Mail, paragraph formatting

On Feb 7, 2:11 pm, dorayme <doraymeRidT... DeleteThis @optusnet.com.au> wrote:
> First thing to do is to ensure the Mail message you are pasting
> into is set for plain text under the Format menu. This often
> works to remove all indents as well as removing things like
> centred headings when you paste.

Thanks to you and Jolly Roger for your suggestions. I do sometimes use
both (CMND-SHIFT-T for plaintext to remove all formatting; and pasting
from Word into a "formatless" WP before copying into Mail), but both
of those are not totally idea. The first loses formatting that I do
want, and the second entails an extra step. It seems weird that Mail
remembers paragraph formatting from a paste but doesn't allow the user
to change that formatting.

Martin
 >> Stay informed about: Mail, paragraph formatting 

In article
<ddc9ed48-f965-4cce-9a4b-bfff15153ac0.RemoveThis@h11g2000prf.googlegroups.com>,
hellman.RemoveThis@stanford.edu wrote:

> On Feb 7, 2:11 pm, dorayme <doraymeRidT....RemoveThis@optusnet.com.au> wrote:
> > First thing to do is to ensure the Mail message you are pasting
> > into is set for plain text under the Format menu. This often
> > works to remove all indents as well as removing things like
> > centred headings when you paste.
>
> Thanks to you and Jolly Roger for your suggestions. I do sometimes use
> both (CMND-SHIFT-T for plaintext to remove all formatting; and pasting
> from Word into a "formatless" WP before copying into Mail), but both
> of those are not totally idea. The first loses formatting that I do
> want, and the second entails an extra step. It seems weird that Mail
> remembers paragraph formatting from a paste but doesn't allow the user
> to change that formatting.

The simple solution of using plain text is best.

Plain text is the preferred method for emails by people who know the
internet. It is efficient, safe, virus-free, will be readable by any
mail client at the other end, doesn't impose your font, size, style
preferences on others, and has far smaller risk of being filtered out by
spam filters.

HTML messages are generally two to four times larger for the same
message than plain text equivalents. That means not only do they take
longer to transfer over the net, contributing to network congestion,
they also take up more disk space on your computer, on the recipient's
computer, and on every server they hit along the way!

With HTML messages, the people who receive the messages have little or
no control over the text font, size, and style. They must read the
message in whatever font, size, and style *you* set when you created the
message. Plain Text messages, on the other hand, display in whatever
font, size, and style the recipient wishes.

HTML email is dangerous because it may contain links to external sites
that will do malicious things. For instance, a spammer can include a
link to an image, but this link contains a tag as data. The server at
the other end will get that request when your *read your email* and
based on the tag, will be able to confirm that you've read the email and
not only flag your email address as active/good, but also use your IP
with geographical location servers to assign a location code so that
they can then sell your email address to other spammers along with your
general location. If everyone stopped sending HTML emails, everyone
would block it, and then spammers would be left with very few means to
escape spam filters because their messages would have to b simple and
without tricks.

HTML email is wasteful, dangerous, and rude, IMO. It's just plain evil.

--
Note: Please send all responses to the relevant news group. If you
must contact me through e-mail, let me know when you send email to
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JR
 >> Stay informed about: Mail, paragraph formatting 

In article
<a41b1ca6-b959-45a1-895a-601989da7bcc.TakeThisOut@l16g2000hsh.googlegroups.co
m>,
hellman.TakeThisOut@stanford.edu wrote:

> When I copy a paragraph from a Word document to a Mail message, the
> paragraph formatting (e.g., hanging indent) is copied into the Mail
> message. Sometimes I don't want that, but I haven't found any way to
> change paragraph formats within Mail. Is there?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Martin

First thing to do is to ensure the Mail message you are pasting
into is set for plain text under the Format menu. This often
works to remove all indents as well as removing things like
centred headings when you paste.

--
dorayme
 >> Stay informed about: Mail, paragraph formatting 

In article
<ddc9ed48-f965-4cce-9a4b-bfff15153ac0 DeleteThis @h11g2000prf.googlegroups.co
m>,
hellman DeleteThis @stanford.edu wrote:

> On Feb 7, 2:11 pm, dorayme <doraymeRidT... DeleteThis @optusnet.com.au> wrote:
> > First thing to do is to ensure the Mail message you are pasting
> > into is set for plain text under the Format menu. This often
> > works to remove all indents as well as removing things like
> > centred headings when you paste.
>
> Thanks to you and Jolly Roger for your suggestions. I do sometimes use
> both (CMND-SHIFT-T for plaintext to remove all formatting; and pasting
> from Word into a "formatless" WP before copying into Mail), but both
> of those are not totally idea. The first loses formatting that I do
> want, and the second entails an extra step. It seems weird that Mail
> remembers paragraph formatting from a paste but doesn't allow the user
> to change that formatting.

