CobbleStone Add-In for Outlook Overview

Cobblestone Outlook Add-In 

The Cobblestone Outlook Add-In is an integration that allows interaction between Microsoft Outlook and Contract Insight™. The add-in enables users to attach emails, create, and update records directly from their Outlook interface.

Architecture & Framework 

• React-based Office Add-in 

• Leverages Microsoft's Fluent UI React components for native Office look & feel 

• Built using modern React patterns and hooks 

• Responsive design that adapts to Outlook's taskpane dimensions 

Security Features 

• Implements secure token management 

• Uses encrypted client credentials 

• Requires specific permissions for reading/writing Outlook items 

• All API communications over HTTPS 

• Client-side encryption of sensitive data 

• Supports single sign-on (SSO) through employee authentication 

• View, create, update permissions for each record type 

Tips 

• Quick Token Refresh 

  • If experiencing authentication issues, use Ctrl + Shift + R to force a token refresh 

• Multi-Window Support 

  • The add-in supports multiple Outlook windows 

  • Each window maintains its own authentication state 

Opening the Add-In

This feature provides multiple access points to launch the Cobblestone Outlook Add-In across different Microsoft Outlook interfaces and platforms. 

Desktop Client Access (Classic UI)

• Located in the Outlook ribbon under "Cobblestone Add-In" 

• Single click on the ribbon icon launches the add-in pane 

• Available in both reading and composition windows

Desktop Client Access (Modern UI)

• Right-click on any email to access the context menu 

• Select " Cobblestone Add-In " from the context menu options 

• Supports both single and multiple email selection 

• The add-in requires an active internet connection and valid authentication to initialize. First-time users will be prompted to sign in with their Contract Insight™ credentials. 

• You must first select an email to enable the add-in  

Tip: Pin the Cobblestone Add-In Taskpane to remain open when navigating between emails.

Login Form

The Cobblestone Outlook Add-In provides a authentication system with multiple login options to accommodate different organizational requirements and user preferences.

Contract Insight™ URL Configuration⁽¹⁾

• Format: https://css-sdlc.cobblestone.software/[####]/ContractInsight/

• Supports both cloud and on-premise installations

• Validates URL format and connectivity before proceeding

Remember Me Function⁽²⁾

• Securely stores URL and username locally

• Encrypted storage of credentials

• Cleared by unchecking box

Authentication Methods⁽³⁾

Standard Login

• Traditional username/password authentication

• Includes password recovery option

Single Sign-On (SSO)

• Authentication using organizational identity

• Compatible with Azure AD and other enterprise SSO providers

Learn More Option & Sign Up Link⁽⁴⁾

• Opens in external browser

Key Notes:

• The Remember Me feature encrypts stored credentials and follows organizational security policies.

Tip: First-time users should validate their Contract Insight™ URL with their system administrator before attempting to log in.

Navigation

The Cobblestone Outlook Add-In features a top navigation bar that provides quick access to core records and user management options.

Hamburger Menu⁽¹⁾

• Expandable menu for all supported record types

• Visual indicators for active selection

• Quick switching between record types

• Keyboard shortcuts for power users

About Menu⁽²⁾

• About Tab

• External Wiki

Profile Menu⁽³⁾

• External profile management link

• Sign Out

• Clears session data

• Optional Remember Me retention

Key Notes

• Always use the Sign Out option instead of closing the add-in to ensure proper session termination.

Record Tab

The Record Tab serves as the primary interface for managing different record types, offering search capabilities and view options.

View Menu Integration⁽¹⁾

Search Functionality⁽²⁾

• Instant filtering across all columns

• Includes hidden column data

• Supports partial matches

Records Grid⁽³⁾

• Column-specific filtering

• Expand / shrink column

• Context buttons

Expand / Shrink Grid⁽⁴⁾

• Auto-fills available space

• Select “▼” to resize manually

Total Records Counter⁽⁵⁾

• Filtered records indicator

Key Notes:

• The search function automatically optimizes queries for large datasets to maintain responsiveness.

Tip: Double-click column separators to auto-fit column width to content.

View Menu

The View Menu provides filtering capabilities to help users quickly locate and manage relevant records, with specialized filters that integrate with Outlook email context.

All Records View⁽¹⁾

• Returns all records for the current record type

Dynamic Views⁽²⁾

• Returns records based on context-sensitive / dynamic filters

Domain-Based Filtering^(2a)

• Extracts domain from active email

• Matches against record email

• Case-insensitive matching

• Multiple domain handling

Address-Based Filtering^(2b)

• Filters by specific email addresses

• Smart matching algorithm

Personal Views⁽³⁾

• Returns records based on currently logged-in user

Records Count⁽⁴⁾

• Provides the total number of records for the specified view

Views Settings⁽⁵⁾

• Displays a brief description of the active view⁽⁶⁾

• Allows setting the active view as the default for the current record type⁽⁷⁾

• Provides an interface for managing default views by record type⁽⁸⁾

Key Notes:

• Filters are applied incrementally to maintain responsiveness with large datasets.

• Domain & Address values are based on “To” address in compose mode.

Tip: Combine filters using column based filters in the records grid for more specific record views.

Action Buttons

The Action Buttons provide quick access to essential functions, enabling users to interact with records directly from their email interface.

