Kirk's tips for successful file transfer via email (enclosures):
Q1: "Someone sent me a file enclosure via email.Why can't I open it?
Q2: "I sent someone a file via email. Why can't they open it?"
There are a variety of things which cause these problem. Here are some of the most common:
A1: Wrong computer type. Often people will try to send an application from one type of computer to another. For example, if someone sends you a Windows program you obviously won't be able to run it on your Macintosh and vice versa.
A2: Someone sent you a document which was created by an application you don't have. Let's say for example someone sends you a WordPerfect document from their Windows 95 machine and you only have MacWrite on your Mac. You probably won't be able to open the file by simply double-clicking it. In this case you'll probably get a message saying something like "The document could not be opened because the application program that created it could not be found" See tip #1 below for more info on how to open 'orphan' files.
A3: Different application versions. It is best if you have the same or compatible versions of the application. For example you'll notice a Word 6 document contains many extra (junk) characters when you open it with Word 5. Similar things happen when you go from one computer platform to another (Mac to Windows for example). Remember you can usually cut an paste the useful part of the text and leave behind the junk characters.
A4: Incompatible file types. It is often possible to do a 'Save As...' and save your document as a different file type which they can open on their computer. For example, Photoshop can save in many different file formats including PICT, JPEG, BMP, TIFF etc., etc. If you're sending a graphic file from a Mac to a PC, you might try using JPEG or BMP rather than PICT, especially if the remote user doesn't have Photoshop. Word can save documents as newer and older Word versions, TEXT, RTF. Ask which version of Word the other user has and save as that file format if possible. There may also be a file format for the particular word processing application they use (WordPerfect, for example).
A5: Some email systems don't speak MIME for file enclosures. MIME is an attempt at standardizing the way file enclosures are attached to an email message. Some older systems prefer binhex, uuencode or base 64 encoding. Check your mail program to see if you have options for different file enclosure formats.
A6: Incompatible compression between computer types. Sometimes people combine a bunch of files into one compressed file to save space, especially when sending files via modem. Mac users typically use Stuffit (.sit) compression which usually isn't useable on a Windows machine. Windows users usually us Zip (.zip) compression which isn't usually useable on a Mac. I recommend sending files uncompressed first to make sure they are useable on the other computer. Once you know the file(s) arrive OK, then attempt to compress the files.
Info about file conversion from the WebDoc Project
Info on email file enclosures from WombatNet
Other Tips:
1. How to open an orphan file: If you're having trouble opening a file on your Mac by double-clicking it, try opening your word processor or graphics program first and then choosing 'Open...' from the File menu. Then navigate to the file and try to open it. If you're using Word, make sure you select the option to view 'All Files' in the 'List Files of Type' box at the bottom of the Open dialog box. This tells Word to show you all files on your hard drive, not just Word files. You'll be surprised how often this works. Remember, as a last ditch effort, you can usually copy and paste the text from a document with extra junk characters.
2. Experiment. When sending file enclosures, you'll probably need to try a few different options. Try saving your file as number of different file formats and send each one attached to a different email message. Note in the message which file type you enclosed and have the remote user report back which file(s) they were able to open. Hopefully at least one of the files you sent worked!
Don't forget as a last attempt with word processing documents, you can always copy and paste the text of your document directly into an email message!