Holon Nav — User Manual

Overview

Holon Nav is a Canvas LTI tool that gives instructors full control over their course navigation menu — without the limitations of Canvas's buried Settings page or the Redirect Tool workaround.

With Holon Nav, you can reorder, hide, and show Canvas course navigation tabs; add unlimited custom links to the nav; and apply best-practice cleanup in one click — all from a clean visual interface. Changes update the real Canvas navigation instantly, so students always see an organized, consistent course menu.

Holon Nav is instructor-only — it appears in the Canvas course nav as "Nav Manager" but is only visible to instructors and administrators. Students never see the tool itself, only the results of your changes.

Getting Started

Step 1 — Install Holon Hub in Canvas

Holon Nav is part of the Holon tool suite and is launched from Holon Hub. You install Hub once into your Canvas course; there is no per-tool install and no token to enter.

Make sure your Holon plan includes Holon Nav.

Install Holon Hub in your Canvas course — your single entry point to every Holon tool you own.

Step 2 — Launch Holon Nav from Hub

Open Holon Hub from your Canvas course navigation.

Find Holon Nav in the Hub tool grid and launch it. It loads ready to use.

⚠️ No token to manage: You will never be asked to paste a Canvas API token. Hub securely provides Holon Nav the Canvas access it needs to read and update your course navigation when you launch it from Hub.

Nav Editor

The Nav Editor is the main view — it shows all your Canvas course navigation tabs and lets you reorder and show/hide them.

🧭 Reorder Tabs

Drag any tab up or down using the ⠿ handle on the left side of each row. The order you set here becomes the order students see in the Canvas left nav. Click Save Changes to apply.

👁 Show / Hide Tabs

Click Hide to remove a tab from student view, or Show to restore it. Hidden tabs appear in the lower section with a dashed border. Click Save Changes to apply to Canvas.

Hidden tabs still work for instructors in Canvas — only students can't see them.

⚡ Quick Clean

Click the Quick Clean button in the section header for a one-click best-practice cleanup. Select which tabs to hide and click Apply & Save. Recommended options:

Files — Shows files with no context. Use Modules to share files instead.
Pages — Lists pages alphabetically. Link pages inside Modules instead.
Outcomes — Rarely useful for students; hide if unused.
Conferences — Hide if you use Zoom or Teams instead.
Collaborations — Rarely used; hide to reduce clutter.

💡 Research shows students prefer 7 or fewer links in a course nav. Use Quick Clean and hide everything students don't actively need.

Custom Links

Add unlimited custom links to your Canvas course navigation — no Redirect Tool needed.

The Custom Links tab completely replaces the Canvas Redirect Tool. Instead of installing a separate app for each link you want to add, you manage all custom links in one place.

🔗 Adding a Custom Link

Go to the Custom Links tab in the sidebar
Enter a Label — this is what students will see in the nav
Enter a URL — can be an external URL (https://...) or an internal Canvas path (/courses/123/pages/syllabus)
Choose visibility: Everyone or Teachers only
Optionally check Open in new tab
Click + Add Link

✅ Internal vs External Links

Link Type	Example	Behavior
External URL	`https://zoom.us/j/123456`	Opens the external site
Internal Canvas path	`/courses/123/pages/syllabus`	Resolved to full URL — survives course copy

ℹ️ Unlike the Redirect Tool, internal Canvas links in Holon Nav are automatically resolved to full absolute URLs, so they work correctly even after course copy or blueprint sync.

Canvas Token (Settings)

Your Canvas connection is managed automatically by Holon Hub — there is nothing to configure:

The Canvas Token tab in the sidebar
The ⚙ Settings cog in the topbar

Because the connection comes from Hub, there is no token to remove or rotate inside Holon Nav.

If Holon Nav ever cannot reach Canvas, simply relaunch it from Holon Hub to refresh the connection.

Topbar Controls

Control	Function
☰ Hamburger	Collapse or expand the sidebar
A / A+ / A++	Accessibility font size zoom — Normal, Large, Extra Large
🎨 Theme	Customize colors — background, accent, sidebar, nav active state
Help	Open this quick-reference help overlay
⚙ Settings	View your Canvas connection and license status

Frequently Asked Questions

Do students see Holon Nav in their course menu?

No. The LTI config sets visibility to admins only. Students never see the "Nav Manager" link. They only see the navigation changes you make.

Does Holon Nav add a second navigation menu?

No. Holon Nav manages Canvas's actual left-side course navigation using the Canvas API. There is no second menu — students see the real Canvas nav, cleaned up and organized to your specification.

Will my changes survive course copy or blueprint sync?

Nav tab reordering and hide/show settings are stored in Canvas itself and will persist. Custom Links that use internal Canvas paths are resolved to full URLs at creation time — they survive course copy correctly.

Why can't I see my tabs loading?

This usually means Holon Nav was opened outside of Holon Hub, so it has no Canvas connection. Close it and relaunch Holon Nav from Holon Hub.

What does Quick Clean do exactly?

Quick Clean hides selected Canvas navigation tabs immediately and saves the changes to Canvas. It does not delete anything — hidden tabs can be restored at any time by clicking Show in the Nav Editor.

Can I use Holon Nav instead of the Canvas Redirect Tool?

Yes — and it's better. The Redirect Tool requires a separate app install for every link you add. Holon Nav lets you add unlimited custom links from one interface, with visibility controls and proper internal URL resolution.

Support

For help, questions, or feedback:

Email: support@holontechnology.com
App Store: apps.holontechnology.com