These changes are scheduled to go live on Monday, November 27, 2023 after 9 pm PST.
Features
Workspace chat
Chat with other users in your workspace, and share meeting and workspace object links for easy brainstorming and feedback. Enjoy the convenience of persistent history, ensuring that your conversations remain accessible even after the meeting.
Learn more: Using Workspace Chat
Templates tool added to workspace toolbar
The popular Templates tool has been promoted to the workspace toolbar for easy access. Quickly place Bluescape or custom templates to add structure and increase efficiency in your workspace.
Learn more: Workspace Toolbar
Ability to add text to lines
The functionality of the lines tool has been expanded by introducing the option to add text to them. This significantly enhances the way you can create and customize flowcharts and diagrams.
Learn More: Adding and Modifying Lines and Routing
Ability to scale free text
Adjusting text as you build your workspace just became easier. Drag the corner of a text box to auto-scale the font size.
Learn more: Adding Text to a Workspace
Enhanced font and font size selection
We’ve updated the font experience by visually indicating the selected font. The font selector tool now highlights the font in blue and includes a checkmark next to its name. This change has also been applied to the font size menu for a consistent user experience.
Learn more: Adding Text to a Workspace
Modify multiple line styles simultaneously
Instead of selecting and editing each line individually, you can now select multiple lines and apply desired style updates simultaneously for improved efficiency.
Learn more: Adding and Modifying Lines and Routing
Ability to change the border style of shapes
Easily change the border style of shapes in Bluescape by selecting a shape (or multiple shapes simultaneously) and defining the desired style and border thickness from the object toolbar.
Learn more: Adding Basic Shapes to a Workspace
Lock aspect ratio
Now, you can lock the aspect ratio when resizing an object, enabling you to create and size diagrams and workflows more efficiently.
Learn more: Maintain Aspect Ratio when Resizing
Pixel display during object resizing
The pixel size of an object is now displayed next to your cursor as you drag to re-size it. This gives you more precise control over the size adjustments, resulting in improved image manipulation.
Learn More: Resizing an Object Using Pixel Count
Included dimensions when cropping an image
We’ve added dimensions to image cropping, so you know the exact size of your edited image.
Learn more: Using the Image Cropping Feature
Update to text on notecards
We’ve modified the default text behavior in notecards. Now, the notecard text is left-aligned and top-justified. Users can still adjust the text alignment and justification in the notecard toolbar.
Learn more: Adding a Notecard to a Workspace
Update to quick connect visibility and notecard behavior
Based on your feedback, we’ve made a few changes to the quick connect function. The blue dots you used to see on all objects are now only visible on notecards and shapes/icons. Selecting the quick connect dot on notecards creates a new notecard without a connecting line, so you can add and organize notecards faster. Shapes continue to be connected by a line.
Learn more: Adding and Modifying Lines and Routing
Workspace reassignment
Team administrators can re-assign multiple workspaces to themselves or their approved delegate using the improved workspace reassignment function in Bluescape Home.
Learn More: Using the Workspace Reassignment Tool
Box integration available
The Box integration is IL4 certified and is now available on GovCloud environments. If you are interested in the Box integration, reach out to your Customer Success Manager to submit a request.
Toolbar power-ups with APIs (Developer)
Power-ups are custom buttons that can be added to an element toolbar using APIs. They send trait subscription events with an optional payload to a server to handle custom actions. You can trigger custom actions/workflows with other tools directly from within Bluescape. With the right APIs in place, the possibilities for this feature are endless.
Learn more: Element Toolbar Power-Ups (Custom Button)
Reminders, Notable Bug Fixes, & Improvements
Hotkey to avoid snapping when moving and resizing objects
With this release, you can now move and resize objects without them automatically snapping to the grid or guides by holding down the Ctrl/Cmd key on your keyboard while moving an object, allowing for precise placement.
Learn more: Bluescape Workspace Navigation Guide
Improvement to minimum size for cropping
Based on your feedback, all objects (except for shapes, notecards, lines, and canvases) can now be cropped down to as small as 40px.
Learn more: Using the Cropping Feature
Object duplication allows for manual control over entering edit mode
Previously, when duplicating an object, you would automatically enter edit mode on the new object. Now, users have manual control over edit mode, and you can duplicate multiple objects before editing them.
