Use links and YouTube embeds on a canvas

Links turn outside material into visible canvas context. A link object can show a website card, a playable multimedia embed, or a safe open-link card depending on the source. YouTube objects use the same basic idea: the canvas holds a previewable reference to the YouTube video, while the actual video still belongs to YouTube.

Use link and YouTube objects when the team needs to discuss external material in place: a customer article next to research notes, a competitor page beside screenshots, a YouTube reference beside workshop prompts, or a design source link near decisions.

Three link experiences on a canvas

ALLO uses the word "link" in a few related ways. They are intentionally different.

When you add a rich text link or object link, the destination can be another ALLO canvas, a sub-canvas, or an external website. Canvas destinations still require access. External websites still use their own sign-in, privacy, and availability rules. When you use Copy link from the element menu, you are usually copying a direct ALLO link to the selected object itself, not changing the destination that object opens.

Availability and permissions

Link objects versus YouTube objects

A normal link object points to a website or external resource. ALLO tries to classify the link, fetch useful metadata, and show a readable card. Depending on the source, the card may include a title, thumbnail, provider-specific presentation, or a safe open-link action.

A YouTube object points to a YouTube video. The toolbar can show YouTube search results with a title, channel, duration, publish date, and thumbnail. When added to the canvas, the video can preview through an embedded player path when supported, with Open link available for opening the video on YouTube.

Both object types stay connected to the canvas. You can move, resize, layer, group, lock, duplicate, delete, copy a link to the object, and add comments through Element menu when those actions are available.

Add a website link

Use the link tool from the canvas toolbar, paste a URL, drag a supported link from another page, or use the upload-link option when available. ALLO creates the object first, then classifies and parses the source so the card can update from a plain URL into a richer object.

If link classification takes a moment, the object may show a loading state. That does not mean the link failed. ALLO can still fall back to generic website metadata when provider-specific classification is unavailable.

When you paste a page that contains several links, ALLO tries to promote the main standalone links into cards while preserving ordinary inline citations inside text. This helps prevent a pasted article or web page from exploding into dozens of unrelated cards.

For text links, select the words you want to link and use the Link control, ⌘K on Mac, or Ctrl+K on Windows and Linux. ALLO can also turn a typed full web address into a link when you press Space or Enter in supported rich text editors. See Use the rich text editor for the shared text-link behavior across notes, text objects, cells, comments, and chat. Safe http and https links are allowed; unusual or unsafe schemes are ignored rather than made clickable.

Add a YouTube video

Use the YouTube tool or paste a YouTube URL when the canvas supports it. Search results show enough context to choose the right video before placing it: title, channel, duration, publish date, and thumbnail.

After placement, the object behaves like other canvas objects. Put it near the prompt, note, or section it supports. Add a short label if the reason for the video is not obvious. For workshop facilitation, place the video near timing notes or discussion questions so participants know what to watch for.

The preview player can use an embedded YouTube URL when supported. If the embedded player cannot load, use Open link to watch on YouTube. Some playback behavior is controlled by the browser, YouTube, and the viewer's own YouTube permissions or settings.

Use the preview to confirm you added the right video before asking others to review it. A short label beside the object is often enough to explain whether the video is a reference, an example, or a final asset.

Preview, open, and replace

Use Preview when you want to inspect the link from the canvas. The preview surface can show a rich card for normal websites, an inline iframe for supported multimedia embeds, or an open-link card when ALLO cannot safely render the page inline.

Use Open link when you need the original site. This matters for sign-in flows, interactive websites, websites that block embedding, or sources that require their own cookies and permissions. Opening the link leaves ALLO's preview safety boundary and uses the external site directly.

Use Replace link when the URL changed but the object should stay in the same place. Replacement is better than deleting and recreating the object when comments, labels, or surrounding notes already point to that link.

Embed and iframe caveats

Not every website can appear inside ALLO. Some sites block iframes, require sign-in, reject sandboxed views, or need browser capabilities that are only available on the original site. In those cases, ALLO should keep the link useful by showing a card and an Open link action instead of a blank or unsafe embedded page.

ALLO also sanitizes preview and open-link URLs. Unsafe schemes are blocked rather than rendered. That is why a copied snippet or unusual URL may not preview even when it looks like a link.

For trusted multimedia sources such as YouTube, ALLO can use provider-specific iframe behavior. For ordinary websites, ALLO is more conservative. A website card with Open link is often the correct result, not a degraded one.

Collaborate around external material

Links are most useful when the canvas explains why the link is there. Place the link object near the decision, research note, or agenda item it supports. Add a label such as "Competitor pricing reference" or "Customer interview clip" if the title alone is not enough.

Use object comments for feedback that belongs to the external material: "Check this claim," "Use the 0:45 example," or "This page changed since last review." Use Comments and mentions when someone needs to respond.

When sharing a canvas externally, remember that opening the original website depends on the external site's permissions too. A person may have access to the ALLO canvas but still be blocked by a private Google document, YouTube restriction, paywall, or company login.

Do not confuse a link object with a canvas share link. Copy link on a link or YouTube object points someone back to that exact ALLO object, and it usually requires existing canvas access. Use Private links and share links in Canvas when you need to decide whether to send an exact object link, a share link, or both.

Examples

For research synthesis, place source articles beside summary notes. Use comments to mark which claims need verification and which sources are approved for the final brief.

For a workshop, place a YouTube video next to the discussion question and a timer note. Ask participants to comment on the object or add notes underneath instead of sending reactions in chat.

For project planning, place vendor links near requirement notes and use Copy link on the object when asking a teammate to review one exact reference. If the link supports project follow-up, keep it near the project canvas where owners and dates are tracked.

What can go wrong

If a website card never fills in, the source may block metadata fetches, the parser may have failed, or the link may require sign-in. Keep the plain link or use Open link.

If a YouTube video does not play in preview, open it on YouTube. Browser autoplay rules, YouTube restrictions, or embed permissions can affect playback.

If an external site opens but shows a permission error, fix access on that site. ALLO canvas access does not grant access to the external service.

If Replace link is missing, the selected object may not be a replaceable link object, you may not have edit access, or the object may still be processing.

If a rich text link action is missing, click inside editable text or select text first. If you selected the object boundary, ALLO may show object actions instead of text-link actions.

If a pasted web page creates too many or too few link objects, paste the important URL directly. Rich HTML from websites can contain overlays, repeated links, and citation links that ALLO must filter.