Workspace Capabilities

Workspace Editor & Collaboration

Format item descriptions with the rich-text editor and collaborate in real time when more than one person has a work item open.

DevStride's text editor has many rich text options. With a sleek design and intuitive functionality, this editor makes creating and editing content a breeze. You can experience the power of advanced formatting options. Easily insert images, videos, and multimedia to bring your documents to life. The same editor powers a work item's Description, where it adds real-time collaboration so you can work alongside your teammates.

A. Control Ribbon

Most formatting can be applied by clicking the icons in the editor control ribbon.

The controls in the ribbon function are detailed below.

A.1 - Undo

  • Click the Undo icon or use the keyboard shortcut Command + Z to undo the most recent edits made to your text.

A.2 - Redo

  • Click the Redo icon or use the keyboard shortcut Command + Y to redo the most recent undone edits.

A.3 - Headings

  • Click the Heading icon or use keyboard shortcuts Command+ Option + 1 through Command + Option + 5 to apply Heading Style 1 through 5 to the current text block.

A.4 - Bold

  • Click the Bold icon or use the keyboard shortcut Command + B to apply bold styling.

This is an example of bold text.

A.5 - Italic

  • Click the Italic icon or use the keyboard shortcut Command + I to apply italic styling.

This is an example of italicized text.

A.6 - Underline

  • Click the Underline icon or use the keyboard shortcut Command + U to apply underline styling.

A.7 - Strikethrough

  • Click the Strikethrough icon or use the keyboard shortcut Command + Shift + X to apply strikethrough styling.

This is an example of strikethrough text.

A.8 - Text Color

  • Click the Text Color icon to open the color selector.

A.9 - Block Quote

  • Click the Quote icon or type > followed by space before your text to create a block quote.

This is an example of a blockquote.

A.10 - CodeBlock

  • Click the Code icon to wrap the selected text in a code block.
  • Click the Link icon or use the keyboard shortcut Command + K to create a hyperlink.

A. 12 - Emoji

  • Click the Emoji icon or use the keyboard shortcut Control + Command + Space to open the emoji selector.

A. 13 - Horizontal Rule

  • Click the Horizontal Rule icon or type --- to insert a horizontal rule.

A. 14 - Increase Indent

  • Click the Increase Indent icon or use the keyboard shortcut Command + ] to increase the indent spacing on the current text block.

A. 15 - Decrease Indent

  • Click the Decrease Indent icon or use the keyboard shortcut Command + [ to decrease the indent spacing on the current text block.

A. 16 - Ordered List

  • Click the Ordered List icon or use the keyboard shortcut Command + Shift + 7 to create an ordered list.

A. 17 - Unordered List

  • Click the Unordered List icon or use the keyboard shortcut Command + Shift + 8 to create an unordered list.

A. 18 - Checklists

  • Click the Checklist icon or use the keyboard shortcut Command + Shift + 9 to create a checklist.

A. 19 - Tables

  • Click the Table icon to create a table. You can add rows and columns by right-clicking on the table.

A. 20 - Clear Formatting

  • Click the Clear Formatting icon to remove all formatting from the selected text.

B. Other Key Capabilities

B. 1 - Inline Block

  • Use backticks `` to create inline block formatting.

B. 2 - Inline Images

  • Drag images from your desktop into an editor. Resize them by clicking and dragging the resize handle.

B. 3 - Inline Video

  • Drag videos from your desktop into an editor. They will be associated in the Assets tab.

B. 4 - @Mentions

Mention a team member by typing @ followed by their name to notify them.

C. Real-Time Collaboration

When you open a work item and edit its Description in the item drawer, DevStride shows who else has that item open and keeps everyone's view in sync. You and your teammates can work on the same description at the same time without stepping on each other's saves.

Real-time collaboration applies to work items. It uses the same editor described above, so all of the formatting controls and capabilities are available while you collaborate.

C. 1 - Live Presence

While you have a work item's Description open, DevStride tracks everyone else who has the same item open and distinguishes two kinds of presence:

  • Editing - a teammate who is actively changing the description.
  • Viewing - a teammate who has the item open but is not currently typing.

If a teammate stops typing for a short while, they are treated as a viewer again rather than an active editor.

C. 2 - Collaboration Awareness Banner

When at least one other person has the work item open, a collaboration awareness banner appears as a footer strip directly beneath the description editor. It shows the avatars of the people present (up to three, then a +N badge for any additional collaborators) along with a short status message.

The status message reflects what the others are doing:

  • When people are actively editing:
    • "{name} is editing..."
    • "{name1} and {name2} are editing..."
    • "{name1} and {N} others are editing..."
  • When people are only viewing:
    • "{name} is viewing"
    • "{name1} and {name2} are viewing"
    • "{name1} and {N} others are viewing"

This makes it clear at a glance whether someone is about to change the description or simply reading along.

C. 3 - Draft Descriptions and Live Sync

As you type, your changes are kept as a draft. Drafts serve two purposes:

  • They are broadcast live to anyone else viewing the item, so collaborators see your in-progress edits as you make them.
  • They are kept locally on your device so your work isn't lost if your browser reloads or you navigate away.

Sync is two-way: edits from other collaborators flow into your editor as they type, and yours flow to them. If someone opens the item partway through your edit, your current draft is re-sent so they see the in-progress content rather than the last saved version.

C. 4 - Unsaved-Draft Recovery

If you reload the page or come back to an item where you had unsaved changes, DevStride restores your in-progress draft and returns you to edit mode so you can pick up where you left off. Recovered drafts are kept for a limited time and then cleaned up automatically.

For concurrent live editing, DevStride keeps everyone's view in sync by continuously sharing the latest draft. There is no automatic line-by-line merging of two people's simultaneous changes, so it's best to coordinate with your collaborators or take turns when editing the same passage at the same time, and rely on the awareness banner to see who is actively typing.