Post by: phiphiar64 on June 30, 2014, 07:07:31 AM
I guess this message should be for real Eudora gurus somehow familiar with the code itself.
My set-up : Eudora 6.2.4, MacOS 10.6.8 on MB Air.
To cut the story short, links to attachments are created and maintained via random-like numbered folders stored in the Spool folder of the Eudora folder, and which contain aliases of the attachments.
The aliases themselves follow an apparently hexadecimal random-like naming/numbering system which has nothing to do with the original file name of the attachment.
The alias name/number is referenced inside the e-mail message with a statement of the format : <img src="x-eudora-file: P6C01B87D">, P6C01B87D being the alias name/number.
The link gets broken (for good for me for the time being !) if the folder containing the alias has disappeared from the Spool folder for any reason. One would think that putting an alias of the attachment with the proper name (P6C01B87D in our example) directly in the spool folder or in a newly created folder in the Spool folder would be enough to make the message track back the attachment but neither of this works.
The core of the problem seems to be the name/number of the folder itself and not of the alias/attachment. If the folder does exist, one can make any alias manipulation inside it to change the original attachment to any other file.
It looks as if any message with an attachment somehow contains the unique number of the folder in which the alias of the attachment has been dropped, or some invisible/unreadable link to it, for instance in the*.toc file referring to the message and the attachment concerned.
I assume therefore that re-creating the missing folder with its unique ID number within the spool folder would solve the problem.
Would anyone know :
- how the folder name/number is generated ?
- where the name/number is stored exactly ?
- if there is a way to make it readable/visible ?
TIA for any hint.
PA
Post by: Xairbusdriver on July 02, 2014, 09:17:35 AM
Anyone here still using this fine old app?
Post by: Paddy on July 03, 2014, 02:05:55 PM
I've Googled your problem but not come up with anything specific to your issues, other than confirmation that it's easy to break the link to attachments if you move anything!
Question: how many attachments are we talking about here? And would it not be more useful (if we're not talking thousands, that is) to go through the attachments, rename them and file them appropriately so that you can find them easily outside of Eudora? Because the attachments themselves are still there - finding them is now your issue, so rather than try to do something that may or may not be possible, it might be better to move on with a solution that will also work for the future. Typically, it's a good idea to file any important attachments outside of your mail program anyway.
Post by: phiphiar64 on July 03, 2014, 02:47:39 PM
QUOTE(Paddy @ Jul 3 2014, 09:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Welcome to TS, Phiphiar64! I think the problem is that most of us don't use Eudora - or switched a long time ago, as it wasn't updated.
I've Googled your problem but not come up with anything specific to your issues, other than confirmation that it's easy to break the link to attachments if you move anything!
Question: how many attachments are we talking about here? And would it not be more useful (if we're not talking thousands, that is) to go through the attachments, rename them and file them appropriately so that you can find them easily outside of Eudora? Because the attachments themselves are still there - finding them is now your issue, so rather than try to do something that may or may not be possible, it might be better to move on with a solution that will also work for the future. Typically, it's a good idea to file any important attachments outside of your mail program anyway.
I've Googled your problem but not come up with anything specific to your issues, other than confirmation that it's easy to break the link to attachments if you move anything!
Question: how many attachments are we talking about here? And would it not be more useful (if we're not talking thousands, that is) to go through the attachments, rename them and file them appropriately so that you can find them easily outside of Eudora? Because the attachments themselves are still there - finding them is now your issue, so rather than try to do something that may or may not be possible, it might be better to move on with a solution that will also work for the future. Typically, it's a good idea to file any important attachments outside of your mail program anyway.
Post by: phiphiar64 on July 03, 2014, 02:54:27 PM
Please understand that my Eudora attachments folder is always my desktop folder and I file all attachments subsequently at some relevant places on my HD, hence I am not loosing any of them.
The real problem is that, after a (long) while, when I reopen a message and find it with a broken link to an attachment, it is not always obvious to remember what the attachment was in that message and where I have placed it on my HD...
I would certainly be prepared to spend some time to look for it and restore the link if I knew it could be done.
More generally, I was hoping to find somewhere on the network at least one or two real Eudora gurus so much involved at some stage in that app and at the code level that they could have somehow addressed and answered my query.
I must admit I am kind of surprised that I have not been able so far to locate such a guru, but I will keep searching…
Thanks again,
PA
Post by: Xairbusdriver on July 04, 2014, 09:45:50 AM
Hopefully, Paddy will provide a link to the real 'Way Back' site, I don't think they celebrate July 4th up her way! Although they do have a similar event...Right now I can't even remember what Eudora was going to become/called by a group of folk who tried to keep it alive for several years. It's often easier to built an app from the ground up than to try patching known areas of out-of-date code or even understand exactly what the original code was doing. It can be hard to compete with well financed companies, also!
The whole concept of depending on any technology is becoming more important as we 'progress' with faster changes. I don't think I have anything that can load the many programs and data I created on cassette tapes for the Apple ][!!
