Google has revealed a range of new online collaboration tools for its Google Docs platform.
Users of the office software will soon be able to add dropdown chips and table templates to their documents, which Google says will make it easier for users to collaborate on projects.
Dropdown chips will allow Google Docs users to indicate the status of their document or to add project milestones within it.
How do the new Google Docs tools work?
Going forward, Google Docs users will have access to two default dropdown options, outlined in a Workspace update blog post announcing the news.
The first, Project Status, will include selections for “Not Started”, “Blocked”, “In Progress”, and “Complete” projects.
The second, Review Status, will include selections for “Not Started”, “In Progress”, “Under Review”, and “Approved” projects.
Additionally, users of the online word processor will be able to create a dropdown chip with custom options and different colors to fit their particular needs.
Google is also set to add table templates to Docs, which it says allow users to insert “building blocks” indicating common project workflows such as: “launch content tracker”, “project asset”, “review tracker”, and “product roadmap''.
Users will be able to insert a dropdown chip by selecting “Insert > Dropdown”.
To insert a table template, users will need to select “Insert > Table > Table templates”.
These features will be available by default for all Google end-users, including both personal Google Accounts and Google Workspace customers.
When is the Google Docs update available?
The new dropdown chips are set for a gradual rollout beginning on May 2, allowing 15 days for feature visibility.
The new table templates will be gradually rolled out from May 2 for rapid release domains and from May 9 for scheduled release domains.
Productivity focused users have had a great year when it comes to Google Docs updates.
Google has announced it is adding Markdown support to Google Docs.
Markdown, created by John Gruber, is a lightweight language created to enable adding formatting elements to a plaintext document simpler.
This update allowed Google users to create rich text documents without having to learn keyboard shortcuts.
