Shared Email Templates: Release notes

New features

• A smart alternative to manual forwarding. We've extended the Shared Email Templates functionality by adding the Pass Email feature that makes it possible for you to:
  • Pass an email message from a shared mailbox to a team member.
  • Pass an email message from any of your mailboxes, including shared ones, to yourself.
  • Add a comment to an email message that you're going to pass.

You can find Pass Email on the Outlook Reading Pane:

Explore the newly added feature by visiting the How to pass email messages to teammates help page.

Improved

• It's now possible to export templates to .ZIP. For detailed information on exporting options, visit this help page: Back up data in Shared Email Templates: Export templates.
• Notes open automatically either individually with the Auto expand checkbox selected in the ~%Note macro dialog or all together with the AutoExpandNoteMacros property added to your profile or team. Find more details on our Add an internal note to a template help page.

Fixed

• We've fixed some minor issues.

Improved

• Attaching multiple files with ~%WhatToAttach. We have added the Allow multiple files checkbox to the ~%WhatToAttach macro dialog:
  

  With this checkbox selected, you can attach as many files as you need when inserting a template containing ~%WhatToAttach into your email message.

Fixed

• We have fixed a lot of minor issues that occurred in Outlook Online on iPads and Android tablets.

New features

• Deep integration with Azure AD. Users can sign up for Shared Email Templates (and then sign in) with their Microsoft work or school accounts. Global Administrators of Microsoft Azure organizations can create Shared Email Templates company accounts and import users from Azure AD there. They can also add groups of users from Azure AD right to Shared Email Templates teams. For more information, visit our help pages:
  • Personal account: Sign up with Microsoft
  • Personal account: Sign in with Microsoft
  • Company account: Info for a Global Administrator

Improved

• Support for iPads and Android tablets. The full Shared Email Templates functionality is now available in Outlook Online (both in a browser and in PWA) on iPads and Android tablets.
• Dashed macros style. This style provides an opportunity to make the formatting that you apply to a macro placeholder visible in the text of your template. In the screenshots below, compare the Default macros style on the left with the Dashed macros style on the right:
  

  To switch over to the Dashed macros style, go to Profile → My Account → Edit my account.

• Selecting time with the ~%WhatToEnter macro. We have added Time to the list of options you can choose from when using the ~%WhatToEnter macro.
• Using macros in datasets. It has become possible to insert a macro into a cell in a simple dataset.
• Signatures. We are continuing to improve the Signatures feature, and it is still in its beta version.

Fixed

• We have resolved a problem of missing line breaks in templates created from selected text in Outlook Online.
• A few issues with the ~%WhatToEnter macro have been sorted out.
• Some other minor issues have been fixed.

New features

• Beta support for personalized attachments in mail merge campaigns. If you add the Attachments column to your distribution list and fill it up with the file names separated by comma, these files will be attached automatically to each mail merge item. Please remember to specify the OneDrive folder containing the files when creating the campaigns.
• Beta support for Outlook signatures. Now the add-in supports the Outlook signatures API, so you can create, share and unify signatures across your teams. Use the "signature" field of the Insert macro to insert the specified signature in your emails.
• Using Azure Active Directory properties. With the "aad_property" field of the Insert macro, in your templates, you can use any text properties of the current Azure Active Directory (AAD) user. Simply find "Insert Azure AD Property" when inserting a macro.
• Inserting a user photo from AAD. With the "aad" field of the InsertPicture macro, you can use a photo of the current Azure Active Directory (AAD) user in your templates. Simply find "Insert Photo from Azure AD" when inserting a macro.
• Sharing links to OneDrive or SharePoint files. With the "link_to_onedrive_file" or "link_to_sharepoint_file" field of the Insert macro, you can share the selected file with the selected permissions and place a corresponding link to your email. Find "Insert Link to OneDrive / SharePoint file" when inserting a macro.
• Binding lists to datasets. Now you can create the first item of the list, right click and select "Bind to dataset". The list will be populated from the selected dataset.

Improved

• HTML-enabled parameters. Now all macro parameters you can use with HTML code are marked by the HTML icon.

Fixed

• A few minor issues have been fixed.

New features

• The Manage Company option. To make it easy for our corporate clients to manage their Shared Email Templates users, teams, and subscriptions, we have introduced a new option that is available to company administrators in a company account:
  
  To learn more, please visit our help pages:
  • How to manage a company account
  • Manage users via a company account
  • Manage teams via a company account
  • Manage your company's Shared Email Templates subscriptions
• New macros. We have added four macros: ~%Clear, ~%DisableIf, ~%RegexExtract, and ~%RegexMatch.

