HashFix - Outlook Email Hashtag Fixer

An Outlook add-in that automatically fixes improperly formatted hashtags in your emails before sending.

Overview

HashFix is an event-based Outlook add-in that intercepts emails when you click "Send" and automatically corrects common hashtag formatting mistakes. It runs silently in the background and requires no manual intervention.

What It Fixes

Before (Incorrect)	After (Fixed)
# tag	#tag
# marketing	#marketing
# 2024	#2024
# team	#team

Features

• Automatic Correction: Fixes hashtags without requiring manual intervention
• OnSend Event: Runs automatically when you click Send
• Activity Tracking: View statistics and history in the taskpane
• HTML-Safe: Preserves email formatting, links, and styles
• Soft-Block Mode: Allows sending even if processing fails (fail-safe)
• Privacy-Focused: All processing happens locally in your browser

Installation

Method 1: Outlook on the Web (Office 365)

New Outlook Web (Current UI)

1. Go to Outlook on the web and sign in
2. Click the Apps icon (waffle/grid icon) in the left sidebar
3. Click Get Add-ins (or search for it)
4. Select My add-ins tab on the left
5. Scroll down and click ➕ Add a custom add-in → Add from file
6. Download manifest.xml from: https://David-Summers.github.io/hashfix/manifest.xml
7. Click Browse and select the downloaded manifest.xml file
8. Click Upload and accept the warning
9. The add-in will appear in the ribbon when composing emails

Classic Outlook Web (Older UI)

1. Go to Outlook on the web
2. Click the Settings gear icon (top right)
3. Search for "add-ins" or go to View all Outlook settings → General → Manage add-ins
4. Click My add-ins (left panel)
5. Under Custom add-ins, click ➕ Add a custom add-in → Add from file
6. Download and upload the manifest.xml file
7. Accept the warning and click Install

Method 2: New Outlook for Windows (Microsoft 365)

1. Open New Outlook (toggle in top-right corner if in classic Outlook)
2. Click Apps in the left navigation bar
3. Click Get Add-ins
4. Select My add-ins tab
5. Click ➕ Add a custom add-in → Add from file
6. Download manifest.xml from the repository
7. Browse to the file and click Upload
8. Restart Outlook

Method 3: Classic Outlook Desktop (Windows)

1. Open Outlook Desktop
2. Go to Home tab → Get Add-ins (or Store)
3. Click My add-ins in the left panel
4. Click ➕ Add a custom add-in → Add from file
   • If you see "Add from URL", you can use: https://David-Summers.github.io/hashfix/manifest.xml
5. Browse to the downloaded manifest.xml file
6. Click Install
7. Restart Outlook

Method 4: Outlook for Mac

1. Download the manifest.xml file from: https://David-Summers.github.io/hashfix/manifest.xml
2. Open Finder and press Cmd+Shift+G (Go to Folder)
3. Paste this path:

   ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.Outlook/Data/Documents/wef
   

4. Create the wef folder if it doesn't exist
5. Copy manifest.xml into the wef folder
6. Restart Outlook

Method 5: Admin Deployment (For IT Administrators)

Administrators can deploy HashFix organization-wide via:

1. Microsoft 365 Admin Center:

   • Go to Settings → Integrated apps → Upload custom apps
   • Upload manifest.xml
   • Assign to users/groups

2. Centralized Deployment:

   • Admin Center → Settings → Services & add-ins → Deploy Add-in
   • Upload the manifest
   • Configure deployment settings

Download Manifest File

If you need to download the manifest file manually:

https://David-Summers.github.io/hashfix/manifest.xml

Right-click and "Save as" or use curl/wget:

curl -O https://David-Summers.github.io/hashfix/manifest.xml

Usage

Automatic Mode (Default)

Simply compose and send emails normally. HashFix will automatically scan and fix hashtags when you click "Send". You don't need to do anything special.