Learn more: Duplicating an Asset
Update to highlighter icon
The highlighter icon now indicates the current, set color within the toolbar so you know which color is in use when selecting the highlighter. 
Learn more: Adding Text to a Workspace
Keyboard shortcuts for changing pen colors
For ease of use, we’ve updated Bluescape’s keyboard shortcuts to include functions for changing pen colors.
Learn more: Keyboard Shortcuts
Using a stylus to add content
Stylus users can now choose from a range of tools (lines, shapes, canvases, notecards) and directly add content to the workspace, even when the stylus is set to Always draw.
Learn more: Workspace Settings and Details
Keyboard content placement
We have enhanced the accessibility of Bluescape by introducing a keyboard option for content placement. You can easily position lines, shapes, icons, notecards, and text boxes using the ENTER key, ensuring an optimized experience.
Learn more: Keyboard Shortcuts
Improvement to canvas toolbar positioning
When a canvas size is reduced or moved to the bottom of the workspace, the control bar repositions to remain visible.
Pages extracted from a PDF file appear as expected
When you extract a PDF file in a workspace, the pages appear the same as the size of the pages in the original upload.
Learn more: Extracting a PDF in a Workspace
Users can change the background color of a scratch workspace
Previously scratch workspaces were always created with a light background. You can now update the background color of scratch workspaces upon initial creation.
Learn more: How to Change the Background Color of a Workspace
Update to invite users
In Bluescape, collaborators can invite others and assign them the same or lower permission levels to join the workspace. For instance, a viewer can only invite another viewer. Facilitators can invite facilitators, editors, commenters, or viewers.
Learn more: Workspace Roles
Create frameless iframes
Bluescape API users can create frameless iframes in Bluescape workspaces. With a REST or GraphQL call, developers can now easily create a browser object in their desired workspace and set the frameless property to true.
Once set, the resulting iframe does not display the Title bar, URL bar, and Element toolbar, offering a clean and minimalist browsing experience.
Learn more: Create frameless Iframes
Bluescape version information in the About tab
We heard your feedback! We’ve added your current version information for Bluescape in the About tab in the Web browser.
Bug Fix: Excel data can be easily copied as a notecard
We have corrected a bug that occurred when you pasted one or more cells from Microsoft Excel into a workspace as a notecard, an “Upload failed” message at the top of the workspace, and any work performed there would not save.
Bug Fix: Keyboard content placement in free text mode
We’ve corrected an issue where, while you were editing text in a notecard or free text field and selecting free text from the toolbar, pressing the Enter key to place the object did not result in any action.
Learn more: Unable to use Keyboard Content Placement for Free Text while in Text Edit Mode
Bug Fix: Stroke remains visible when hovering with the detail eraser
We’ve corrected an issue with the strokes feature where, previously, if you created a stroke over a workspace element and then selected the detail eraser, the entire stroke would disappear when hovering the eraser tool over the stroke.
Learn more: Stroke Becomes Hidden when Hovered Over Using the Eraser Tool
Bug Fix: Pen tool provides consistent stroke quality on PDFs
We have resolved an issue where when you applied strokes to a PDF file and extracted pages from the PDF, the stroke thickness was inconsistent between the original and the extracted pages.
Learn more: Inconsistent Stroke Thickness Occurs when Working with Source PDF or Extracted Pages
Bug Fix: Accurate file format displayed in info panel for .TIFF and .JPG images
We’ve fixed an issue where the incorrect file format would appear in the info panel for uploaded .JPG and .TIFF files.
Learn more: Incorrect File Format Name Appears in Info Panel for .JPG and .TIFF Images
Bug Fix: Image Cropping frame stays in image frame in crop mode
This update/version resolves an issue where, when adding an image and attempting to crop the image, moving the image around the screen caused the dashed line to be out of the image frame when in crop mode.
Learn more: Dashed Line is Out of the Image Frame when in Crop Mode
Bug Fix: Hidden canvas stays hidden when updating canvas color or border
In previous versions of Bluescape, if you hid a canvas and then attempted to change the border or color of the canvas, the canvas would become a “normal” canvas and no longer be hidden. This is resolved in this release of Bluesacpe.
