[US-19] As a user, I want a block I've placed in one document (e.g., a task list) to stay live and in sync if it's also embedded in a different document or a chat, so I only maintain one copy of shared content.

angie commented

2026-08-21 17:47:47 +02:00

Owner

@yousef maybe preliminary at this moment, but let's not underestimate the UX + engineering challenge of this

niko commented

2026-08-22 18:31:30 +02:00

Owner

This is the main dish of the whole ELFA proposal. We want embeddable blocks that stay in sync. Technically, NextGraph has been designed for that. The shell is ready for that too, as it can load mini-apps and components within other components. We will test how BlockNote or IronCalc can embed each other as well as other apps. That is the main goal of the whole thing.

yousef commented

2026-08-25 09:36:56 +02:00

Owner

Sure, I'm just pointing out some possible complexities that we should anticipate;

Embedding basic IronCalc documents within BlockNote won't be that difficult
Embedding BlockNote in IronCalc poses many UX questions, what should that look like
We'd need to make sure we respect (technically) and explain (UX) the permissions of the embedded document (e.g.: read/write/suggestion/comment access)
Complexities with embedding "single blocks";
- In BlockNote, documents are stored as one Yjs document. We can load the entire document and distill the embedded blocks for it
- Lists are not a unit in BlockNote at this moment (only list items)
- How do we load / show the "history" of a document when it actually consists of multiple documents?
What UX patterns can we use for a document that embeds content from different documents to "still make sense"? How do we prevent users from editing a block in one document in a way it makes sense within the context of that document, but completely breaking the context in another document where the block is used? etc.

(no need to answer these now, it's just to paint a picture)

Sure we can figure out exciting ways to make this work, just saying we shouldn't underestimate the effort involved)

Sure, I'm just pointing out some possible complexities that we should anticipate; - Embedding basic IronCalc documents within BlockNote won't be that difficult - Embedding BlockNote in IronCalc poses many UX questions, what should that look like - We'd need to make sure we respect (technically) and explain (UX) the permissions of the embedded document (e.g.: read/write/suggestion/comment access) - Complexities with embedding "single blocks"; - In BlockNote, documents are stored as one Yjs document. We can load the entire document and distill the embedded blocks for it - Lists are not a unit in BlockNote at this moment (only list items) - How do we load / show the "history" of a document when it actually consists of multiple documents? - What UX patterns can we use for a document that embeds content from different documents to "still make sense"? How do we prevent users from editing a block in one document in a way it makes sense within the context of that document, but completely breaking the context in another document where the block is used? etc. (no need to answer these now, it's just to paint a picture) Sure we can figure out exciting ways to make this work, just saying we shouldn't underestimate the effort involved)

👍 1

niko commented

2026-08-25 10:14:57 +02:00

Owner

it is good to start the discussion on this topic:) thanks for the input.

niko added this to the Product Design PDR project

2026-10-13 13:44:54 +02:00

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[US-19] As a user, I want a block I've placed in one document (e.g., a task list) to stay live and in sync if it's also embedded in a different document or a chat, so I only maintain one copy of shared content. #9