Re: How to Control HTML Formatting?

[Allen Watson]

Title: Re: How to Control HTML Formatting?

On or near 2/21/02 7:34 AM, Pete Hall at [EMAIL PROTECTED] observed:

> On 2/21/02 10:23 AM, "Mac Carter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>> Let me clarify... I’m looking for a way to select specific email addresses
>> like an email list such as this one.  It would probably be like setting up a
>> “RULE” to have all messages sent to a particular address go out in plain
>> text format only and not HTML format.  I know I can do this for individual
>> messages or for ALL messages via the button referred to below or the
>> Preferences.  Neither of those options is what I’m looking for.
>>
>> Mac Carter
>> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>
>
> Would it be correct to assume that mail _from_ that particular list would be
> in plain text and that you wished to reply to the list in plain text?
>
> If that is the case, go to Mail and news Preferences, Reply and forward tab,
> and check the box "Reply to messages in the format in which they were sent."
> If you receive mail in plain text you will reply to that mail in plain text;
> if you receive HTML mail, you will reply in HTML. Is this what you were
> looking for?
>
> Pete Hall
The only thing not covered by Pete's suggestions is posting new messages to the list. There, of course, one <ought> to be able to depend on oneself to click off HTML if it is selected, but realistically, it's easy to forget, and annoying when a list bounces your mail because it won't accept HTML. This is yet another example of the need for TRUE OUTGOING mail rules, rather than the current "out-gone" rules that operate <after> the message has been sent.

One possible and almost perfect solution via AppleScript is to set up a Schedule that runs this AppleScript:

property noHTMLList : {"[EMAIL PROTECTED]", "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"}
--Set the above list to contain the addresses to receive plain text
tell application "Microsoft Entourage"
    activate
    try -- may be no window (??)    
        if class of window 1 = draft window then
            set theMsg to window 1
            save theMsg
            set theRecipients to every recipient of theMsg
            repeat with theRecipient in theRecipients
                set theAddress to address of the address of theRecipient
                
                if {theAddress} is in noHTMLList then --and (has html of theMsg) then
                    (* Scripting the change from HTML to plain text is does not seem to work
                    perfectly, although special formatting like color and size disappear, but it
                    may be possible. Perhaps others will find a way.
*)
                    display dialog "Message recipients require plain text, not HTML. Change now?."
                    set the content of theMsg to (get the content of theMsg as Unicode text)
                    display dialog "Please click the ab/ab button to turn off further HTML."
                    exit repeat
                end if
            end repeat
        end if
    on error theErr
        display dialog theErr
    end try
end tell

The code will strip HTML from what you have already typed, but it leaves the HTML button set; you have to turn that off manually. But, at least it reminds you to do it! Because it runs once a minute, it will catch 99% of the messages you write. Because it only does something if a draft window is open, it won’t interfere with anything else going on.
--
My web page: <http://home.earthlink.net/~allenwatson/>
My scripts page: <http:homepage.mac.com/allenwatson>
Microsoft MVP for Mac Entourage/Word--<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>