[hart]

Well seems pretty dead here but maybe someone will cruise through and be able to answer my question.

I've been trying to figure out how to create HTML emails and I seem to be missing the crucial element: how to get the HTML to function in the email. I downloaded some templates, stuck 'em in emails and mailed them to myself and I just get an email of HTML code.

How does this work? I read all sorts of "how to" pages and none seem to address this, which seems to be step one. The second factor is then how do you get people who have HTML turned off in their email client to receive a text file and not HTML gibberish.

I am definitely missing something.

[andi*pandi]

I know more about this than XCode.

What I use is the "Send Complex HTML Email" script for Entourage. Start a new blank email, address and add subject, run the script and find your html. All your images should be hosted out in the wild web, do not use attachments or they will get lost in sending.

Download Send Complex HTML X 2.0.4 Free - Send Complex HTML X - Sends complex HTML files and web links from Entourage - Softpedia

There may be other tools out there for Thunderbird etc but I have never explored beyond this, since it works!

Creating HTML email is a PITA: think 1998 (tables, inline styles). Campaign monitor has some good tips: Guide to CSS support in email - Articles & Tips - Campaign Monitor

The text email fall-back involves multipart MIME and is a mystery to me.

[hart]

I am one of the few recalcitrant people in this world who don't own Office (therefore no Entourage.)

Does Mail not have comparable functions? All the links I find are 2007 and before. There's more recent stuff for Thunderbird so maybe I'll try proceeding with that.

I'm left wondering why this is so opaque.

The help and instructions at MailChimp mentioned multipart MIME as well basically to say "if you used our service you wouldn't have to worry about it" >\

update: I'm wondering if it's as simple as this: http://bytes.com/topic/macosx/insigh...-mail-mail-app which basically boils down to create your html, open it in safari and either command-i (send page in email) or copy-paste the page's contents into a Mail document.

Seems like HTML email is in a remarkably primitive state if you don't use a mail service.

[besson3c]

If you create your HTML document in an HTML editor you'll need to make sure that it includes proper headers for your email. I can send you these if you want.

Another good option might be using a PHP framework like CodeIgniter to come up with a little command line script for sending HTML email. It will do all the heavy lifting of generating the headers, you just need to point it at your HTML document.

It sounds like you might be looking for something that will actually generate your HTML email, in which case these things don't help

[hart]

I'm afraid you just stepped completely over my head with PHP frameworks.

What exactly do you mean by "generate your HTML email?" Do you mean come up with the HTML code itself?

And headers, yes, what kind of headers does this require?

What is the missing step between creating HTML and getting it to work in an email?

Sorry if I seem thick, I just seem to be missing the key to how this works. It can't be that complex since my email In Box is jam packed with the stuff. Maybe I'm having a "forest for the trees" problem . . .

[andi*pandi]

MailChimp and Constant Contact etc do quite well sending out emails and sorting this stuff. I doubt many html emails go out from joe shmoe's outlook account. if you can "find" entourage perhaps the script I recommended would suit just for testing.

[hart]

I guess that's what I'm discovering. I had optimistically hoped that this would be simple-ish.

I've been researching for two reasons. First, job ads often call for skills at making HTML emails, or eBlasts or whatever they want to call it. Second, I had hoped to send some looking-for-work-still emails to my contact list that weren't just text. Seems like it's more difficult than it seems on both front.

I may actually look into seeing if mailChimp works for tiny clients like me.

Thanks for your help. At least it doesn't seem to be just me not figuring it out.

[andi*pandi]

I bet the jobs ads are looking for design, and basic HTML. The multipart stuff is developer territory.

More googling says that Thunderbird can send emails. I'm at work and can't test it right now for you, but these links seem to think it's possible! Then you could send to small client lists.

Complex HTML • mozillaZine Forums
Creating complex mails with inline images - MozillaZine Knowledge Base

Inserted HTML

If you create your HTML message in some other application, and insert it in the message by using Thunderbird's Insert – HTML... dialog, then you can usually use that other application to add the moz-do-not-send attribute to each IMG tag. For example, the resulting tag might look like: <img src="http://static.mozillazine.org/common/images/blimp.png" moz-do-not-send="true">

[mduell]

The issue that you're running into is the application you're attempting to use (Mail.app) is designed for creating the HTML code from what you create in it, not for pasting HTML code in. So it's taking your HTML code as text, and writing HTML that will display your HTML.

The correct term for "eBlasts" is "spam".

[-Q-]

Not all email blasts are spam. Please don't cloud the OPs problem with a sidebar about spam philosophy.

MailChimp is great b/c up to 1000 recipients, it's free. However, they have very stringent requirements for avoiding spammers. Most services like MailChimp or CC take care of the complexities of multipart emails automatically. Multipart is a protocol where a recipient is delivered the appropriate format email (text or HTML) so they don't get a page of HTML code, like you received when you originally tried your test.

My advice? Your friends and family don't need an HTML email to convince them to assist you in a job search. Stick to plain text.

[iMOTOR]

Just came across this thread and had a thought; have you tried popping your html file into Safari and then hitting “File>Mail Contents of This Page” ??

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by iMOTOR 

Just came across this thread and had a thought; have you tried popping your html file into Safari and then hitting “File>Mail Contents of This Page” ??

That will work just fine, but like all email sent through a desktop client this way it is subject to the limitations of max recipients per message SMTP settings and the spam scores that will be triggered by your messages coming from whatever SMTP server you are using.

There are a lot of tricks involved with spamming and keeping spam scores down (rate limiting, inserting list headers, picking/configuring an SMTP server, etc.)

[Rumor]

http://www.amazon.com/HTML-Dummies-E.../dp/076450214X

[andi*pandi]

A book from 1997?!?!?

Originally Posted by -Q- 

My advice? Your friends and family don't need an HTML email to convince them to assist you in a job search. Stick to plain text.

It was my impression that she'd be sending to her client list to drum up more work, not friends and family.

Didn't know that MailChimp has a "free" option, interesting!

[Waragainstsleep]

Have you looked into creating new templates in Mail? They are done with HTML right? I messes around with it a while back for the same sorts of reasons. Never quite got there though. There are companies selling packages of extra templates which you can install but I wanted to make my own.