In this article, we would like to update you on the latest developments regarding Microsoft’s New Outlook. This serves as a follow-up to our earlier blog post on Microsoft’s New Outlook.
Overview
The transition from Classic Outlook to New Outlook is currently in what is known as the “opt-out” phase. During this phase, New Outlook is used by default, but you still have the option to switch back to Classic Outlook.
Once the subsequent cut-over phase begins, it will no longer be possible to switch to Outlook Classic. Microsoft has not yet announced a date for the start of the cut-over phase. As things stand, Microsoft plans to notify customers at least twelve months in advance.
Existing installations of Classic Outlook will be supported through 2029. After that, only New Outlook will be supported.
Using New Outlook with conzept 16
Although Microsoft has not yet announced a date for the final transition, the end of support for Classic Outlook is foreseeable in the long term. To support this transition early on, we are working on a solution for interacting with the new Outlook and conzept 16. Essentially, the following interfaces are affected:
Drag & Drop
Using drag-and-drop, data can be moved from Outlook to other applications or into Outlook. The New Outlook still supports drag-and-drop, but through a different interface than before. In an initial test, drag-and-drop for emails was possible via the new interface using conzept 16.
COM
Using the COM interface, conzept 16 can retrieve and set data from Outlook. Actions can also be performed in Outlook by calling methods. Since the new Outlook is web-based, the COM interface is no longer required. Microsoft provides a Graph API for data access. This is a REST API that uses OAuth 2.0 for authentication and provides OData functionality. We are currently testing access to this interface using conzept 16 to compensate for the removal of the COM interface.
Conclusion
The New Outlook will also support drag-and-drop interaction with conzept 16. To address the removal of the COM interface, we are exploring alternatives using the Graph API. However, it is already clear that the New Outlook will be accessed differently from an application perspective, and adjustments will be necessary for conzept 16 applications that wish to interact with the New Outlook.
Currently, we do not recommend switching to New Outlook if your conzept 16 application offers Outlook interaction. The connection to New Outlook is not compatible with Classic Outlook and will therefore lead to a loss of functionality.