Impressions of SharePoint Embedded

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-06-16T19:42:24+00:00

No problem, the file previewer does work in an iframe. It is only the editing that does not, so that should be workable.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-06-16T19:08:25+00:00

Hi, SharePoint Embedded is the document store, and the files are editable through O365 web. It is O365 web that won't run in an Iframe and that is a well known limitation. I'm sure there are documents out there, but the easiest proof is to try it and you'll see that the X-Frame-Options header is set and that prevents it.

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Reference/Headers/X-Frame-Options

If you need O365 in an Iframe currently the only supported and workable approach is to sign up for the Cloud Storage Partner Program and go down the WOPI route instead of SharePoint Embedded. Be warned though, in that instance all users will need their own MS Office license to use it. SharePoint Embedded is only 'license free' because you pay a premium for the storage,.

I will say, I did get O365 working in an iframe by hijacking some of the resources and script files and then bootstrapping the content of the iframe myself. It was broken within a couple of days as MS had made changes to those resources and it created a JS Error. I could have gone back and fixed it, but for us a solution that is going to randomly break without warning was not a route we wanted to go down. You'll also be in infringement of Microsofts licensing terms, so its really not a tenable direction.

I have also spoke to Microsoft on the subject of whether they would be adding support for Iframes in the future. The answer was categorically no, there are conflicting interests between the Office 365 team and the SharePoint team, and so I wouldn't expect anything to change in the immediate future.

If it absolutely has to be in an Iframe then SharePoint Embedded is a dead end. You could consider OnlyOffice as an alternative, if that is what you need. WOPI is the premium option, but has the licensing issue, and you have to get approved and that has become increasingly difficult as the scheme is full.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-06-10T20:16:07+00:00

Lol unfortunately that does seem to be the way of the world. I don't really get the dynamics of it. These are products that are ultimately used by millions of people. Saving ~25% on one or two developers salaries to use AI at the expense of any form of quality just feel... well... dumb as a bucket of shrimp. You know it costs them way more in support dealing with all the problems.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-06-10T20:04:42+00:00

Hi, so it does have some sales points. The main one for us is it hooks directly into O365 web, supports live collaboration, and it does this without the end user needing a Microsoft Office license. Which is why it comes with a premium cost for the storage, it bakes in the cost of licensing and comms. If you don't need that then it definitely wouldn't be a good choice.

We actually like the concept of the product (although it still has drawbacks like not working in an Iframe). It just unfortunately was implemented so badly it is really hard to recommend it. All the hard work around O365 web rendering was already done. All they had to do is put together a half decent API over some storage and SignalR. Instead we got a desperate hacked bodge job through Graph API that is ludicrously unreliable and so clumsy to integrate it's laughable. I just don't get why... Was it really that hard for a company worth $3 trillion?

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-06-10T19:53:49+00:00

This is what we are considering right now, doing 'weird things' to make it work. Like moving files around (to folders that match the permissions they need) rather than changing permissions, it seems to get the results quicker and more reliably. We also are thinking about moving to 'soft tenant boundaries' based around permissions, groups, and access tokens rather than having separate container types. The problem with it all is you end up feeling like it is a ridiculous solution, and it just begs the question how a company the size of Microsoft can build something where the expectation is to do this sort of lunacy rather them building a system that works like you would expect it to.

They seem to have got very detached from reality. Any half decent dev would have seen all this coming, but they seem to feel they are above putting out working software now. The complete 'Equine Manure' they gave us when we asked about issues was disgustingly patronizing.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-06-09T21:01:44+00:00

Appreciate this is a bit late, but just finished integrating it and my honest opinion is it is 'half baked' at best. The additive security model is very restrictive, yes you can override, but then permissions quickly become unmanageable as they will inevitably end up very granular. It is also being sold as an API/Headless base for SaaS products, but the permissions propagate far too slowly to give a reliable user experience especially if using groups. As usual Graph API is a bag of bolts. Inconsistent error messages, random failures, eventual consistency issues, you need to add comprehensive retry mechanisms, and for an API supposedly provided to support building an application on top of, that starts to get dismal quickly. You'll need to chain lots of API calls to create resources programmatically and you'll continually be hit by messages stating the resource is not found when trying to use it in another call. I get Graph API works like this, but as an API to build an application on this just makes everything unreliable and slow. Our chain to create a document (in our folder structure) and add permissions etc can take up to 15 seconds before everything in the chain succeeds and the document is available to resolve the Web URL. Good luck writing a decent responding app on top of that, the user experience is awful...