Attach Email Function⁽¹⁾

• One-click email attachment to records

• Dropdown to select additional email attachments

• Confirmation dialog for user verification

• Progress indicator during attachment

• Success/failure notification

Insert Record Details⁽²⁾

• Predefined field insertion

• Formatted text insertion

• Template support

• Opens new email if not in compose mode

View Record Details⁽³⁾

• Opens record view

• Respects permission settings

Open Record in Contract Insight⁽⁴⁾

• Launches record in Contract Insight

• Opens in a separate window

Create Record Button⁽⁵⁾

• Opens creation form

• Pre-fills preset data

Update Record Button⁽⁶⁾

• Opens update form

• Pre-fills current values

Key Notes:

• All actions respect user permissions at a record level.

Tip: Hover over action buttons to see additional tooltip.

View Record

The View Record interface provides record visualization and management capabilities, allowing users to review and modify record details.

Record Tabs⁽¹⁾

• “Details” tab with primary fields ungrouped first

• Remaining fields grouped & collapsed

• “Attachments” tab for managing the record's attachments

• Sort, hidden, and read-only logic

Required/All Fields Filter⁽²⁾

• Filters displayed fields to toggle required fields or all fields.

Edit Button⁽³⁾

• Direct access to editing interface

• Disabled / Enabled based on user permissions.

Copy Record URL ⁽⁴⁾

• Copies the Contract Insight URL of the selected record to the clipboard.

Insert Record Details⁽⁵⁾

• Predefined field insertion

• Formatted text insertion

• Template support

• Opens new email if not in compose mode

External Record Access(6)

• Opens record in Contract Insight™

• Maintains authentication session

Tip: Double-click any field label to copy its value to clipboard.

Create Record

The Create Record interface provides a form with smart field filtering and tabs integration for the record creation process.

Type Field Management⁽¹⁾

• Dynamic type field based on record type

Required Fields Filter⁽²⁾

• Toggle required/all fields

• Visual required field indicators

• Field validation  

Attachment Management⁽³⁾

• Bulk attachment handling

• File type validation

• Size limit checking

Confirmation Message⁽⁴⁾

• Clear success/error messages

• Attachment status details

• Process summary

Copy Record Contract Insight™ URL⁽⁵⁾

View Record Details⁽⁶⁾

Open Record Contract Insight™ URL⁽⁷⁾

Key Notes:

• Important: Required fields are marked with red asterisks (*) and must be completed before submission.

• The system automatically validates file types and sizes before upload.

Update Record

The Update Record interface provides record modification capabilities with field filtering and confirmation handling.

Record Type Lock⁽¹⁾

• Record type field is locked on update form

Required Fields Filter⁽²⁾

• Toggle required/all fields

• Visual required field indicators

Copy Record URL ⁽³⁾

• Copies the Contract Insight URL of the selected record to the clipboard.

Insert Record Details⁽⁴⁾

• Predefined & formatted field insertion

• Opens new email if not in compose mode

External Record Access⁽⁵⁾

• Opens record in Contract Insight™

Attachment Management

• Email Attachment Processing⁽⁶⁾

  • Bulk attachment handling

• Record Attachment Management⁽⁷⁾

  • Enables viewing and downloading of attachments for the current record

Confirmation Message⁽⁸⁾

• Progress, success/error messages

• Attachment status details

Copy Record Contract Insight™ URL⁽⁹⁾

View Record Details⁽¹⁰⁾

Open Record Contract Insight™ URL⁽¹¹⁾

Key Notes:

• Modified fields are highlighted in blue for easy tracking of changes.

Tip: Use the Required Filter toggle to focus on essential fields during updates.

Clause Tab

The Clause Tab provides access to contract clauses, enabling users to search, preview, and insert clause content directly into emails.

Search Capabilities⁽¹⁾

• Full-text content search

Clause Preview⁽²⁾

Text Insertion⁽³⁾

• Formatted text insertion

• Opens new email if not in compose mode

Key Notes:

• Clause formatting is preserved when inserted into emails

Tip: Use quotation marks for exact phrase matching in the search field.

About Tab

The About Tab provides user preferences management and access to external resources for the Cobblestone Outlook Add-In.

Add-In Information

• Current version

• Contract Insight™ URL

Reset User Preferences⁽¹⁾

• Clears all user-specific preferences, including default views and message suppression settings.

External Resource Access⁽²⁾

• Features documentation

• Support Links

Tip: Save your preferred filter settings to streamline future record searches.

Troubleshooting

The add-in implements debug logging throughout its codebase using a custom logger utility, prefixing all messages with [CSS] for filtering in the browser's console (F12). Each major component (Auth, API, UI) uses distinct tags like [CSS:Auth] or [CSS:API] to enable targeted debugging and troubleshooting.

Authentication

• Can't Login / Unauthorized

1. Clear cache: Settings > Clear Cache

2. Check network connection

3. Verify permissions in Cobblestone portal

4. Try manual token refresh

• Permissions Not Updating

1. Permissions are cached for a period of 5 minutes

2. Clear cache: Settings > Clear Cache

Performance

• Slow Loading

1. Clear add-in cache

2. Restart Outlook

3. Limit bulk operations to 50 items

Email Features

• Email Linking Not Working

1. Check record permissions

2. Confirm network connectivity

Quick Diagnostics

• Check Console (F12)

  •  Common error codes:

    • AUTH001: Token expired - Try manual refresh

    • AUTH002: Permission denied - Check roles

    • API001: Service unavailable - Check network