The main reason a policy fails to update is that the URL source doesn't exist.
DesignPLUS Policy blocks automatically update their content while editing. The Sidebar fetches the latest HTML from the policy source and then inserts that HTML into the Policy block.
However, if this process fails, users may encounter an error message that reads, "Failed to update policy from source. URL: <url>. Please fix the policy source or contact your DesignPLUS administrator."
The policy block in the RCE will receive a special red outline and label that reads, "Policy Update Error - check URL".
The existing content will not be updated or removed; it just won't be synced with the policy source until the issue is fixed.
This article identifies possible reasons for this error and how to fix it.
Error Happens When Upgrading Content
If the error happens when upgrading content, then the failure is most likely because the policy source page that existed in the legacy customizations course has not been created in the new customizations course yet.
When a policy is upgraded from legacy to new, the course ID is also updated to the new customizations course. However, if the policy source page WITH THE EXACT SAME TITLE does not exist in the new course, then the API call fails and no data is returned to update the policy.
The fix: Go to the new customizations course and create a page with the exact same title. Make sure to include the prefix in square brackets. For example, "[Policies] Expander Test Cidi Labs". If you want the same content as before, import the content from the legacy course page and upgrade it so that it works with the new sidebar.
Error Happens Randomly
It's possible that the policy source page in your customizations course was deleted.
The fix: Go to your customizations course and add undelete the policy page. Learn more about undelete from the Instructure community site. Or, you can create a new policy page in the customizations course and then use the Policy tool to replace the policy block in your content.
Learn more about Policies
- User Guide: Policy Tool - information about using the Policy tool in the Sidebar
- Admin Guide: Policy Instructions - information about setting up and managing [Policies] page sources.