Changing how attachments are attached to outgoing email?

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Changing how attachments are attached to outgoing email?

Hello everyone, my apologies in advance if this has already been answered somewhere, but I've been scouring the discussion forums for nearly an hour and don't really have more time to keep going.

I'm new to Mac, 6 days now. I'm having a bit of a problem: when I create a new email message and want to attach a file to it, the file is being 'previewed' in my email. Maybe not a big deal for some, but one thing I often need to attach is a massive PDF, not in file size but in pixels, 20,000-30,000 in width. Because Mail is trying to preview the attachment in the message, it is taking literally four minutes to do so, during which time I can't do anything else at the computer.

If I zip the PDF file, then attach the zip file, it shows as a file icon, but that isn't a very good solution - it would mean I need to zip every file I want to send that is previewable, meaning extra steps and more disk space usage.

Is there a way to attach these files without having to zip them, whereby the file will display on my end as an icon rather than as the actual file? I hope this makes sense. It's driving me crazy. My Mac experience so far has been excellent, but this is bordering on a showstopper for me.

I've read a ton of threads about email format, etc, and it doesn't matter if I do my emails as Plain or Rich Text, if I'm creating one from scratch or replying, who the recepient is, etc, it is always previewing the PDF. There's got to be a setting somewhere which will allow me to stop seeing the file contents in my email message.

Thanks to anyone who can help with this issue 🙂.

MacBook 2GHz Mac OS X (10.4.9)

MacBook 2GHz, Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Posted on Apr 17, 2007 1:54 PM

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Answer 1

Apr 17, 2007 2:33 PM in response to MHuck

Hello MHuck and welcome to the Apple community and to these Discussions!

The Mail application displays all image/photo and single page PDF file attachments as inline or viewed in place within the body of the message by default for sent and received messages and there is no way to turn this off.

You can install a 3rd party plugin for Mail which will help you with this problem.

It is shareware that will cost you $6.00.

http://lokisw.com/index.php?item=MailAttachmentsIconizer

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Answer 2

MHuck Author

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Apr 17, 2007 5:38 PM in response to Allan Sampson

Thanks for the quick reply Allan! That's unfortunate that the mail app is limited with respect to inline displays, but it's good to see there is a plugin that can fix this 'feature'. 🙂

In fiddling with the root of the issue (the fact that it took 4 minutes to embed a PDF file), I also discovered that the PDF-making software that comes with OS X is to blame. While it would create the PDF from my TIF file just fine, when I emailed it to a non-Mac user (after having a cup of coffee while it displayed in the mail message) the PDF would display as a blank page. However, if I took the TIF to a PC with Acrobat on it and created the PDF that way, then emailed it from my Mac, it only took about 3 seconds to embed and display, and the non-Mac recipient could also view it fine. So the lesson learned is to NOT use the built-in PDF software if possible.

I'll mark my question as Answered, thanks for taking the time! 🙂
-Mike

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Answer 3

MHuck Author

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Apr 19, 2007 11:50 AM in response to Allan Sampson

Just as another quick followup, I've found that if you ctrl-click the attachment once it is embedded in the message, you can choose to view it as an icon. It still doesnt' go in initially as an icon, but I thought it was worth mentioning that the state can be changed once the attachment is in the message.

Of course, you all probably already knew that. 🙂

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Answer 4

Apr 19, 2007 12:05 PM in response to MHuck

Yes I do know this but thanks anyway.

FYI - don't confuse embedded with inline or viewed in place which is different.

Regardless if you conttrol-click on an inline or viewed in place attachment and select View as Icon, the attachment is sent in the same way and this has no determination on how such attachments appear when the message is opened by the recipient. If sent either way to a Mail.app user, the attachment will appear inline or viewed in place within the body of the message when the message is opened by the recipient but if sent to a Windows Outlook or OE user, the attachments will appear as attached files only which must be opened separately to be viewed.

This is determined by the recipient's email client and not by the sender's email client.