Improved

• The syntax of macros. We have changed our approach to macro syntax. For updated information, please refer to the Shared Email Templates macros list.
• Creating nested macros. It has become much easier to create nested macros.

Fixed

• A few minor issues have been fixed.

New features

• Macro placeholders – We have brought in placeholders for our macros, so they are nicely 'wrapped' now:
  

Improved

• New Link URL and Link Title fields – When working with ~%InsertPictureFromOneDrive, ~%InsertPictureFromSharePoint or ~%InsertPictureFromURL, you can see the Insert picture dialog window. It has two new fields now: Link URL and Link Title. If you fill in the Link URL field, the pasted image will be equipped with the link you have specified.
• New color themes – The mail merge template color palette has become more varied. There are six new color themes there now.

Fixed

• We have fixed the bug that prevented the following macros from inserting an image with the specified width and height: ~%InsertPictureFromOneDrive, ~%InsertPictureFromSharePoint, and ~%InsertPictureFromURL.
• Some other minor problems have also been resolved.

New features

• Mail merge – Now, you can use your Outlook inbox for sending newsletters, notifications, welcome messages, etc. to multiple recipients at once. Please note that the feature is available only in the selected subscription plans.
  How to use mail merge
• Message Fields – You can fill the To, Cc, Bcc, and Subject fields with the help of the new option in the template editor.
  Add message fields
• Message Attachments – Finally, no macros are needed to attach files. Now, you can do it by clicking the Message Attachments icon in the template editor.
  Add message attachments
• View Template Content – Click the View Template Content icon in the template editor to see the template text in HTML, all the message fields and attached files.
  How to edit template
• New way to migrate from Template Phrases – Eventually, you can quickly transfer templates from Template Phrases to Shared Email Templates.
  Migrate to Shared Email Templates

Improved

• Paste part of template from preview pane – You can select text you want to insert right in the preview pane and click Paste.
  How to paste template
• New Insert Macro editor – Meet the improved UI and UX of the Insert Macro editor, use the Search box to quickly find the needed macros.
  How to add macros
• Case-sensitive search – The add-in now can perform case-sensitive search if you select the option.
  The pane and its elements
• Minimize preview pane – To minimize the preview pane to the maximum, hold down the upper border with the left mouse button and drag down to the very end.
  The pane and its elements
• Copy to the clipboard with values instead of macros – If you select the Copy to Clipboard option with the Alt key pressed, the copied to the clipboard text will include values instead of macros.
  Copy template to clipboard
• Upload files and images to OneDrive – When you attach files or insert images, you can upload the needed file to your OneDrive from your local storage by clicking the Upload button.
  How to insert pictures into your templates
  How to attach files to your templates

New subscription plan

• Mail Merge subscription plan – The Mail Merge plan lets you create mail merge campaigns and use your Outlook inbox for sending personalized emails to multiple recipients.
  Subscription plans

New features

• Default Row in datasets – Now, if you use a template with a table bound to a dataset, you can get some rows of the dataset selected automatically when inserting this template into a message.
  Set default rows
• DatasetValue macro – The new macro lets you insert a value from a dataset into a template.
  DatasetValue macro

Improved

• Date formats – When you select the Date option of the WhatToEnter macro, you can choose the format and language in which the date will be inserted.
  Learn more about date formats and language tags
• Unbind table from dataset – Now, to unbind a table you can simply right-click on the bound row and choose the Unbind from dataset option from the menu.
  How to unbind a dataset
• Excel tables as datasets – You can bind not only simple datasets created in the built-in editor but also Excel tables from OneDrive or SharePoint.
  Connect Excel tables and use them as datasets

New subscription plan

• We stop providing the Free subscription plan. Now, you can start acquaintance with the add-in from the Business Trial plan that includes all the functionality of the Business plan and can be used 60 days for free.

New features

• Bind table to dataset – Now, you can bind a table to a dataset to pull the necessary values from as many rows as you need.
  How to bind a table to a dataset
• Paste template while editing – Now, you can paste a template right while editing it.
  How to edit a template

Improved

• New fonts for templates – You’ll get 20 new fonts in the add-in editor for your templates.
• Title box for WhatToAttach – We added a title box for the WhatToAttach macro so you always know which exactly file you need to attach.
  How to attach a file from local storage
• New way macros are spelled – In new templates, you will notice that macros are spelled differently, e.g. ~%InsertPictureFromOneDrive[] instead of ~%INSERT_PICTURE_FROM_ONEDRIVE[].

