Slack has introduced “Canvas”, a new feature that allows users to create collaborative documents within the messaging app.
Canvas is similar to Google Docs, but is integrated with Slack, making it easier to share and collaborate on documents without leaving the app. Each channel in Slack now has a canvas attached to it, and users can create and share as many canvases as they want. The feature was first announced last year, and is now available to all Slack users.
Users can add text, photos, videos, links, polls, and other Slack apps to their canvases. Links appear as cards and YouTube videos play inline. Essentially, everything that can be done in Slack can be done in a canvas, but now it is stored in a document that can be easily organized and accessed. Users can even embed a canvas within a canvas, and advanced features like bug reporting and workflows can be invoked with a slash command.
Canvas is perhaps the most useful organizational tool that Slack has ever created, allowing users to keep all of their collaborative documents in one place. Since everything that happens in Slack happens in a chat, Canvas can be thought of as collections of Slack objects. The feature is already being hailed as a game-changer for teams that use Slack, and is expected to become one of the most popular features of the app.
