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Changelog

Updates, changes, and improvements at Retool.

5 posts tagged with "apps"

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New Scanner component for Retool apps

mb
mb
Software Engineer

A new version of the Scanner component is now available. It is a significant upgrade over the previous version, with new functionality for you to customize the scanning experience. Features include:

  • Use scan events to reference scanned items and the time between scans.
  • Detect duplicate scans.
  • Programmatically pause after each scan or set the time between scans.

The new Scanner component is available on Retool Cloud and self-hosted deployments running Retool 3.82 or later. Existing apps can continue to use the previous version, which is now deprecated.

Comment Thread component

Hong Lin
Hong Lin
Software Engineer

Comment Thread with comments for the selected table row.

The Comment Thread component enables users to post comments and start discussions directly within your apps. All users who have access to an app that contains Comment Thread can use the component. Each user's comment appears with their name and avatar image.

When using Comment Thread, you specify a unique thread ID with which to associate comments. This can be a dynamic value so that comment threads dynamically change based on user interactions. For example, setting the thread ID to {{ table1.selectedRow.id }} would associate comments to whichever row is currently selected.

Comment Thread includes event handler support, action buttons, and granular control over the refresh period. Retool automatically handles comment storage and retrieval so no data source is needed.

If you're currently using the Comment component, you can switch to using Comment Thread without losing previous conversations by using the current Evaluated key value as the thread ID.

Flexible layouts with the Stack component

Kent Walters
Deployed Design Lead

The Stack component is a container with Flexbox-like layout controls. Instead of following the standard 12-column grid layout, Stack automatically arranges nested components horizontally or vertically. You can then control the alignment and distribution of nested components and precisely adjust component size.

Multipage apps

Zhengming Wang
Software Engineer

Multipage apps.

Multipage apps contain pages to combine functionality and use cases. Standard Retool apps operate as single-page applications where all code and components is continually evaluated. Multipage apps are also supported by Retool Mobile where each screen functions as a separate page.

With multipage apps, Retool only evaluates the code and components of the page currently in view. The benefits of multipage apps include:

  • Greater performance of large and complex apps. Since Retool only evaluates code and components for the current page, multipage apps are 30-40% faster than a single-page app.
  • Seamless navigation between pages. Retool loads the complete app state whenever a user navigates to a single-page app. With multipage apps, navigation between pages is seamless and more responsive.
  • Improved app management. Multipage apps can replace multiple apps in your organization, such as a team's frequently used apps. This reduces the number of apps to maintain and allows for easier permission management.
  • Reduced module dependency. Modules are commonly used to create shared navigation menus across multiple single-page apps. With multipage apps, you can eliminate the need for additional modules and the complexities with maintaining them.

Each multipage app uses global and page scopes to separate pages. Globally scoped code, and Header and Sidebar frames, are available for use across every page, while each page has its own page-scoped code and components.

You can request access to the multipage app beta and explore the docs to learn more.

Multiplayer: Collaborative app building

Alexander Stabile
Software Engineer

Multiplayer provides real-time collaborative editing that allows users to see what each other is working on and reflect changes as soon as they're made. It's best suited for development teams who work on different areas of an app independently.

Multiplayer is available on Retool Cloud and as a private beta for self-hosted organizations.