February 14, 2023

[lizlynch]

Deployment Time: 1:00 PM PST

Features & enhancements

Item	Description
Enhancement	For desktop UI (preview), there is an update to detail views. For some backgrounds, we wanted to follow UX best practices around legibility for out-of-the-box detail views, and also provide some consistency and better alignment with detail views that are organized with SHOW type columns. There are two main changes: 1. New non-card header - in a detail view if there are headers, a header image, or prominent actions specified and Use Card Layout is not turned on when configuring the detail view options. For example: ![lizlynch_0-1677537047730.png
Enhancement	AppSheet is replacing all usage of the term “white label” with “branded apps” as part of a product inclusion initiative. Previously, we used the term “white label” to refer to the ability to create custom standalone apps with one’s own branding. However, due to this phrasing not being inclusive, we are removing all usage of this term for the term “branded apps”. If you notice any lingering reference to “white label” or a similar term, please don’t hesitate to let us know so we can promptly remove it. See Manage branded apps.

Bug fixes

Item	Description
Bug	For desktop UI (preview), we now limit inline view titles to 2 lines and add spacing below for readability. For example: ![lizlynch_0-1676410232898.png

Rollout changes

None

Preview announcements

Preview feature releases enable you to try out new app features that are not yet fully supported. See Product launch stages.

• No new preview features were released today.

What’s currently available in Preview?

The following tables summarize the preview features that are currently available.

Item	Description
Feature	AppSheet databases (Preview) The new AppSheet database feature is now in preview release. An AppSheet database is a first-party, native data source for organizing and managing data powering AppSheet apps. An AppSheet database provides an easy and efficient way to build data models for any AppSheet app without needing to use an external data source solution such as cloud-based spreadsheets or databases. For more information, see: - Community announcement - AppSheet databases
Enhancement	Navigation improvements in AppSheet app editor (Preview) The app editor includes navigation improvements, currently in preview, to facilitate the configuration of specific features. For example, the new Settings section in the left navigation gathers together all app-wide settings and makes it more intuitive for all app creators to find these types of settings. For more information, see: - Community announcement - Summary of navigation improvements in the app editor (Preview).
Enhancement	Additional usability improvements in AppSheet app editor (Preview) The app editor includes navigation and app setting improvements, currently in preview, to facilitate the configuration of specific features. The navigation improvements now include a secondary navigation panel that lets you quickly scan all of your components. In addition, there are more direct links in your View component to the table, column, or action that you want to check or edit. Finally, error and warning messages are more prominently displayed in the app. For more information, see: - Further usability improvements: Simplifying the navigation in the editor - Summary of improvements in the app editor (preview).
Feature	AppSheet apps for desktop users (Preview) The new desktop design, currently in preview, is optimized for desktop browsers, presenting a more complete view of information with a consistent organization and structure. The new desktop design lets users navigate their apps more easily and access information in context, and provides an efficient way to edit existing records without losing context. The legacy desktop design, enabled by default, provides an experience similar to the mobile and tablet device. For more information, see: - Community article - Optimize the user experience using the new desktop design (Preview)

The following features require opt-in to the AppSheet preview program. The AppSheet Preview program lets app creators try out new app features that are not yet fully supported.

Item	Description
Feature	Chat apps with AppSheet (Preview) Create and publish Chat apps using AppSheet. Chat apps are web applications or services that run in Google Chat. By creating a Chat app with AppSheet, you enable users to interact directly with your app in Google Chat rather than clicking out to view the AppSheet app in a separate window. See: - Community announcement - Chat apps
Feature	Table view Table View now supports freezing the first column while scrolling horizontally. For details, see Freezing the first Column of a Table View - in Preview Program.
Feature	Chart Editor App Creators can now make use of our new chart editor and the new and improved charts it can create. Learn more.
Feature	Detail views Rich text formatting is now available in Detail views. For details, see this announcement in the community.

[Rifad]

@lizlynch

we wanted to follow UX best practices around legibility for out-of-the-box detail views

Re: In Preview: New UI design for desktop users - Google Cloud Community Please have a look at this.

The Desktop UI post became soo longer that no one is even noticing the posts in that thread anymore. I posted this a couple of days back.

[lizlynch]

@Rifad - Thanks for the ping. Forwarded your link to the team just to make sure it was not missed.

[Rifad]

Appreciate that. Thanks.

[PocketDragon]

I love this new card layout. I stumbled across this Feature announcement when I was trying to get tab views to work, so I tried it out. It took some getting used to, but it’s well worth it. A couple things that were less intuitive to set up:

1. When viewed in full screen (3 columns), it was not obvious that the cards line up in rows, left to right, before stacking vertically. Setting up a version that works for both mobile and desktop can be tricky. Ideally it would be nice if there was a choice for either vertical and horizontal stacking when in full width and if users could choose between them. In any case, it would be helpful to know in the editor that these cards are ordered from left to right when viewed in full screen.

2. There is a lot of unused space beneath the image. I am wondering if there can be an option to use this space with another card, like any columns before the first ‘Show column’ could be featured here. I can’t use header columns in many cases because they get truncated, they cover the image, they can’t be displayed with their headings and they have other limitations. For instance, it would be nice to be able to place quick edit columns in the space beneath the image.

[PocketDragon]

The inline reference lists have an additional scrollbar in the detail view. When it overflows past the screen, it adds an extra millimeter of scroll within the card itself. It gets “stuck” if the mouse doesn’t hover over the right area. I imagine this has something to do with the freezing of the column headers in the ref list.

[lizlynch]

@PocketDragon Thank you for your feedback! Passing this on to the development team.