how do i create an email with images that arent attachments?

[slygrrl22]

I used frontpage to create an email html file that has images externally loading from another site. but for some reason, every time i send the email, it sends the images as attachments, which irritates some people. how can i send the email with images not as attachments?

[vkaryl]

You could make stationery out of them. I don't know exactly how it's done, but sites like Red Rose Stationery will probably be able to help you along with it.

[slygrrl22]

actually, it is already a stationery. I have seen many emails, newsletters, etc., that have many images, but dont read as attachments. I wonder how it is done. any other ideas?

[vkaryl]

There was a topic on here some time back about this. I honestly don't know if there was a resolution. Here's the thread addy: [webmasterworld.com...]

Maybe reading the posts there will help. I do remember that I posted in it regarding my daughter and I using stationery not on the other's machine which displayed just fine without being "attachmentized".

The only other thing I can think of is that this has something to do with either a temp internet folder issue or an XP SP2 issue.

[I should note that I don't use either FP or Outlook, so really can't comment on how they react to these issues.]

[mincklerstraat]

This is something that I don't understand very much, and may be wrong; but the notes here could solve your problem.

I always use Thunderbird for doing HTML newsletters since it seems to have a way of including the images encoded in the text of the letter itself, and not as attachments. It's very easy to use, just a point-n-click sort of wysiwyg interface - and the images are encoded at the bottom of the HTML source. The <img src=""> statements contain something which somehow references the encoded images displayed below the text.

This is very, very nice since everything can be viewed properly if the user downloads the mail, and then views it when offline (if it's mail that has to grab images from your site, these images won't be loaded and your user will see blank spots). The images also don't seem to be attachments, though I haven't begun to study what mime-types and other HTTP-transfer stuff goes on with e-mail attachments. All just one single file.

Get yourself thunderbird and see if in the HTML compose pane you can add images; it will probably work straight off. Mail yourself one of these and see how it comes in. If thunderbird doesn't work straight off, try getting the Mozilla browser, which will include something called Composer, which is a wysiwyg editor which might be necessary for the wysiwyg html thing in your mails to work.

I now notice that thunderbird doesn't let you make tables; maybe just try Mozilla and the mail program that comes with that browser, it may have been that which I used for writing the newsletter.

[Jedi Vampire Coffee]

Maybe im being naive, but will your e-mail provider not allow you to put HTML code inside an e-mail? it would save time if you just typed the tags in yourself...

[slygrrl22]

Yes, Im using thunderbird to send the mail, and I have the same problem with outlook express. Some people have suggested it is a bug in Windows XP thats causing the problem. One person told me to try embedding the images with something called "code 64" (i think thats what it was), but when I looked into it, it seemed like extremely complicated, & Im not sure if it would work if the images are links (which I need them to be)...

[slygrrl22]

I didnt get a chance yet to try to attach image option in Thunderbird, but im not sure if thats what i want anyway, cuz I need the images to be stationery, so they are included at the end of every message I send. What do u think?

[mincklerstraat]

I just saved a draft of the gussied up letter without any text. I found that I still had to change the background color each time, somehow that didn't get included in the draft. Probably I could just edit the source, but I didn't send this newsletter out too often, so just clicking to change the background color was good enough for me.

Yes, the images are base64 encoded. But thunderbird does this for you.

I don't see why you couldn't make a link out of those images - just edit the HTML produced by thunderbird and change that ole image into a link.

Could be that XP SP2 doesn't like inline inclusion of images in this way - I don't know, I haven't updated to SP2 yet and I don't do any e-mail on windows anyways, I usually only go to windows to check out 'how will this be for windows users.' I don't like the idea of e-mail on windows very much, it sounds like opening the door to problems and a slow-running 'puter. I spent much more time twitting around with stuff on when I was on windows - not having to bother about junk infesting your computer can save you a lot of time and headaches. Thunderbird will help you in this way, it's probably pretty good at keeping the junk out.

[slygrrl22]

when you were creating your draft, like how you said, was that a file that you have attached as a signature (in the account settings)? Cuz thats how I need to do it. I cant just create a new letter & then go to insert:image everytime, since it would be too much over & over.