Enhancement Request: Improved Multi-Browser usage

J. Craig Williams

I thought I had written this before, but it may have been a fever dream. Or maybe one of those blog posts that never make it to the necessary priority. So it goes.

Either this behavior has gotten worse recently* or my patience has grown shorter** but here's a short glimpse in how I work:

I have two (usually more) monitors each with one (usually more) browsers open with a Smartsheet tab (sometimes more than one). For example, as I write this, I am typing on my newer laptop (A). To the left of me is my older laptop. Keyboard and mouse from A are connected to that via a tool called Synergy*** (B).  To the right on (A) is a second monitor (C) connected to (A). I'm also looking over the top of (A) at a new Smart TV that I sometimes think is being wasted as it is off. 

On (B), I have Chrome open with two tabs connected to Smartsheet. (A) is not my prime working area so these are showing a Sheet and a Report that are not being changed / edited (much). They are both opened with my Team account user (my primary development tester).

Displayed on (A) and (C), I have two instances of Firefox open, each with a single Smartsheet tab open. They are connected using my Enterprise account user (my primary development user when working with my UK colleagues at SBP). One tab is showing the Sheet or Report I am developing, the other showing something else related (a Dashboard, a Questions sheet, something else). I am typically switching often between these two, either visually or editing. This is (usually) faster than switching tabs in a single Smartsheet instance.

Also on (A) and/or (C), I have Chrome open with one at the moment Smartsheet instance. This is opened using the same Team account as I am using on (B). Sometimes (I just closed an instance), I will also have another Chrome window open in incognito mode using a third account.

I wanted to create a Group for a new project. On (A), I have the Contact List sheet open. On (C), I have the same account open and use that to access Group Management.

I create the group and add users by copying the email addressed from a Smartsheet on (A) to the Group Management on (C). I notice a mistake, so I correct the info on (A) and copy it back to (C). It does not take. I try again. It does not take. I delete and readd the Group. This time it updates. I still don't like the results though****. When viewing "My Smartsheet Contacts" on (A), the names are all correct and have both name and email address. I did this before creating the Group the first time. However, "My Smartsheet Contacts" does not have the same list. Back on (A), after nearly 20 minutes, the new Group has still not shown up when viewing Group Management.

This probably could be resolved by closing and reopening a new instance of Smartsheet, but ... I would prefer not to do that as each Smartsheet instance has very likely evolved into something different than others. I open a brand new instance of Smartsheet, no tabs open. I open a Sheet. I open another Sheet. I open another instance of Smartsheet, it has two tabs. But from there  they diverge as each instance has its own purpose and the Sheets that are opened are dependent on what is already open (either to allow easy copy/paste -- which Smartsheet does not do consistently between tabs on different browsers) or to provide a different view for the other tab I'm using.

I did try to open a new instance, but the results (which may be a bug), are not satisfactory.

It has now been 30 minutes and the Group shown on (C) is still not visible on (A).

Here comes the point*****

I would like some way to 'refresh' the behind the scenes data (like Groups, or new Reports in a Workspace) without having to refresh the browser (as the destroys my working environment as it has evolved over the day). Group Management is one instance. Earlier today, I created two new Reports on (A) and had to wait 20 minutes before the Dashboard on (C) could access them. 

Please think about multiple browsers. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only person that has more than one.

Craig

*Recently = in 2018. I have no notes on this behavior being an impediment to productivity before then (and I keep notes)

**It has

***Mention of Synergy should not be taken as an endorsement. They recently (last week) rolled back their "stable" version 2.0 to "beta" and indicated it may be a while before it is considered stable again. That isn't helping my mood.

****which might be a bug.

***** Je n’ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n’ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte. - Blaise Pascal

 

Shaine Greenwood

Craig—

I can't speak toward the use of Synergy in your workflow but I do know that we've got resources focused on improving the Smartsheet experience between multiple browser tabs and/or windows. (It's currently not a supported feature of Smartsheet, but that will change soon.)

 

J. Craig Williams

Shaine,

I will attempt to be optimistic. 

Please don't let them make it worse.

Craig

Shaine Greenwood

Dans une grande âme tout est grand.

J. Craig Williams

Julie Becker

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/79861#Comment_79861

Any progress on this update? I have come across many discussions on browser memory being an issue and would like to see something improve sooner than later.