Some institutions do not want to allow users to share publicly available links to video content. The Public Links and Embeddable player links toggles allow administrators to control the ability to generate and subsequently share public URLs to content in EchoVideo.
The Public Links toggles can be configured to allow Admins, Instructors, and Teaching Assistants to generate public links to content. For Instructors, this only applies to the content they own. For Teaching Assistants, it applies both to media they own, and to media published to sections where they are enrolled. Admins can create and manage public links to any captures visible in the Captures page.
See also Allowing Indexing of Public media links.
Items to note regarding the Public and Embeddable Links toggles:
- The Main toggle controls access: The top level or main Public Links toggle does two things. First, allows Admins to generate public media links. Second, it can be used to turn off playback of EchoVideo media through ALL posted public media links. This does not apply to LMS / VLE embeds created using the updated secure-link (LTI) embedding tool discussed in the next bullet.
- For LMS / VLE embedded content: If you have upgraded to using the secure-link (LTI) EchoVideo embed media tool for embedding media into the LMS / VLE, you no longer need to have public links turned on for Instructors and Students. These LMS / VLE exist separately from the Public Link feature. Note, however, that videos embedded before the upgrade still require the Main (Admin-level) public link toggle to remain on, as discussed in the first bullet.
- Check the Copy Content feature setting: If users are allowed to copy course media from the Class List page, they now own the copy they generate. As owners, they are then able to create and post a public link to that media. Just be sure to review your institution's policies and configure both of these toggle settings for Students and Instructors / Teaching Assistants as appropriate.
- Collections Enrollment Link: The top level or main Public Links toggle is required in order to turn on the usage of the enrollment link for a Collection. See EchoVideo: Adding Collection Members via Enrollment Link for more information on this use case.
To turn on / turn off public links to EchoVideo content
- Log into EchoVideo as an administrator.
- Click the Settings icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.
- From the Settings menu, select Institution Settings.
General settings appears and Basic Info is selected by default.
- Select Features.
- Scroll down to the Public Links and Embeddable player links section of the page, shown in the below figure.
There are three toggles in this section. Two of them determine whether users can create public links to media, and are discussed on this page. The toggle for allowing indexing is discussed in Allowing Indexing of Public media links.
- Turn on / turn off the main toggle switch.
- If turned off, no users can generate or manage any public links to content (including Admins). In addition, any existing public media links are turned off; users cannot view content via any currently posted links.
- If turned off, the sub-toggles are not available.
- If turned on, Admins can create public links to any capture they have access to.
- If the main toggle is turned on, turn on / turn off the By Instructors and Teaching Assistants toggle. If turned on, all instructors and teaching assistants can create public links for media in their Library (media they own); and teaching assistants can generate links for media they have access to within the class list of sections where they are enrolled.
- As appropriate, review and click Confirm on the confirmation message that appears.
The users for whom public links are turned on will be able to create media links in either the Share dialog box via the Links tab, or in the Media Details page, in the Links section of the Info tab.
As stated above, when the main feature toggle is turned off, any existing public media links and non-secure embedded videos in an LMS / VLE will no longer work; users clicking a posted media link will see an error, as disabling this feature deactivates the association between the public link and the media.