is there coding for "send page by email"..?

[Eugene]

Hello.

I have been getting requests on one of my sites for an easy way to send
pages by email. Since this varies from browser to browser, is there any
"foolproof" way to code in HTML or Javascript to invoke a default email
client to send the page in the body of an email?

thanks for any pointers or resources...

Eugene

 

[Mark Parnell]

is there any
"foolproof" way to code in HTML or Javascript to invoke a default email
client to send the page in the body of an email?

No. What if they don't even have a mail client?

thanks for any pointers or resources...

Use a server-side script, where they can enter the email address to send
it to.
e.g.
http://www.hotscripts.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?bool=AND&query=email+page+to+a+friend&catid=all
(http://tinyurl.com/2otch)

 

[Paul Furman]

Hello.

I have been getting requests on one of my sites for an easy way to send
pages by email. Since this varies from browser to browser, is there any
"foolproof" way to code in HTML or Javascript to invoke a default email
client to send the page in the body of an email?

thanks for any pointers or resources...

Eugene

Not quite what you ask but:

<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=http://www.mysite.com">click to
email this address</a>

That puts the address in the title, or you can put it in the body too,
I'm not sure the exact syntax... probably "body=http://www.mysite.com"

 

[rf]

Not quite what you ask but:

<a href="mailto:[email protected]?subject=http://www.mysite.com">click to
email this address</a>

Careful. This is a totally broken solution. Mailto itself is broken. Add
?subject... to it and it is even more broken.

That puts the address in the title, or you can put it in the body too,
I'm not sure the exact syntax... probably "body=http://www.mysite.com"

And this will break it even more.

The *only* reliable solution is to do it server side.

Cheers
Richard.

 

[Paul Furman]

Careful. This is a totally broken solution. Mailto itself is broken. Add
?subject... to it and it is even more broken.

What is broken? I get emails from people all the time with something
similar on my page. Personally, I would be very hesitant to type a
friend's email into someone else's server. I write the address out on
the page also in case it doesn't work for them.

 

[rf]

What is broken? I get emails from people all the time with something
similar on my page.

By mistake.

I'll bet you have never ever received an email from somebody sitting in a
library or an interner cafe where there is no imail client installed.

I'll bet you have never ever received an email from somebody using any
browser other than the standard out of the box ones that come with an
integrated email client.

And, I'll bet you never ever know about these failed email attempts.

Personally, I would be very hesitant to type a
friend's email into someone else's server.
What?

I write the address out on
the page also in case it doesn't work for them.

Where it can be quite conventially harvested by a spam bot

Cheers
Richard.

 

[Hywel Jenkins]

What is broken?

Your suggestion.

I get emails from people all the time with something
similar on my page.

Ah, I see. The "It works for me" mentality. You don't know how many
messages you don't receive, or how many people can't send you the
message because they don't have an email client. This may interest
you:
http://www.isolani.co.uk/newbie/mailto.html

Personally, I would be very hesitant to type a
friend's email into someone else's server. I write the address out on
the page also in case it doesn't work for them.

Read that again.

 

[Paul Furman]

...This may interest you:
http://www.isolani.co.uk/newbie/mailto.html

Thanks, good explanation of what can go wrong & non-compliance of that
technique. Actually I use Mozilla for mail and those mail links don't
normally work for me especially when browsing IE, they try to open
outlook. So it's very unwise for people to hide the email on their page
behind a link. If the email shows in plain text, I can copy & paste it
into Mozilla, hotmail or whatever. For many IE users, it works real nice
though. There are so many of those links out there, people get used to
it & learn if it works for them or not. IMO it should be integrated into
the standards & I'll keep using it like many people, maybe they'll pick
it up some day and make it work better.

Read that again.

The article is real clear that a server side solution opens the visitor
up to having their friend's email harvested. As I said, I would never do
that unless I really really trusted the web page owner's integrity. I
resent having to contact people and companies that way. I think this
puts your web page in the same class with porn hawkers & impersonal
corporations, that's why I don't like it. Technically, I agree that it
works.

My email address is for contacting me so I don't mind showing it on my
web page. I expect lots of spam and I simply filter it out.

 

[Mark Parnell]

IMO it should be integrated into
the standards & I'll keep using it like many people, maybe they'll pick
it up some day and make it work better.

How exactly do you expect them to make it work on a computer that
doesn't have a mail client installed?

I resent having to contact people and companies that way. I think this
puts your web page in the same class with porn hawkers & impersonal
corporations, that's why I don't like it. Technically, I agree that it
works.

The best solution is to offer both - so they can send an email, or fill
in a form, whichever they prefer. At least a form will always work.

 

[Paul Furman]

How exactly do you expect them to make it work on a computer that
doesn't have a mail client installed?

There's a phone number next to the email <grin>.

 

[Mark Parnell]

There's a phone number next to the email <grin>.

Is that a link as well? Make sure you put the full number, including
country code. ;-)

 

[Paul Furman]

Is that a link as well? Make sure you put the full number, including
country code. ;-)

LOL ...no link yet.
There ought to be an internet phone dial standard, right?

 

[Duende]

While sitting in a puddle Mark Parnell scribbled in the mud:

Make sure you put the full number, including
country code. ;-)

Only if it's outside the US )

 

[Toby A Inkster]

There ought to be an internet phone dial standard, right?

There is.
http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2806.txt