Working with 12d Synergy Plugin for Microsoft Outlook

Emails, like files, can also be managed by the 12d Synergy Client application. This means that all your emails can be uploaded and tracked in a central location, and on-demand these files can be searched for, opened with your MS Outlook, replied to or forwarded. The interface to managing emails is via Microsoft Outlook version 2010 or later.

When you receive an email on your Outlook and you read it, 12d Synergy can modify the subject of that email by adding a stamp, based on your configuration. The stamp is an identifier that is configured by your 12d Synergy Administrator. It is a combination of attributes and can include user-defined text. The stamp is always prefixed by a # key. With the help of stamps, 12d Synergy locates the jobs or folders into which the email must be uploaded. If an email does not have a stamp or 12d Synergy is unable to locate the job or folder that matches the stamp, it will prompt the user for the location of the job or folder.

1.1. The 12d Synergy Plugin for Microsoft Outlook

2. Working Modes with Outlook and 12d Synergy

You can work with MS Outlook and 12d Synergy in the following three modes.

1. Online - when MS Outlook is connected to 12d Synergy
2. Offline - when MS Outlook is not connected to 12d Synergy
3. Mobile - when MS Outlook is on your mobile device and 12d Synergy is on your desktop

2.1. Work Online

When in this mode, MS Outlook is connected to the 12d Synergy application. So you can directly upload emails onto the 12d Synergy application. You can also configure to automatically delete these uploaded emails from your Outlook Inbox. However, to do this, you need to first configure the settings in Outlook.   

2.1.1. How to Configure the Settings for Online Upload of Emails to the 12d Synergy Application

1. On the 12d Synergy Outlook plugin, click the Settings icon.
   The 12d Synergy Setup window is displayed.
   
   
   
2. In the Submission Mode tab, select one of the following modes in which Outlook will interact with 12d Synergy when online.
   

   Option	Description
   Everything	Uploads all emails read or sent to 12d Synergy based on their stamp. If the stamp is not available, the user is prompted to select a location. In this mode, all read or sent emails will be uploaded.
   Automatic	Uploads emails that are read or sent to 12d Synergy based on their stamp. If no stamp is available, the user is prompted whether the email needs to be uploaded. If yes, then the user is prompted to select a location for the upload.
   Stamped emails only	Uploads only the stamped emails in the inbox after they are read.
   Stamped emails + Outgoing	Uploads all stamped emails and prompts the user whether outgoing emails without stamps need to be uploaded.
   Always ask	Prompts the user every time an email is read or sent, whether the email needs to be uploaded.
   Manual only	Does not upload or prompt for an upload whenever an email is read or sent. The user must manually select the emails that need to be uploaded and then click the Upload button on the 12d Synergy Outlook Plugin or drag and drop the emails into the folder in their Drop Zone.

   • The word (Active) is displayed against the selected option.
   • Your 12d Synergy Administrator can choose a submission mode that will apply to all users from the 12d Synergy Administration application or let the individual users select as per their requirement.

   
   

3. If you are using additional attributes beyond the standard pre-configured attributes for emails, you may select the Attempt to reuse attributes when replying or forwarding checkbox to preserve existing attribute values and avoid re-entry.
4. In some cases, 12d Synergy can provide an auto-complete drop-down for attribute selection. Some users have experienced incompatibility between Outlook and the Windows AutoComplete List control. You can toggle on or off the usage of the autocomplete list with the Use auto complete for list attributes check box.
5. Click the Save button.
   The read and sent emails are uploaded based on their stamps and the settings made in the Submission Mode tab.

2.1.2. How to Upload Emails to the 12d Synergy Application When Online

After reading a new email, the Outlook plugin will act based on the settings selected in the Submission Mode tab. Depending on the mode, the email may be automatically uploaded, you may be prompted for additional information, or the plugin may choose to ignore the email. 

