#984599 evolution: Cannot set message format (Plain Text vs. HTML) for a single message before forwarding it

Package:
evolution
Source:
evolution
Description:
groupware suite with mail client and organizer
Submitter:
Omer Zak
Date:
2024-12-06 01:51:02 UTC
Severity:
minor
Tags:
#984599#5
Date:
2021-03-05 16:21:55 UTC
From:
To:
I use the E-mail client Evolution running under Linux (Debian Buster distribution), version 3.30.5-1.1.

Usability problem:

Cannot set message format when forwarding an E-mail message, when one wishes to override the default (Plain Text or HTML) for one message.

Longer description:

Usually I write my E-mail messages in plain text format. So Evolution is configured to use Plain Text, rather than HTML as the default format.

This default caused me to have the following problem.

Sometimes I receive HTML-formatted E-mail messages which include images.

When I forward such a message to someone else, it is forwarded without the images even if I set the format to HTML after clicking on the Forward button.

This happens in all four possible ways of forwarding the message (Forward As Attached, Forward As Inline, Forward As Quoted, Redirect).

Workaround:

The workaround I found is to reconfigure Evolution to default to HTML format before forwarding the message, and return to Plain Text afterwards.

To reconfigure the default message format:
1. Open the "Evolution Preferences" pop up dialog: Edit / Preferences.
2. Select the pop up dialog pane: Composer Preferences / General.
3. Toggle checkmark in Default Behavior / Format messages in HTML.
4. Click on the Close button at bottom right of the dialog.

After defaulting to HTML format, forwarding an HTML-formatted message with images preserves the images, in all four possible ways of forwarding the message.

(Submitted as issue 1406 in gitlab.gnome.org Evolution, URL https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/evolution/-/issues/1406)
#984599#10
Date:
2024-12-06 01:39:43 UTC
From:
To:
I also experience the issue described in bug #984599.

In addition, the work-around described by Omer Zak, the original
posted, doesn't work for me. If I configure Evolution to compose emails
in HTML, then try to forward an email containing an HREF link to a URL,
such as a website, the link text appears correct (in a different color
or font), but hovering over the link text does not result in the cursor
changing from a text cursor to a pointer cursor, as normally happens
when hovering over an HREM link. In addition, clicking on the link text
does not perform an action, such as opening a web page.