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Publish a live view of a desk

Publish a read-only web page of a desk that follows your changes, for a status board or a client who should watch progress without editing.

All plansUpdated

A live view is a public, read-only web page of a desk that updates as you work. Anyone with the link can watch it in a web browser, with no account and nothing to install, but no one can change anything on it.

Use it for a status board, a project page you keep up to date, or a client who should see progress without touching the work. To let people try a copy they can change, see Share a desk anyone can use. To send a copy that never changes, see Share a read-only snapshot.

Before you start

  • You need to be signed in. If you are not, publishing stops with Sign in to publish a desk to the web. See Create an account and sign in Coming soon.
  • Every plan. Live views are included on Free, Pro and Team.
  • The page updates while PlexiDesk is running on your computer. When PlexiDesk is closed, the page keeps showing the last version you published, and catches up when you open PlexiDesk again.
  • Anyone who has the link can watch the page. Send it only to the people you mean to, and stop sharing when you no longer want it seen.

Publish a desk

  1. Open the desk.
  2. Click the desk's name in the header, then click Share… under This desk.
  3. Under Who can open this desk?, click Anyone with the link.
  4. Under What do they get?, click A live view they can watch.
  5. In the Live web view panel, click Publish this desk to the web. The button says Publishing… while it works.
  6. When the status at the top right of the panel says Live, click Copy beside the link and send it to the people you want to see it.

How the page stays up to date

You do not need to do anything. A moment after you stop making changes, PlexiDesk publishes the desk again, and it also checks regularly that the page matches the desk. This happens whether or not the desk is open on your screen.

Under the link, the panel shows the revision number and when it was last published, for example published just now or published 5m ago.

To publish the desk straight away, click Publish now.

Pause and resume

Click Pause publishing when you are in the middle of changes you do not want people to see yet. The link keeps working, and the page shows the last version you published until you resume. People watching see Paused by owner and the time it was last updated.

Click Resume publishing to carry on. Your changes since you paused are published.

Stop sharing

Click Stop sharing to turn the link off. This disconnects anyone watching and deletes the published copy. People who open the link afterwards see No longer shared, with a note to ask you for a new link if they still need access.

To share the desk this way again, click Publish this desk to the web. You get a new link.

What the status means

The panel shows one of these:

  • Off: the desk is not published.
  • Live: the page is published and follows your changes.
  • Paused: the link works, but the page is not updating.
  • Publish failed: the last attempt did not go through. The panel shows the reason under Last publish failed:, and the page keeps showing the last version that was published. Check that you are signed in and online, then click Publish now to try again.

What appears on the page

Most of a desk appears just as it does in PlexiDesk:

  • Text and notes: Sticky, Note, Markdown, Card and Custom block.
  • Documents: Page, Document and Living Doc.
  • Tables: Table and Spreadsheet. Very long tables show their first 500 rows, and say so.
  • Slides, charts and diagrams: Slides, Chart, Flowchart, Mind map and Diagram.
  • Pictures, media and files: Image, Video, Voice note, PDF, File or link, and Drive (folder).
  • Layout and other widgets: Section, Timer, Color, Shape (as its colour) and Field.
  • Web pages: Browser and Portal show as a link to their address, not the page itself.

Some widgets show as a picture of how they look, when one can be made, and otherwise as a placeholder: Scratchpad, Calc, SpeedDeck, App launcher, Attention and Design.

Private or personal widgets always show as a placeholder that says the item is not available publicly. These include Email, Chat, Desk agent, Send to a URL, Receive from a URL, the Minimap and meeting records. Widgets not listed above, such as Tasks, Calendar, Metrics, Stat card, Gallery, Contacts, Inbox, Map, Artwork and Custom, also show as placeholders.

What people watching see

  • The desk's name at the top, with a status: Live, Reconnecting, Paused by owner or Link revoked.
  • The desk laid out as it is in PlexiDesk, with the lines between linked widgets.
  • Read-only · shared via Plexii at the bottom of the page.

They can look around but not change anything:

  • Move around: drag the desk, or scroll. Hold Ctrl or ⌘ and scroll to zoom.
  • Zoom: the − and + buttons at the top left. Fit fits the desk to the window, keeping the text readable on a large desk, and Reset goes back to 100%.
  • Overview: click the small map of the desk to jump to that spot.
  • Look closer: double-click a widget, or click the expand button on its title bar, to open it larger. Press Esc or click ✕ to close it.
  • List: shows everything on the desk as a list, from top to bottom, which also suits screen readers. Click Back to desk to return.
  • Keyboard: click the desk first, then use the arrow keys to move (hold Shift for bigger steps), + and - to zoom, and F to fit.

If the connection drops, the page keeps showing the last version it had, marked Reconnecting, until it catches up.

Common questions

Can people change anything on a live view? No. The page is read-only for everyone who opens it.

Does the link change when I pause or publish again? No. Pausing, resuming and Publish now keep the same link. Only Stop sharing ends it, and publishing after that gives you a new one.

Why does a widget show as not available publicly? That kind of widget holds private or personal information, or cannot be shown on a public page. Everything else on the desk still appears. If people need to see it, share the desk with them as specific people instead. See Share a desk with specific people.

What is the difference between a live view and a snapshot? A live view follows your changes. A snapshot is a copy of the desk as it was when you made it, and never changes. See Share a read-only snapshot.

Still need help? Contact support at [email protected].