Google has announced a new feature to make it easier for developers to collaborate and share code on its word processing software.
Originally announced in the company's roadmap (opens in a new tab), the company explained that users can now paste code into a Google Docs document and then manually apply styles with syntax highlighting, indents, newlines, and spaces.
Although it's been possible to do this for a long time, it hasn't really attracted developers to Google Workspace, but as more and more companies use the platform to manage their productivity tools, the company has now announced a format option even simpler. .
Encoding in Google Docs
Users can now follow the Insert > Building Blocks > Code Block menu to automatically format highlighted text, or use the “@” shortcut to search for a code block.
It is also configured to work with Markdown, where users will be able to open the format by typing ``` followed by enter. Other markdowns include a combination of asterisks and underscores for italics and bold, for example.
Google says it works with industry standards to help make coding more readable, giving a practical boost to collaboration where other office apps fail. A screenshot on the company's website (opens in a new tab) shows the availability of C, C++, Java, JavaScript, Python, and a final Unset option.
Rollout to Rapid Release domains has already started and Scheduled Release domains are expected to receive the update in early January 2023. As always, a 15-day window may apply before you can see the update, and that's if you have an eligible account.
It's available to Google Workspace Business Standard/Plus, Enterprise Standard/Plus, Education Standard/Plus, and non-profit account holders, which means many Workspace accounts and personal Essentials accounts will have to make do with a manual format, at least less for now. . , which is bad news for hobbyists and flying solo programmers who don't want to pay an unnecessarily high Workspace subscription.