Coauthoring Feature in the Canvas App

Microsoft facilitates the development of Canvas apps, enabling users to efficiently access and manage the information necessary for their business operations via mobile applications. This capability is tailored to meet specific business requirements, enhancing operational efficiency.

Collaboration is crucial for business success and the development of Canvas apps. Microsoft has consistently prioritized the creation of advanced collaboration tools, which is vital when multiple developers with varied expertise are involved in app development. To avoid conflicts and redundant efforts, it is vital to monitor the contributions of each team member, ensuring that tasks are clearly defined and not duplicated or overridden.

In some cases, multiple users may need to work on developing the same Canvas app simultaneously. To manage this, each user must wait until the other has completed their editing tasks before making further changes.

As shown below, when User 1 had editing control over the Canvas app, other users could only view it until User 1 closed it.

The recently introduced “Co-authoring” feature for Canvas apps addresses this challenge by enabling multiple users to work on the same app simultaneously. This functionality allows for seamless collaboration, eliminating the need for users to wait for others to finish editing.

Microsoft has already incorporated such features in several apps, including:

1. Microsoft Teams Chat
2. Power Automate Flow Comments
3. Model-driven apps

Now, multiple creators can simultaneously edit a Canvas app in the same session. Coauthors can see real-time changes made by others, akin to collaboration in Microsoft Office. You can track your teammates’ presence and activities using visual cues in the command bar, tree view, and authoring canvas.

With this new feature, now anyone working on the same app page can instantly see the changes being made to components by another creator in real time. Let’s enable this feature and delve into this further.

Sign in with your Microsoft Dataverse:

• Navigate to the Power Apps
• Create a Canvas app and Go to Settings –> Updates –> Preview and then enable the Coauthoring feature and then click Update to save and refresh.

• Once the feature is enabled, multiple users can work on the same canvas app simultaneously. You will start seeing other makers’ presence in the top navigation bar and the left menu bar, highlighting the components they are working on, as shown below:

• The top navigation icons will indicate users who are currently updating the canvas app.
• The left navigation icons will indicate which pages other users are working on or have opened. Additionally, you can monitor the real-time activities and interactions of collaborators on the screens.
• You can also communicate via chat in Microsoft Teams, as shown in the screen clip below.

Conclusion:

This preview feature enables multiple users to collaborate simultaneously while tracking each other’s presence in real time.

The post Coauthoring Feature in the Canvas App first appeared on Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM Tips and Tricks.