Just to be clear, I meant only to ensure the Mail reply is set to
plain text before pasting. Don't bother about fiddling the word
or Neooffice source.

--
dorayme
 >> Stay informed about: Mail, paragraph formatting 

In article
<jollyroger-E202F5.17055607022008.RemoveThis@earthlink.vsrv-sjc.supernews.ne
t>,
Jolly Roger <jollyroger.RemoveThis@pobox.com> wrote:

> HTML email is wasteful, dangerous, and rude, IMO. It's just plain evil.

I saw a policeman arrest such an email. When the case got to
court, it got life.

--
dorayme
 >> Stay informed about: Mail, paragraph formatting 

In article
<a41b1ca6-b959-45a1-895a-601989da7bcc DeleteThis @l16g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>,
hellman DeleteThis @stanford.edu wrote:

> When I copy a paragraph from a Word document to a Mail message, the
> paragraph formatting (e.g., hanging indent) is copied into the Mail
> message. Sometimes I don't want that, but I haven't found any way to
> change paragraph formats within Mail. Is there?

Cmd-Opt-Shift-V = Paste and Match Style. It uses the style of the
message rather than retaining the style of the text you're pasting.

--
Barry Margolin, barmar DeleteThis @alum.mit.edu
Arlington, MA
*** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me ***
*** PLEASE don't copy me on replies, I'll read them in the group ***
 >> Stay informed about: Mail, paragraph formatting 

In article
<barmar-CB6F59.21455907022008.DeleteThis@comcast.dca.giganews.com>,
Barry Margolin <barmar.DeleteThis@alum.mit.edu> wrote:

> In article
> <a41b1ca6-b959-45a1-895a-601989da7bcc.DeleteThis@l16g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>,
> hellman.DeleteThis@stanford.edu wrote:
>
> > When I copy a paragraph from a Word document to a Mail message, the
> > paragraph formatting (e.g., hanging indent) is copied into the Mail
> > message. Sometimes I don't want that, but I haven't found any way to
> > change paragraph formats within Mail. Is there?
>
> Cmd-Opt-Shift-V = Paste and Match Style. It uses the style of the
> message rather than retaining the style of the text you're pasting.

Interesting but it made no difference whether I do the simpler
thing I mentioned earlier (open up new message, ensure it is
plain text format, and simple paste)

Tested on some originally received formatted word doc from one of
my clients as displayed in colours and indents and links and all
manner of formatting from my NeoOffice to Mail (2.1)

--
dorayme
 >> Stay informed about: Mail, paragraph formatting 

In article
<a41b1ca6-b959-45a1-895a-601989da7bcc RemoveThis @l16g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>,
hellman RemoveThis @stanford.edu wrote:

> When I copy a paragraph from a Word document to a Mail message, the
> paragraph formatting (e.g., hanging indent) is copied into the Mail
> message. Sometimes I don't want that, but I haven't found any way to
> change paragraph formats within Mail. Is there?

you might look into a free services package called "WordService".

Isaac
 >> Stay informed about: Mail, paragraph formatting 

In article
<doraymeRidThis-4D45CE.09113208022008 RemoveThis @news-vip.optusnet.com.au>,
dorayme <doraymeRidThis RemoveThis @optusnet.com.au> wrote:
> In article
> <a41b1ca6-b959-45a1-895a-601989da7bcc RemoveThis @l16g2000hsh.googlegroups.co
> m>,
> hellman RemoveThis @stanford.edu wrote:
> > When I copy a paragraph from a Word document to a Mail message, the
> > paragraph formatting (e.g., hanging indent) is copied into the Mail
> > message. Sometimes I don't want that, but I haven't found any way to
> > change paragraph formats within Mail. Is there?
>
> First thing to do is to ensure the Mail message you are pasting
> into is set for plain text under the Format menu. This often
> works to remove all indents as well as removing things like
> centred headings when you paste.

My experience has been, IIRC, that while the text formatting is stripped
the _paragraph_ formatting, specifically a blank line before paragraph
if the original was so formatted, remains. Pasting the formatted
Clipboard into a plain text TextEdit doc and then into Mail strips the
paragraph formatting. Hardly ideal, but it does work.

--Fred
 >> Stay informed about: Mail, paragraph formatting 

On Feb 7, 6:45 pm, Barry Margolin <bar....RemoveThis@alum.mit.edu> wrote:
>
> Cmd-Opt-Shift-V = Paste and Match Style.  It uses the style of the
> message rather than retaining the style of the text you're pasting.

Ah, yes. This is what Jolly Roger was hinting at in the second message
of this thread. That is what I need -- other than converting to
plaintext email. At first that fooled me since "Paste and Match Style"
sounded like the opposite of what I wanted. The trick is realizing its
the destination style that is being talked about!

Thanks.

Martin
 >> Stay informed about: Mail, paragraph formatting