NEW Sidebar FAQ
      Back to home
      1. Cidi Labs Help Center
      2. DesignPLUS
      3. NEW Sidebar FAQ

      How do I upgrade my Legacy Design Tools Content for use with the new DesignPLUS sidebar?

      Select the Accessibility/Usability tab in the Sidebar, and choose the Upgrade tool. Then, select the button to upgrade all the content on that page.

      Upgrading Legacy Content

      If you are a Legacy user, meaning you used DesignTools prior to August 2023, you will need to upgrade legacy content to be compatible with the new DesignPLUS Sidebar. Doing so will enable all the powerful new features, streamlined workflow, and flexible content included in the new DesignPLUS Sidebar. 

       A few things to note:

      • At this stage, this does need to be on the individual page level.
        • This is so that you're able to review the changes before applying them.
      • There are some small styling changes to some tools in the new DesignPLUS sidebar. This is to align with the most up-to-date accessibility guidelines, and to improve the overall styling of content. 
      • Your legacy content will still operate as normal for your students if you do not upgrade right away
        • Not upgrading your content just means that you won't be able to make changes to it using the new sidebar

      Upgrading your content is done from right within the sidebar.

      See our DesignPLUS User Guide: Upgrade Tool

      See our DesignPLUS User Guide: Course Upgrade Tool

      Migrating Legacy Customizations

      If you are a Canvas Admin or Instructional Designer who has access to the DesignPLUS customizations course(s), this section is for you.

      Institutions will now have two Primary Customizations courses installed at the root account, one that supplies customizations to Legacy Design Tools content, and one that supplies customizations to the new sidebar.

      If you would like to continue using customizations that were created in the Legacy Design Tools Customizations course in the new sidebar, please see our article on the proper way to migrate that content:

      How do I use legacy customizations in the new sidebar?

      Legacy Sunset = December 31, 2025

      What does this mean?

      • As of August 2023 (new Sidebar release):
        • No new feature development
        • No training  
        • No new documentation 
      • Up until the Sunset date:
        • Enable users to launch Legacy Sidebar
        • Fix critical bugs 
        • Provide Support
      • Indefinitely: 
        • Ensure that content built with Legacy continues to render (until and unless Canvas makes a change that proves too complex to resolve)
        • Help you transition to the new Sidebar and upgrade your content to be compatible 

      For more information on Legacy Sunset, as well as strategies for success in transitioning to the new sidebar, you can view this session from the Spring '24 Customer Gathering.