Enhancement Request: Refresh Workspace (not browser)

J. Craig Williams

I would like to be able to Refresh a Workspace without Refreshing the browser window.

Two primary reasons:

Reason #1: I am likely an edge-case, but here is my situation.

I have Smartsheet open in three browser windows (which Browser does not matter, they all exhibit this behavior)

Note: browser -- a specific browser window. Browser -- a specific application (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera)

On browser #1 - I am logged in as User 1.

On browser #2 - I am logged in as User 1.

The open objects (tabs at the top) have diverged since starting this session. I have opened or closed Sheets or Reports in one or both since starting my session.

Example 1: I have a Budget sheet I am primarily working with on browser #1 and the Definitions sheet (used to define functionality of the Budget sheet) open on browser #2. I switch browsers as development proceeds (they are on different monitors, so I am not really 'switching')

Example 2: I have sheets associated with Client A on browser #1 and Client B on browser #2

On browser #3 - I am logged in as User 2.

This may be the same Browser, then I am using Private/Incognito Browser's functionality to allow two user login or a different Browser.

Similar examples for the second User.

If I refresh the browser, I lose my differentiation between browser #1 and browser #2 or I need to start over again. Smartsheet remembers, sort of, the 'state' of the open objects and will 'restore' to the last one it thinks is valid. But this is often not the state I want. (This is also why unexpected refreshes by Smartsheet patch releases or updates causes a loss of my development time)

Reason #2: There is a delay between when a new object is created on one browser and it appears in the other. This time delay seems to be getting worse. It was barely noticeable a year ago. Now, I can create a new Sheet or Report on browser #1 and not have it show up (without a browser refresh) on either browser #2 or browser #3 for several minutes (I have seen as long as 10)

This also causes a delay in development. I create a Sheet on browser #1 and want to build a Report based on it in browser #3. But I have to wait or refresh the browser. I lose time either way.

I believe that I could refresh the Workspace, that these issues would go away.

(I have also seen Sheet specific instances where changes on the same Sheet by the same User on browser #1 and #2 are lost due to some sync timing. I try to only make changes on one browser to the same Sheet, even when I am viewing the sheet in two browsers.)

I hope that is clear.

Craig

This request has also be posted to the Form

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Comments

Brad Jones

Craig,

I have the same problem really. There is a workaround, though it is not as easy as a Ctrl+R. If you go to the tab and do the refresh there - it will not change the tabs visible in the other browser as long as in both browsers you only use one tab per browser page.

I've taken to using multiple browsers because of how slow the Smartsheet performance is when you switch from tab to tab. Each tab loads visually, then you need to wait for the calculations to complete, and then the tab is actually 'fully' loaded. It does this every time you switch tabs, and it's tediously slow. Yes, slower than it used to be.

J. Craig Williams

If I could get away with only two windows at a time ... but unfortunately I usually have at least the following open

- questions sheet

** action items sheet

** sheet of focus (project sheet, task sheet)

** sheet defining sheet of focus (if exists)

- miscellaneous actions sheet (for non-project specific work)

** my personal dashboard

** current project dashboard

- questions & how to sheet (for non-project specific work)

- Smartsheet Enhancementt and Bug Report sheet

- current Community post tracker

- new project action item list (for improvements that I make to project workspaces that need to go back to the master)

Sometimes I am focused enough to have just the few highlighted with ** because the rest should be on my dashboards.

Craig

Brad Jones

Let's see what happens with the development they're doing on the tabbed browser interface Kara mentioned in the other post. Personally, I'd rather have a desktop app than 12 open Chrome tabs eating away at my computer's sickly Processor/RAM, but it may help us out.

(fingers crossed for now)

(¿eyes crossed after upgrade?)

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