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Answer 5

jieuryli

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Apr 19, 2007 12:15 PM in response to MHuck

The attachment thing is one of the most annoying "features" in a Mac application that I've ever seen. The company I work for employs about 50 or so people. I'm the only person in the office using a Mac as his/her main machine. Whenever I attach an image file to someone in the office I'll always get a call... "I don't see an attachment. Where's the image?" And I'll have to explain that the image is actually IN their email message and they have to right click it to download it. I do have "Always Send Windows Friendly Attachments" enabled but I always seem to have issues with sending attachments to people who are not on Macs - which is 99% of the people I send email to.

I love Macs. Been using since 2001 when I first heard about Mac OS X. Tons and tons times better than Windows. But sheesh... I really hope Apple works on this attachment thing with their next release.

BTW... I did consider using Thunderbird or even Entourage and I may have to do that - but besides the attachment thing... I do really like the Apple Mail application.

Mac Pro 2.66GHz Mac OS X (10.4.8) 3GB RAM

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Answer 6

Apr 19, 2007 1:23 PM in response to jieuryli

I send attachments to Windows users on a regular basis and not once has a recipient, any recipient ever reported the same to me.

I don't understand how a recipient tells you they don't see an attachment and asks where is the image and you tell them to right click it to download it.

Right click what or on what? It is either there or it isn't and if not there, what is being clicked on?

Attached files are downloaded with the message when the message is downloaded unless the recipient is using a setting with their email client to not do so.

Are you using RTF or Plain Text for message composition and are these newly composed messages by you with attachments or received messages you are replying to or forwarding to the recipient and adding an attachment or this doesn't make any difference.

There should not be any issues when using Plain Text.

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Answer 7

PierreR

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5 points

Apr 19, 2007 2:36 PM in response to MHuck

Hi,
I had the same problem; here is what the phone-support told me, (not fully checked it so far though):
= if pdf file is one page only it attaches it " open"= no way out of this.
= if pdf file is lager it stays in icon form.
I was told it says it somewhere in Mail, so far I didn' t notice it

Mac Mini Solo 1.5G iBook Mac OS X (10.4.7) Bluetooth Keyboard

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Answer 8

Apr 19, 2007 3:12 PM in response to MHuck

I find this conversation interesting because Mail on my Mac does not show PDFs inline at all. If I embed a JPEG into a outgoing message, the image is displayed. However, if I embed a PDF, I just see the icon. If I right-click on the PDF icon, the "View in Place" contextual menu item is grayed-out. I have attempted this with PDF created by the built-in software and using Adobe Acrobat Pro. It doesn't make any difference.

Strange....

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Answer 9

jieuryli

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Apr 20, 2007 5:35 AM in response to Allan Sampson

Okay, let me explain further... if I compose an email message and attach a JPG file the JPG file appears inline in the body of the email message. (As opposed to how any other email client would display it - simply as an attachment to the email message - usually they display a clip next to the name of the file I'm attaching). That's fine. I then send the email message. The recipient, using MS Outlook, does not see the attachment. I.e., they do not see the clip next to a filename like how they normally can tell when there's an attachment. The image is actually inline - in the body of the email. If I've written a long email to the recipient and I "attach" the image at the end of that message the recipient will not see the image unless they scroll down the body of the email. It's then that they can right click on the inline image to save it. (Instead of what they're used to - which is seeing the attachment clip not in the body of the email but near the subject of the email.)

I'll try the Plain Text thing to see if that works. I'm sure it will work because it shouldn't allow anything but plain text to be displayed in the body of the email.

It is lame, though, that there's no option in Apple Mail to have image attachments not be inline regardless of message format (Plain text, HTML, etc.). Unless I'm missing something.

Mac Pro 2.66GHz Mac OS X (10.4.9) 3GB RAM, 7300GT

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Answer 10

MHuck Author

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Apr 20, 2007 5:50 AM in response to Allan Sampson

Hi Allan, thanks for the clarification. I wasn't worried about my recipients, though - they seem to always get the attachment. It was merely for my convenience when compiling the email.

