Overview: The Active Documents Outlook add-in allows users to file emails and their attachments directly to Active Documents without leaving Outlook. The add-in supports the ability to file emails as they are composed and sent, as well as file received emails.
Accessing the add-in
Note: To use the add-in, it must be first installed and signed into. For more information regarding how to install the add-in, refer to the support article: How to install the Active Documents Outlook Add-in.
Once installed, the add-in can be accessed from two locations in Outlook:
From the ribbon: If the add-in is pinned to the ribbon, click the Active Documents icon to open the add-in.
From More apps: Click the More Apps icon in the ribbon or in the side panel, then click Active Documents from the list.
Tip: The add-in can be pinned to stay open as you switch between emails. Refer to the support article section: How to install the Active Documents Outlook add-in - Pinning the add-in.
File Email – filing received emails
The File Email mode is used to file received emails or sent emails that were not filed at the time of sending.
To start, open or select a relevant email in Outlook, then open the add-in.
Filling out the fields
The add-in displays a preview of the selected email at the top of the panel and the sender's email address. Review and populate the following fields before filing:
Field | Description |
File To | Select the client this email will be filed under. Where the sender's email address matches a contact stored in the Active Platform, the client will be auto-matched and shown with a confirmation message. This can be overridden if needed. |
Cabinet | Select the cabinet this email will be filed to. |
Financial Year | Select the financial year relevant to this email. |
Keywords | Optional. Add keywords to improve searchability. |
Link to binder | Optional. Link the email to an existing binder. |
Filing the email
Once all fields are complete, click Save to Active.
The add-in will confirm that the email has been successfully filed.
How attachments are filed
When an email with attachments is filed, each attachment is saved as its own record in Active Documents. All records are linked together using the Related Documents feature, so the origin of each attachment remains visible.
Attachments that already exist in Active Documents will not be duplicated; they are linked to the filed email without creating a second copy.
Compose Mode – filing emails as you send
Compose Mode is available when the add-in is opened while composing an email. To start, open the add-in from the ribbon or More apps before or while writing the email.
Tip: Open the add-in before sending to populate the filing fields and insert contact details or attachments from Active Documents.
If the add-in is not opened before sending, Outlook will prompt you to file the email upon send, however, opening it beforehand gives access to the full set of Compose Mode features.
Filing out the fields
To ensure the email is filed correctly in Active Documents upon sending, review and populate the following fields in the add-in panel before sending:
Field | Description |
File To | Select the client this email will be filed under. If the selected client has contacts, a Send To field will appear, selecting a contact will auto-populate the recipient's email address in Outlook's To field. |
Send To | Displayed when a client with an existing contact (derived from the client information stored in Active Platform) is selected in File To.
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Attachments | Use + From Active to attach documents already stored in Active Documents. Documents attached this way will not be double-filed, they are linked to the filed email without creating a duplicate. |
Financial Year | Select the financial year relevant to this email. |
Keywords | Optional. Add keywords to improve searchability. |
Cabinet | Select the cabinet this email will be filed to. |
Link to binder | Optional. Link the email to an existing binder. |
Inserting contact and attachments
To attach documents from Active Documents to the email, click + From Active button in the Attachments section. This will open a pop- and select the relevant document(s).
Selected documents are attached to the email immediately, multiple documents can be selected at once, and attachments can be added or removed at any time while composing. Clicking Insert to Email does not affect attachments already added.
Once the fields are complete, click Insert to Email.
This will populate the recipient's email address in Outlook's To field if a contact was selected in the Send To field.
Note: Clicking Insert to Email does not file the email. The email is filed to Active Documents automatically when you click Send in Outlook.
How attachments are filed
When a sent email contains attachments, each attachment is filed as its own record in Active Documents. All records are linked together using the Related Documents feature, so the origin of each attachment remains visible.
Attachments sourced from Active Documents using + From Active will not be double-filed, they are linked to the filed email without creating a duplicate.
Emails that are part of a thread will be filed as a thread in Active Documents, preserving the full email chain.
Email Threads
When an email is filed, Active Documents checks whether it belongs to an existing email thread. If it does, it is grouped with the other emails in that thread, preserving the full chain.
If it is a new, standalone email with no prior thread, it starts its own thread, and any future replies filed to Active Documents will be grouped into that same thread.
Note: Emails are not filed automatically. Each email must be filed individually using the add-in, incoming replies to a filed thread are not filed automatically. When a reply arrives and is filed, it will be grouped into the existing thread in Active Documents.
If an email is sent or received before the add-in is used to file it, it can still be filed later using File Email mode, the thread grouping will still work correctly.
Replies sent before the original email was filed will not affect the thread structure once filed.