10 Advanced Features of myBoard SDK You Should Be UsingmyBoard SDK has evolved into a powerful toolkit for building collaborative whiteboard experiences across web and mobile platforms. If you already know the basics—drawing, basic shapes, simple collaboration—this article explores 10 advanced features that can significantly raise the quality, performance, and user experience of your app. Each feature includes practical use cases, implementation tips, and pitfalls to avoid.
1. Real-time Presence & Cursor Indicators
Knowing who’s online and where collaborators are pointing creates a smoother shared experience.
- What it does: Shows user cursors, names, avatars, and presence indicators in real time.
- Use cases: Remote teaching, pair programming, live design reviews.
- Implementation tips:
- Sync cursor positions at a moderate rate (e.g., 10–20 updates/sec) and interpolate client-side to reduce perceived jitter.
- Attach short-lived presence events to avoid stale cursors when connection drops.
- Pitfalls:
- Over-sending updates can hurt bandwidth; use throttling/debouncing.
- Respect privacy: allow users to hide their presence.
2. Operational Transformation (OT) / Conflict-free Replicated Data Types (CRDTs)
For multi-user editing, advanced concurrency control prevents data loss and inconsistent states.
- What it does: Merges concurrent edits deterministically so all participants converge to the same board state.
- Use cases: Simultaneous drawing, text editing, shape manipulation.
- Implementation tips:
- Choose CRDTs for offline-friendly experiences; OT can be more efficient for centralized servers.
- Keep operations compact and apply batching to reduce network overhead.
- Pitfalls:
- Debugging divergence can be complex—ensure thorough testing with simulated latency and partitions.
3. High-performance Rendering & Layering
Large boards with many objects require smart rendering to stay responsive.
- What it does: Uses layered canvases or WebGL for efficient redraws and object compositing.
- Use cases: Infinite canvases, complex diagrams, embedded media.
- Implementation tips:
- Separate static background, dynamic objects, and UI overlays into different layers.
- Use dirty-rect rendering to redraw only changed regions.
- Consider WebGL for thousands of primitives or intensive effects.
- Pitfalls:
- WebGL increases complexity—provide fallback to Canvas2D for compatibility.
4. Vector-Based Export & Import (SVG/JSON)
Preserve fidelity and enable interop with other tools.
- What it does: Exports board content as SVG for vectors and JSON for structured object data.
- Use cases: High-quality print/export, integrating with design tools, versioning.
- Implementation tips:
- Include metadata (z-order, transforms, styles) in JSON export.
- Offer both flattened raster export (PNG) and vector export (SVG).
- Pitfalls:
- Not all strokes/styles map 1:1 between formats—document conversion limits.
5. Advanced Stroke Smoothing & Pressure Sensitivity
Make pen input feel natural on stylus devices.
- What it does: Applies smoothing algorithms, tilt/pressure-aware stroke widths, and velocity-based tapering.
- Use cases: Note-taking apps, drawing/illustration tools, handwriting recognition pre-processing.
- Implementation tips:
- Use algorithms like Catmull-Rom, Hermite splines, or Bézier fitting for smoothing.
- Support Pointer Events and expose pressure/tilt when available; simulate pressure via velocity fallback.
- Pitfalls:
- Over-smoothing removes expressiveness; allow users to tune smoothing level.
6. Selective Sync & Viewport-aware Data Loading
Optimize bandwidth and memory for very large boards.
- What it does: Loads and syncs only the board regions visible to each user.
- Use cases: Infinite canvas apps, large mapped diagrams, mind maps.
- Implementation tips:
- Divide the board into tiles or spatial indices and request nearby tiles on viewport change.
- Combine with LOD (level of detail) rendering to show simplified objects when zoomed out.
- Pitfalls:
- Ensure smooth transitions when new tiles load; prefetch adjacent tiles to avoid pop-in.
7. Plugin / Extension System
Allow third-party functionality while keeping core lightweight.
- What it does: Exposes hooks and APIs so plugins can add tools, importers, export targets, or custom behaviors.
- Use cases: Integrations with cloud drives, shape libraries, domain-specific tools (UML, musical notation).
- Implementation tips:
- Define a clear plugin lifecycle (init, activate, deactivate, destroy).
- Sandbox plugin execution to avoid security/availability risks.
- Pitfalls:
- Poorly designed plugin APIs can lead to breaking changes; version your plugin API.
8. Access Control & Permissioning
Granular control over who can view, comment, or edit.
- What it does: Role-based permissions, per-object locking, and temporary edit tokens.
- Use cases: Classroom environments, enterprise compliance, moderated sessions.
- Implementation tips:
- Implement optimistic UI for edits but validate permissions server-side.
- Use per-object locks for operations that must be single-user (e.g., live presentation pointer).
- Pitfalls:
- Complex permission models confuse users—provide sensible defaults and clear UI affordances.
9. Media Embeds & Rich Objects
Go beyond strokes—embed images, PDFs, videos, and interactive widgets.
- What it does: Treat richer media as first-class board objects with their own rendering and interaction.
- Use cases: Design critiques, annotated documents, embedded video discussions.
- Implementation tips:
- Lazy-load heavy media and provide placeholders.
- Allow inline annotation layers on top of media (e.g., drawing on a PDF page).
- Pitfalls:
- Security: sanitize embeds and isolate third-party content to prevent XSS.
10. Recording, Time Travel & Replay
Capture session history and let users replay or revert board states.
- What it does: Records operations with timestamps to replay the board evolution or create snapshots.
- Use cases: Teaching playback, undo/redo across sessions, audit trails.
- Implementation tips:
- Store compact operation logs; allow exporting replay as video or operation stream.
- Provide scrubber UI and speed controls for replays.
- Pitfalls:
- Logs can grow large—implement pruning, checkpoints, and archive strategies.
Putting It Together: Recommended Stack & Workflow
A practical setup for a high-scale myBoard deployment:
- Frontend: Layered Canvas/WebGL renderer, pointer events, client-side CRDT library.
- Backend: Real-time sync server (WebSocket/RTC), tile/region service for selective sync, object store with versioned snapshots.
- Features: Plugin marketplace, RBAC, media CDN, recording service.
Final Tips
- Prioritize user-perceived performance: reduce latency and visual jank.
- Start with a minimal feature set and progressively enable advanced features based on usage.
- Instrument and test under packet loss, high-latency conditions, and offline scenarios.
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