New features

• Template export and import – You can back up your private and shared templates by exporting a .xml file. Also, you can import My Templates or team content into Shared Email Templates. Template export is not supported in Outlook desktop and Outlook Online in Safari and Firefox.
  How to export and import templates

Improved

• Search by selection – Select text in the message body and search for templates/ folders/teams that contain this text in names or content.
  Shared Email Templates pane in Outlook
• Single sign-on for OneDrive and SharePoint macros –
  With single sign-on, each time adding images and attaching files from OneDrive or SharePoint you no longer have to confirm your OneDrive credentials. The option is turned on by default. It relates to the following macros:
  • AttachFromOneDrive
  • AttachFromSharePoint
  • InsertPictureFromOneDrive
  • InsertPictureFromSharePoint

  Please note, SSO is not supported in the web app and if Outlook provides mailbox API lower than 1.9. The feature works for only Microsoft 365 accounts and is not supported in free mail accounts, such as outlook.com or gmail.com
  Single sign-on while attaching files
  Single sign-on while inserting images

Fixed

• Now, you can select files and images from shared folders in OneDrive while using the AttachFromOneDrive and InsertPictureFromOneDrive macros.

Improved

• Open files and folders used in ATTACH and INSERT macros – When you edit a template, you can place the cursor on the macro text and pick one of the two options: Open file or Open folder. It relates to the following macros:
  • AttachFromOneDrive
  • AttachFromSharePoint
  • InsertPictureFromOneDrive
  • InsertPictureFromSharePoint
• Open Outlook drafts directly from the add-in – Now, you can open drafts from linked Outlook folders right from the add-in, simply select a template and click Edit. This feature works only if your Outlook provides mailbox API 1.9 and higher and the selected draft is saved to your personal mailbox (not a shared one). You can check the mailbox API version via About in the [...] ellipsis pop-up menu.

Fixed

• A few minor issues were fixed.

New features

• Enhanced template editor – We included TinyMCE as the default template editor. Enable the Use the old editor checkbox when editing your Profile if you want to get back to the old one.
• Datasets – Now, you can create small data tables and use them in your templates with the WHAT_TO_ENTER macro. Instead of several subsequent WHAT_TO_ENTER prompts, you can select a row in your table and have several placeholders filled in at once.
  How to create and use datasets
• Support for Calendar – This release supports templates for Outlook Calendar. However, some time is needed to have this feature reviewed and approved by the Microsoft Office Store guys. Please be patient.
  How to use Shared Email Templates in Outlook Calendar

Improved

• No additional authentication – Now, the Edit in browser option doesn't require you to sign in to the Shared Email Templates web app.

Fixed

• A few minor issues were fixed.

New features

• All your shortcuts on a separate tab – Now, you can find all your shortcuts on the new tab named Shortcuts.
• Release notifications – The Notification icon was added to the add-in footer. It is highlighted each time when you get a new release and opens the Notification pane with "what's new in the release" details.

Improved

• Filling Subject field automatically – If the Subject line is empty when you paste a template, the name of this template is used for the subject.

Fixed

• Several minor issues were fixed.

New features

• All fields of WHAT_TO_ENTER in one window – Now, you can fill in all fields of WHAT_TO_ENTER macros in one window while inserting a template.
• Select dates in drop-down calendar with WHAT_TO_ENTER macro – With WHAT_TO_ENTER, you can pick a date in a drop-down calendar each time you insert a template.
  How to use the WHAT_TO_ENTER macro
• FROM_ACCOUNT macro – The new FROM_ACCOUNT macro may be in handy if you use shared mailboxes and want to make sure your messages are sent from correct accounts.
  How to use the FROM_ACCOUNT[] macro
• Create new template in browser – In Outlook and Outlook Online, you can right-click a template, folder, or team and pick a new option: New Template in Browser. A new tab will open in your default browser with the Shared Email Templates web app.
• "Snippet" is renamed to "Template shortcut" – The feature that was called "Snippet" in the previous version now is renamed to "Template shortcut". The new name represents the essence of the option better.
  How to create and use template shortcuts
• Undo and Redo buttons – In the template editor, you will now find the Undo and Redo buttons.
• The Cancel button stops template insertion – When you insert a template with WHAT_TO_ENTER macros, the "Fill in these fields" window will appear. If you click the Cancel button in this window, the template insertion will be canceled.

New features

• Snippets are available to all team members – Now, you can create snippets in your teams and share them with teammates. All team members can see snippets, only users with Editor or Admin permissions can edit them.

