A file attached to an e-mail message. Many e-mail systems only support sending text files as e-mail. If the attachment is a binary file or formatted text file (such as an MS-Word document, Excel, powerpoint), it must be encoded before it is sent and decoded once it is received. There are a number of encoding schemes, the two most prevalent being Uuencode and MIME.

Sending attachments can be a good way to transfer a copy of a file if the sender and recipient have agreed on a format. This is easy if the same hardware and software are in use. However, differences in the computer platform being used (Windows, Mac, UNIX) and differences in versions of software can result in a failed message.

Tips For Sending Attachments

There are many types of attachments that can be sent via e-mail; however, not all e-mail systems handle attachments in the same way. If you are not sure what types of files your recipient can view, it is a good idea to use one of the following file types to send your attachment.

Plain text -- save your file without formatting options such as bold and underline. All word processors and text editors should be able to read a plain text document.

RTF -- Rich Text Format is a document format that is readable by most word processors. The RTF file is a plain text file representation of a formatted document. RTF includes codes that the recipient's word processor uses to recreate the formatted document.

PDF -- Portable Document Format -- is a file format that preserves all of the fonts, formatting, colors, and graphics of a document.

Specify what software and version was used to create the attachment.

If you have communicated ahead of time with your recipient and know the types of files they can view, then it is fine to send a Microsoft Word file, a picture, or a spreadsheet. But, if the person you are sending the attachment to is using an older version of the software, they may not be able to view it, so it is helpful for them to know the version of the software. For example, you receive an Excel spreadsheet that was created with version 5.0, but you have Excel 4.0 installed on your computer; or you have Word 7.0 and the file was created in WordPerfect, you may need to tell your software what to convert from.


Limit the size of your attachments to under 1MB

When you send an attachment that is larger than 1MB, it can put a strain on the e-mail delivery system. Also, the recipient may have a limit to the size of the attachment they can receive. For instance, a user has a 5MB limit on the size of their Inbox. If you try to send a 4MB file, and they already have a 2MB Inbox, they won't be able to receive the attachment. If you need to send a larger file, use FTP or copy it to a shared departmental server.

If you need to send the same document multiple times, change the name each time

If you are updating and sharing a document with someone else, by default Eudora adds a number to the end of each duplicate name as it saves the attachment in your Attach folder. Multiple versions of the same document can become confusing and occasionally you might send a different version of the document than what you had expected. A better way to manage multiple iterations of the same document is to change the name each time by adding a revision date and/or time to the filename. That way, each document name will be unique and it is easy to tell by the name, which version is the most recent.

Tips For Receiving Attachments:

Do not open an attachment if you don't know what it is
Use caution when opening attachments that you weren't expecting or that you don't know the content. Many computer viruses are sent via e-mail attachments and can damage your computer. If you receive an attacment - especially a .exe or .vbs - and you aren't sure what it is, you should run your updated virus software before opening it.