Workflow for editing existing Canvas course resources safely, without creating duplicates.
title without first adding id equal to the current title. Changing title without
id creates a new resource instead of updating the existing one.course_info.json or .env to source control.Find the file containing the resource. Search for *.canvas.md.xml* files under the course directory.
idInspect the resource tag.
id attribute: safe to edit and other attributes.titleid: add id equal to the current title value first. Keep title unchanged in this edit.
Then make content changes in a separate edit.Follow this pattern for <assignment>, <quiz>, <page>, <module>, and <group>:
<!-- BEFORE (unsafe to rename) -->
<assignment title="Homework 1" due_at="...">
<!-- STEP 1: add id first, keep title unchanged -->
<assignment id="Homework 1" title="Homework 1" due_at="...">
<!-- STEP 2 (separate edit): now safe to rename title -->
<assignment id="Homework 1" title="Homework 1 (Updated)" due_at="...">
Determine what needs to change: dates, content, title, points, availability windows, question text, etc.
Read the appropriate sub-skill for the resource type before editing.
../reference/canvas-tags/assignment/skill.md../reference/canvas-tags/quiz/skill.md../reference/canvas-tags/page/skill.md../reference/canvas-tags/module/skill.mdDescribe what will be modified and where. Wait for user confirmation before writing.
Apply the confirmed change.
Run the 7-item checklist from workflows/new-course/skill.md.
If any checklist item fails: stop and fix before continuing.
If the user wants to push changes to Canvas, route to ../deploy/skill.md.