XCLN: Sending Messages In Rich-Text Format

ID: Q136204

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows 95
Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95
Microsoft Exchange Internet Provider
Microsoft Outlook 97

SUMMARY

The Microsoft Exchange Windows 95 client allows you to send messages through the Microsoft Exchange Internet Provider in rich-text format.

To view rich-text attributes, the recipient must also use Microsoft Exchange or another messaging system that displays rich-text formatting. Messaging systems that do not support rich-text formatting will display messages as plain text without special attributes or formatting.

Rich-text format attributes include:

Font name
Font size
Character color
Bold
Italic
Underline
Strikethrough
Bulleted lists

You may want to disable rich-text formatting in messages sent to recipients whose e-mail systems do not decode and display these attributes.

MORE INFORMATION

Properties Concept

By default, when you send a rich-text message using the Microsoft Exchange Internet Mail Provider, a MIME-encoded description of the formatting is included with the message. You can also send messages without MIME; this causes a special file to be attached called Winmail.dat. Winmail.dat is appended to the message in uuencoded format. This encoding includes rich-text attributes and formatting details for the mail message.

For additional information about how to prevent sending the Winmail.dat attachment to Internet users when you are using the Microsoft Exchange Internet Mail Service, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q138053 XFOR: Preventing WINMAIL.DAT Sent to Internet Users

When a rich-text format message is sent using MIME, an entry similar to the following is added to the header of the message:


   Mime-Version: 1.0
   Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="----
    =_NextPart_000_01BA6275.348C1000"
   Status: RO
   X-STATUS
======

   ------ =_NextPart_000_01BA6275.348C1000
   ------ =_NextPart_000_01BA6275.348C1000
   Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
   Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

Following the header is the message body, followed by MIME-encoded rich-text formatting information similar to the following:


   ------ =_NextPart_000_01BA6275.348C1000
   Content-Type: application/ms-tnef
   Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64

   eJ8+IisSAQaQCAAEAAAAAAABAAEAAQeQBgAIAAAA5AQAAAAAAADoAAENgAQAAgAAAAEAAQ
   ABBJAGAEgBAAABAAAADAAAAAMAADACAAAACwAPDgAAAAACAf8PAQAAAHQAAAAAAAAAtTvC
   wCx3EBqhvAgAKypWwhUAAAB2ZPLzl7rOEa5RAKoAQkrnpIAAAAAAAACBKx+kvqMQGZ1uAN
   0BD1QCAAAAAEdyZWcgS3VkYXN6IChhdCBjcmlzLmNvbSkAU01UUABna3VkYXN6QGNyaXMu
   Y29tAB4AAjABAAAABQAAAFNNVFAAAAAAHgADMAEAAAARAAAAZ2t1ZGFzekBjcmlzLmNvbQ
   AAAAADABUMAQAAAAMA/g8GAAAAHgABMAEAAAAcAAAAJ0dyZWcgS3VkYXN6IChhdCBjcmlz
   LmNvbSknAAIBCzABAAAAFgAAAFNNVFA6R0tV
   [. . .]

Alternatively, when a rich-text formatted message is sent using UUENCODE, code similar to the following is added to the bottom of the message:


   begin 600 WINMAIL.DAT
   M>)\^(C<.`0:0" `$```````!``$``0>0!@`(````Y 0```````#H``$%@ ,`
   M#@```,L'" `$``<`)P`O``4`0 $!"8 !`"$````S,S5$,C,W,#%"0T-#13$Q
   M04,S,C4R-#$U,S0X,# P,0#8!@$@@ ,`#@```,L'" `$``<`)P`V``4`1P$!
   M"( '`!@```!)4$TN36EC<F]S;V9T($UA:6PN3F]T90`Q" $$@ $`& ```%MS
   M;71P.F=K=61A<WI 8W)I<RYC;VU=``T)`0V ! `"`````@`"``$#D 8```$`
   M``P```! `#D`X!.6)7ABN@$>`' ``0```!@```!;<VUT<#IG:W5D87-Z0&-R
   [. . .]

Note that the MIME encoding and WINMAIL.DAT information are not legible text. Only Microsoft Exchange and messaging systems compatible with rich-text formatting can translate the formatting details contained in the MIME encoding and in WINMAIL.DAT.

TOGGLING RICH-TEXT FORMAT

The following scenarios outline when a message sent though the Internet with Microsoft Exchange is delivered in rich-text format.

New Address Book Entry

Rich text is a property that can be set per recipient with the Internet Mail Provider. You can set the rich-text option in the personal address book by clicking New Entry from the Address Book File menu, and clicking Internet Address. By default, rich-text formatting is off for new entries.

Adding Address Book Entry from Message

If you receive mail from a sender that is not in your personal address book, you can add that person by examining the details on that sender (double-click the sender's alias name in the From box), and clicking Add To: Personal Address Book. The new entry has rich-text formatting off by default for the alias you are creating.

You can click to select the Always Send To This Recipient In Microsoft Exchange Rich-Text Format check box to turn on rich-text formatting for the new alias. This setting is used when you choose the name from the address book for both of the above examples.

NOTE: The above two examples are true for the Microsoft Exchange Internet Provider that ships with Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95. Other providers may have different defaults.

Entering Address in [smtp:user@domain.net] Format

Instead of choosing an alias from the personal address book, you can use one of two forms of "one-off addressing." One-off addressing allows you to enter an alias directly in the To box when you compose a message.

The first form of one-off addressing is to type the address enclosed in brackets with the SMTP address designator. Messages addressed in this format are delivered in rich-text format.

Example:

TO: [smtp:postmaster@company.com]

Entering Address in user@domain.net Format

The second form of one-off addressing is to enter the address without enclosing the address in brackets. Messages addressed in this format are NOT delivered in rich-text format.

Example:

TO: postmaster@company.com

NOTE: For the above two examples, you can toggle the rich-text setting using the following steps:

Click Check Names on the toolbar, or press CTRL+K.

Double-click the alias name in the To box.

Either click to select or click to clear the Always Send To This Recipient In Microsoft Exchange Rich-Text Format check box, as applicable.

Additional query words: faq

Keywords : kbusage XCLN
Version : WINDOWS:95,97
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type :