How to send an attached folder without compressing?

Question

Level 1

9 points

How to send an attached folder without compressing?

When using Mail 2.1.3 on 10.4.11 and sending more than one photo, I like to put them in a folder, so they get better organized. However, the application Mail will zip this folder on sending. Sometimes my recipients (on PC) have then difficulties opening this zipped folder. I don't want to tell them "you should install this and that application for unzipping".

In settings of Mail I find no checkbox for this- it does it by itself...

Is there any way to send an attached folder without compressing it, just plain?

PB 15", 1,25 GHz, FW 800, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on Jul 16, 2008 5:03 AM

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Answer 1

Jul 16, 2008 8:24 AM in response to cosmopolit3

There is something you are missing, friend. It is not Mail's fault. It is how Internet mail works.

What you want to do, you can and should do with archived (zipped) folders, as Mail does directly. Every computer in use has a way to unzip, most just by clicking on the attachment. I think that you can add a note that says "just click on the .zip file to create a folder with the photos," or something like that.

The benefit is you can put folders within folders in this way, if you want to organize, and then archive (zip) and send.

Again, unzip software comes free and standard with every modern system.

-fred

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Answer 2

Jul 16, 2008 6:38 AM in response to cosmopolit3

Don't pull the whole folder over. It will automatically zip a folder. Directory structures are different on Windows, Macs, and Linux systems. You cannot just send a folder.

Select all of the folders and drag them to your email (or select via the Attach dialogue) and it won't zip.

-fred

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Answer 3

cosmopolit3 Author

Level 1

9 points

Jul 16, 2008 7:46 AM in response to Frederick Avolio

Frederick,
thank you for the reply.

Maybe I did not explain clearly enough. Let's say I have ten JPEGs. I make a new folder in Finder, call it "Pictures" or so, put the JPEGs in it and then, after writing the mail, I click "attach" and select the newly generated folder so that it will be attached. In the outgoing window of the mail I see it then as the "Pictures" folder. The recipient then gets the mail with an attachment called "pictures.zip" that calls for an unzip application in order to take a look at those JPEGs.

Now the problem is, Mail app will automatically make a zip out of it. Yes, I have "Send PC-compatible" turned on. I use, b.t.w. plain text, not formatted. Some recipients have no problems with the zip, I know, but some do have.

I want Mail to send the folder without zipping it. Making it a little bit smaller in size is (indeed only a little bit!), in many cases, not necessary and, like I wrote, often only confusing (especially when the recipient PC asks "...this is a programme, do you want it to open?- Of course, most reasonable users are afraid of those messages!).

The point is, my application is doing something that I don't want and I find no way to tell it "please, no".

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Answer 4

cosmopolit3 Author

Level 1

9 points

Jul 16, 2008 7:53 AM in response to cosmopolit3

And, I forgot: of course if I select all the 10 JPEGs and attach them to the mail but not inside a folder, it all works OK, no zipping, no problem. The application does this only with a folder- but, as I said, I like to use folders for clarity and order, this is also for the recipient an advantage.

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Answer 5

Jul 16, 2008 8:04 AM in response to cosmopolit3

Yes, you explained clearly and that is what I understood.

Maybe I did not explain clearly enough. 🙂

If you send a folder it WILL zip it, because of the compatibility reasons I mentioned. So all you can do is let it go as a zip or just send the individual files. You cannot send an unzipped folder. It is not a limitation of e-mail clients (such as Mail). A folder (or directory) format is operating system specific and only has meaning on that system. When you copy a folder to another system on your network, for example, the system is 1)creating the directory on the other system in the local directory format and 2) copying the individual files over. You cannot do this in email.

So, again, either stick with the Zip format or send individual files.

-fred

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Answer 6

cosmopolit3 Author

Level 1

9 points

Jul 16, 2008 8:19 AM in response to Frederick Avolio

Yes, you are right about the different structures. I believe there is then no other way to organize photos in an attachment, for example if my 10 JPEGs should be grouped as 5 and 5 (as I would do with named folders). I will have to put them all together inside the mail, and the recipient has no possibility to see my grouping.

Well, then... I will have to accept. Two negative points for Mail (I otherwise love it). Thank you anyway for clarifying.

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