Before:
New feature:
Result:
We are sure this new feature will make all of us rethink how we create use cases in Tape, making shared records more intuitive and organized.
Let’s start with an example: managing pay stubs for your team.
The challange
In the past, managing tasks like handling pay stubs came with certain challenges. Here are three common approaches we’ve seen:
- One main app syncing with automations to each employee’s app: for teams with many employees, this setup required a significant number of automation runs.
- Restricted access for individual records: admins had to assign permissions individually, making it time-consuming as the number of records grew.
- Tracking shared records: with many shared records, staying organized was nearly impossible. In some cases, we’ve seen setups with over 5,000 shared records for a single user in the shared section
.
The new solution
Now, admins can share records within an app environment. Here’s how it works:
- In the shared section at the left sidebar, all records from the same app are grouped under the app name.
- When users open the app, they enjoy the same benefits as any app: views, filters, and all to what they’re allowed to see.
Example:
- As an admin, set up an “Private” workspace.
- Add an app e.g. “Pay stubs” for your team.
- In the app share menu, select “Anyone with shared content.”
- Then share individual records (e.g. Pay stub December 2024) with the employee (e.g. Juliet) with any permission level (e.g. full access or can view etc.)
- Juliet see the app “Pay stubs” in their shared section. Inside, they can only view their own pay stubs—fully sorted and organized using app features like tables, filters, and views.
- Juliet don’t have app permissions, they can’t create new records, what is great for this use-case.
The result: one app for pay stubs, with employees accessing only their own data—no messy workarounds
What is different about sharing an entire app?
Managing permissions is the key difference. In a shared app with 10,000 pay stub records for 100 employees, you’d need to restrict access to 9,900 records for every employee—a process that isn’t practical. Every new record would also require manual restrictions, as permissions sync automatically from the app’s permission settings. However, in other scenarios, this behavior is precisely the advantage of Tape’s comprehensive permissions.
What about guests?
Guests were a big challenge during development, but we’ve made it work. With the “Everyone at [Your Org Name] and guests” setting, guests can currently benefit from this feature while still enjoying a seamless experience.
Why This Matters
Creating this feature took significant effort presenting app functionality for shared records. But we truly believe it’s worth it.
This update simplifies shared sections, making them more powerful and user-friendly. We’ve already restructured a few of our own apps, and the shared section has never felt better.
We hope it makes a difference for you too.