Tag Archives: Editors

Connected Sheets now generally available, replacing Sheets data connector

What’s changing

We’re making Connected Sheets generally available to G Suite Enterprise and G Suite Enterprise for Education customers. Connected Sheets helps you analyze BigQuery data in Google Sheets. It was previously available in beta. Connected Sheets will replace Sheets data connector, a more limited way to connect Sheets and BigQuery.

Read more about how you can use it to analyze petabytes of data with Google Sheets in our Cloud Blog post.

Who’s impacted

End users

Why you’d use it

Connected Sheets links Google Sheets to BigQuery, so you can analyze large BigQuery datasets using familiar spreadsheet tools and operations. This means users don’t need to know SQL and can generate insights with basic spreadsheet operations like formulas, charts, and pivot tables.

This makes it easier for more members of your organization to understand, collaborate on, and generate insights from data. Specifically, it can help subject matter experts work with data without relying on analysts, who may be less familiar with the context of the data or be overloaded with a wide range of data requests.

Connected Sheets includes all the capabilities of the legacy Sheets data connector with additional enhancements. Enhancements include the ability to analyze and visualize data in Sheets without needing to first extract the data, being able to see a preview of data through a Sheet, and scheduling data refreshes to avoid analyzing stale data.

Learn more about how you can analyze petabytes of data with Google Sheets on the Cloud Blog. 

Getting started


  • Admins: No action required, Connected Sheets will be ON by default. To use it, you must have set up BigQuery for your organization, and users must have access to tables or views in BigQuery. Use our Help Center to learn more about how to set up Connected Sheets.
  • End users: This feature will be ON by default. To use it, must have access to tables or views in BigQuery. Use our Help Center to learn more about Connected Sheets.

Rollout pace


  • Rapid and Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially more than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on June 30, 2020. We expect rollout to complete within a month. 

Availability 


  • Available to G Suite Enterprise and G Suite Enterprise for Education customers* 
  • Not available to G Suite Basic, G Suite Business, G Suite for Education, and G Suite for Nonprofits customers 

Resources 



Roadmap 


*Availability in alternative packages is variable and based on your services.

New chart axis customization in Google Sheets: tick marks, tick spacing, and axis lines

Quick launch summary 

We’re adding new features to help you customize chart axes in Google Sheets and better visualize your data in charts. The new options are:

  • Add major and minor tick marks to charts. 
  • Customize tick mark location (inner, outer, and cross) and style (color, length, and thickness). 
  • Set the precise numeric spacing between major and minor axis ticks or grid lines. 
  • Choose to show or remove the line that marks the axis. 

See how this works in the images below.
Customize the location and style of tick marks. 

Set the spacing between tick marks and grid lines. 

Choose to show or remove axis lines 


Getting started 



Rollout pace 



Availability 


  • Available to all G Suite customers and users with personal accounts 

Resources 


Spanish grammar suggestions now available in Google Docs and Gmail

Quick launch summary 

We’re expanding our advanced assistive writing features in Google Docs and Gmail to Spanish. Last year, we introduced grammar suggestions powered by neural-networks for the English language. Now, we’re using the same technology to provide grammar suggestions as you type in Spanish.

Language will be detected automatically, and even if you switch between writing in Spanish and English, we will provide the appropriate grammar suggestions. These capabilities can help you write faster, more accurately, and with more confidence.

Later this year, we’re also planning to make spelling autocorrect and Smart Compose available to Spanish language users. Keep an eye on the G Suite Updates blog to know when those features become available. Learn more about the expansion of our Spanish language assistive writing features on our Cloud Blog.

Getting started 



Rollout pace 



Availability 


  • Available to G Suite Basic, G Suite Business, G Suite Essentials, G Suite Enterprise Essentials, and G Suite Enterprise customers. 
  • Not yet available to G Suite for Education, G Suite Enterprise for Education, and G Suite for Nonprofits customers, as well as users with personal Google accounts. 

Resources 


New comment interface for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides on Android

What’s changing 

We’re updating the user interface for comments and action items in the Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides apps for Android. Some of the changes you may notice include:

  • Larger, clearer interface to make it easier to see comments and their context in a document. 
  • Shortcuts and gestures to help you quickly scroll through and respond to multiple comments. 
  • Quick access button to reply, “@” mention someone, and assign action items. 


Who’s impacted 

End users

Why it matters 

Commenting is a powerful way to collaborate on documents while remote. Comments can help you ask questions, document discussions, make sure other users see something, assign action items, and more. They’re particularly useful when working remotely, enabling multiple users to be part of discussions whenever and wherever it's convenient for them.

Getting started 

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
  • End users: This feature will be ON by default. To get started, tap on a comment when using the Docs, Sheets, or Slides app on an Android device. Use the Help Center to learn more about using comments and action items on Android. 

Rollout pace 



Availability 


  • Available to all G Suite customers and users with personal accounts. 

Resources 


New document save status and offline indicator for Docs, Sheets, and Slides

Quick launch summary 

We’re updating the interface which tells users about the file save status and whether they’re working online or offline in Google Docs editors and Drawings. The changes will help users understand where the file is saved, whether they’re connected to the network, and if the file is available to edit offline.

