Instructor Support for Educational Systems

What are Replace strings and how do I use it?

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This article will explain how you can use Replace strings and which you can use in your course.

Replace strings are functions, denoted with curly brackets { } which are automatically replaced by their corresponding values. Replace strings can be used to personalize messages per user.

Replace strings can be used nearly everywhere within Brightspace, including Assignments, Quizzes, Discussions, etc.

Currently, it is not (yet) possible to use Replace strings for course descriptions, HTML documents and mailings.

Below is a table containing the Replace strings which you can use within Brightspace. 

Replace string Description
{OrgId} ID number of the organisation (Leiden University)
{OrgName} Name of the organisation(Leiden University)
{OrgUnitId} ID of the Course in Brightspace
{OrgUnitName} Name of the Course in Brightspace
{OrgUnitCode} Code of the Course in Brightspace
{OrgUnitTypeId} ID of the type of Course in Brightspace
{OrgUnitPath} Path to the Course files
{UserId} Internal user ID
{UserName} Name used to log in
{OrgDefinedId} University ID
{FirstName} Firstname of the user
{LastName} Surname of the user
{Email} Internal email address of the user
{ExternalEmail} External email address of the user
{RoleId} ID of the user's role
{RoleName} Name of the user's role

Replace strings in Announcements

You can use Replace strings to personalize announcements.

First, create a new announcement within your course. In this textbox, you can use Replace strings. By clicking on the preview button in the bottom right, you can see the result of the Replace strings.

You could also add a sentence in the announcement with the tag {ExternalEmail} to explain to a student what email is registered within the university, and that messages will be sent to this address.

The announcement will look like this, with the user's first name being different per user.

The completed announcement will look personalized for the user.

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