The Horizon: August 2024 

The summer holiday season may be at an end, but we’ve got plenty of news and updates from the Microsoft technosphere to lift your spirits. 

There’s news about Loop, SharePoint, SPFx, plus the Teams-related update you’ve all been waiting for.

What will you name yours?

It’s a cause of frustration for many Teams users. That pesky, default, first channel, forever destined to be known as ‘General’. Who knows what you might find in there? 

But now, thanks to a recent update, the ‘General’ channel is no more. You still won’t be able to delete or archive it but it’ll sit in alphabetical order alongside your other team channels. 

And that’s not all. When you set up a new team, no longer will the first channel be named ‘General’ by default. You’ll be prompted to name your first channel from the get go. 

Make your SharePoint sites pop

If you or your coworkers are struggling for design inspiration to make your SharePoint sites pop, the new SharePoint design ideas feature could be your new best friend. 

The AI-powered feature identifies the text and webpart content in the section you’re working on, offering suggestions for new layouts, backgrounds, text styles, and image webparts to make it look even better.  

All you need to do is click on the suggestions to try out different ideas and see what works best. 

SharePoint design ideas is set to roll out from this month to the end of September. 

First look at SPFx 1.20

The first public preview of SharePoint Framework (SPFx) 1.20 is now available, focusing on updates for Microsoft Viva, Microsoft Teams, and SharePoint Online. 

Key features include: 

  • New data visualization layout options for Viva Connections card views  
  • HTML-powered Quick Views for the Viva Connections cards 

 

General availability is expected in fall 2024.

New and improved Loop

If you’re a Microsoft Loop fan, like we are at Cloudwell HQ, there’s some great news coming your way. 

Introducing Loop 2.0. Available now with the following new features: 

Streamlined UI: Enjoy a cleaner, simpler design, making navigation easier. 

New Navigation Menu: Access your favorites, recent items, and meeting notes quickly with the new left-side menu. 

Create Button: Add workspaces and draft ideas effortlessly from anywhere in the app. 

Meeting Notes Tab: Find all your meeting notes, pre-read notes, and agenda items in a dedicated tab. 

Real-Time Collaboration: Share and edit Loop components like tables, lists, and notes across various Microsoft 365 apps. 

External Collaboration: Collaborate with external partners by sharing workspaces, pages, and components. 

And if you’ve ever accidentally deleted a Loop workspace. Don’t worry, we’ve all done it. Our CEO Pat McGown explains how to recover it. 

Read RECOVER YOUR DELETED LOOP WORKSPACE

***  

For more news and updates from the Microsoft technosphere, don’t miss our CEO Pat McGown’s blog.

And don’t forget, as a Microsoft Gold Partner, we make it our business to provide innovative enterprise solutions for your business.     

Reach out to the Cloudwell team today.