Anyone wishing to understand fully the extent of CSS support in all the commonly used email clients might like to read this: http://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/archives/2007/04/a_guide_to_css_supp ort_in_emai_2.html - it's an invaluable resource!
________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brian Butterworth Sent: 05 June 2008 09:07 To: backstage@lists.bbc.co.uk Subject: Re: [backstage] BBC Look East HTML rich newsletter Adam, However many mail clients don't support the automatic (or even manual) loading for CSS files. As you cannot know the client being used, you have to go for the common set of features. It's a common error to assume that everyone uses a particular client. 2008/6/5 Adam Hatia <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: Brian, > For example, you can't use the "class" operator to format items. I have used this rather basic function to translate my "class" items to the > more basic "style" items: Actually, CSS stylesheets are fully supported by Outlook, Outlook Express, and Thunderbird at least, and I am using CSS to generate size-efficient HTML emails that use the stylesheets from the website (though obviously, the path to the css file needs to be a full absolute URL) - do you still have an email client that doesn't support CSS, if so, what is it? Adam ________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Brian Butterworth Sent: 05 June 2008 07:55 To: backstage@lists.bbc.co.uk Subject: Re: [backstage] BBC Look East HTML rich newsletter Matt, I sorted an automatic email notification system just recently on ukfree.tv and I think I might be able to give you a few pointers. The site uses PHP, so my examples will be in that. If you can't follow it, then let me know. (You can subscribe/unsubscribe by visiting http://www.ukfree.tv/ and using the box in the 'my settings' item at the top left. To send an HTML email, as you have already found out I guess, you need to ensure you have the right headers: function sendHTMLemail($strEmail, $strHTML, $strSubject) { // To send HTML mail, the Content-type header must be set $strHeaders = 'MIME-Version: 1.0' . "\r\n"; $strHeaders .= 'Content-type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1' . "\r\n"; // Additional headers $strHeaders .= "To: $strEmail <$strEmail>\r\n"; $strHeaders .= "From: --- updates <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>\r\n"; // Mail it mail($strEmail, $strSubject, $strHTML, $strHeaders); } As you have found out, the level of CSS support in HTML email message is limited. For example, you can't use the "class" operator to format items. I have used this rather basic function to translate my "class" items to the more basic "style" items: function translaterhsbox($strTitle, $strContent, $strDummy1, $strDummy2) { return "<h2 style=\"font-size: 12pt\">$strTitle</h2>" . strtr($strContent,array("class=\"lyrOffsite\""=>"style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"")) . "<hr color=#ffde5a>"; } Basically you need to ensure that you format everything with styles, for example: <div style='width:516px; font-size: 9pt'> But you can still use graphics from your web-site. However many email programmes will block the graphics until you agree to download them. <img src=\"http://www.ukfree.tv/2k8_graphic.php?a=a2&t=UK%20Free%20TV%20email %20update\ <http://www.ukfree.tv/2k8_graphic.php?a=a2&t=UK%20Free%20TV%20email%20up date%5C> "> If you have written your document in using CSS, someone can probably write a bit of code to automatically "expand" the raw HTML to convert all the 'class'es to 'styles'. You might like to know that the other constraints (java, scripting, flash) are to protect email users from viral abuse, not a lack of will to implement it. Hope this helps 2008/6/4 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: Hello there, I'm a journalist working for BBC East in Norwich and I've joined this mailing list to get advice and guidance - and possibly some ideas - about a project I've been working on for the last 6 months. With the backing of my bosses at Look East and BBC English regions, I've designed, developed and launched a new graphics-rich e-mail newsletter which we now send out each day to about 2000 or so subscribers. This newsletter is hard to describe, but what it does is to aggregate links - complete with headlines and thumbnail images - to the latest video news items which appear on the main Look East website, a 'blog' section promoting that evening's programmes with nested links expanding on the stories being discussed, drop down menus featuring linking to BBC East regional weather, news and sport sites and an occasional text ticker which promotes whatever we fancy - often our local radio stations. It's conceived primarily as a content delivery vehicle first, then a promotional tool, a way of combining all the services offered by the BBC in my region into one tidy package and also a way of elaborating on the stories we're working on. To subscribe -temporarily if you want, I won't mind :-) - go here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/lookeast/newsletter/subscription.shtml Now the thing is, is that I'm a relative novice who is learning as I go along. What I've learned is that e-mail can only support very basic html and that there are limits to what features we can incorporate into this newsletter. However, I'm determined to max out the potential and capacity of this rather unusual way of delivering BBC content. Any html tricks, ideas, criticisms, improvements, widgets or whatever anyone on this mailing list can offer in the way of developing this newsletter concept, I'd be hugely grateful. Several other English regions are toying with the idea of adopting it, so I'm keen on adding new features, but my technical knowledge is still quite limited. this whole experience has been really positive for me and I've become quite an evangelist for e-mail broadcasting, which I want to develop, though the inherent limitations of e-mail do constrain thigs somewhat (no scripting, flash, java etc). This is my baby and I'm throwing it open to y'all to see if some new ideas emerge. Cheers Matt Precey ________________________________ Miss your Messenger buddies when on-the-go? Get Messenger on your Mobile! <http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/msnnkmgl0010000001ukm/direct/01/> -- Brian Butterworth http://www.ukfree.tv - independent digital television and switchover advice, since 2002 -- Please email me back if you need any more help. Brian Butterworth http://www.ukfree.tv - independent digital television and switchover advice, since 2002
