What's New in SpreadsheetWeb

The August 2026 release gives you more control over when applications are available, makes collaboration inside applications clearer and more visual, and helps prevent surprises when updating an application’s workbook. These updates make it easier to manage the lifecycle of published applications, communicate with teammates where the work happens, and keep applications running smoothly as spreadsheet models evolve.

Control When Your Applications Are Available

Applications can now be taken offline, scheduled for downtime, or set to expire automatically, with a customizable offline page shown to users in the meantime.

Previously, limiting access to a published application meant unpublishing it or adjusting user permissions. With the new availability controls, you can take an application offline manually with a single setting whenever you need to pause access, whether for maintenance, a content review, or a temporary hold.

Applications can also be set to expire a configurable number of days after publication. This is useful for time-limited applications such as event registrations, seasonal calculators, surveys with a fixed response window, or trial tools shared with a specific audience. Once the expiration is reached, the application stops accepting visitors automatically.

Whenever an application is offline, users see an offline page rather than an error. The title, message, and visual style of this page can be customized, so you can explain why the application is unavailable, let users know when it will return, and keep the experience consistent with your branding.

Together, these controls make it possible to manage an application’s availability as part of its normal lifecycle, rather than as a manual task that has to be remembered at the right moment.

A Clearer, Richer Application Chat

Application chat has been upgraded with clearer participant and mention highlighting and richer previews for shared content.

Participants and mentions are now more visually distinct in the conversation, making it easier to follow who said what and to spot messages directed at you. When a teammate mentions you in a discussion about a record or a calculation, that message stands out, so requests and questions are less likely to be missed in a busy thread.

Shared content is also easier to understand at a glance. Files, images, media, and web links now display richer previews directly in the chat, so you can see what was shared without opening it first. A shared spreadsheet, a screenshot of a result, or a link to a related document each appears with useful context in the conversation.

For supported video links, the chat now offers click-to-play previews. A walkthrough or recorded explanation can be watched inline without leaving the application, which keeps the discussion and the reference material in one place.

These improvements make application chat a more natural place to collaborate on the work happening inside SpreadsheetWeb applications, whether that is reviewing a quote, resolving a data-entry question, or coordinating an approval.

Check Workbook Compatibility Before Updating an Application

The Designer’s Update Workbook flow now includes a compatibility check that identifies incompatible workbook changes before the existing application file is replaced.

Spreadsheet models change over time. Cells are moved, named ranges are renamed, sheets are added or removed, and formulas are restructured. When an updated workbook no longer lines up with the way an application was designed, the result can be broken references, missing inputs, or outputs that no longer display correctly.

With the new compatibility check, SpreadsheetWeb reviews the incoming workbook against the current application design and flags changes that would cause problems. Rather than discovering issues after the update has been applied, you can see them up front, decide whether to adjust the workbook or the application design, and proceed with confidence.

This is especially valuable for applications that have been in production for a long time or that are maintained by more than one person. It reduces the risk that a routine model update disrupts users, and it makes the update process more predictable for teams that regularly refine their spreadsheet logic.

Full Release Notes

The August 2026 release is focused on control, collaboration, and confidence. Availability controls let you decide exactly when applications are accessible, the upgraded chat makes working together inside applications clearer and more visual, and the workbook compatibility check helps ensure that updates land safely.

For a complete list of the features, improvements, and fixes included in this release, view the full SpreadsheetWeb build notes.

As always, we appreciate your feedback and continued support. If you have questions about this release or would like help taking advantage of these new features, contact our team.