Attach Debugger to Outlook Desktop 2016 Version

Question

I have installed an add-in in my outlook 2016 using an XML file. After clicking on a plugin sidebar, its opens.

Now I want to debug the issue (by getting console logs and network logs) that why it is not proceeding to the next screen after loading. If it was working, it will load the configuration from an external endpoint and proceed to the next screen. keeping in mind that I don't have the access to source code.

This plugin is working fine for the web and other desktop versions of outlook but not on outlook 2016.

Answer 1

First step is to determine the underlying browser used to execute your add-in in Outlook 2016. Here's the documentation to help you determine that: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dev/add-ins/concepts/browsers-used-by-office-web-add-ins

If it is Internet Explorer, run C:\windows\system32\f12\IEChooser.exe, and just click on the slab that corresponds to your add-in's HTML page. Alternatively, you can follow the instructions here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dev/add-ins/testing/debug-add-ins-using-f12-tools-ie

If it is Microsoft Edge (EdgeHTML), install Edge DevTools Preview. Afterwards, open it, and then attach it to the target that corresponds to your add-in's HTML page. Alternatively, you can follow the instructions here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dev/add-ins/testing/debug-add-ins-using-devtools-edge-legacy

If it is Microsoft Edge (WebView2), simply right-click in the add-in's taskpane, and select Inspect. Alternatively, you can follow the instructions here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dev/add-ins/testing/debug-add-ins-using-devtools-edge-chromium

In general, this is a good starting place for documentation on debugging your add-in: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dev/add-ins/testing/debug-add-ins-overview