mailto: tag and web mail

[Richard]

Hi, the following snippet of HTML works fine for standard email clients
but does not do so for web based email:-

<A
HREF="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Freecycle%20Extension%2
0Help%20File:-%20">Contact Me</A>

Is there a script that would ensure that I can compose an email complete
with address, subject line and some body text that will indeed work with
gmail, hotmail and so on please?

 

[Lee]

Richard said:

Is there a script that would ensure that I can compose an email complete
with address, subject line and some body text that will indeed work with
gmail, hotmail and so on please?

No.
The only reliable way to send mail is from the server.


--

 

[Randy Webb]

Richard said the following on 1/6/2007 4:38 AM:

Hi, the following snippet of HTML works fine for standard email clients
but does not do so for web based email:-

Ummm, no, it doesn't work for "standard email clients".

 

[Richard]

Richard said the following on 1/6/2007 4:38 AM:

Ummm, no, it doesn't work for "standard email clients".

Thanks
--

 

[VK]

Hi, the following snippet of HTML works fine for standard email clients
but does not do so for web based email:-

<A
HREF="mailto:[email protected]?subject=Freecycle%20Extension%2
0Help%20File:-%20">Contact Me</A>

Is there a script that would ensure that I can compose an email complete
with address, subject line and some body text that will indeed work with
gmail, hotmail and so on please?

mailto: protocol calls the _default_ mail client thus the mail client
set in the browser registry. It doesn't mean "the used mail client".
Say with the default Windows installation it will be Microsoft
Exchange, even if user never used it and even didn't know of its
existence. In such case by clicking on mailto link she will get the
prompt to set up Microsoft Exchange profile - to her major surprise.

In say IE the program launched while clicking on mailto link is defined
by Tools > Internet Options > Programs > E-mail setting. On IE it
allows to choose Hotmail as well but by my observations average users
very rarely bother to change anything in their Internet Options,
especially in the default programs section.

 

[Randy Webb]

VK said the following on 1/7/2007 7:19 AM:

mailto: protocol calls the _default_ mail client thus the mail client
set in the browser registry. It doesn't mean "the used mail client".
Say with the default Windows installation it will be Microsoft
Exchange, even if user never used it and even didn't know of its
existence. In such case by clicking on mailto link she will get the
prompt to set up Microsoft Exchange profile - to her major surprise.

Are you positive about that? Every time I have reset the defaults in IE
and tested a mailto: link it prompts me to setup OE, not Exchange.

 

[VK]

Are you positive about that? Every time I have reset the defaults in IE
and tested a mailto: link it prompts me to setup OE, not Exchange.

With both Office and IE/Outlook Express pre-installed the choice goes -
as it seems - on the "who's the last" basis. So if in the used matrix
IE goes first and Office after than the default will be Microsoft
Outlook. If Office first and IE pack after than Outlook Express. On
Windows w/o Office and stay-alone IE that will be Windows
Messaging/Exchange.

With 3-5 machines smashed to ground and restored I could tell for sure
- but I don't feel like doing it ;-)

 

[Randy Webb]

VK said the following on 1/7/2007 12:18 PM:

With both Office and IE/Outlook Express pre-installed the choice goes -
as it seems - on the "who's the last" basis. So if in the used matrix
IE goes first and Office after than the default will be Microsoft
Outlook. If Office first and IE pack after than Outlook Express. On
Windows w/o Office and stay-alone IE that will be Windows
Messaging/Exchange

I still beg to differ. I do not have MS Office installed on Windows XP
SP2 Home Edition, yet it has *never* asked me about Exchange, it has
*always* asked me about Outlook Express. In fact, with no default email
client (which I don't have chosen), clicking on a mailto: link prompts
me to set up OE.

With 3-5 machines smashed to ground and restored I could tell for sure
- but I don't feel like doing it ;-)

No need to, I am telling you what mine does.