In Tape, there are various types of apps, such as the database app or dashboard app. Each dashboard app you create in Tape is a fresh canvas where you can add any blocks you want. A single building block can be text, an image, a report, etc.
Follow these steps to create your first dashboard app.
Create your first dashboard app
There are a couple of ways to add a new dashboard app in Tape
Press the
+at the app bar.Select the
Blank appoption.In the next step, select
Dashboard, and the dashboard app will be created.
First things first
Lock and unlock your dashboard app
Members with permission can unlock dashboard apps to change the content. Lock your dashboard app to avoid accidental changes:
Click
•••at the top right corner of your dashboard app.Click
Lock dashboardin the menu that appears.Your dashboard app will immediately become read-only
💡Tip: Use the keyboard shortcut Press cmd/ctrl + l to unlock dashboard apps. Or to lock dashboard apps.
Permission
Permissions for dashboard apps are similar to those for database apps. To change the content of a dashboard app, you need to have 'Full access' permissions.
Check out more about Tape's Sharing & permissions →
Automatic saving
Unlike traditional tools that require you to manually click the save button, Tape automatically saves changes in dashboard apps in real-time and for everyone to see as you edit.
Everything in Tape's dashboard is a "block"
When you create your first dashboard app in Tape and begin typing, you've started with a text block. But Tape's dashboard apps can contain a lot more than plain text!
Imagine every piece of content you add to a dashboard app — whether it's text, an image, or a report — as a single building block. Every dashboard app is a stack of blocks combined however you want.
Here's just one example dashboard app with different block types pointed out:
💡 Tip: Hit the / key on your keyboard (or tap the + button above your keyboard if you're on mobile) to see all the different types of blocks you can add.
Editing tools
There are three tools to familiarize yourself with in order to create any dashboard app you want.
+icon: Appears in the left margin whenever you hover over a new line. Click it to open a menu of block types you can add to your dashboard app.
⋮⋮icon: We call this the block handle, and it appears in the left margin whenever you hover over a block. Click it to open a menu of actions you can take on the block:Delete: Pretty self explanatory!Duplicate: Makes an exact copy of the content block.Turn into: Transforms the block into another type of blockColor: Only appears for certain types of blocks to turn them a color or give them a highlight — like text.This icon also doubles as a handle you can use to drag and drop the block.
/commands: The easiest way to both add a block to your dashboard app or apply any of the actions above (essentially a shortcut for the same functionality of the+and⋮⋮menus).Type
/followed by any type of block to add it. Examples:/embedor/heading.Type
/followed by any action to apply it to the block. Examples:/deleteor/duplicate.Type
/followed by the name of any color to change the color of the block. Like/red.As soon as you type
/a menu will pop up that you essentially search in real time for what you want. Just pressenterto select it.
Types of content
There are many different types of blocks you can add to Tape's dashboard app, from images - to embeds - to reports. Here's a full list of blocks, split into the same categories you'll find in our block menu (which can be opened with / or +).
Basic blocks
Text: Just your regular old plain text!Heading 1: The largest heading.Heading 2: The medium-sized headingHeading 3: The smallest headingEmbed: You can embed contentDivider: Creates a thin gray line to break up text. (coming soon)
Media (coming soon)
There are several types of media you can add, view, and play (audio/video) right in dashboard apps.
Image: Upload images or add images on your dashboard app.Video: Upload your own file or embed from YouTube etc.Audio: Upload your own recording or embed from Spotify, Soundcloud, etc.File: Upload any sort of file to a dashboard app to store it exactly where you want it.
Reports (coming soon)
There are several types of reports you can add.
Arrange & modify blocks
Here are the basics for moving and structuring content around your dashboard app.
Select block(s)
Click and drag from the left or right page margin to select an entire block of content, or multiple blocks at a time.
Click & drag from within a block to select, cut, copy & paste partial text across paragraphs — without having to select each block in its entirety.
If you're in editing mode within a block, click
Escto select the entire block.
Blocks can transform
Any block in dashboard apps can be turned into any other type of block to use, view, or deepen that information in a new way.
Try this out by clicking the ⋮⋮ symbol to the left of a block, which we call a "block handle." In the corresponding menu, choose Turn into and convert your block to something else!
Blocks can be rearranged
Any block in dashboard apps (including lines of text) can be dragged and dropped around the dashboard app.
Hover over any block and use the
⋮⋮icon that appears as a handle to drag it around.Blue guides will appear to show you where it will go.
Release your mouse to drop the block, wherever you want it to go.
Columns
To format text (or any other type of blocks) into columns, do the following:
Click and drag the block you want to put in another column. (The
⋮⋮symbol in the left margin is your handle for drag-and-drop.)Follow the blue guides that appear.
Drop it where you want it. You just created a new column!
You can create as many columns as you want across the width of a page.
Page width
You can shrink the margins on any dashboard app and widen your content area by going to ••• at the top right of your dashboard app and toggling on Full width.
Line breaks and spacer
Use blank blocks to create spaces. Just put them wherever you need them.
