Welcome to the Newforma Project Center Outlook Add-In

The Newforma Outlook Add-in integrates Microsoft Outlook with the Newforma app for seamless filing between Outlook items and your projects. It enables you to file email items to a Newforma app project. 

In order to utilize the new Newforma Outlook Add-in, users should have Newforma Cloud for authentication and Microsoft 365. 

The supported platforms at this time: 

• Outlook for 365 Windows and/or Mac 

• To use the desktop client, users need to sign into Office.com, then click Install Office to install the desktop client application: 

• Outlook Online 
• Outlook for iOS 
• Outlook for Android 

Supported Exchange servers: 

• Exchange Online 
• Exchange On-Prem (2019 and 2016) 

• Microsoft 365 mailboxes and Microsoft 365 clients are required. You can review the hybrid deployment prerequisites here. Access and run the hybrid configuration wizard here. 

The platforms are based on the Outlook JavaScript API requirement sets. The Outlook Add-In utilizes set 1.8, therefore not all features are present on other platforms.

Newforma Software Versions with Addin Features

How the Newforma Addin files emails

The Newforma add-in (HTML 5) uses the Microsoft Graph Autofile functionality to complete.  When you file using the Newforma add-in, it will move the email to the appropriate “Newforma – Items to File” project sub-folder in the user’s mailbox to get filed by the autofile functionality over the course of the day. 

Note: In contrast to the legacy COM add-in, messages will not appear in the project until processed by autofile. However, the ‘Filed by Newforma‘ category will be applied immediately for all users.

To launch the Add-In

In the desktop client, select an email to display the available add-ins in the ribbon. Click the Newforma icon to launch the add-in:

The Newforma add-in launches. Click Sign In:

The Microsoft Active Directory sign in dialog box appears. The Newforma Outlook add-in integrates with Active Directory, meaning Newforma adheres to the ever-increasing need for IT departments to manage user access rights and policies from one location.

Enter your company-issued username and password and log in:

To view project suggestions

As you file an email, the add-in displays a list of suggested projects:

Projects suggestions are based on the following:

• Recent projects
• Internal sender
• External sender
• Body keyword match
• Subject keyword match
• Thread

Three project suggestions initially appear in the Suggested Projects section of the add-in. Scroll to see additional suggestions.

If none of the suggested projects are the project you need, you can search for projects outside of your My Projects list. To do so, enter the project name or number in the Project field:

To file an email to a project

Select the project you want to file the email to and click File to Project at the bottom of the add-in. Filed emails display a tag to indicate they have been filed by Newforma.

To file an email as an action item

Launch the Outlook Add-In. Click File Email and select File as Action Item from the dropdown menu:

The File As Action Item panel opens. The email’s subject appears in the Action Item Name field, and the body is automatically added to the Description. Any email attachments are added as supporting documents:

Start typing in the Project field to find the project where you want to file the email. The list populates with projects from your My Projects list. Select the appropriate project from the list:

Once the project is selected, the Type field populates with the available action item types for that project. Select the type from the dropdown as needed.

Start typing the name/email of the project team member you want to assign the action item to in the Assigned To field. The Project Team list from the selected project filters based on your entry. You can also enter an email address for someone who is outside the project team. Select the assignee as needed.

Click File as Action Item at the bottom of the add-in to file the email and create the action item.

To file an item as an RFI

From the drop down, choose File as RFI. Make sure to select the correct project and to fill out all of the required fields.

• Project
• Subject
• Date
• Type
• From/To
• Question
• Purpose

To file an item as a Submittal

From the drop down, choose File as Submittal. Make sure to select the correct project and to fill out all of the required fields.

• Project
• Subject
• Spec Section
• Date
• Purpose
• From/To

To forward for review a Submittal/RFI

This feature became available with Newforma version 2024.2 and newer.

Forward a Submittal/RFI for review is a new feature added in the “File as Submittal/RFI” panel. This allows users to forward a Submittal/RFI via the Outlook Add-In, with or without attachments, to an internal/external contact for a reviewer response. This is presented as a “next action” in the Add-In after filing a submittal/RFI. A few things to note:

A Transmittal is generated and forwarded

• Projects selected must be on Info-exchange
• In NPC, activity is logged in various forms:
  • The email filed in the Email Log
  • The Submittal/RFI is created
  • The Submittal/RFI is forwarded
  • Files are attached
• A notification is sent to the to the recipient

To send and file emails

While composing an email, click the Newforma add-in icon and select the project you want to file to. The add-in and email message show that the email is marked to be filed into the selected project once it is sent:

To send a file transfer

Select File Transfers from the add-in menu to open the File Transfer panel. The panel has two tabs: Create new (send a file transfer) and View transfers (see past transfers). This section covers Create new.

