[thelist] Advice on authoring HTML email

Andy W andy.war at ntlworld.com
Fri Jul 5 10:56:00 CDT 2002


Okay, sticking my head above the crenellations a little here...

Can anyone point me in the direction of some good tutorials on how to create and
send HTML email, specifically email with animated GIFs?

I've checked on evolt.org for articles, and found a few links on Google, but
nothing really covered how to do it from basics to completion.

If it makes any difference, I'm authoring on a Mac in BBedit. My goal is to
supply client with the finished files, instructions and let them mail it out*
(probably with Outlook on PC).

Each email must have a HTML-formatted body with a coloured background, an
animated gif logo, and two word docs as attachments.

Before anyone starts... I've already tried to have the argument about text-only
is better, and that they should simply quote a URL in the email and have the
info there, but it's falling on deaf ears.

Personally, I don't like HTML mail, and would normally run a mile from creating
spam-ammo for any client, but this is a specific emailing to 50 people who are
already on their opt-in mailing list, so I'm not going to get on my high horse
about it. (It's an invite to a forthcoming conference...)

Regardless of how much they insist on HTML mail**, I'd like to do what little I
can to make sure if someone does get it with a text-only client they see a
test-only version (multipart MIME emails?) and that it as standards, bandwidth
and user-friendly as HTML can be***.

Any suggestions?

TIA

Andy W

(Who is already expecting lots of 'don't use HTML in email' posts, agrees 100%,
needs to pay the bills this month and is thus willing to prostitute his talents
on this one occasion, and doesn't expect too much grief because of it... nuff
said.)

* No way I'm getting my account involved in sending this stuff out, just in
case...

** They've been sent a animated HTML joke recently and said 'we want something
just like that...' If I could find out who sent 'em that joke, and put the idea
in their head, I'd go after them with a railroad spike.

*** And if there is a relatively 'friendly' way of doing it, I'll write an evolt
article for everyone else's benefit as penance; honest :)



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