Canvas Custom Gradebook Columns API

openapi: 3.2.0
info:
  title: Canvas LMS REST Custom Gradebook Columns API
  version: v1
  summary: The complete Canvas LMS REST API, converted from the Swagger 1.2 documents Instructure publishes under https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/.
  description: The Canvas LMS REST API covers courses, assignments, quizzes, grades, users, enrollments, accounts, files, modules, rubrics, submissions, SIS imports, LTI, analytics and account administration.
  contact:
    name: Instructure Canvas
    url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/
  license:
    name: AGPL-3.0
    url: https://github.com/instructure/canvas-lms/blob/master/LICENSE
servers:
- url: https://canvas.instructure.com/api
  description: Instructure-hosted Canvas (canvas.instructure.com)
- url: https://{canvas_host}/api
  description: Any Canvas instance; Canvas is multi-tenant and self-hostable, so the host is the institution's Canvas domain.
  variables:
    canvas_host:
      default: canvas.instructure.com
      description: Your institution's Canvas hostname, e.g. school.instructure.com
security:
- bearerAuth: []
- oauth2: []
tags:
- name: Custom Gradebook Columns
  x-resource: custom_gradebook_columns
  externalDocs:
    url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/custom_gradebook_columns.html
paths:
  /v1/courses/{course_id}/custom_gradebook_columns:
    get:
      tags:
      - Custom Gradebook Columns
      operationId: list_custom_gradebook_columns
      summary: List custom gradebook columns
      description: A paginated list of all custom gradebook columns for a course
      parameters:
      - name: course_id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      - name: include_hidden
        in: query
        schema:
          type: boolean
        required: false
        description: Include hidden parameters (defaults to false)
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                type: array
                items:
                  $ref: '#/components/schemas/CustomColumn'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/custom_gradebook_columns.html
    post:
      tags:
      - Custom Gradebook Columns
      operationId: create_custom_gradebook_column
      summary: Create a custom gradebook column
      parameters:
      - name: course_id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      requestBody:
        required: false
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                column[title]:
                  type: string
                  description: no description
                column[position]:
                  type: integer
                  format: int64
                  description: The position of the column relative to other custom columns
                column[hidden]:
                  type: boolean
                  description: Hidden columns are not displayed in the gradebook
                column[teacher_notes]:
                  type: boolean
                  description: 'Set this if the column is created by a teacher.  The gradebook only

                    supports one teacher_notes column.'
                column[read_only]:
                  type: boolean
                  description: Set this to prevent the column from being editable in the gradebook ui
              required:
              - column[title]
          application/x-www-form-urlencoded:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                column[title]:
                  type: string
                  description: no description
                column[position]:
                  type: integer
                  format: int64
                  description: The position of the column relative to other custom columns
                column[hidden]:
                  type: boolean
                  description: Hidden columns are not displayed in the gradebook
                column[teacher_notes]:
                  type: boolean
                  description: 'Set this if the column is created by a teacher.  The gradebook only

                    supports one teacher_notes column.'
                column[read_only]:
                  type: boolean
                  description: Set this to prevent the column from being editable in the gradebook ui
              required:
              - column[title]
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/CustomColumn'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/custom_gradebook_columns.html
  /v1/courses/{course_id}/custom_gradebook_columns/{id}:
    put:
      tags:
      - Custom Gradebook Columns
      operationId: update_custom_gradebook_column
      summary: Update a custom gradebook column
      description: Accepts the same parameters as custom gradebook column creation
      parameters:
      - name: course_id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      - name: id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/CustomColumn'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/custom_gradebook_columns.html
    delete:
      tags:
      - Custom Gradebook Columns
      operationId: delete_custom_gradebook_column
      summary: Delete a custom gradebook column
      description: Permanently deletes a custom column and its associated data
      parameters:
      - name: course_id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      - name: id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/CustomColumn'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/custom_gradebook_columns.html
  /v1/courses/{course_id}/custom_gradebook_columns/reorder:
    post:
      tags:
      - Custom Gradebook Columns
      operationId: reorder_custom_columns
      summary: Reorder custom columns
      description: 'Puts the given columns in the specified order


