Microsoft Teams to let developers create collaborative apps, announced during virtual Microsoft Build 2021
Microsoft revealed a bunch of new updates during the virtual Microsoft Build 2021. These new updates are going to help developers bring real-time, multi-user collaboration for their app offering features like whiteboarding, design, etc. Microsoft has added this series of new updates such that developers can increase user engagement and harness the power of the Teams platform.
The new class of apps has exclusively originated as the solution to the crisis developers faced during the 2020 lockdown. The working scenario changed dramatically as everyone started working remotely and hence a strong purpose of the collaboration was the need of the hour. Microsoft Teams was built for this very reason so that it can enable collaboration creating opportunities for developers to build the next generation of applications.
A Hybrid Workplace
With collaboration being the top priority, Microsoft has added some new features that will help the developers to navigate a new hybrid workplace. The availability of the share stage integration is a new feature that is available in preview. With this new feature, the developers can now build apps and enable a real-time, multi-user collaboration experience. This can be done by extending the main stage of a Teams meeting as the user will get an option to add an app and share it with other attendees. Using this, the developers will experience real-time collaboration which will involve whiteboarding, project boards, design, etc.
Developers are also getting a series of new media APIs with resource-specific consent. This will enable real-time audio and video streaming for the developers at the Teams meetings. These new APIs will have added features like transcription, translation, note-taking, insights gathering through their apps, etc.
Microsoft is also adding an extension of the Together Mode coming this summer. This will allow developers to create their own customized meeting scenes for any Teams meeting which they can also share with others. There will be a Scene Designer Tool in the Developer Portal which the developer can use to create custom scenes thus increasing user engagement and making the meetings more fun.
Another feature Microsoft Teams is adding is the availability of the fluid components in private preview. It will allow the developer to send a table or a list as a message. Actions in these items can be taken by everyone in the meeting if they are co-authored by the developer. This reduced redundancy as communication through long chat threads can be minimized as all the changes can be made in the table itself.
The Developer Portal for Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is also enabling automation of meeting related-workflows such as starting and ending of a meeting. The Developer Portal in the Microsoft Teams has been built exclusively for the developers so that they receive a standalone app management console that can be accessed through the web or the Teams. In this portal, the developers can register their apps and configure them within a single or central location. Since Microsoft is adding plenty of new features for the developers, the app might become strong competition for Slack, Zoom, and others.
Other Updates
Apart from the updates in Microsoft Build 2021, the company has also announced support for message extensions in Outlook. This will create a sync between Teams and Outlook as this will allow users to integrate tasks in Teams while emailing someone from Outlook. Additionally, the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is also receiving support for Linux graphical user interface (GUI) apps. With this support, any Linux GUI apps can fully run on Windows without setting up a traditional virtual machine.
Upgrades are also made in the Windows search bar to support personalized results from tools such as Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365. The Windows Terminal 1.9 preview will be also available as announced by Microsoft which also comes with a Quake Mode. The advantage of this mode is users can open a new terminal window in Windows by using a keyboard shortcut from anywhere. In Microsoft Build 2021, an update was also announced for Visual Studio 2019 and support for creating GitHub Actions Workflows directly from the IDE (Gadgets 360).
Annasha Dey is an NIT student, who apart from studying engineering is also a content writer. She has a great interest in photography, writing, reading novels, and travelling as well. She is a foodie who loves socializing and hanging out with her friends. She is also a trained Kathak dancer and a big fashion enthusiast. Dey also loves watching TV series, which includes F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Big Bang Theory. To be a better writer she prefers to read more