Re: embed rather than attach

Hi, Michael.

---- Michael Havens <bmike101@cox.net> 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

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