Google's "smart canvas" vision for Workspace to bring a pageless interface to Docs

Last year during Google's I/O event, the company unveiled plans to significantly revamp the look of its Workspace cloud apps (called G Suite until a name change in 2020). That includes a new look for Gmail that will start rolling out this month, search chips for Google Drive, and a set of changes coming soon for Google Docs and Google Sheets.

The subject of this approach is called "smart canvas". It takes a few tips from productivity apps like Notion to give you more options to combine the functions of multiple tools on one screen and promote ways you can collaborate remotely with co-workers, powered by Google AI. Integrating its d office apps is an approach that conveniently helps Google increase corporate lockdown on its services, which is a good idea as Microsoft is working in a very similar direction with Fluid Framework updates on its own. office-suite.

Last fall, Google added AI-generated formula suggestions we call "autocomplete for math," and now, Google says its next step is more like autocorrect. The feature is coming to Sheets soon, promising to help users troubleshoot their formulas and catch errors.

Features outlined during the May I/O presentation will gradually roll out to Workspace accounts over the next two weeks, including a pageless format for Google Docs. Instead of a default view that replicates a standard-size printed page, Google Docs content is limitless, which the company says will cause it to expand or shrink to fit whatever type of screen you're using. As per Google's support document for the feature, "[w]hen you view a pageless document, you can select a text width of narrow, medium, or wide. You'll see the same text width on all pageless docs that you view. Your text width choice won't affect how collaborators see your docs."

You can go back to a view with page breaks if you need to print something or convert it to PDF, but Google's bet is that in remote and connected workplaces, that won't be needed in the future.

Rather, people will interact directly with documents that include interactive elements to display whatever information is relevant at the time, like embedded Google Maps links that you can click to see a preview without opening another page or app. Another new feature allows Google Docs to automatically generate document summaries using their own intelligence to find the main points that are visible in the left rail. Once you're active in eligible Workspace accounts, simply click View at the top, then Show Document Outline to bring up the summary. One feature that isn't there yet is an easily accessible draft email template so you can click a button to send all content to a draft in Gmail. That will be implemented "in the coming weeks."