Learn more: Hidden Canvas Becomes Normal Canvas when Update the Canvas Border/Color
Bug Fix: Meeting follower can take control of a workspace with one click
We’ve corrected an issue where a follower had to select the Lead button twice when attempting to lead a workspace.
Learn more: Follower Must Press Lead Button Twice when Taking Control of a Workspace
Bug Fix: Non-facilitators no longer see deleted canvases
Previously, non-facilitators could see a deleted canvas in a workspace. This issue is resolved in this release.
Learn more: Non-Facilitators Continue to See Deleted Hidden Canvas
Bug Fix: Users can see all teams in the personal meeting lobby when using Android devices
We’ve corrected an issue where Android users were unable to see all teams in the personal meeting lobby when using an Android device.
Learn more: Unable to Scroll to See All Teams in Personal Meting Lobby when Using Android Devices
Bug Fix: Long press menu is suppressed when using a stylus
Previously, on a touch device, the Long press menu would appear when the Always draw function toggles on when using a stylus to draw lines. This issue was resolved, and the long-press menu functions as expected.
Learn more: Long Press Menu Appears when Using a Stylus with the Always Draw Option Set to On
Bug Fix: Able to pan away from an element while in edit mode
An issue was present when editing text on an editable element (for example, a shape or a notecard) and panning away; the viewport would automatically bring you back to the element you were editing. This has been resolved.
Learn more: Unable to Pan Away from an Element when Editing a Shape or Notecard
Bug Fix: Aspect ratio stays locked when multi-selecting and resizing free text
Previously, when resizing free text as part of a multi-select action, the text would revert to its previous size when edited. This issue has been resolved with the latest update, ensuring consistent sizing when editing text after resizing.
Learn more: Text Does Not Retain Resized Aspect Ratio when Edited After a Multi-Select Resize
Bug Fix: Canvases and objects stay in the new location when the workspace is refreshed or reloaded
An issue that occurred when you moved an element in a workspace (for example, a canvas or an object) and then refreshed the workspace; the element returned to its previous position has been corrected.
Bug Fix: Uploaded content stuck in the “Processing…” state
Previously, when uploading content to the workspace, the content asset may have become unresponsive in a “Processing…” state. This issue is resolved.
Learn more: A Content Asset May Become Unresponsive in a “Processing…” State During Uploading
Bug Fix: Multi-selected objects snap to grid
Now, when you have Snap to > Grid selected and you multi-select objects to move them around the workspace, the objects snap to the grid as expected.
Learn more: Multiple Selected Objects Do Not “Snap to Grid” When Moving Around the Workspace
Helpful Hints from Bluescape 
A friendly tip to give you a flying start and a faster finish!
Find out which feature is best for you - Comparing Comments and Notecards for Workspace Feedback.
Comments and notecards are two powerful tools that help facilitate dialogue between collaborators in a workspace. Each feature has benefits and capabilities for leaving feedback, questions, and suggestions.
Known Issues
Livestreaming Fails to Play Video
A Cannot Play Screenshare or Cannot Play Video error is encountered after adding Live Content to a workspace. This occurs in environments even with the following flags enabled:
- enableLiveVideoStreaming: true,
- enableLocalcameraLivecast: true,
- enableScreencastCobrowse: true,
Browser refresh required to access latest version
When your upgrade is completed, you must clear your cache to access the latest version of Bluescape. Bluescape recommends that you inform all users to refresh their browsers to ensure they are also accessing the latest version. Stale sessions display the previous version, as they do not auto-update when the new version is deployed. Opening Bluescape in a new tab also ensures the latest version is accessible.
To perform a hard refresh, follow the instructions below for your chosen browser:
- Chrome: On PC use Ctrl + F5, on Mac use Shift + Command + R
- Firefox: On PC use Ctrl + F5, on Mac use Shift + Command + R
- Edge: Use Ctrl + F5
- Safari: Use Command + Option + E to empty the cache, then hold Shift and click the Reload icon in the toolbar
Open Bluescape to experience these improvements!
Looking for more topics to boost your Bluescape knowledge? Find them in Using Bluescape.