Alternatively, you can do one of the following:

• Select the email(s) in the inbox and click the Upload button on the 12d Synergy plugin in Outlook.
• Drag and drop the email(s) to the required favourite folder(s) displayed in the drop zone. Ensure to select the Show Drop Zone check box on the 12d Synergy Outlook plugin.

The selected email(s) gets uploaded to its counterpart folder(s) in 12d Synergy.

2.1.3. How to Configure Automatic Deletion of Uploaded Emails from Outlook Inbox When Online

You can configure Outlook to automatically delete uploaded emails when you are working online with 12d Synergy. An email that is uploaded manually or dragged and dropped to the Favourites folder in the drop zone is automatically deleted after it is read.

1. On the 12d Synergy Outlook plugin, click the Settings icon.
   The 12d Synergy Setup window is displayed.
2. Click the Mail Settings tab.
   
   
   
3. Select the Delete after upload check box.
4. Click the Save button.
   The uploaded emails are automatically deleted from your Outlook Inbox.

2.2. Working Offline

When MS Outlook is not connected to 12d Synergy, it is said to be working in offline mode. Say for instance, you are working onsite in a location that doesn't have any internet connection. Since you are not connected to the 12d Synergy Server, you have the option of filing emails in offline folders which will get uploaded to 12d Synergy when the connection between MS Outlook and 12d Synergy is restored (when you are online). This works by creating folders in the 12d Synergy Offline Mail Filing section under your email account in MS Outlook, which can move emails to 12d Synergy when online. These folders will be created based on your 12d Synergy Outlook Favourites. You can add more folders as your favourites and the same can get added to the 12d Synergy Offline Mail Filing section.

2.2.1. How to Configure the Offline Filing Structure for Emails 

1. On the 12d Synergy Outlook plugin, click the Settings icon.
   The 12d Synergy Setup window is displayed.
2. Click the Offline Mail Tracking tab.
   
   
   
3. Do the following:
   1. Select the Enable Offline Mail Tracking check box to track the emails when offline.
   2. In the Settings  section, do the following:
      1. From the Enable automatic upload list, select one of the following options:
         • Manual Only for uploading the emails manually to 12d Synergy
         • Automatic and Manual for periodically uploading the emails and for optional manual uploads to 12d Synergy.
           • If the folders in 12d Synergy into which you are trying to upload the emails have naming rules set on them, then the emails do NOT get uploaded by using the Manual only and Automatic and Manual options. However, you can still upload them by manually dragging and dropping the required emails into the counterpart 12d Synergy folders displayed in MS Outlook.
           • If the folders into which you are trying to upload the emails have file attributes set up on them, and you select the Automatic & Manual option from the Enable automatic upload list, then the emails are NOT uploaded automatically to their counterpart folders in 12d Synergy.
           • Click the Update mail folders button in the Manage Favourites window to create a 12d Synergy Offline Mail Filing folder for the all favourite folders based on your offline mail filing configuration settings. These folders are displayed under the 12d Synergy Offline Mail Filing section in your Outlook window.
           • Click the Manual Sync button to update the 12d Synergy Offline Mail Filing folders as well as upload any emails in these folders to their counterpart folders in 12d Synergy.
      2.  From the Handle uploaded email files list, select one of the following options:
         • Move to New Folder to move all the emails uploaded from all 12d Synergy Offline Mail Filing folders into a single new folder
           
           
           
         • Move to Sub Folder to move the emails uploaded from each 12d Synergy Offline Mail Filing folder into their respective individual subfolders
           
      3. Enter the name of the folder into which all the uploaded emails should be moved based on the above selection, in the Uploaded file folder name box.
         Folder(s) based on the selections in step ii is(are) created for saving all the uploaded emails. In the example above, the folder(s) is(are) named Uploaded Emails.
      4. User intervention is required in the following two instances only: 
         • When an email is already added to 12d Synergy and you are attempting to add a copy of the same email again.
         • When Automatic & Manual option from the Enable automatic upload list is selected and you attempt to upload the emails to a 12d Synergy folder that has file attributes set on it.
           In the Require user intervention when handling already added emails list, do one of the following:
         • Select Yes if you want to manually drag and drop emails to their counterpart folders in 12d Synergy. 
         • Select No if you want the rejected emails to be moved to the Uploaded emails folder.  

 v. Click the Save button.
Whenever the connection with 12d Synergy is restored, the emails from all the 12d Synergy Offline Mail Filing folders are uploaded to 12d Synergy based on the settings made.