Viewing Activity

1. In Outlook, compose a new email
2. Click the "HashFix" button in the ribbon
3. The taskpane will open showing:
   • Current status
   • Total fixes applied
   • Session statistics
   • Recent activity log

Example

Before sending:

Hey team, check out these updates:
# marketing campaign is live
# 2024 goals are updated
#  newproduct launching soon

After HashFix processes (automatically):

Hey team, check out these updates:
#marketing campaign is live
#2024 goals are updated
#newproduct launching soon

Requirements

• Outlook Version: Requires Mailbox API 1.10 or higher
  • Outlook 2021+
  • Outlook on the Web
  • Microsoft 365 (Office 365)
• Permissions: ReadWriteMailbox (to read and modify email content)

Technical Details

Architecture

• Event Type: OnMessageSend with SoftBlock mode
• Pattern Matching: Uses regex /#\s+(\w+)/g
• HTML Processing: DOMParser for safe HTML manipulation
• Storage: SessionStorage for activity logs (local only)

How It Works

1. User composes an email and clicks "Send"
2. OnMessageSend event fires
3. HashFix retrieves the email body (HTML format)
4. Parses HTML using DOMParser
5. Recursively processes text nodes
6. Fixes hashtag patterns using regex
7. Updates email body if changes were made
8. Logs activity to sessionStorage
9. Allows the email to send

Files

hashfix/
├── manifest.xml           # Add-in configuration
├── functions.html         # OnSend event handler
├── functions.js          # Compatibility layer
├── taskpane.html         # Activity dashboard UI
├── support.html          # Full documentation
├── icon-16.png           # 16x16 icon
├── icon-32.png           # 32x32 icon
├── icon-64.png           # 64x64 icon
└── README.md             # This file

Privacy & Security

HashFix processes your email content locally in the browser. No email content is sent to external servers.

What HashFix Does:

• ✅ Reads email body when you click "Send"
• ✅ Modifies hashtag formatting
• ✅ Stores anonymous statistics in sessionStorage (local only)

What HashFix Does NOT Do:

• ❌ Send email content to external servers
• ❌ Store email content
• ❌ Access your contacts or mailbox items
• ❌ Track personal information

Troubleshooting

Add-in not appearing in Outlook

• Ensure you're using a supported version of Outlook
• Try restarting Outlook
• Verify the manifest URL is correct
• Check your internet connection

Hashtags not being fixed

• Open browser console (F12) to check for errors
• Ensure the add-in is enabled in Outlook settings
• Verify Office.js is loading correctly
• Try sending a test email with # test

TaskPane shows "0" fixes

• SessionStorage might have been cleared
• Click "Refresh Activity" to reload
• Note: Statistics reset when you close Outlook

Development

Local Development Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/David-Summers/hashfix.git
   cd hashfix

2. Serve files locally (requires a web server):

   # Using Python
   python -m http.server 8000
   
   # Or using Node.js
   npx http-server -p 8000

3. Update manifest.xml URLs to point to localhost:

   <bt:Url id="Functions.Url" DefaultValue="http://localhost:8000/functions.html"/>

4. Sideload the manifest in Outlook

Testing

Create test emails with these patterns:

• # tag (single space)
• # tag (double space)
• # tag (multiple spaces)
• # 123 (numbers)
• Mixed content with multiple hashtags

Modifying the Fix Logic

Edit functions.html at line 97 to customize the regex pattern:

function fixHashtagText(text) {
  // Current: /#\s+(\w+)/g
  // Customize as needed
  return text.replace(/#\s+(\w+)/g, '#$1');
}

Browser Console Debugging

Press F12 in Outlook to open developer tools and view logs:

// HashFix logs messages like:
console.log("HashFix: Hashtags automatically corrected");
console.error("Failed to get email body:", error);

Limitations

• Does not work in Outlook Mobile (OnMessageSend not supported)
• Only processes outgoing emails (not incoming)
• Statistics reset when Outlook is closed
• Requires internet connection (files hosted on GitHub Pages)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly in Outlook
5. Submit a pull request

Support

For help, bug reports, or feature requests:

• GitHub Issues: github.com/David-Summers/hashfix/issues
• Documentation: support.html
• Author: Mark Robinson

Version History

1.0.0 (2025)

• Initial release
• Automatic hashtag spacing correction
• OnMessageSend event handler
• Activity tracking and statistics
• Taskpane UI with dashboard

License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

Acknowledgments

• Built with Office.js
• Hosted on GitHub Pages
• Designed for Microsoft Outlook

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Made with care by Mark Robinson

For more information, visit the GitHub repository.