Fixed

• In Google Chrome with the Windows 10 Accounts extension enabled, there were issues with attaching files from SharePoint and OneDrive from Microsoft work/school accounts.

New features

• Multiselect and Edit options for WHAT_TO_ENTER macro – You can allow selecting several items and editing the selected item when using drop-down lists.
  How to use the WHAT_TO_ENTER macro
• CLEARBODY macro – Use the CLEARBODY macro to clear a message body before inserting a template.
  How to clear message body
• NOTE macro – Use the NOTE macro to annotate your templates and their parts.
  How to add an inner note to a template
• Add text before subject with ADDSUBJECT macro – You can insert text before an email subject by using the ";{before}" element after your text in square brackets: ADDSUBJECT[your text;{before}].
  Fill in email fields: To, Cc, Bcc, Subject
• INSERT_SENDER_FIRSTNAME, INSERT_SENDER_FULLNAME, INSERT_SENDER_LASTNAME macros – Now, you can insert the sender’s first name, last name, and full name with the corresponding macros.
  Insert recipient and sender names to message body
• WHAT_TO_ATTACH macro – Use this macro to remind yourself to attach a file from your local storage.
  Attach files from local storage
• ATTACH_FROM_SHAREPOINT and INSERT_PICTURE_FROM_SHAREPOINT macros – Now, you can attach files and insert pictures from SharePoint.
  Attach files from SharePoint
  Insert picture from SharePoint
• Snippets: template shortcuts or "templates for templates" – Snippets may make your mail workflow faster and much easier. You can create a number of snippets and then construct your templates or email messages by using them in different combinations and order.
  How to create and use snippets

Fixed

• In Outlook Online, a template couldn’t be pasted if it contained CSS-based styles.
• In OWA, the INSERT_RECIPIENT_FIRSTNAME, INSERT_RECIPIENT_FULLNAME, INSERT_RECIPIENT_LASTNAME macros didn’t work when Outlook was an Exchange 2016 client.
• The Shared Email Templates app and Outlook add-in could freeze because of incorrect web-socket timeouts.

New features

• INSERT_PICTURE_FROM_URL – Now, you can insert an image to your template from the specified URL.
  How to insert image from a URL
• Support for macros inside of HTML tags – With this feature, you can use macros inside of tag attributes in your HTML code.

Fixed

• INSERT_RECIPIENT_FIRSTNAME, INSERT_RECIPIENT_FULLNAME, INSERT_RECIPIENT_LASTNAME macros did not work when the FILLTO[] and ADDTO[] macros were used in a template.
• WHAT_TO_ENTER[] macro didn’t work when a hyperlink was used as the default or a list value.
• TEAM_PROPERTIES[], PROFILE_PROPERTIES[] and MAILBOX_PROPERTIES[] macros inserted non-breaking spaces ( ) instead of normal spaces.
• A template couldn’t be saved if it was copied from Word.
• Several minor issues when processing the FILLTO[] and ADDTO[] macros.

Fixed

• Some "=" based macros did not work.
• Macros in HTML attributes did not work.

New features

• Linked Outlook folders – Now, you can create and store your templates in a separate Outlook folder and share them between devices and people. The feature has the following limitations:
  • No automatic synchronization with Shared Email Templates
  • Sharing within one Office 365 business domain only
  • No sharing for paid personal Office 365 account (Home, Personal or Student) or free Outlook.com accounts

  How to use Outlook drafts as templates

• Team and Profile properties – For each team and profile, you can create a set of named values and use them in template macros. Limitations: you can create no more than 32 properties for your profile and each team.
  How to use team & profile properties
• Team, profile, and mailbox macros – We have added several new macros to support team, profile, and Outlook account properties.
  Mailbox, profile, & team properties macros
  The complete list of Shared Email Templates macros
• Import from Template Phrases for Outlook Online – Now, you can import your templates from .ptd files created when exporting templates from Template Phrases for Outlook Online.
  How to import folders to Shared Email Templates

Improved

• Invite users by importing a .csv file – Now, you can import users from a .csv file and invite them to your team with a couple of clicks.
  Import emails and permissions
• Size in INSERT_PICTURE_FROM_ONEDRIVE – You can now specify the desired image size when inserting a picture from OneDrive.
  Insert image from OneDrive

Fixed

• Double click did not insert a template into the current email.
• A separator right after a macro was removed.
• The add-in did not restore the last selected item on startup.
• Nested macros did not work, e.g. FILLTO[WHAT_TO_ENTER[ ]]
• In some cases, square brackets remained in a message when FILL* macros were empty.
• Several web browser specific issues in Edge, Firefox, and Safari.