Compose Mode needs to have a 'reply in kind' option

bcottel · 10 Aug 2008, 01:43 AM

Hi all,

Probably been suggested before, but more & more I'm finding that although I prefer to have my default mode be text, if someone writes to me in HTML mode, I'd like FM to automagically set me up to reply in HTML mode.

Any chance this might be added soon?

Thanks

n5bb · 10 Aug 2008, 02:43 AM

Are you familiar with the Compose screen Advanced editing mode? Near the upper right corner (below the Done button) is a link to toggle between Advanced and Basic editing modes. This is persistent -- once you change modes it remembers across sessions.

In Advanced Compose mode a reply method tool appears to the right of the Reply, Reply to all, and Forward buttons. You can use this tool to use HTML quoting or inline editing modes, even if you have set the default editing mode to text in Options>Account Preferences.

Bill

bcottel · 11 Aug 2008, 04:07 AM

Thanks Bill.

Yeah, I'm always in Advanced mode, and I often choose that drop-down to switch into HTML mode, but these days it is hard to tell sometimes when an email comes in HTML.

Hence, I'd like the feature to be "if sent in text, reply in text; if sent in HTML reply in HTML" and then the other "default" should still be "text" (or "HTML" if one chooses, but I'd prefer "text" for original compositions).

IOW, it's a "reply" feature--either always reply in text, always in HTML, or always reply in same format as received in. It's the last of these I'm requesting.

Thanks

n5bb · 11 Aug 2008, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcottel

... these days it is hard to tell sometimes when an email comes in HTML. ...

Look at the right side of the View screen (directly above the Show full header control). The bold view (without an underlined link) is what is being displayed. So for text only messages you will see Text view, while for HTML messages you will see either Framed view or HTML view. From the FAQ:
What's the different between "Text view", "HTML view", "Framed view" and "Raw view"?

Quote:

Originally Posted by bcottel

... Hence, I'd like the feature to be "if sent in text, reply in text; if sent in HTML reply in HTML" and then the other "default" should still be "text" (or "HTML" if one chooses, but I'd prefer "text" for original compositions).

IOW, it's a "reply" feature--either always reply in text, always in HTML, or always reply in same format as received in. It's the last of these I'm requesting.

I would like the web client to default in this way also, but it would take some work. There is more than just reply in text and reply in HTML to deal with. You would need to have at least two sets of choices:

Reply to a text message choices (ignore original, use > prefix with original, inline original, or attach original)
Reply to an HTML message choices (ignore original, attach original, quote HTML, or inline HTML)

For reference: What is the popup menu next to the Forward button for? And what I want more than all of these automated choices is the ability to do what I manually did above in my response to your post:

Create multiple quoted responses
This could be done using either text or HTML original messages by allowing the user to highlight sections of the original text and then use a quote selection button or inline selection button. This would allow you to create multiple responses quoted or inline to an original message.

Bill

bcottel · 11 Aug 2008, 12:11 PM

Thanks for the tip on figuring out the HTML-ness of a message. Okay, so now I have to look in the upper right, then click a drop-down in the upper left, choose Inline HTML as my preference... in order to just 'reply in kind'.

Seems like a pretty simple request to just have an option "Always reply using:" that has three choices: text, HTML, same as sent. I would expect that the last of these means: Inline original does an "Inline text" if the message is text, and "Inline HTML" if the message is HTML. It would similarly do "Prefix >" for text and a "Quote HTML" for HTML. Just those two options all else stays the same.

You can make it more complicated as you describe (and perhaps that's what you'd like), but it's not what I'm requesting. Just the option that I can reply in the same type as was sent to me (while still having my default mode be text).

Btw, I noticed by switching into "default HTML compose mode" that if one receives a text message, the default is "Inline original" and if one receives an HTML message the default is "Inline HTML"... So it works the way I'd expect, but only if one's default is HTML compose. Since mine is text compose, the default regardless of incoming message type is always Inline original.

Anyway, a small switch is all I'm asking for.

Thanks for paying attention Bill. Are you with Fastmail development? If not, I'd be interested to hear from them. And if you are, please consider this!

Cheers!

10 Aug 2008, 01:43 AM	#1
bcottel Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Palo Alto, Calif., USA Posts: 6	Compose Mode needs to have a 'reply in kind' option Hi all, Probably been suggested before, but more & more I'm finding that although I prefer to have my default mode be text, if someone writes to me in HTML mode, I'd like FM to automagically set me up to reply in HTML mode. Any chance this might be added soon? Thanks

10 Aug 2008, 02:43 AM	#2
n5bb Intergalactic Postmaster Join Date: May 2004 Location: Irving, Texas Posts: 9,131	Advanced Compose mode Are you familiar with the Compose screen Advanced editing mode? Near the upper right corner (below the Done button) is a link to toggle between Advanced and Basic editing modes. This is persistent -- once you change modes it remembers across sessions. In Advanced Compose mode a reply method tool appears to the right of the Reply, Reply to all, and Forward buttons. You can use this tool to use HTML quoting or inline editing modes, even if you have set the default editing mode to text in Options>Account Preferences. Bill

11 Aug 2008, 04:07 AM	#3
bcottel Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Palo Alto, Calif., USA Posts: 6	Thanks Bill. Yeah, I'm always in Advanced mode, and I often choose that drop-down to switch into HTML mode, but these days it is hard to tell sometimes when an email comes in HTML. Hence, I'd like the feature to be "if sent in text, reply in text; if sent in HTML reply in HTML" and then the other "default" should still be "text" (or "HTML" if one chooses, but I'd prefer "text" for original compositions). IOW, it's a "reply" feature--either always reply in text, always in HTML, or always reply in same format as received in. It's the last of these I'm requesting. Thanks

11 Aug 2008, 12:11 PM	#5
bcottel Junior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Palo Alto, Calif., USA Posts: 6	Thanks for the tip on figuring out the HTML-ness of a message. Okay, so now I have to look in the upper right, then click a drop-down in the upper left, choose Inline HTML as my preference... in order to just 'reply in kind'. Seems like a pretty simple request to just have an option "Always reply using:" that has three choices: text, HTML, same as sent. I would expect that the last of these means: Inline original does an "Inline text" if the message is text, and "Inline HTML" if the message is HTML. It would similarly do "Prefix >" for text and a "Quote HTML" for HTML. Just those two options all else stays the same. You can make it more complicated as you describe (and perhaps that's what you'd like), but it's not what I'm requesting. Just the option that I can reply in the same type as was sent to me (while still having my default mode be text). Btw, I noticed by switching into "default HTML compose mode" that if one receives a text message, the default is "Inline original" and if one receives an HTML message the default is "Inline HTML"... So it works the way I'd expect, but only if one's default is HTML compose. Since mine is text compose, the default regardless of incoming message type is always Inline original. Anyway, a small switch is all I'm asking for. Thanks for paying attention Bill. Are you with Fastmail development? If not, I'd be interested to hear from them. And if you are, please consider this! Cheers!