Enable OEM pre-installation of Office Add-ins (webaddin type) with LLM dependencies
Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe. As an OEM developing an AI-powered Outlook add-in that utilizes local Large Language Models (LLMs), we face a significant deployment challenge. Currently, there's no official mechanism to pre-install Office add-ins and their associated large dependencies (2-3GB LLM files) during machine manufacturing. This forces users to download both the add-in from AppSource and the large LLM files separately after OOBE (Out-of-Box Experience), which creates several issues: Poor initial user experience due to lengthy download and setup process Reduced user adoption rates due to installation friction Unnecessary bandwidth consumption for mass deployments Potential installation failures in environments with limited internet connectivity Describe the solution you'd like We propose implementing an OEM-specific deployment mechanism that allows: Pre-installation of Office add-ins during machine manufacturing phase Ability to package and pre-deploy large dependencies (like LLM files) alongside the add-in Auto-registration of the add-in with Outlook during OOBE A standardized directory structure and manifest configuration for OEM-deployed add-ins Security measures to verify the authenticity of pre-installed add-ins This would enable OEMs to provide a seamless out-of-box experience where users can immediately start using AI-powered add-ins without additional downloads or setup steps. Describe alternatives you've considered Enterprise deployment through Intune/Group Policy - Not suitable for consumer devices Custom installer packages - Lacks official support and may break with Office updates Network share deployment - Requires corporate network, not suitable for consumer scenarios Web-based LLM instead of local - Compromises privacy and increases operating costs Additional context This feature would be particularly valuable for: OEMs shipping devices with pre-installed productivity solutions Enterprise scenarios requiring offline deployment of add-ins Educational institutions deploying standardized software packages Scenarios where bandwidth conservation is critical The ability to pre-install add-ins would significantly improve the reach and adoption of Office add-ins while providing a better user experience aligned with modern AI-powered productivity tools.Add Method to Create Hyperlinks in PowerPoint JavaScript API
I am writing to request the addition of a method in the PowerPoint JavaScript API that allows developers to programmatically convert text into hyperlinks. Currently, this functionality is available in the Word JavaScript API, where the Range.hyperlink property can be used to set a hyperlink on a range of text. However, a similar capability does not exist in the PowerPoint JavaScript API. At present, the only ways to create hyperlinks in PowerPoint are through the user interface or by using VSTO add-ins. These methods are not ideal for developers who wish to automate the process within web and Mac add-ins. Implementing a method to set hyperlinks on text within the PowerPoint JavaScript API would greatly enhance its functionality and bring it closer to parity with the Word JavaScript API. This addition would be beneficial for developers seeking to create more robust and feature-rich PowerPoint add-ins. Thank you for considering this feature request. I believe it would be a valuable enhancement to the Office.js library and look forward to any updates on this matter. Sincerely, Simon Breslav
Outlook for Mac add-in, and for a particular user, we are getting prompts
We have an Outlook for Mac add-in, and for a particular user, we are getting prompts that a secure connection cannot be established with the server and that the user needs to trust the certificate. If he trusts the certificate, the add-in will work, but we want to bypass that step and avoid any prompts, Do you have any idea why the prompt might be coming and how to prevent it?
Support OnMessageSend event activation on Outlook for mobile (IOS and Android)
It is crucial for enterprise apps to be able to manipulate messages on sending. One example is to apply custom encryption on message something that needs the fully composed message. Currently only few events are supported like OnNewMessageCompose which is helpful but is not helpful in cases where we need to apply modification on already composed messages.
Outlook Calendar: display event times in user's timezone in edit view
I would like to see the event times in my timezone in Outlook Calendar all the time regardless of the timezone used when event was created. For example: Event is created with UTC timezone but my timezone is UTC+2 (this can happen when using different integrations or calendar syncs which create events for me in my calendar) Current behavior: Open Outlook Calendar - event times in UTC+2 Click on the event and a little popup is shown - event times in UTC+2 Click edit and the short form for editing is displayed -event times in UTC+2 Click on more options and the full form is displayed - event times in UTC
Make it possible to set authorName and authorEmail in a comment using office-js.
The only way currently to provide the user a direct experience / suggestion within a word document is to add a comment but it is confusing for the user to see his own name. Currently context.document.getSelection().insertComment([string]) takes no author data and comment.set() doesn't accept an object with "authorName" nor "authorEmail". As a developer I should be able to set the author details As a user I want to see if a comment was added by an add-in
RichText support Excel JS API
Hi there, are there any plans to support RichText in the Excel JS API? As of right now it looks like I can only set formatting for the entire cell and not specific pieces of text within the cell. If not, I would like to be able to set text to a cell that contains different formatting. e.g. "bold text underlined text italic text" Thank you!Context menus in Outlook Web Add-ins
As it seems, currently Outlook Web Add-ins do not support context menus (e.g. the menu which appears when the user right clicks on an appointment). However, native Add-ins seem to support this (There is a "Send to Onenote" button which appears on Outlook). This functionality is very useful, especially since Web Add-ins also do not support tasks panes to stay always open. This causes that the user needs to reopen the task pane again and again every time he opens an appointment. Our use case would be: right click "Take Notes" which opens a Task Pane where the user can take meeting notes. Looking forward to get the OfficeDev's feedback on this! Thank you LukasEnable Programmatic Activation of Custom Contextual Tabs in Excel Add-ins
While custom contextual tabs in Excel Add-ins already allow developers to move functionality from the main ribbon to a contextual tab, the inability to programmatically open these tabs creates usability challenges. For instance, when specific tables or components with ad-hoc functionality are inserted and selected in a spreadsheet, a custom contextual tab can display the related commands. However, unlike native Excel contextual tabs that open automatically, custom tabs from Add-ins only appear in the ribbon but require users to manually navigate to them. This behavior risks the functionality going unnoticed, reducing adoption and creating confusion for users who may not find the relocated commands. We propose adding a method in the Office.js API for Excel to programmatically activate custom contextual tabs when triggered. This feature would improve usability by ensuring users are immediately aware of and directed to the appropriate tools, enhancing discoverability and adoption of new or relocated functionality.
