

The method was called via a POST request, but the POST data was either missing or truncated.

restricted_action

User does not have permission to perform this action.

service_unavailable

The service is temporarily unavailable

team_access_not_granted

The token used is not granted the specific workspace access required to complete this request.

team_added_to_org

The workspace associated with your request is currently undergoing migration to an Enterprise Organization. Web API and other platform operations will be intermittently unavailable until the transition is complete.

token_expired

Authentication token has expired

token_revoked

Authentication token is for a deleted user or workspace or the app has been removed when using a user token.

two_factor_setup_required

Two factor setup is required.