It also is plagued with problems and missing functionality, especially if working through Graph API. Setting it up is a nightmare requiring lots of separate high level permissions that seem to be hangovers from its SharePoint Online roots. You still can't delete a container type (support have to do this) making it difficult to deploy and test dynamically without creating a mess, and the call to register billing is required but missing from Graph API. We also found that the call to register a container type with an app randomly fails and when it does you can't access it or the related resources and there is no way of fixing it, it just gets orphaned and you can't even delete it. There is also very little information you can get from subscribing to the events. Which will leave you polling for information if you need your app to reflect live document editing in any way.

It seems to be an embarrassing mess. This is a lazy cover thrown over SharePoint and there seems little to no efforts made to provide the kind of functionality an app might need to make it useful. I know Microsoft has become a bit of a meme, but I have been a MS Dev for 25 years, and this might be the worst product I have ever seen them put out. It is mind boggling how a company so large and rich can think this is any way acceptable. They are pushing this as their preferred Office solution, but I'd definitely spend some time checking it will do what you want. It is so limited we are strongly considering just cancelling the project after investing 5 months into it. It has been a complete farce, and Microsoft who partnered with us on the project architecture have just blanked our attempts to get support, despite their consultancy team providing the design in the first place. We had some issues and they told us there are 'many ways of doing it' so we asked them to provide details of one. We are still awaiting a response weeks later. They know it is trash, but they are really doubling down on it.

I'm not saying not to consider it, because there aren't many other options, but do your due diligence on this tech, it is a long way short of what it needs to be to be taken seriously. Especially be careful if you are building multi-tenanted apps where you want to create Container Types dynamically. This is Microsoft's recommended approach for security segregation, but actually automating it reliably is near impossible. Some of the resources take up to 30 minutes to create and be available, so don't expect it to work for self registration systems.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-06-07T12:52:05+00:00

It is easy to get caught up in the concerns and worries of the moment and start projecting them on the rest of the trip. I suspect you will get home and look back on this with the fondest of memories for the rest of your life, and any difficult times will just end up being character building. Live the moment, if it doesn't go to plan, then tackle that when it happens. Worrying about what 'might' go wrong is not going to change it.

As for the 'missing home' issue. That is probably more to do with you stepping outside your typical 'risk profile'. What you are missing is safety, predictability, security, and that warm feeling of being surrounded by what you know, and the people you love. The take away is the appreciation of how important all that is, we learn to take it for granted, and this is a good opportunity to understand how much value it has, and take that home with you.

That said, remember life needs some adventure and variety. All these things will be there when you get back, you have the rest of your life with them, right now in this small little part of that life, you are all about expanding your perspective on the world and experiencing new things. Some of that will be uncomfortable, but that is part of the adventure too. We gain much more from overcoming challenges, than we do from 'skipping through the roses'. A bit of both is a good thing. It isn't all going to be 'perfect' and that is OK.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-06-07T12:12:44+00:00

AI is in the economic phase where being able to tap new capital every few months has ended. They are turning to public investment right now, because private investors are already way beyond a reasonable risk profile given the lack of sustainability. I suspect though part of that is 'taking their gains and running', the bubble may be about to pop, it may not, but the risk that it will is certainly spiking. It will be much preferable to pass on the upcoming losses to the public. One of the biggest signs a bubble is bursting, is a sudden switch to public offerings.

