Re: [Evolution] Suggestions on HTML mail/ML-reading

[Milan Crha <mcrha redhat com>]

On Fri, 2009-08-28 at 23:03 +0800, Ng Oon-Ee wrote:
> My settings are 'Prefer plain' as well, on 2.26. My issue is that some
> of the mail I'm receiving doesn't respond well, for example HTML-only
> mail that DOES render okay in plain text gets the HTML shown, while some
> mail which doesn't make sense in text (for example, release
> announcements from sony.com for new DVDs/movies) shows in PLAIN rather
> than HTML, simply because the incoming mails have both.

I'm quite unsure whether I follow fully. It seems that we understand
each other that there are (for us) three types of emails:
a) containing only plain text part
b) containing only HTML text part
c) containing both plain and HTML part in a multipart/alternative part

The RFC says that the multipart/alternative contains subparts in an
order of the "ugliest" content to the best content view. Some servers,
for example, send calendar invitations with three parts in the
multipart/alternative parts, text/plain, text/html and text/calendar (in
this order), and the mail reading/showing application can choose the
best format it understands and is able to provide to the user.

Here comes the "prefer-plain plugin", which can influence the behavior
(together with itip-formatter plugin, but that's other story). The
prefer plain plugin only allows you to choose that "uglier" part to be
shown as default.

For the case b) there is no option, thus it shows the HTML part
directly. What should it show if not that part? You can see actually,
when setting "Show only ever plain text part", then you have an empty
email, with an html attachment, which cannot be expanded inline (is
insensitive), but is openable in a browser or such. I do not like this,
same as you, as it's not convenient.

> ...
>  So, for example, I may prefer
> plain text, and only see the HTML when I want to (loading up
> epiphany/firefox just to read an email seems a bit OTT to me though).

see below

> Or, I may prefer HTML and only want plain text when I have misbehaving
> HTML which can't be read (white text on white background, for example,
> since I'm using a dark theme).
>
> 'Prefer Plain' addresses the first use-case, but is a bit of a
> work-around, using an external web browser.

With the "Prefer plain" set I'm not forced to open the HTML part in the
browser, I can choose "View Inline" or simply click the button beside
the arrow at the bottom of the message, and the part will be expanded
inline, in the message.

> Its of no help in the
> second, that is, if the default is 'Show HTML if present', there is no
> way to 'show this particular message as plain text'.

I believe the "Prefer Plain" is what you want, maybe you only missed the
possibility of inline showing?

Oops, I'm sorry for longer mail.
        Bye,
        Milan