New article
Recently updated
Changing content types visibility behaviour in Desktop applications
Who is this article for?
Users who want to learn how to change content type visibility behaviour.
No elevated permissions are required.
From Desktop 9.4 onwards, the Ideagen Mail Manager desktop applications (Ideagen Mail Manager Docs Explorer & Ideagen Mail Manager Outlook add-in) have been updated to align content type visibility behaviour with the modern Microsoft SharePoint experience.
1. Understanding the background
SharePoint has two experiences: the classic experience and the modern experience. Content types can be set to visible or hidden in SharePoint library settings by your SharePoint administrator.
Ideagen Mail Manager desktop applications were originally built to mirror the classic SharePoint experience, which hid content types not marked as Visible on New Button in SharePoint library settings. As Microsoft has moved away from the classic experience, the Ideagen Mail Manager desktop applications have updated its content-type visibility behaviour to align with how modern SharePoint handles this.
2. Reviewing what has changed
Prior to Desktop 9.4, Ideagen Mail Manager desktop applications followed classic SharePoint behaviour, meaning content types not marked as Visible on New Button in your SharePoint library settings would not appear anywhere in the product (see Figure 1.0 for an example of a content type not marked as Visible on New Button).
Figure 1.0: Sample of a content type not marked as 'Visible on New Button'
From Desktop 9.4 onwards, the product now follows modern SharePoint behaviour:
| Scenario | Before 9.4 (Classic behaviour) | From 9.4 (Modern behaviour) | Visual Reference of 9.4 Behaviour |
|---|---|---|---|
Selecting/Editing an existing item (Content Type dropdown in the Properties panel) | Content type not marked as 'Visible on New Button' will not be available for selection | Content type not marked as 'Visible on New Button' will be available for selection | Refer to Figure 1.1 |
Creating a new item (Save to SharePoint window and New button in the toolbar) | Content type not marked as 'Visible on New Button' will not be available for selection | Content type not marked as 'Visible on New Button' will not be available for selection | Refer to Figure 1.2 |
Figure 1.1: The hidden content type "Should be invisible" will be available for selection in Ideagen Mail Manager Docs Explorer & Ideagen Mail Manager Outlook add-in when selecting/editing an existing item
Figure 1.2: The hidden content type "Should be invisible" will not be available for selection in Ideagen Mail Manager Docs Explorer & Ideagen Mail Manager Outlook add-in when creating a new item
3. Identifying who is affected
From Desktop 9.4 onwards, Ideagen Mail Manager desktop applications will no longer mirror classic SharePoint behaviour specifically in how content type visibility is handled. If your organisation is still on classic SharePoint, we recommend reviewing this change before upgrading to ensure it does not disrupt your current setup.
4. Determining next steps
If your organisation uses hidden content types (content types not marked as Visible on New Button in your SharePoint library settings) and you are on modern SharePoint:
- No action is required — the new behaviour aligns with what you already see in SharePoint
If your organisation is still on classic SharePoint:
- Review whether upgrading to Desktop 9.4 may impact your current setup
- Consider marking those content types as Visible on New Button in your SharePoint library settings if you want consistent behaviour across all versions