[Tutor] Sending email as html

[Lie Ryan]

> Message: 3
> Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2008 00:17:43 +0100
> From: "Alan Gauld" <alan.gauld at btinternet.com>
> Subject: Re: [Tutor] Sending email as html
> To: tutor at python.org
> Message-ID: <g9semn$1cp$1 at ger.gmane.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
>         reply-type=original
> 
> "Tim Johnson" <tim at johnsons-web.com> wrote
> 
> > I would appreciate examples, URLs to documentation or discussions
> of 
> > the topic
> > and even an argument to the contrary of sending email with embedded 
> > html.
> 
> The argument to the contrary is simple enough - its not secure and
> vulnerable to 'virus' type attack. For that reason many corporate 
> firewalls
> trap or even prevent its delivery. (This is due to the ability to 
> embed
> script tags with VBScript functions that on a suitably enabled PVC
> can access the local hard drive,  etc)
> 
> OTOH if they insist I assume(I've never looked at the spec for HTML 
> mail)
> that its just a case of inserting a boilerplate header and then
> adding 
> styling
> tags to the message text. After that you should be able to send as
> plain text...
> 
> However it might be easier (and is definitely safer) to send an HTML
> file as a mime attachment which gives the recipient some control over
> how/when it is opened. But if mime is OK you could use PDF which
> is safer still and the best format for when accurate layout needs to
> be transmitted in a portable format. Unfortunately there are now
> programs which can edit PDFs which has somewhat destroyed
> their value as a read-only document format for contracts, invoices 
> etc...

If you have used tried using any PDF editor for more than correcting
typos, you'd still consider it as a read-only document. Since PDF's file
isn't intended to be edited the format makes it hard for editors to have
a convenient interface, most significantly is that texts are chopped and
tables are turned into lines. It's just like erasing a form with a
correction fluid "a kludge".

> But for portable layout they are still the best option.
> 
> Alan G.
>