Platform Newsletter - November 2024
Published November 07, 2024
As we step into November, there’s a certain coziness in the air that invites reflection and gratitude. With the holiday season around the corner, it’s a perfect time to pause, appreciate our community, and celebrate the creativity that fuels our work. This month, I’m excited to bring you a collection of updates and insights that highlight how we’re working together to innovate and elevate our Slack experiences.
From groundbreaking features to community-driven projects, there’s so much happening that can inspire your next big idea. Let’s dive into this month’s newsletter, filled with resources and stories designed to empower you on your journey as a Slack developer.
Agentforce Is Here: Turn AI Agents into teammates with Slack!
Imagine AI agents that don’t just gather data but actually act like real teammates—taking on tasks, making decisions, and working right alongside your team in Slack. With Agentforce, you’re not just adding another tool; you’re inviting a helpful hand into your workflow, making those everyday tasks faster and easier. Companies like Wiley are already seeing massive improvements in response times and efficiency. Dive in and see how these AI agents can start pulling real weight for you and your team!
Uncovering Connections: The Quip Canvas & a Tale of Resilient Debugging
Get ready to dive into the intriguing behind-the-scenes story of how our team is integrating Quip technology into Slack’s new canvas feature. This article takes you on a journey through a challenging debugging adventure that began with a surge of EOF errors in Quip’s Python backend. From navigating TCP connection mysteries to uncovering unexpected insights, this story offers lessons for any developer tackling complex bugs.
Slack Templates: One-click project setups for every team
Ever wish you could skip setup and jump straight into building? With Slack Templates, that’s exactly what you get. From onboarding to launches, these pre-built setups cover it all. Just one click, and your workspace has everything you need—automated workflows, curated lists, and dedicated canvases to get right to work. Whether you're collaborating on code, fielding requests, or leading a new project, these templates bring efficiency to every step, so you can focus on creating, not configuring.
Community spotlight: Meet Threadle!
One of our awesome community members has just launched Threadle — a brand-new blog dedicated to all things Slack! 🎉 If you’re looking for tips, insights, and stories from the community, Threadle is now live and ready for you (and looks great!)
Check it out, and huge congrats to the creator, Michał, for bringing more Slack content into the world!
Exciting updates ahead!
- API Documentation Revamp: The Slack Documentation team is gearing up for some exciting changes! We’re overhauling our API documentation—both front-end and back-end—to enhance your development experience. While you won’t see changes until Spring 2025, we promise to keep you in the loop with updates in our monthly newsletter. Change can be a journey, and we’re here with you every step of the way!
- Introducing Salesforce Trailhead Integration! We’re excited to announce a new addition to the Slack Developer Program: the integration of Salesforce Trailhead with Slack Developer Sandboxes! 🚀 This integration enables you to dive into hands-on challenges directly within Slack Trailhead modules, making your learning journey more engaging and validating your progress in real-time. As part of this launch, we’re introducing two showcase modules—Build meaningful interactions with Blockit and Develop a Slack app with Bolt—designed to highlight these interactive capabilities. Get ready for a more immersive experience as you master the Slack platform with these exciting new tools!
- SDK Support for Agents and Assistants: We’re excited to announce some fantastic enhancements with SDK support for Agents and Assistants! This means your Slack apps will now be even more discoverable and user-friendly. Imagine app assistants appearing right alongside your team’s workflow, making it easier for everyone to tap into the power of your app while they work. By adding an assistant or agent, you can create dynamic, AI-powered conversational experiences that seamlessly integrate with your favorite large language model (LLM). Curious about how it works? Check out our handy sample apps to get started: JavaScript Assistant Template and Python Assistant Template.
- New Tutorial: Build a Timezone-Aware Meeting Scheduler App: Say goodbye to the hassle of coordinating meetings across different time zones! In our latest tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a workflow that automates the conversion of meeting times directly within Slack. With Slack’s Workflow Builder and the Deno Slack SDK, you’ll streamline scheduling, save time, and reduce errors, allowing you to focus on what really matters: collaboration!
We’re always blown away by what our community creates—and we want to highlight you next! Whether it’s a handy tool, a step-by-step guide, or an insightful article, if you’re proud of it, we want to hear all about it.
📬 Send us a message at technewsletter@slack-corp.com and share what you’ve been working on.
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