Although it did start because, when I sent an email with an OS X-made PDF, the person I sent it to replied and said "there's nothing there, it's blank". Which made me try a number of things - Rich Text, Plain Text, new mail message, reply, forward, sacrificed chicken, you name it, all with the same result.

Turns out she had meant that the ATTACHMENT was blank, not that the email was blank. argh! So that's when I found that it was a problem with the PDF and not the email. Even the big single-page PDFs created with Acrobat only take a second or two to display, which is acceptable, then I can 'click' it into an icon.

I do wish it could show up initially as an icon, but it's no longer a showstopper for me. 🙂

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Answer 11

Apr 20, 2007 7:29 AM in response to jieuryli

Thanks for the clarification.

You used the term right click on it to download instead of right click on it to save the attached file outside of the message which are very different things.

RTF with Tiger Mail is HTML or I should say can be HTML but certain things must occur in order for HTML to be implemented with a sent message.

Regardless the message font and size chosen at Mail > Preferences > Fonts & Colors, you must select a font and size via the font panel when composing a message or use bold, italics, underline for selected text or changing text color, etc. If you are using a signature that was composed with RTF or HML with a different font, size and/or color than is used in the message body or contains an image or logo, etc. Forwarding a message that was composed in HTML and the same when replying to a received message that was composed in HTML if you have "Use the same message format as the original message" selected for composing preferences at Mail > Preferences > Composing.

Any or all or a combination of any of these will send a message as HTML.

Depending on the Outlook and Windows version used by a recipient, Outlook has had some problems with Mail's RTF. There is no email client that is completely bug free and Outlook has plenty of bugs for such an old/mature email client and MS also makes the arrogant assumption that the majority of people that exchange email are using Outlook or OE and should be if not.

So long story short, using Plain Text for message composition can and does make a difference.

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Answer 12

Apr 20, 2007 3:03 PM in response to Allan Sampson

You must be lucky. If the Print Option 'Mail PDF' is used the recipient gets the attachment but can't open it because the file isn't known. PDF isn't attached.
If the file is saved as PDF then attached there're no problems.
As far as I'm concerned it's nonsensical to have an option that doesn't work. Thus I've gone back to Eudora, which in the all the years I've used it, doesn't create problems

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Answer 13

Apr 20, 2007 3:23 PM in response to rex thomas1

I rarely if ever use the "Mail PDF" print option but I did so as a test sending the message with PDF attachment using the Mail.app to my business email account.

I also have a Dell notebook (brick is more like it) running Windows XP provided by my employer and we use Outlook as our email client.

I downloaded and opened the received message with Outlook. The PDF attachment was downloaded/available and I opened the attachment with no problems.

You must be unlucky.

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Answer 14

Apr 20, 2007 4:24 PM in response to Allan Sampson

Thanks for your reply because this problem with Mail has yet to be resolved. You mention that you successfully sent a message using Mail PDF. I haven't checked whether or not that is successfull. I'm converting a file approx 230Kb to PDF and it should then be a PDF attachment. However, two things occur. Either the file doesn't complete loading or the attachment is sent without the PDF designation.

Compress PDF or Save as PDF can be used. Then the file attached to a Mail message. But I was doing that with Eudora.

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Answer 15

Apr 20, 2007 4:36 PM in response to rex thomas1

You're welcome.

You mention that you successfully sent a message using Mail PDF. I haven't checked whether or not that is successfull.

What?

You've posted in a number of threads that the Mail PDF function does not work for you with Mail but now you say you haven't checked whether or not doing the same has been successful?

Sorry but ???????????

All file attachments - regardless the email client used must include the file extension with the file name when a message with attachment is sent to a Windows recipient.

You have control over the file name before the message is sent.

The file doesn't complete loading in or to the message? Do you get a spinning beach ball and you must force quit the message or Mail?

I've never experienced either one.

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