Fill out the transfer details

Project
Enter a project name to search for it. If the project you need doesn’t appear, click Reload projects to refresh the list from Newforma.

Subject
A short title for the transfer. This becomes the subject line recipients see.

Purpose
Select a purpose from the dropdown.

To
Select one or more team members as recipients. Click Add Cc to include additional contacts in copy.

Remarks
Enter a message for recipients. The Remarks field supports basic text formatting (bold, italic, and other standard formatting controls) using the toolbar above the field.

Keyword(s)
Select one or more keywords from the list. These are the keywords configured for the selected project in Project Center.

Add files

You can attach files from two sources, and can combine both in the same transfer:

Local Files
Click Choose files or drag and drop files or folders directly into the Local Files area.

Project Files
Click Select attachments from project to choose files already stored in the project’s folders. This option is only available when the selected project is available in Info Exchange and uses file system–based folders

File Limits

You can attach up to 25 files per transfer, combined across Local Files and Project Files.

A folder counts as however many files are inside it, not as one file. For example, a folder with 20 files uses 20 of your 25. If a folder has more than 25 files, it can’t be attached.

Empty folders appear in the picker, but can’t actually be sent; selecting one doesn’t add anything to your file count.

A few things to know about transferring files

• Once you select a folder, everything inside it is included. You can’t go back in and pick individual files without first deselecting the folder.
• Two files or folders can’t have the same name at the same level in your attachment list, whether they came from your computer, a project, or both.
• Files without a file extension can’t be attached.
• Switching to a different email in Outlook clears your File Transfer form, including any files you’ve already attached.
• If you reopen the file picker, nothing shows as selected — but anything you’d already attached is still in your transfer.

More options

Click More options to expand additional transfer settings:

• Transfer expires — Set an expiration date after which the transfer is no longer available for download.
• Send reminders — Automatically remind recipients who haven’t downloaded the files yet, at the interval you choose.
• Allow recipients to download partial contents — Lets recipients download individual files from the transfer rather than requiring all files to be downloaded together.
• Require Info Exchange login to download — Requires recipients to log into Info Exchange before they can download the files. Useful for sensitive information.

Submit the transfer

Click Submit to send the transfer, Clear form to reset all fields, or Close to exit without sending.

When a transfer is submitted, recipients receive an email notification. The files themselves are not sent as an email attachment; the transfer is logged in Info Exchange as an outgoing transfer on the project.

Viewing past transfers

Click View transfers to see a log of file transfers associated with your projects. Each entry shows the sender, date, subject, a short preview of the remarks, and a status tag:

• Incoming — a transfer sent to you
• Outgoing — a transfer you sent
• Personal — a transfer not associated with any project
• Expired — the transfer’s expiration date has passed

Use the filter above the list (All transfers) to narrow by transfer type.

Outlook Add-In Settings Menu Options

The Outlook add-in Settings menu allows users to perform the following tasks:

• Open the Newforma web app by clicking Open Newforma
• Sign out, view the privacy policy, terms and conditions and the version number of the installed add-in;
• Access add-in Settings:
• Contact Support – This will automatically copy the add-in logs to your clipboard for you to send them to support when requested to do so.

Settings options

Delete email when filed – Once an item is filed to the correct project, the email item is moved to a users deleted folder in Outlook

File all past emails in a conversation – Use this feature to file all messages that are linked to the current message. Linked messages or messages that are part of a conversation, contain the same message ID in Outlook.

Reset filing history – Resetting the filing history clears out the learned criteria for ranking project suggestions.

Customize Outlook Web Client Actions

In the new Outlook Web UI, by default users must select an email and within the email message select the Apps icon to find available/installed add-ins:

You can customize Outlook so that the Newforma Outlook Add-in icon is always available when an email is selected.

To make the Newforma Outlook Add-in icon always available

Select an email and press the Ellipsis (…) then Customize actions

In the Customize Actions panel, please ensure the Newforma Project Center box is checked. This ensure that the Newforma Add-in icon is visible when an email in the inbox is selected.

Launch the Add-in for Outlook Mobile

• Select and open an email to view its contents.
• Tap the ellipses to open the email options and available add-ins:

Additional Features:

Forced Email Filing

Force Email Filing on Send: The ability to remind users to pick a project to file an email to via a pop-up is now available in the HTML Add-in. A new setting has been added to the Licensing tab on Project Center Administration, and it requires the user to update their manifest file to make it visible.