2.2.2. How to Upload Emails to the 12d Synergy Application When Offline

1. From your Outlook Inbox, drag and drop the emails to be uploaded to their respective folders in the 12d Synergy Offline Mail Filing section.
   
   
   
2. When the connection with 12d Synergy is restored and Automatic is selected as a Submission Mode, the emails will be updated automatically.
   Alternatively, click the Manual Sync button on the 12d Synergy Outlook plugin for manually uploading the emails.
   All the emails that were dropped in the folders in the 12d Synergy Offline Mail Filing section are now uploaded into their counterpart folders in 12d Synergy. 

2.3. Working with a Mobile Device 

In this mode, MS Outlook is installed on your mobile device and the 12d Synergy Application is on your desktop. The Microsoft Outlook app for mobile devices does not have a plugin but uses pre-configured folders to organise emails to be uploaded later. Similar to working in the offline mode, you can file emails in offline folders which will get uploaded to 12d Synergy when the connection between Outlook and 12d Synergy is restored. However, you need to configure Outlook for uploading emails when in offline mode.

2.3.1. How to Upload Emails When Working From a Mobile Device

In the Outlook application on the mobile device, drag and drop the emails into their respective jobs or folders in the 12d Synergy Offline Mail Filing section.

When the connection with 12d Synergy is established, click the Manual Sync  button on the 12d Synergy Outlook plugin in the MS Outlook on your desktop.
All the emails that were dragged to the 12d Synergy Offline Mail Filing folders in the mobile device are uploaded to their counterpart folders in 12d Synergy.

3. Favourites

The most frequently saved to 12d Synergy job or folders can be set up as your favourites for easy and fast access.

3.1. How to Set a New Folder as Your Favourite

3.1.1. Using the Change Folder icon

1. Click the Change Folder icon on the 12d Synergy Outlook plugin.
   The Select a folder window is displayed.
   
   
   

   If you want to select a folder from a different job, click the Change job button and choose a different job. You can then select a folder from that job as your favourite.

2. Navigate to the required folder from the tree structure in the Select a folder window.
3. Select the Add as favourite check box. 
4. Click the Select button.
   The selected folder is added as a favourite and is displayed when you click the Favourites icon on the 12d Synergy Outlook plugin in the Manage Favourites window.

3.1.2. Using the Favourites icon

1. Click the Favourites icon on the 12d Synergy Outlook plugin.
   The Manage Favourites window with the list of existing favourite folders is displayed.
   
   
   
   • You can delete an existing favourite folder by selecting it and clicking the  button.
   • You can rearrange the order of the folders using the up and down arrow buttons.
2. Do one of the following:
   • Click the Add New button on the Manage Favourites window.
   • Click the button and select the New option.
     The Find a Job window is displayed.
3. Search for the required job and click the Find button.
   The Select a Job window is displayed.
   
   
4. Browse and select the required job.
5. Click the Open button.
   The Select a Folder window is displayed.
   
   
   
6. Navigate to the required folder from the tree structure and click the Select button.
   The selected folder is added to the Manage Favourites window. The folders listed in this window are your favourite folders. 

3.2. How to Set your Current Folder as Your Favourite

1. Click the Favourites icon on the 12d Synergy plugin.
   The Manage Favourites window with the list of existing favourite folders is displayed.
   
   
   
2. Do one of the following:
   • Click the Add Current button on the Manage Favourites window.
   • Click the button and select the Current option.
     The folder displayed in the Current Connection field in the 12d Synergy Outlook plugin is added to the Manage Favourites window. The folders listed in this window are your favourite folders.