Systems and methods for generating digital content item previews

1. A method of generating previews in a digital content system, the method comprising:

receiving, from an end-user device, a request to access a page of the digital content system, the page comprising content including a plurality of digital content items;

in response to receiving the request, causing at least a portion of the content of the page to be rendered on the end-user device;

subsequent to receiving the request, identifying, from the plurality of digital content items associated with the page, a linked digital content item including a link to an external object and a preview representing the external object;

in response to determining that the preview of the linked digital content item does not exist in the digital content system:

causing the preview of the linked digital content item to be generated by the end-user device using a software application executing on the end-user device;

receiving from the end-user device, the generated preview;

causing the linked digital content item including the preview to be rendered with the content of the page rendered on the end-user device; and

storing, by the digital content system, the preview of the linked digital content item.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein in response to determining that the preview of the linked digital content item does exist in the digital content system, transmitting the preview to the end-user end-user device in response to the request.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

in response to determining that the preview of the linked digital content item does exist in the digital content system and is sub-optimal, causing the preview of the linked digital content item to be re-rendered by the end-user device;

receiving from the end-user device, the generated preview; and

storing, by the digital content system, the preview of the linked digital content item.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the external object comprises one of:

a document;

an image;

a presentation; or

a video.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preview comprises an image.

6. The method of claim 1 , comprising storing, by the digital content system, the preview in a database of the digital content system.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the end-user device is a first end-user device;

the request is a first request; and

the method comprises:

receiving, from a second end-user device, a second request to access the page;

transmitting, to the second end-user device, the preview stored by the digital content system.

8. A method of generating previews in a digital content system, the method comprising:

receiving, from an end-user device, an input from a user to access a page of the digital content system, the page comprising content having at least one linked digital content item that includes a link to an external object and a preview representing the external object;

transmitting a first request to access the page of the digital content system to the digital content system;

causing at least a portion of the content of the page to be rendered on the end-user device;

receiving, from the digital content system, a second request to locally generate the preview of the at least one linked digital content item in the content of the page;

generating the preview of the at least one linked digital content item using a software application;

transmitting to the digital content system, the preview;

receiving from the digital content system, the page comprising the preview; and

causing the preview to be rendered with the at least a portion of the content of the page in a graphical user interface of the end-user device.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the rendering of the preview in the page is performed by an instance of the software application installed on the end-user device.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the software application instance is separate from an application associated with the digital content system.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the external object comprises one of:

a document;

an image;

a presentation; or

a video.

12. A method of generating previews in a digital content system, the method comprising:

receiving, from a first end-user device, a first request to access a page of the digital content system, the page comprising content including a plurality of digital content items;

receiving from a second end-user device, a second request to access the page of the digital content system;

in response to receiving the first request, causing at least a portion of the content of the page to be rendered on the first end-user device;

in response to receiving the second request, causing the at least a portion of the content of the page to be rendered on the second end-user device;

identifying, from the plurality of digital content items associated with the page, a first linked digital content item and a second linked digital content item, each of the first and the second linked digital content items including a link to an external object and a preview representing the external object;

determining that a first preview of the first linked digital content item does not exist in the digital content system;

determining that a second preview of the second linked digital content item does not exist in the digital content system;

causing the first end-user device to generate the first preview of the first linked digital content item using a first software application executing on the first end-user device;

causing the second end-user device to generate the second preview of the second linked digital content item using a second software application executing on the second end- user device;

receiving the first preview from the first end-user device;

receiving the second preview from the second end-user device;

causing the first linked digital content item including the first preview to be rendered with the at least a portion of the content of the page rendered on the first end-user device;

causing the second linked digital content item including the second preview to be rendered with the at least a portion of the content of the page rendered on the second end-user device;

storing the first preview in a database of the digital content system; and

storing the second preview in the database.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein:

in response to determining that the first preview of the first linked digital content item does exist in the digital content system and is sub-optimal, causing the first preview of the first linked digital content item to be re-rendered by the first end-user device;

receiving from the first end-user device, the first preview, re-rendered; and

storing, by the digital content system, the first preview.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the external object comprises one of:

a document;

an image;

a presentation; or

a video.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first preview is rendered by an instance of the first software application installed on the first end-user device.

16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the second preview is rendered by an instance of the second software application installed on the second end-user device.

17. The method of claim 12 , wherein:

the page is a first page; and

the first linked digital content item is associated with the first page and a second page different from the first page.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein when causing the second linked digital content item including the second preview to be rendered with the at least a portion of the content of the page rendered on the second end-user device, the digital content system includes the first preview generated by the first end-user device.

19. The method of claim 12 , wherein the digital content system comprises a collaborative documentation tool.

20. The method of claim 12 , comprising re-rendering at least one of the first preview or the second preview in response to a determination that either the first preview or the second preview is of sub-optimal quality.