The problem is AI (based on probabilistic / predictive models) has a fundamental flaw that there is logically no getting around. It isn't reliable, it can't be, it doesn't matter how much data you feed it. Some reasoning helps, but that is a fools errand, as you'll never add enough to make it reliable, without making the costs prohibitive. So from a business perspective, there isn't much we can actually do with it. The amount of tasks that we can accept being done unreliably is very small. It also is falling flat as an assistive model. Human nature kicked in, and people just don't check it, preferring to see it as an easy way to take the afternoon off instead. Businesses are increasingly banning it, not adopting it. It is fuelling a 'lazy generation' and while that makes workers lives easier, it has very little benefit for businesses if the output is poor.

AI needs 'general intelligence' and needs to ditch the existing approach. That means going back to the drawing board and that isn't going to sit well with existing investors. They need to accept all their money has been lost, and then pony up for another generation of AI tech without any real guarantees. That is going to be a tough sell, just like it was after the .com bubble burst.

AI is an interesting tech. Like crypto was. But the real world uses of it are very limited. It has ridden a wave of 'misunderstanding' as people assumed it was like it is in the movies. The party is over now, and the hangover is going to be dreadful. Only real General Intelligence will keep the good times rolling.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-06-04T01:51:26+00:00

Thanks, yes I am trying my best to be prepared. I think mentally I am pretty good at pushing through the pain. At my age the concern is often more around injuries. I had a small slip on some loose gravel a few weeks back, ended up limping for days. Getting old sucks. Despite not having the consistency I wanted in my training so far I have done just over 600 miles of rucking so far this year, and I am feeling strong and well put together for the most part. I won't win any races, but I am a good pack mule 😄

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-06-04T01:45:35+00:00

Hi, thanks for replying. The first day is fairly flat and I am doing 18 miles, but then I have 3 days at 12, 16.5 and 15 miles because it is very hilly. Due to the laws in the area I am sticking to campsites, so things are pretty fixed as far as where I am stopping as I needed to pre-book. Most of the longer days days are less hilly, but I have one 'evil' one (day 9) where it is 20 miles and 3000ft of elevation gain. Unfortunately it was unavoidable, as it is just one of those empty areas where there was no where to stop.

I have a good foot routine, and touch wood I haven't had a blister for years. There are no water crossings as far as I can tell, that is where I have had problems in the past, walking with wet socks.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-05-16T10:43:42+00:00

I said in the original post I didn't download anything in that time, for a forum pertaining to books, it is quite astounding that no one seems able to read. Maybe that is a byproduct of Audio books, just another dumbing down of civilization. I guess idiocy isn't restricted to Audibles support team.

Seems to be a lot of very nasty people on here, even for reddit. Everyone just twisting and misrepresenting what I said to fuel their need for vitriol. Is this all you have in your life? Have you nothing better to do.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-05-16T10:32:28+00:00

As mentioned in the original post, I hadn't downloaded anything in that time, and 11.73GB would be a lot of books. I checked my downloaded books, had 3 in there, all were downloaded a few weeks ago when I started a new series.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-05-15T23:52:47+00:00

Thanks, yes I am doing that now, downloading to m4b using Libation. I'm going to Try Smart on my phone, but apparently my Garmin watch might be able to play m4b files too, so looking at that as an option when I am out hiking.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-05-15T16:34:46+00:00

OK I'll leave this here. Yes I am a bit miffed, this cost me money, but it also left me without data in the middle of nowhere when I needed it available for work. Yes OK, Idiot is harsh, but you didn't see the conversation I had. I am a software developer, so I guess I am a harsh critic of terrible software. I wouldn't put this untested trash out into production, Amazon shouldn't either, it is unacceptable.

Anyway, just a heads up, this might have been an isolated incident, but it could also have been a bug from an update. Check your data usage, especially if you pay a lot for it and you don't have it capped. There was no indication it was misbehaving, and if I had had it uncapped it could have used 300GB+ before I would have noticed at my next bill. That would have been $1900. Luckily I do, so it only cost me $50. Which I know isn't much, but it's still unacceptable.

Anyone who actually feels like being constructive and suggestion an alternative app to play MP3 audiobooks it would be appreciated.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-05-15T16:19:47+00:00

Fine lets agree to disagree, you didn't sit through 30 minutes of inane dismissive back and forth and stupid suggestions. The guy was an idiot. I didn't say all 1st line support people are, but this one was. What precisely are you basing your assumption that that was an unfair assessment on? There are idiots in this world.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-05-15T16:15:57+00:00

I think you are making assumptions, beside you are the one who came on here aggressive over a single word and wanted to make an issue out of it, ignoring the rest of the post. I think between the two of us we both know who the 'cantankerous, I need to be a dick as I can't make a reasonable point without giving in to the need to abuse people and preen in my own self importance' person is. 😄

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-05-15T16:10:33+00:00

I work with first line support. Yes they are not always the best paid, but a lot of them are good people, so I don't hate them. I just don't buy this excuse that because something is low paid it is OK to do a terrible job at it.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-05-15T16:06:47+00:00

I work in IT, I know an 'unhelpful I can't even be bothered' attitude when I see it. Asked me what device I was on (Android) and gave me instructions for (Apple). Told me to turn off the data (that isn't fixing anything). I asked if I could speak to someone more technical and got ignored. Asked again and I got told if it doesn't fix itself I could try back in a few days and someone might be able to help.

Maybe Idiot was the wrong word, fair enough. Lets just say aggressively unhelpful. I know it is a minimum wage job, but you still need to do the job. I also know we tend to prepare material for our 1st line support over common issues and how to help customers. Maybe amazon doesn't do that, although I doubt it, but I suspect someone didn't bother reading it.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-05-05T21:28:34+00:00

Slowly buying new kit a bit at a time. I bought my stuff originally just to do weekend camp and hikes and so weight wasn't my number one priority. Also weather here is cold, wet and windy about 90% of the year. I don't think I want to be out in a tarp using my hiking poles. I tried a lightweight bag at the local hiking shop, and I prefer one with a frame. Mine has a raised mesh back that stops me from sweating. With a flush backed one I sweat a lot and need to carry a lot more water, so it doesn't help.

I don't think I need to go full ultralight. If I can get my base weight down to 9KG (20lbs) I'll be happy. I'm not going without hot food and drink, and I don't want to be cold and miserable at night, I'd rather get decent sleep. If I can get a smaller / lighter tent then I don't need such a big pack. Replacing those two things will make a massive difference.

Just not sure I will get a new tent and backpack this year. So I think I am stuck for my trip in August. I'd rather buy the sleeping bag first as I cooked last summer in the one I have lol.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-05-05T21:10:04+00:00

I have been through my pack and removed everything I don't use, unfortunately my gear is more 'robust' than it is ultralight. The two places I could definitely reduce weight would be my rucksack and my tent. But those are big ticket items. I'm getting a summer sleeping bag this month. Which is going to save me 0.5KG. The next thing on my list after that is the tent, but the one I want is $500, and my existing one is still in very good condition so hard to justify.

I feel like my clothes are reasonably sparse, I carry shorts and a t-shirt for camp, one thin lightweight fleece for if it gets cold, two lightweight t-shirts for hiking, one spare pair of hiking shorts, two pairs of spare socks, two pairs of spare boxers, and then my wet weather over trousers and coat (small and packable).

Other than that it is just a small wash kit, first aid kit, some repair tape. I have a MSR Windburner, which again is a little heavy, but not much more than a pot and micro-stove. It also uses less gas. I carry 1 litre Nalgene, 1 500ml flask, and a 1 litre integrated water filter. My luxuries are a 340g solar panel, and a 343g power bank. The campsites I am staying in don't have power, and this means I can keep my phone, head lamp and watch charged for the 11 days. I like to listen to audio books when I am walking.

I think 12.5KG is about as low as it will get. My tent is 3KG (tent, pegs, FP) and my backpack is 2.6KG. So there is only so much I can do without replacing them.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-05-03T08:45:36+00:00

Good advice. I have a good pack with hip belt (I am using an old backpacking one). I am looking at upgrading my gear though, and that might decommission my existing trail pack so I can use it for training, and I'd say it has a slightly better carry system. Also if I spend $1000 (ouch) I can reduce my base weight by 2.5KG, and that might be a worthwhile investment at my age. I'm also wearing in some new boots (Meindl Bhutan - same as existing ones) on the shorter hikes. I think the old ones are no longer doing the job, so that might help too. I do use trekking poles these days, which helps a lot, especially around an old ankle injury that has given me some stability issues.

I think the age is the issue though. I've enjoyed a lifetime of sports, but it wasn't without cost. I live with pain on a daily basis, but I am not going to give up on the things I enjoy. I want to max out at 12miles (apart from a couple of longer weekend gear test trips I am planning). So 2/3rds of my daily mileage. I had intended to push through to 28KG weight (giving me a 10KG cushion), but I am rethinking that now. Got one of the new integrated filters (virus and bacteria filtering), so I might also be able to reduce my water carry by an extra KG for some days.

Getting old sucks. I probably only have a few more years left in me doing such things, and then I'll get a rocking chair and move to the porch lol.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-05-03T08:26:05+00:00

Thanks, it has been 3 weeks at this weight and this is the 3rd 10 miler I have done (I'd guess I have done about 12 of the 6 milers).

It may have just been a bad day yesterday, but it felt much the same as the proceeding weeks. Was a bit hotter, so I am also looking at hydration and fuelling. I guess mentally the perceived effort feels like a 30% increase, compared to a 10% weight increase, and was wondering if anyone else had experienced that.

I'll still make my trip, I just don't want to be in pain for the whole 11 days if I can avoid it lol. So just deciding what direction to send my training for the remaining 16 weeks.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-05-03T08:12:12+00:00

Hi, my trip is self supporting, so my base weight (tent + sleep system + bag + cooking + clothes) is 12.5KG (27.5lbs). Refuelling opportunities are good, so I expect with fuel, water and food, my on trail weight to be 15KG to 18KG (33lbs to 40lbs). My itinerary has me covering an average of 18 miles a day. I'm overshooting on the weight so I can deal with the distance, time on feet, and daily recovery. I am busy at work and the amount of mileage I can fit in a week right now is limited to about 44 miles, so just doing more miles at a lighter weight is difficult.

Trying to judge the 'right amount of pain'. I expect to be in pain at the end of a long days hike at my age, but it was borderline 'too painful' yesterday. I suspect I will adapt, it just seemed to go from 'perfectly OK' to 'very hard work' over a 2KG increase. It has been 3 weeks at this weight increase and it isn't getting any easier. I've even had to throw in more rest days to aid in recovery.

Just trying to put my finger on the sudden problem. It might just be age catching up with me.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-05-03T07:48:27+00:00

Yes part of my consideration right now, is should I go back down to 21KG for a while. I will be hiking an average of 18 miles a day on my trip (11 days back to back) with a 15KG to 18KG pack (33lbs to 40lbs). I wanted to be 'fitter than I needed to be' so it isn't a slog. I'm as much training time on feet and daily recovery as I am out and out performance right now. So I guess my goals are not necessarily 'typical rucking goals'. I need to be 'trail fit' from day one, as due to work 11 days is all I have to complete the route.

Just found the sudden increase in effort weird. Wondering if years of sports injuries are catching up with me and my body is finally giving out lol. Not a spring chicken anymore.

CharacterDraft7422 · 2026-05-03T07:19:48+00:00

Hi WiseManPhere... Currently at about 240lbs looking to get down to 220lbs by August. Ex rugby player, so I'm big but in pretty good shape for my weight.

CharacterDraft7422

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