Student develops app to help solve issues with Canvas

After experiencing frustrations from professors constantly altering files on Canvas, computer science student Drew Royster has developed an app, Canvas FileSync, to resolve the issue.

Available as a desktop application, Canvas FileSync adds a file-syncing feature to Canvas. The app downloads all the files from Canvas onto a user’s computer, and updates the files automatically whenever something is added, removed or changed.

Royster says that he has sunken more than 100 hours into the app’s development.

“Getting it to work for me was about five hours,” Royster said. “Getting it to work for everyone else was, like, a 100 hours.”

Furthermore, Royster says a good amount of time was spent on making the program accessible on various platforms, such as Mac, Windows and Linux.

The app is free to download and available online. He wants the app to be available to as many people as possible, and has no plans of charging for its usage.

“Anyone who wants to download the app can do so at CanvasFileSync.com,” said Royster.

Additionally, Royster plans to use the app for his senior project.

“I’m entering into my senior year with my project completely finished, and it feels really good,” Royster said.

Photo by Bri Hiatt