July 31, 2024
Major Updates to CSV Imports, Database Creation and the Shape Library, UX Improvements and More
Creately for Confluence Cloud
Creately now features a plugin for Atlassian Confluence Cloud for seamless integration, allowing users to create and collaborate on diagrams directly within their Confluence pages. This feature enhances the visual aspect of documentation, making it easier to understand complex information through flowcharts, mind maps, and other diagram types. It’s designed to improve team collaboration and streamline the process of sharing visual data within a Confluence workspace.
It works with your existing Creately accounts as well as allowing new users to sign up directly via Atlassian Marketplace and use creately seamlessly.
You can also collaborate in real-time on diagrams right inside Confluence Cloud.
Shape Library Gets a New Look
The shape library has been improved with features such as expandable shape categories, bulk selection of different shape types and shape search functionality. You can now easily find and select shapes, view detailed descriptions, and save or discard your selections. A “Learn More” link on selected shape sets provides additional guidance on how to use those shapes effectively.
Shape Switcher Button
Shape switching is now universal within Creately. You can switch between any type of shapes without losing any information, formatting styles or dimensions. Also, when you add a new shape, you can set a default type for it, and this setting can be changed if needed.
Workspace Location
We made an update so that you can easily figure out where a particular workspace is located. Simply hover over the workspace name and its path will be displayed right below it.
Highlighter for Freehand Drawing
We’ve enhanced the main toolbar by adding a highlighter. Now, you can easily mark important items within the app, making them stand out with a distinct visual cue. This new functionality is designed to improve collaboration sessions by providing a quick and intuitive way to prioritize and organize content.
Major Updates to CSV Imports and Database Creation
Database creation is one of Creately’s foundational capabilities and you’ll get to see more related updates. This time, we’ve completely revamped the database creation flow with a new intuitive UI and made the process simpler.
Updates to Global Search
We’ve made some updates to the document search functionality! You can now access the global search feature by clicking on the search icon on the header toolbar (with the workspace name). In addition, you can conduct text searches to look for anything in the workspace you’re currently viewing.
‘Create a Blank Workspace’ Button
The “Create Blank Workspace” button will now always appear in the dashboard under the “Recently Edited” tab. This update ensures that users can easily start a new project without any confusion or delay.
Opening a Workspace Via an Embed Link
When using the app in embedded mode, users will now experience a more streamlined interface. The ‘history’ option is no longer visible in the header menu, ensuring a cleaner layout.
Additionally, users have the new ability to view comments and hide the display of multiple collaborators, allowing for a more focused and personalized workspace.
Presentation Mode in Microsoft Teams
You can now access Creately’s presentation feature through Microsoft Teams. This ensures that users have a seamless and integrated experience when using Creately inside Microsoft Teams.
In-App Chat Support
We’ve introduced a new helpful AI assistant right within the app. You can ask it questions about using the app, and it will do its best to help you out.
The AskAI widget will also be available in our Help Center, providing additional support for finding information and troubleshooting issues.
Improvements to Connectors
With these updates, managing connections and layouts in your diagrams are now smoother and more intuitive.
Selecting the connector head has been improved to make it easier to interact with connectors.
Previously, moving one end of a connector caused the other end to jump unexpectedly, making it difficult to precisely connect shapes. Connectors will now stay attached to their designated glue points even when you edit text within a shape.
Connection paths now remain unchanged when selecting and moving multiple items in the workspace.
Connectors within a container no longer break when applying a layout algorithm and moving multiple selected children.
Connectors now attach as intended when creating saved sets from organizational charts.
We’ve resolved the problem where connectors would break when shapes moved inside a frame after adding a template with a tree layout set.
When multiple shapes are selected and moved into a frame, connectors will no longer break.
Connectors inside a container remain intact when a grid layout algorithm is applied, even when multiple children are selected and moved.
We made these updates to resolve issues such as accidental detachment and to provide a more stable and predictable connector behavior.
Improving Text Controls
We’ve made several improvements to enhance the stability and reliability of text controls in our product.
Now, formatting will persist even after all text is deleted, ensuring the last span retains its style.
Font kerning no longer causes text overlap, providing a cleaner look.
Users can now immediately type after creating or inserting a shape via drag and drop, streamlining the text entry process.
Syncing Changes Made to Github Issues
The recent update has resolved the issue where changes made in the Creately app were not being reflected on the Github issue. Now, any modifications you make in the Creately app will be automatically and accurately updated on your Github issue, ensuring a seamless integration and workflow.