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outlookvstooutlook-addinoutlook-2013

Replace new mail editor box

With a VSTO add-in, is it possible to replace the Outlook 2013 new email body editor with something custom?

(What I want is MarkdownOutlook which is a good start but I want it to show side-by-side preview and better keystroke handling (like tab) closer to http://dillinger.io/)

Thanks!

Solution

  • You'd have to use custom forms to edit the UI of the IPM.Note message class and replace the Body control with another editor control. This is not a trivial thing to do as Word is the default editor and there is a very tight coupling with Outlook for message viewing/editing functionality.

    Another alternative to customizing the message class is to create an Add-in Express or Outlook Form Region that replaces the default form UI entirely with your .NET Windows Form. But that's even more work as you'd need to recreate the message envelope controls for sending.