This is an update to the interface only - there are no changes in the underlying functionality. The changes you may notice include:

  • A new location for document save status next to the document name. 
  • More descriptive text to indicate whether a document is saved to the cloud (when online) or to the device (offline). 
  • A new way to enable offline by clicking on the document status icon. Previously, you had to go to File > Make available offline. 


For users in domains where admins have turned off Docs editors offline access, we will adjust the message shown to users in order to minimize confusion regarding settings controlled by their admin. 

See images below for more details.

Getting started 



The saved file indicator is now next to the document name and features more descriptive text 


You can enable offline by clicking the document status icon 

Rollout pace 



Availability 


  • Available to all G Suite customers and users with personal Google Accounts. 

Resources 


Sort and filter cells by text or fill color in Google Sheets

Quick launch summary 

We’ve added two additional parameters to filter and sort cells by in Google Sheets:
  • Text color 
  • Fill (background) color 

Along with sorting by values and conditions, these filters make it easier and faster to find and surface relevant data in Sheets. This feature will be available on mobile and web.

Getting started 

Admins: No admin action required for this feature.

End users: This feature will be available by default. To use this feature, select Filter > Filter by Color and then select “Fill color” or “Text color”. Matching cells will be display at the top of the range. Visit the Help Center to learn more. Use our Help Center to learn more about sorting and filtering data in Sheets.

Filtering by fill color, then text color.

Rollout pace

Availability

  • Available to all G Suite customers and users with personal Google Accounts

Resources


Set custom table ranges for charts in Google Sheets

What’s changing 

We’re improving the way data is suggested and how data is selected when creating a chart in Google Sheets. It’s now easier to locate and select the data you need when creating a dashboard over a dataset with slicers, pivot tables, charts, and more.

Who’s impacted 

End users

Why you’d use it 

When creating reports in Sheets, it’s common to create multiple charts from the same data table, but using different column ranges. Previously, all data ranges on a table would be used when creating a chart. Now, you’ll be able to select which columns to use for the chart axis and series. This allows you to quickly customize your charts so that they display the most relevant data.

Getting started

Admins: There is no admin action required for this feature.

End users: This feature will be available by default. In the chart editor, you can select a column as the X-axis and under “Series” you can select additional columns to populate your chart.


Rollout pace


Availability

  • Available to all G Suite customers and users with personal Google accounts

Fix images to a certain location on a page in Google Docs

Quick launch summary 

In Google Docs, you can now position an image in a fixed place, ensuring it stays in a certain spot on the page and is not disrupted by text and other elements.

We’ve also added a new sidebar where you can quickly access other image formatting options such as size, rotation, and brightness and contrast settings.

Getting started 

Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.

End users: This feature will be available by default. To position an image relative to a page, select the image and from the menu bar below it, select “Fix position on page”. To open the “Image options” sidebar, select the overflow menu (three dot), followed by “All image options”. To learn more about formatting images in Google Docs, see this article in our Help Center.


Rollout pace



Availability


  • Available to all G Suite customers and users with personal Google Accounts

Resources




Accessibility improvements for Google Docs

Quick launch summary 

We’re making several improvements to accessibility features in Google Docs. Some enhancements you’ll notice are:

  • Improvements in how screen readers verbalize content, including for non-text information like comments and suggestions. 
  • Improvements in how Braille displays render content, including symbols, emojis, and other glyphs. 
  • Improved support for navigating through elements such as tables, headers, and footers.
  • Improved caret tracking. 
We hope these improvements make it easier for users of assistive technologies to work in Google Docs.

Getting started 

Admins: There is no admin action required for this feature.

End users: These improvements will be automatically available to end users. Visit the Help Center to learn more about accessibility for Docs editors.

Rollout pace 


Availability 



  • Available to all G Suite customers and users with personal Google Accounts 

Resources 



Smart Compose in Google Docs now generally available

Quick launch summary

Last year, we announced a beta for Smart Compose in Google Docs, a feature that helps you compose high-quality content in Google Docs faster and more easily. Smart Compose saves you time by cutting back on repetitive writing, helps reduce the chance of spelling and grammatical errors, and can suggest relevant contextual phrases.

This feature is now generally available and has started rolling out to all G Suite customers. Note that Smart Compose is only available in English at the moment.

Getting started

  • Admins: There is no admin control for this feature.
  • End users: This feature will be ON by default and can be disabled  by going to Tools > Preferences and unchecking “Show Smart Compose Suggestions”. When enabled, you’ll automatically see Smart Compose suggestions. To accept a suggestion you like, press “tab” or right click on your cursor. Visit the Help Center to learn more about using Smart Compose in Google Docs.

Rollout pace

  • Rapid Release domains: Gradual rollout (up to 15 days for feature visibility) starting on February 18, 2020
  • Scheduled Release domains: Extended rollout (potentially longer than 15 days for feature visibility) starting on March 3, 2020

Availability

  • Available to all G Suite customers
  • Not available to users with personal Google Accounts

Resources

Roadmap