Launched: In-doc search improvements and better linking to other Coda docs

[Nad]

@Ben_Lieber1

• More search controls: Deeper customization and flexibility over search settings for app-like use cases, such as disabling the search bar.

Thank you. I will give you guys the benefit of doubt on this one and assume this launch was rushed because of some big customer’s pressure, as it’s definitely not wanted by the community. I really hope the ability to hide the search box follows in short order.

@Ben_Lieber1

• Protecting tables from unintended edits: Table and column locking, which will allow you to prevent changes to a table’s configuration and values consistently from all entry points across a doc.

YES. and please for the love of anything that is holy, please make sure that column locking is formulaic

@Ben_Lieber1

• Ability to restrict which content different users have access to in a doc: Introducing new patterns including personal sync tables where different users can load different data into a doc, and over time more direct control on the visibility of different pages, rows, and columns within a doc.

Does “Personal sync tables” mean what I think it means? My wish list for this feature:

• Each doc user can log in to their own private third party service account in the sync table formula (currently only pack actions can use private accounts which always struck me as odd)

• More importantly: collaboration will work as expected based on the id property of any given synced row: if row 123 is synced to your version of the table and mine, we can both see it and collaborate on it like a normal row, but it cannot (at all, not even with looking under the hood) be seen by a another user whose sync table formula doesn’t return it.

If yes, then this is truly the first time in a long while that a feature being worked by Coda actually advances the core underlying platform rather than just cosmetics - and for that you have all my encouragements

While you’re doing this engineering work, please spare a thought for some pack sync tables quality of life improvements:

• Reliable way to push individual sync table row updates (including references) to Coda from the third party service : we have the webhooks infrastructure which could be leveraged for that.

• Offer to Packs the ability to initiate row creation in a sync table (similar to how Coda’s own updated implementation of cross-doc does). The row could be in some local “temporary” state until the pack responds with the created row and it’s id.