Share a Space: Link, Canvas, and Embed

Open your Space's Share dialog to choose how students will reach it:

1. Link: Copy a URL for email, an LMS module, or chat.
2. Canvas: Add the Space to Canvas Course Navigation using By URL.
3. Embed: Copy code for a page that accepts iframe embeds.

All three open the same Space. Its membership and post-approval settings still apply.

You need to own the Space or be one of its admins (see Create Your First Space). For Canvas, you need permission to manage Course Navigation. The By URL method also requires permission to add apps in the course.

Open Share

On the Space page, open the ⋯ menu next to the Space name and choose Share space. The dialog has three tabs: Link, Canvas, and Embed.

Share a link

The Link tab shows the Space URL and a Copy Space link button.

Who can view the Space depends on its access level:

• Open: Anyone with the link can view and join without approval.
• Private: New visitors must request membership and wait for approval before they can see the content.

A link works in email, announcements, and course pages where you do not need an embedded view.

Add the Space to Canvas

The Canvas tab is for Course Navigation. Vivipod generates:

• A Canvas destination (your Space URL with embed=canvas)
• A configuration URL for Canvas’s By URL app install
• Installation steps you can copy

Install By URL in a course

1. Open the intended Canvas course.
2. Go to Settings → Apps → View App Configurations.
3. Choose + App and set Configuration Type to By URL.
4. Enter a Name (for example, the Space name or “Vivipod”).
5. Paste the Config URL from Vivipod.
6. Add the app.
7. Under Settings → Navigation, enable or reorder the item if it is disabled.
8. Select the new navigation item and check that the Space loads.

After installation, the course navigation includes your Space (here, Psych 101 Discussions):

Selecting the item opens your Space inside Canvas. Students can sign in there, or choose Open in Vivipod if the embedded view blocks sign-in, camera access, or microphone access.

Alternative: add a link to Course Navigation

Canvas also has a native Add a Link option. Use it when you want the Space in Course Navigation and prefer it to open in a new browser tab. This method uses the ordinary Space link and does not require a configuration URL.

First, copy the ordinary Space URL from Share → Link. Then open the Canvas course and go to Settings → Navigation. At the bottom of the enabled navigation list, choose Add a Link.

In the dialog, enter the label students should see under Text, paste the ordinary Vivipod Space URL under Link, and choose Add.

Confirm the new item is in the enabled list, reorder it if needed, and choose Save. The item then appears in Course Navigation. Selecting it opens the Space in a new tab.

What the Canvas setup includes

By URL opens a Space inside Canvas; Add a Link opens it in a new tab. These options do not sync rosters, pass grades, or create Spaces automatically. They are not a full LTI 1.3 integration. For details, see Bring a Vivipod Space into Canvas—or Embed It on the Web.

Embed on another site

The Embed tab provides iframe HTML for blogs, CMS pages, or LMS content areas that allow custom HTML. Prefer the Canvas tab for Course Navigation.

Embedded visitors still sign in to Vivipod and follow the Space’s access rules.

Choose a sharing option

Next steps

Students opening a link or Canvas item should follow Join a Space and Post as a Student. For design ideas once the class is in, see the guides on the Learn hub.