Plain, Rich Text and HTML

[kinggeo]

I use Outlook 2002 with Windows ME.
I prefer the flexibility of HTML text format, but it seems to cause problems to some receivers. Can I use Rich Text without causing format problems?
What will happen to messages sent to those using AOL email?

 

[joegz]

RTF is a Microsoft proprietary format. Some e-mail readers may be able to read it some may have problems with it as well. The HTML that is included with Outlook could also be argues is Microsoft's version of HTML. That's the bad news.

The semi-good news is that although RTF is proprietary Outlook generally sends message in multpart/alternative or multipart/mixed format. (Most good e-mail programs do.) Meaning that it will send the message using different formats in case the e-mail reader can't read RTF. It will generally try to display in RTF (if that is the format you sent the message) if the mail reader program can handle this. If not then it will try the HTML and then revert lastly to Plain Text as a last chance.

Plain text is the most compabtible format. An as it goes down the chain the chances decrease that your formatting will be retained.

So in a nutshell all you can really do is try and see what happens on the readers end. A lot depends on the receivers e-mail program.

As for AOL I really can't say since that is also propreitary but it should at least be able to display in plain text although that means the formatting you desire may not stay in tact. joegz
"Sometimes you just need to find out what it's not first to figure out what it is."

 

[Mikefive]

We've had trouble using RTF in our company. I'm not sure, but I think that starting around IE v5.5, Outlook Express quit recognizing the RTF format properly. Outlook users would send attachments in emails formatted with RTF and the attachment wouldn't come across to the Outlook Express user. This was never a problem before. Microsoft says that Outlook Express simply doesn't handle RTF. Gee thanks.

I'd avoid RTF format.