How can i add a customized reading pane for my Add-In in Outlook with C# in Vsto?

Question

I am in the process of implementing an add-in for outlook. I am currently implementing all messages with the MessageBox. As this is not a nice solution, I would like to display the messages via a reading pane or something similar. How can I implement this in Vsto with C#? Or is there a better solution?

Answer 1

Task panes would be a good option for displaying any information in a non-modal fashion (see https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/vsto/walkthrough-displaying-custom-task-panes-with-e-mail-messages-in-outlook?view=vs-2022).

Note that unlike Outlook form regions, task panes give you full control over when they are shown and hidden.