I've installed latest mime mail module and send module. As far as I can see the configuration is allright, e.g. "Use mime mail for all messages" is checked, while "Plaintext email only" is not (mime mail configuration).

However, sending a page by using the send functionality results in e-mails with different styles:

  • In Outlook, the e-mail doesn't have a style at all. It seems like it's sent as plain text (with no font definition, no images, dashes below the headers, links at the bottom of the e-mail, et cetera).
  • In Yahoo! pretty much of the style seems to be okay. That is, headers, links and images. However, the paragraphs do have a complete different font type (Times or something, instead of Verdana). Also: the e-mail is received in the spam folder(!)
  • In Hotmail also pretty much of the style seems to be okay, but the other way around... Paragraphs (except size), links and images are fine, but headers do have a wrong style (don't know what, tahoma or something, instead of "Adobe Garamond Pro", Times) as well as a wrong size.
  • In Gmail the e-mail isn't received at all...

Anyone a clue?

Help will be appreciated,
thanks, Marc

Comments

Marc Bijl’s picture

Just for info.

Found something related here:
- http://drupal.org/node/81707

Allie Micka’s picture

Status: Active » Fixed

There's no accounting for how your messages are identified as spam. This could be due to a number of factors, including the message contents, the attachment/text ratio, your web server's netblock, your domain's SPF records, and the network your web server is sitting on.

In general, sending mime messages increases the likeliness of having it flagged as spam. However, most spam processors take all of the other factors into account. I've taken great care to ensure that the messages are properly-formed, but if I've failed somewhere you should re-open this.

Font/style issues are possibly the result of how various email clients choose to render the messages. It's browser compatibility on a whole 'nother level!

One thing you can do is keep your style/theme function simple. If you find that your received messages are huge (over 20k) then you should create a mail.css file in your theme that contains only the styles you need to view mail contents. This will also help with the spam detection thing.

Last, I have corrected the Outlook issue, so you should be seeing your HTML messages there. Thus, I am closing this issue. If you still have issues, you should reopen.

Marc Bijl’s picture

Hi Allie,

Thanks for the updated files. Now indeed Outlook receives the message in the right format, which is good news! Some other good news is that Gmail now receives the message too. Last but not least, Yahoo! does not move the message to the spam folder anymore, although this seems not to be an outcome of the update (as the behaviour suddenly showed up before updating).

Regarding the font/style issues: Outlook is the only client which displays the message right; both Hotmail, Yahoo! and Gmail (the web clients) still have some problems.

Marc Bijl’s picture

Title: Wrong style (and mail recognized as spam) » Styling problems (using send module + mime mail module)
Priority: Normal » Minor
Status: Fixed » Active

Reopened the issue and set priority to minor, just to bring it under attention ;)

Last few days I've been optimizing my css file and indeed, things got better. Unfortunately I've not been able to solve all styling issues. In Outlook everything seems to be fine (so that's great!), however in Hotmail, Yahoo! and Gmail problems persist. To find out if my nodes or css file cause the problem, I thought: let's use Garlands theme as well as Blue Marines theme and just see what happens. Here are the results when sending a page by using send module + mime mail module):

Garland theme

  • Outlook: styling okay
  • Hotmail: styling pretty much okay (though a blue background)
  • Yahoo!: styling not okay (wrong fonts - Yahoos default?)
  • Gmail: styling not okay (wrong fonts - Gmails default?)

Blue Marine theme

  • Outlook: styling okay
  • Hotmail: styling pretty much okay (fonts way too small)
  • Yahoo!: styling not okay (wrong fonts - Yahoos default?)
  • Gmail: very inconsequent behaviour
    • Either received e-mails are (nearly) empty
    • Or the styling is not okay (wrong fonts - Gmails default?)

I don't have a clue where things go wrong. As far as I remember 4.7.4 didn't have this problem. So, just wondering: do other users of send module/mime mail module have the same issues? Can anyone please try to reproduce (e.g. with Garland, Blue Marine, Outlook, Hotmail, Yahoo! and Gmail), and report what happens?

Cheers,
Marc

Marc Bijl’s picture

BTW Allie,

I'll keep optimizing the css and eventually finish off with a separate mail.css
Therefore set priority to minor - so no headaches ;)

Marc Bijl’s picture

Hmm, little progress...

In my css file I used to define the default font in the body properties. Therefore (forgive me if I'm wrong ;) I never defined a font for the paragraph tag as it should be inherited from the body tag. Always looked good in a web browser, however not in the e-mails sent.

So I decided to try and define the same font in the css file again in the paragraph properties. What happened? Yahoo! suddenly displays the e-mail much better. Can it therefore be that some styles are not inherited properly (as part of the issue)?

jerdavis’s picture

Status: Active » Closed (fixed)

That sounds like the probable cause to me. When viewing these emails within a web browser through web based email clients, I could see how CSS like that could get stepped on by the main webmail application. I think the basic gist of all of this is, if you want more complex formating on your email messages to be consistent between mail readers, using a streamlined mail.css with mimemail is likely your best option.

If there's any further comment on this, please feel free - but closing for now!

cozzi’s picture

I would like to learn how to address this issue of formating the mime email, and then write a document for the those non-coders out there looking to address this. There are also many posts at Send on this issue. It seems as though the suggestion is to create a lighter version of the MAIL.CSS? But I've no idea how to do this. It looks as though you may have already created such a mail.css so I'm wondering if you could share it and maybe a little instructions on what how to implement?

I myself am experiencing this issue (that is - lots of html markup in the sent email, the format is almost ok, but I wish it included a bit of a left and right margin.)

I've attempted to address this via the Send module (see #14 here http://drupal.org/node/210739) but have not had any luck. Recently I had the idea that even though the Send module has a format body field, which seems to get overridden by the theme, the issue is not really with Send so I started looking at Mime and found this thread?

I think I'm on the right track yes?

cozzi’s picture

Status: Closed (fixed) » Active

Sorry, I'm not sure of the protocol, but I think I should have set the status to active in my previous post or this would not be seen?

cozzi’s picture

Component: Code » Documentation
Category: bug » support

Sorry, I'm not sure of the protocol, but I think I should have set the status to active in my previous post or this would not be seen?

Allie Micka’s picture

BIG THANKS, cozzi, for offering to help out!

First thing's first; I'm trying to keep the issue queue as sane as possible. As you have noted, there are many duplicate issues. Some of them overlap, some provide new information. As we improve and test things, it's not always clear which one(s) we should close, which ones need more testing and feedback, etc. And frankly, it's daunting for a developer to parse through this stuff, which it slows down progress overall.

So it would be *amazing* if you could help watch these issues.

Secondly, I can try to get some handbook pages up, and would appreciate your input/elaboration/etc.

Thanks again!

Allie

cozzi’s picture

Allie:

I hear you on the duplication (I just posted to the Send area) and I do believe these issues are related. (Sorry about that.)

Please tell me what I can do (or review) I'd love to help. (I need to find the "Subscribe Link for this thread - so I can be more timely to work with you.)

Best
Cozmo

jerdavis’s picture

Status: Active » Closed (fixed)