Emailing via Word looks wrong in hotmail

[1DMF]

Hello,

I'm writing a mailing program and decided to use word as the backend template system so any member of staff could use the mailing program.

this is all working fine except when the email is received by a hotmail account it's all over the place.

why is this?

I'm using MS Word to design the template , it's being sent via MS Outlook, but when received into MS mail it looks awful.

isn't MS compatible with its own products?

is there a way to resolve this?

cheers,

1DMF

"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!

 

[tf1]

You say you designed this in Word. Did you use HTML? How are you using this in Outlook? As an Outlook Form?WHen you sday 'received in MS Mail' are you referring to receiving this in Outlook, Outlook Express, WIndows Mail or the LiveMail web interfaceusing Internet Explorer? Have you looked at how they all see the emails?

Which version of WOrd and Outlook are you using?


Regards: tf1

 

[1DMF]

ok, here we go...

When I say designed in word, i mean exactly that you open word, set it to email message as doc type and create your email.

I'm using this in outlook because when you send an email from word it uses outlook.

It looks fine in outlook and outlook express for recipient, it's hotmail that goes all screwy.

I'm using office 2003.

hope that helps.

Cheers,
1DMF.





"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!

 

[tf1]

I think you are saying that you wite you email in Word as a document and use Sent To: email recipient in Word which uses Outlook as the email client?

The reason that Hotmail looks wrong is because Hotmail is an HTML display. To display an HTML accurately, you must use an HTML layout with precise placement of graphics and objects just as you would to any other web page.

Try designing your mail in HTML and you will see that will be far more accurately displayed in a browser window than something that is in doc format and sent as an email.

In HTML, there really isn't such a thing as a page. So to keep items accurately placed, you have to use frames or other tricks to make the output display the same way for every width monitor.


Regards: tf1

 

[1DMF]

so MS hotmail isn't compatible with MS office, is that what your saying?

or MS Office doesn't send correctly generated HTML emails even though it's configured to.

mailmerge to email is supose to be a functionality of MS word intergration in Office.

But you seem to be saying it doesn't work, is that right?



"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!

 

[tf1]

NO. What I am saying is if you use Word in doc format to write an email, it will be converted to HTML code but it won't be the same as designing in HTML and sending. This is because a page is different in HTML that in a document. In fact, a page as such does exist in either.

If you open Hotmail and prepare a similar email and send it to your account in Outlook. Save it and open it in Word as an HTML page to see the differece.


Regards: tf1

 

[1DMF]

NO. What I am saying is if you use Word in doc format to write an email,

but this is what i don't understand what your saying , IM NOT!

if you open word and change doc type via mailmerge tool bar you can select email.

Or are you saying this doesn't actually change the doc format to email.

Either way i'm giving up with word, far to much hasle and incompatability!

pain in the butt though, what's the point in there being this functionality in word if it doesn't work properly.

Now i'm going to have to hand roll all the email templates instead of enabling staff to create their own, grrrrrr!!!!

"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!

 

[tf1]

Are you using Exchange Server for mailing?


Regards: tf1

 

[1DMF]

Yes , we have an SBS Premium Server.

"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!

 

[tf1]

Have a look at the eXclaimer for SBS server utility. The does far more than just add disclaimers to outgoing emails. In its own description, it will also:

Professional email disclaimers with tables and pictures
Exclaimer Mail Utilities enables you to format emails with pictures, tables, logos, colors and text styles to re-enforce your corporate identity automatically.

It only costs about £100 for SBS and will handle all mail formats, is able to apply different templates on a department by department or even a user by user level.

This may meet your needs. (PS I do not have any association with the company.)


Regards: tf1

 

[1DMF]

Thanks, not sure the boss wants to spend money and we already have Sophos AV with PureMessage which adds our company disclaimer.

I've managed to get what we need doing as you suggested, writing it in HTML and then parsing the file with VB and so able to sync it with our DB.

The problem i'm facing at the moment is a generic issue that seems to affect all webmail systems, here is a link to expain

[URL unfurl="true"]http://www.xavierfrenette.com/articles/css-support-in-webmail/[/URL]

never rains does it!


"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!

 

[fumei]

wow. I don't think there is a real grasp HTML here.

"Or are you saying this doesn't actually change the doc format to email."

..."to email"

As if "email" is a format. yikes.

faq219-2884

Gerry
My paintings and sculpture

 

[tf1]

It changes to a sort of HTML, but it is nothing that you would ever want to put up on a web site - hence it displays badly when using a webmail client. There are settings the let the user make the HTML email really skinny by 'removing formatting information that is not necessary to display the email message'. This works well in Outlook or Outlook Express (and probably other email clients) but just doesn't work well in Web browser.


Regards: tf1

 

[1DMF]

As if "email" is a format. yikes.

err email is a format , do you not know the extention .eml (oh dear!)

"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!

 

[1DMF]

you're not wrong tf1 , when viewing the source - jezus!

also when choosing 'view as web page' it actually creates a .mht , but as I said, I ended up coding the email by hand then parsing with VB and merging to outlook via MAPI.

Works like a charm, well apart from the CSS problems with webmail, but I've got pretty close with hotmail, though it's a nightmare not being able to use the property 'margin' even inline, which is a bit odd really as you are only applying it to a specific tag.

oh well, maybe one day MS will write programs that actually work properly with each other and the greater world of technology.

speaking of which does anyone know if Office 2007 is any better at this?

Or is it a systemic and an inherent problem of MS and the office suite?

cheers,
1DMF.

"In complete darkness we are all the same, only our knowledge and wisdom separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you."

"If a shortcut was meant to be easy, it wouldn't be a shortcut, it would be the way!