Slack will roll out the document creation tool, first unveiled in 2022, to all users over the next few months. Credit: Slack Slack users will soon be able access simple shared documents from within the messaging app, now that its new Canvas feature has been made generally available. Slack unveiled Canvas at parent company Salesforce’s Dreamforce event in September, promising a new way for users to create and share information from within a Slack workspace. Canvas documents can contain a variety of information, such as text, files, apps and rich media that’s all searchable like other content within Slack. These documents can be paired with a specific channel or conversation to provide easy access to important information on a certain topic. For example, users can create a document that tracks action items or logs meeting notes, the company said in a blog post announcing plans to roll out the feature. It will also be possible to add no-code automations to a canvas document, such as an embedded button to create an IT request. The addition of Canvas could help build out Slack’s capabilities as a work hub, according to one analyst. While messaging is a core part of a team collaboration app, a survey of 424 companies by analyst firm Metrigy in its Workplace Collaboration: 2021-22 report indicated that the majority (57.1%) view these platforms as a “hub for work and collaboration ” as opposed to “just a messaging app” (21.2%). “Team collaboration apps have provided measurable value by enabling persistent and contextual conversations as an alternative to email,” said Irwin Lazar, president and principal analyst at Metrigy, in a research note last September when Canvas was first announced (client account access required). “But at most companies, even as they move toward using team apps as a work hub, users must still move between different apps to manage workflows and edit content.” The ability to bring a wider variety of information contained in documents directly into team channels “provides the opportunity to further improve productivity and speed of engagement by centralizing content and chat collaboration within a team space,” Lazar said. He added Slack Canvas is similar in some respects to Microsoft’s recently launched Loop app, as well as Notion’s collaborative document creation tool, and even Salesforce’s own Quip app. Slack Canvas is being rolled out to users now and is slated to be made available to all users within a few months, the company said in a blog post. Slack’s free tier users will be restricted to use of Slack Canvas in channels and direct messages, while paid customers can access canvas documents in standalone mode. Related content news analysis Apple earnings: About that iPhone 'slump' in China Based on information from Thursday's earnings report, it seems that data pointing to an iPhone slump in China were over-baked. By Jonny Evans May 03, 2024 9 mins iMac iPhone Apple news Microsoft begins to phase out ‘classic’ Teams Microsoft is encouraging Teams customers to move to the new, faster version of the collaboration app; the older version will be switched off next year. By Matthew Finnegan May 03, 2024 3 mins Microsoft Teams Collaboration Software Productivity Software news analysis Apple confirms it will open up the iPad in Europe this fall The latest efforts to comply with Europe’s Digital Markets Act mean developers can offer to side load apps to both iPhones and iPads in the EU. Apple has also taken steps to improve what it offers to smaller and non-commercial developers in the By Jonny Evans May 02, 2024 6 mins iPad Apple Mobile Apps news Udacity offers laid-off US workers free access to its courses for 30 days Sign-ups will be available over the next 30 days By Lucas Mearian May 02, 2024 4 mins Technology Industry IT Jobs IT Skills Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe