Ohhhh.... you think I have bad intentions? Not I! I send my father a spreadsheet as an attachment (oocalc) weekly and he requested I send it in the body of the text. Now I need to find out how to do this! Thanks for the information you gave. I guess all the spam I get has a purpose now! lol On Friday 06 April 2007 12:08 pm, Alan Dayley wrote: > Reply bottom posted... > > vodhner@cox.net wrote: > > Hi, Michael. > > > > ---- Michael Havens wrote: > >> I want to embed things into an email so that they appear as the > >> text of the message rather than as an attachment. > > > > What you are describing sounds like an HTML email message. If you really > > know your audience for the message, this may be OK. But there are some > > things you should know . . . > > > > HTML email messages are controversial and considered harmful, dangerous, > > immoral, tacky, rude or spamiferous by many people in the FOSS community. > > > > Many people block HTML messages out of hand, or automatically redirect > > them to spam reporting centers. Many people set their email client to > > present HTML emails as plain text and not render any graphics or other > > non-text content. > > > > A common trick in spamming is to put an image at the top of the message > > containing what looks like normal text. Spam detectors have trouble > > recognizing stock hype and anatomical enlargement pitches when they're in > > image form. > > > > Another common trick is to have a link to a one-pixel graphic with a > > serialized filename unique to your email address, so that the sending > > site will get a web-hit that tells them that your email address is > > working. Anybody in the know sets their mail client to *not* fetch any > > external images referenced by links in an HTML message, because this is > > also a way to drag in potentially hostile objects (although less so for > > Linux-based recipients). > > > > But you asked, so here's how: Compose the body of your message as an > > HTML document -- pick apart some examples to see how. Set the content > > type to text/html. Read up on multipart email formats, and create an > > alternative part in the message for those who are blocking HTML: this is > > where you use the multipart/alternative content type, and then include a > > text/plain as well as a text/html part. > > > > One way around the blocked-external-links issue is to embed graphics as > > separate binary parts within the message and refer to them with internal > > links. I've seen it done but don't know how. But you said you want your > > embedded pieces to "appear as the text of the message", so I don't > > understand why you don't just /make/ them the text of the message. If > > you're talking about font effects, coloring, etc., then all that you know > > about HTML can apply here, but any CSS you use should be set inside the > > message and not refer to anything external. > > > > Bottom line: Don't do it, Michael. But if you must, then just be aware > > that your message will be received differently by different people, and > > not received at all by some. > > > > Good luck, > > > > Vic > > Victor, > > This is one of the best explanations about the negatives of HTML email > that I have every read. Thank you! > > Can I quote you? > > Alan > > --------------------------------------------------- > PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: > http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss --------------------------------------------------- PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change you mail settings: http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss