Parfitt Cresswell Email AssistantUser guideFiling historySend logSettingsTest benchPanel preview

Outlook add-in · DocMan filing

File Outlook emails to DocMan and record the time.

This page is the install and admin console for the add-in. Everything else happens in the panel beside your inbox in Outlook.

New to the add-in? Read the user guide for how to assign a matter, record time and file to DocMan.

Manifest version checking…Software version checking…Open XML
https://outlook.parfittcresswell.online/manifest.xml

The manifest always points at the live domain outlook.parfittcresswell.online. The version number only changes when a new XML has to be reinstalled — day-to-day software updates arrive automatically and show as a build number in the panel header.

What it does

Reads the selected email

Subject, sender, recipients, date and the real attachment names and types, refreshed each time you click a different message (pin the pane to keep it open).

Assigns a matter or prospect

Matches on a [DM Ref: ...] tag in the subject or the hidden tracking header first, then on the sender's email address. A single match is selected automatically; otherwise pick from the suggestions, search matters and prospects, or choose non-client time NCT0011.

Records time

Chargeable time in 6-minute units, or plain minutes for non-client time NCT0011. The pane shows the client name that will be saved, the narrative defaults to “Email in/out - subject”, and start, end and record times are written in UK local time (GMT/BST aware).

Files to DocMan on SharePoint

Saves an Outlook .msg plus a formatted PDF of the email — proper local date and time, filer, recipients, attachment list, and the email's own bold and coloured formatting — into the matter's DocMan emails folder, using the same rules as the 3CX Call Logger.

Files attachments into the right folders

Each attachment gets a suggested SharePoint folder, learned from where you have filed similar files before and refined with AI. Change any folder from the live folder list for that matter or prospect, or mark an attachment as ignored.

Handles sent emails too

Assign and record time on a draft, then use “Save to DocMan and Send”. The email is sent, tagged with its [DM Ref: ...] reference for future replies, and filed from Sent Items once Outlook finishes sending.

Attendance notes

Recognises attendance-note emails and lets you request a different detail level or reversed parties. While a rerun is pending the pane locks filing and shows an audit notice — with the level and reason — that survives closing Outlook, until you confirm you are happy.

Actions & follow-ups

Tick actions found on an attendance note, or add a manual task or calendar entry. When you press Save, the add-in creates them in your Outlook To Do and Calendar with the due date you chose.

Logs and marks everything

Every .msg and PDF upload is written to dbo.DocManAttendanceNoteUploads with its time entry, visible on the filing history page here, and the email gets a green "Saved to DocMan" Outlook category. Filed emails show a saved summary that reappears when you return to them, with a "Save again" option.

Installing it in Outlook

Sideloading — a personal install that needs no admin approval. About a minute.

  1. 1

    Get the manifest

    Use Download manifest.xml above, or paste the URL if your tenant allows Add from URL.

  2. 2

    Classic Outlook for Windows

    1. On Outlook, go to File → Manage → Add-ins.
    2. Click Custom Add-ins and upload the XML.
    Once this is done, you can quit Outlook and go back in again. You should be able to open the add-in and pin it.

  3. 3

    Open the panel and pin it

    Select an email, click Parfitt Cresswell Email Assistant in the ribbon or Apps menu, then click the pin icon at the top of the pane. Pinning is what keeps it following your selection.

  4. 4

    New Outlook

    Open outlook.office.com/mail/inclientstore, then My add-ins → Custom Add-ins → Add a custom add-in → Add from File, pick pc-email-assistant-manifest.xml and accept the unverified add-in warning.

  5. 5

    Outlook on the web (Add from URL)

    1. Open outlook.office.com/mail/inclientstore.
    2. Choose My add-ins → Custom Add-ins → Add a custom add-in → Add from URL.
    3. Paste this URL and confirm the unverified add-in warning:https://outlook.parfittcresswell.online/manifest.xmlIf your tenant blocks Add from URL, use Add from File with the downloaded pc-email-assistant-manifest.xml instead.

  6. 6

    Sign in

    The panel signs you in with your Microsoft account automatically (single sign-on). The session lasts 12 hours; the ⚙ icon in the panel header shows SSO and DocMan diagnostics if anything fails.

Good to know

  • Two version numbers. Manifest version — is what Outlook installed; the build number in the panel header is the software release and updates without reinstalling.
  • Rollout. For everyone at once, an admin uploads the same manifest in the Microsoft 365 admin centre — Integrated apps → Upload custom apps.
  • Filing history. The history page lists every filed email with its matter, SharePoint path, fee earner and database row ids, searchable and exportable to CSV.
  • Send log. The send log records every press of Send and whether the add-in prompted, released or blocked it — the way to settle “it never asked me to record time”. A [DM Ref: …] tag in a subject never proves an email was filed: it is inherited by every reply and forward, so each message is filed separately.
  • Non-client time is filed to matter NCT0011 rather than a client matter, and is recorded in minutes instead of units.
  • Reply tracking. Emails you send are stamped with their matter or prospect reference in the subject and in a hidden header, so replies are auto-assigned back to the same record.
  • Outlook follow-ups. Tasks and calendar entries you save from the Actions & follow-up block are created in your own Outlook, using the same delegated permissions as the add-in. Due dates can be picked from the text of the attendance note.