Office.context.mailbox.item is undefined when the reading pane is disabled in Outlook

[CodeCube0]

Description:

I'm experiencing an issue with the Office API in Outlook. If the reading pane is disabled, Office.context.mailbox.item is undefined, preventing the add-in from functioning correctly.

Steps to reproduce:

• Open Outlook.
• Disable the reading pane (View -> Layout -> Reading Pane -> Off).
• Open an email and try to access Office.context.mailbox.item from an add-in.
• The object is undefined.

Expected behavior:

Office.context.mailbox.item should be populated regardless of the reading pane's state.

Actual behavior:

If the reading pane is disabled, Office.context.mailbox.item is undefined, making it impossible to interact with the email content.

Additional Notes:

It seems that the object is only populated when the reading pane is enabled. It would be helpful to have a way to access email data even when the reading pane is disabled.

[github-actions]

Here are some similar issues that might help you. Please check if they can solve your problem.

• Office.context.mailbox.item returning undefined in read mode for shared mailbox #5298
• Office.context.mailbox.item is 'undefined' when addin is loaded in "Preview" view.  #4365
• Office.context.mailbox.item is null in ViewModel "ICalendarItemDetailsViewModelFactory" #7
• Office.context.mailbox.item.(requiredAttendees|location) is undefined when creating a Meeting from an Email #5365
• Add-In is disabled while the reading pane is off #3225

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Possible solution (Extracted from existing issue, might be incorrect; please verify carefully)

Solution 1:

The issue is by design - Office.context.mailbox.item is expected to be undefined when the reading pane is turned off. Without the Reading Pane, you are not able to fetch the item details.

Reference:

• Office.context.mailbox.item is 'undefined' when addin is loaded in "Preview" view.  #4365 (comment)
• Office.context.mailbox.item is 'undefined' when addin is loaded in "Preview" view.  #4365 (comment)

Solution 2:

Currently, the feature of supporting add-ins when the reading pane is OFF is not a part of the product. You can submit a feature request on the Tech Community Page for consideration in future planning.

Reference:

• Add-In is disabled while the reading pane is off #3225 (comment)

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[CodeCube0]

I find it absolutely unacceptable that Office.context.mailbox.item is designed to be undefined when the reading pane is turned off. This completely breaks the usability of add-ins in a scenario where users might prefer to disable the reading pane for workflow reasons.

Forcing users to enable the reading pane just to access basic email data makes no sense and severely limits the flexibility of Outlook add-ins. Instead of providing a real solution, you’re just saying, "That’s how it works by design", which is not an acceptable answer.

At the very least, there should be an alternative method to retrieve the item details when the reading pane is off. This is a major oversight and should be addressed rather than dismissed as an intentional limitation.

I strongly urge Microsoft to reconsider this and provide a proper way for add-ins to function regardless of the reading pane's status.

[mobisw-msft]

@CodeCube0 ,

We are unable to reproduce this issue.

1. Can you please help us identify which Outlook client (Outlook for Web, Outlook for Windows Classic, new Outlook for Windows or Outlook for Mac) you are facing this issue in?
2. Are you using an add-in that runs in SupportsNoItemContext or in Multiple Selection mode, or are you using a MessageRead add-in?

[CodeCube0]

1. I am experiencing the issue in "Outlook for Windows Classic."
2. I am running the add-in with "SupportsNoItemContext" set to true. At the very least, I would like to know when the reading pane is open or closed so that I can inform the user with a warning within the add-in.

@mobisw-msft