Building collaborative apps with Microsoft Loop components

Microsoft Loop introduces a powerful framework for collaborative applications, promising seamless data synchronization across various platforms, including the Loop app, iOS, Android, Outlook, Teams, Word for the web, and more. This article explores the concept of Microsoft Loop as a means to capture and share informal knowledge within organizations, emphasizing its role in streamlining team workflows and interactions.

Microsoft Loop introduces an exciting feature—custom Loop components—leveraging the flexibility of Microsoft 365’s Adaptive Cards. These components empower users to embed minimal user interfaces seamlessly into Microsoft 365 enterprise applications, such as Teams and Outlook, as well as custom code and popular third-party business tools. Learn how these Adaptive Cards provide an in-context user experience, ensuring consistency and real-time updates across the entire team.

Enhancing Productivity with Custom Loop Components

Custom Loop components serve as productivity tools, ideal for scenarios where multiple users collaborate on small tasks or require real-time updates. Explore potential applications, such as streamlining service desk operations within Teams, minimizing context switching, and improving team efficiency.

Discover the simplicity of creating Loop components, involving minor adjustments to host applications and utilizing search-based message extensions. Learn about the link unfurling technique and its role in dynamically adding content to Adaptive Cards. While mobile apps may not fully support link unfurling yet, find out why Loop components are currently best suited for desktop usage.

Designing Adaptive Cards for Loop

Understand the essential design principles for Loop components, which must be both self-updating and actionable. Explore the structure of Loop cards, including the header, border, and body, and how interactions take place within the body. Discover how Loop components align with the existing Adaptive Card action schema, ensuring seamless functionality.

Get started with building your Loop components using a sample application available on GitHub. This sample provides a foundation for developing both the Adaptive Card and messaging extension components. Learn how to set up your development and test environment, ensuring a smooth integration with Teams and Microsoft 365 services.

Conclusion

Incorporating Loop components into your team’s workflow offers a new dimension to collaboration beyond shared documents. As remote collaborative working becomes increasingly important, tools like Loop will play a vital role in streamlining interactions and boosting productivity within organizations.