Hook with New Outlook Design

any updates on this?

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It seems that the only app that can link to an email in outlook is microsoft todo (perhaps also onenote).Other options to establish a link to an email is use the evernote extension, download to DT or print to a pdf.
If you are stuck with outlook, the options are really limited to integrate emails into workflows outside microsoft apps.

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thanks, @ashish. One thing I haven’t looked at in a long time with Outlook is whether they expose the RFC-5322 ID of messages in a “show header” command, and whether one could actually trigger a search for that ID that would find the email by ID. If they have a plugin interface to search, then that would at least allow unidirectional links to point to outlook emails. One could then find the info in Hook using Hook’s search (or one could write an AppleScript or something to quickly invoke Hook on the ID). I am pretty sure I looked at that in the early days of Outlook integration but have not revisited this possible work-around, and Outlook has changed a bit since then so maybe that’s now possible (but it’s Microsoft so I am not holding my breath).

Related considerations are why we introduced the Copy a New Unique ID feature and “Search links”. Search links currently rely on spotlight, but that could be improved to be app-specific or multi-app.

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Interesting. I’ve never really understood where Spotlight searches are useful, at least with the apps I use.

Have you used this in practice with email? What do you use for the search string? And how do you use Unique ID in this scenario to link to an email you receive, or is that just to tag emails you send?

It has been along time since I’ve tried it in mail. The idea came in pre Hook days, and then in Hook days as a way to find information for apps that we hadn’t integrated with. The idea was to include an ID in the PS of the email that could then be used in Spotlight.

Another example would be Ulysses which lacks an API for linking. One can rely on UX scripting. Another approach would be to create a unique ID and paste it into a document as an anchor. Spotlight can then find it. You’d want it to be hidden from the printout however. I don’t use Ulysses so I don’t know how to do the hiding. I think I covered other cases, particularly involving OmniOutliner, in screencasts in Cognitive Productivity with macOS: 7 Principles for Getting Smarter with Knowledge but I can’t remember now. I hope to update that book later this year. (I’m also working on a new book [very part time].)

Almost all the software I use day to day is sufficiently linkable that I don’t need the ID’s much.

I do sometimes use GUID’s for deep linking in .txt files. I put them in Markdown comments. Also in OmniOutliner comments. Between files, I paste a hook://file/ link, and I tack the GUID next to it, which I manually copy and then search for. They can also be used as tags since uniqueness is not strictly enforced (i.e., you can paste the same ID in multiple locations). The idea is similar to links in that often one doesn’t want to bother thinking up a tag or ID name. Just use some random string that clearly looks like an ID.

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Microsoft added AppleScript support to the Outlook product roadmap in Ticket 88537 which is scheduled for General Availability in June 2022.

AppleScript is a language used to automate the actions of the MacOS and many of its applications. We will add support for this feature in the new Outlook for Mac.

  • Feature ID: 88537
  • Added to roadmap: 12/8/2021
  • Last modified: 12/8/2021
  • Product(s): Outlook
  • Cloud instance(s): GCC, Germany, GCC High, Worldwide (Standard Multi-Tenant), DoD
  • Platform(s): Mac
  • Release phase(s): Current Channel, Current Channel (Preview), General Availability

We encourage anyone who uses Microsoft Outlook and values interoperability to encourage Microsoft to make Outlook linkable. Please see Contacting Microsoft about making Microsoft Outlook emails linkable via AppleScript automation – Hook. Please feel free to share that webpage on social media :blush:, including Microsoft in the communications. If you have the twitter handle for the Microsoft Outlook for Mac prime , please include them.

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Hi @LucB , seems like MS wants to push the new outlook version on us …


After the latest updates installed yesterday or this morning I had this banner in outlook…
It says the new outlook version is available (I am on insider preview) and that this version will be started next time I launch Outlook… :frowning_face: I’ll be pissed if this means I can’t go back to the previous version.

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Quick update: they removed the GUI button that allowed us to switch between old and new Outlook, but still kept it as a menu item so I was able to roll back. :face_exhaling:

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On the bright side, as so many businesses rely on this it’s likely Microsoft won’t deprecate it until the heat death of the universe.

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Hi - was a fix ever identified? It’d be great to use Hook with the new Outlook. However, like many others here, I link my Outlook emails to Things app, and I can’t open the links on the new outlook, or generate “copy links” on them either.

Thanks for all tips!

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To my knowledge this is not yet implemented by MS I. The new outlook. Was slated for June but seems to have slipped to July…

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Yea, I worry this will never happen. I’ve been having problems setting up rules in Outlook for Mac, which surprisingly don’t happen in the new version. I guess I’ll have to switch between both while I can to use the old for Hooks and the new for rules.

One limitation of Outlook to keep in mind (as noted on apps pages) is that Outlook’s IDs do not work across devices, macOS accounts or if you remove and re-download your email. That’s why we really hope they will provide RFC-5322 compliant IDs, and have communicated directly/indirectly with MS about this. Microsoft used to be very non-standards oriented, but I think their current CEO understands the importance of standards.

We’re recruiting for a marketing manager. She or he will spend some % of time communicating with companies like Microsoft that haven’t yet signed onto the Manifesto for Ubiquitous Linking. (I spend a % of my time communicating with other apps’ devs.) We could set up a working group involving users.

I’m imagining a temporary work-around that extracts the RFC-5322 compliant IDs directly from the outlook database. One could at least then write a tool that does an out-of-Outlook search through outlook’s email database to get the ID and subject header (possibly presenting the user with a few choices if many match). I need to check my notes, but I think we looked into this and answer was not-doable. Apple stores its emails as files which is much better.

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What macOS/iOS app(s) are folks using to manage Outlook email while we wait for Microsoft to (hopefully) add deep-linking functionality?

Postbox works with Hook well. On iOS I have no idea. It would be great if I could grab iPad
Emails for
Hook.

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The « old » outlook version.

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Please have the new recruit remind Mr. SN frequently to fix this…

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I talked to my Microsoft MVP friend the other day. He hasn’t heard back yet.

A work-around [for some users] is to use Mail app for the purpose of indexing and reading select emails [while composing in Outlook]. (Some people export their emails to information managers like EagleFiler.) Hook can generate shareable links from there (i.e., that RFC-5322 compliant), even if you send them via Outlook.

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Our admin does not allow anything other than Outlook :frowning:

I use Devonthink to store emails. I’m sure EagleFiler would work too. While linking emails from there is possible, it’s many extra steps.

I do hope Microsoft considers adding the Apple script support🤞

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Just a reminder that Hook can generate hooks to Spotlight searches, so one option (which is not ideal, but may help some people) is to create a hook to the email subject line.

You can also add Hook unique IDs to emails you send to make searches much more specific.