Post by: phiphiar64 on January 09, 2015, 05:11:42 PM
QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Jul 4 2014, 04:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Perhaps searching the "internet Way Back machine" might report some links to where the folks who attempted to continue development are now. I'm currently in the 'hinterlands' without strong inter web connections, so searching is rather tedious. Hopefully, Paddy will provide a link to the real 'Way Back' site, I don't think they celebrate July 4th up her way! Although they do have a similar event...
Right now I can't even remember what Eudora was going to become/called by a group of folk who tried to keep it alive for several years. It's often easier to built an app from the ground up than to try patching known areas of out-of-date code or even understand exactly what the original code was doing. It can be hard to compete with well financed companies, also!
The whole concept of depending on any technology is becoming more important as we 'progress' with faster changes. I don't think I have anything that can load the many programs and data I created on cassette tapes for the Apple ][!!
Hopefully, Paddy will provide a link to the real 'Way Back' site, I don't think they celebrate July 4th up her way! Although they do have a similar event...Right now I can't even remember what Eudora was going to become/called by a group of folk who tried to keep it alive for several years. It's often easier to built an app from the ground up than to try patching known areas of out-of-date code or even understand exactly what the original code was doing. It can be hard to compete with well financed companies, also!
The whole concept of depending on any technology is becoming more important as we 'progress' with faster changes. I don't think I have anything that can load the many programs and data I created on cassette tapes for the Apple ][!!
Post by: Xairbusdriver on January 09, 2015, 05:49:24 PM
Or, just use the "Fast Reply" text box. If you don't need the bigger 'full edit' window, it will save time on your slower connection by not having to load a new window.
There are lots of examples and instructions in the "Pinned" thread called "Using the formatting functions".Please try again, if you've had success in re-linking your images or if there are other questions.
Post by: phiphiar64 on January 09, 2015, 06:55:12 PM
QUOTE(phiphiar64 @ Jan 10 2015, 01:11 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Jul 4 2014, 04:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Perhaps searching the "internet Way Back machine" might report some links to where the folks who attempted to continue development are now. I'm currently in the 'hinterlands' without strong inter web connections, so searching is rather tedious. Hopefully, Paddy will provide a link to the real 'Way Back' site, I don't think they celebrate July 4th up her way! Although they do have a similar event...
Right now I can't even remember what Eudora was going to become/called by a group of folk who tried to keep it alive for several years. It's oven easier to built an app from the ground up than to try patching known areas of out-of-date code or even understand exactly what the original code was doing. It can be hard to compete with well financed companies, also!
The whole concept of depending on any technology is becoming more important as we 'progress' with faster changes. I don't think I have anything that can load the many programs and data I created on cassette tapes for the Apple ][!!
Hopefully, Paddy will provide a link to the real 'Way Back' site, I don't think they celebrate July 4th up her way! Although they do have a similar event...Right now I can't even remember what Eudora was going to become/called by a group of folk who tried to keep it alive for several years. It's oven easier to built an app from the ground up than to try patching known areas of out-of-date code or even understand exactly what the original code was doing. It can be hard to compete with well financed companies, also!
The whole concept of depending on any technology is becoming more important as we 'progress' with faster changes. I don't think I have anything that can load the many programs and data I created on cassette tapes for the Apple ][!!
After an uphill battle, I have finally solved for good this longstanding issue of lost links to Eudora attachments, hurrah !
If you read again the thread from my initial post, my key question was to locate where the number of the disappeared folder could possibly be recorded within Eudora, so as to re-create one folder with that very number in the spool folder, then insert in it the alias of the attachment and finally rename it with the number appearing in the statement of the type : <img src="x-eudora-file: P6C01B87D"> taken as an example.
It just happens that the Eudora program writers have been so smart
that they actually thought about that and devised some code to make sure that the missing folder would be re-created automatically every time the message was read, if and only if a folder of the expected number was not found present in the spool folder for any reason.Basically, I do not need any more to find where the folder number is hidden within Eudora since a folder of the proper number will reappear automatically !
The trick is therefore very simple :
- start first by dumping to the bin all empty folders found in the spool folder,
- display the spool folder in the list mode with the last created folder on top,
- opening then any message showing a link lost to the attachment it is meant to contain will end-up in two scenarios :
* either the folder related to the attachment does exist in the spool folder, it will then contain an alias named P6C01B87D (taking the example above) which can then be easily re-assigned to the proper original if/as needed,
* or the folder related to the attachment does not exist in the spool folder, it is then immediately re-created and shows-up as an empty folder right on the top. One just has then to copy an alias of the proper original into this folder and rename the alias P6C01B87D in our example.
This is probably too obscure and useless for "discontinued" users, but I think it may still be useful for obstinate current users like myself having dealt for ages with that issue...
Good luck !
PA
Post by: Xairbusdriver on January 09, 2015, 07:08:34 PM
I think I understand the two cases. PErhaps you could create an AppleScript or an Automator app/script that would help automate the needed actions? There is something like a "acto on the selected item" function in both those apps, I think...
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to post the solution and explanation, future Eudora users, searching the web, can now find the information!