        200 OK is returned if successful'
      parameters:
      - name: course_id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      requestBody:
        required: false
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                order:
                  type: array
                  items:
                    type: integer
                  description: no description
              required:
              - order
          application/x-www-form-urlencoded:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                order:
                  type: array
                  items:
                    type: integer
                  description: no description
              required:
              - order
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success, no content returned
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/custom_gradebook_columns.html
  /v1/courses/{course_id}/custom_gradebook_columns/{id}/data:
    get:
      tags:
      - Custom Gradebook Columns
      operationId: list_entries_for_column
      summary: List entries for a column
      description: This does not list entries for students without associated data.
      parameters:
      - name: course_id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      - name: id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      - name: include_hidden
        in: query
        schema:
          type: boolean
        required: false
        description: 'If true, hidden columns will be included in the

          result. If false or absent, only visible columns

          will be returned.'
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                type: array
                items:
                  $ref: '#/components/schemas/ColumnDatum'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/custom_gradebook_columns.html
  /v1/courses/{course_id}/custom_gradebook_columns/{id}/data/{user_id}:
    put:
      tags:
      - Custom Gradebook Columns
      operationId: update_column_data
      summary: Update column data
      description: Set the content of a custom column
      parameters:
      - name: course_id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      - name: id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      - name: user_id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      requestBody:
        required: false
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                column_data[content]:
                  type: string
                  description: Column content.  Setting this to blank will delete the datum object.
              required:
              - column_data[content]
          application/x-www-form-urlencoded:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                column_data[content]:
                  type: string
                  description: Column content.  Setting this to blank will delete the datum object.
              required:
              - column_data[content]
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/ColumnDatum'
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/custom_gradebook_columns.html
  /v1/courses/{course_id}/custom_gradebook_column_data:
    put:
      tags:
      - Custom Gradebook Columns
      operationId: bulk_update_column_data
      summary: Bulk update column data
      description: 'Set the content of custom columns


        {

        "column_data": [

        {

        "column_id": example_column_id,

        "user_id": example_student_id,

        "content": example_content

        },

        {

        "column_id": example_column_id,

        "user_id": example_student_id,

        "content: example_content

        }

        ]

        }'
      parameters:
      - name: course_id
        in: path
        schema:
          type: string
        required: true
        description: ID
      requestBody:
        required: false
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                column_data:
                  type: array
                  items:
                    type: array
                    items: {}
                  description: Column content. Setting this to an empty string will delete the data object.
              required:
              - column_data
          application/x-www-form-urlencoded:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                column_data:
                  type: array
                  items:
                    type: array
                    items: {}
                  description: Column content. Setting this to an empty string will delete the data object.
              required:
              - column_data
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Success
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                type: string
                x-canvas-declared-type: Progress
      externalDocs:
        url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/custom_gradebook_columns.html
components:
  schemas:
    ColumnDatum:
      type: object
      properties:
        content:
          type: string
          example: Nut allergy
        user_id:
          type: integer
          example: 2
      description: ColumnDatum objects contain the entry for a column for each user.
    CustomColumn:
      type: object
      properties:
        id:
          type: integer
          example: 2
          description: The ID of the custom gradebook column
        teacher_notes:
          type: boolean
          example: false
          description: When true, this column's visibility will be toggled in the Gradebook when a user selects to show or hide notes
        title:
          type: string
          example: Stuff
          description: header text
        position:
          type: integer
          example: 1
          description: column order
        hidden:
          type: boolean
          example: false
          description: won't be displayed if hidden is true
        read_only:
          type: boolean
          example: true
          description: won't be editable in the gradebook UI
  securitySchemes:
    bearerAuth:
      type: http
      scheme: bearer
      description: 'Canvas OAuth2 access token sent as "Authorization: Bearer <token>". See https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/file.oauth.html'
    oauth2:
      type: oauth2
      description: Canvas OAuth2. See https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/file.oauth.html and https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/file.oauth_endpoints.html
      flows:
        authorizationCode:
          authorizationUrl: https://canvas.instructure.com/login/oauth2/auth
          tokenUrl: https://canvas.instructure.com/login/oauth2/token
          refreshUrl: https://canvas.instructure.com/login/oauth2/token
          scopes: {}
externalDocs:
  description: Canvas LMS REST API Documentation
  url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/
x-generated-from: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/api-docs.json
x-provenance:
  method: derived
  derived_by: API Evangelist enrichment pipeline (Swagger 1.2 -> OpenAPI 3.1 conversion)
  source: openapi/_original/swagger-1.2/*.json (144 verbatim first-party Swagger 1.2 documents)
  source_url: https://canvas.instructure.com/doc/api/api-docs.json
  fetched: '2026-09-05'
  http_status: 200