maemo.org Bugzilla – Bug 3691
No option to load embedded images from server in HTML emails
Last modified: 2010-06-02 22:04:01 UTC
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SOFTWARE VERSION: 4.2008.30-2 STEPS TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM: View an HTML email with images in modest EXPECTED OUTCOME: An option to load images should be available ACTUAL OUTCOME: No option to load images REPRODUCIBILITY: always EXTRA SOFTWARE INSTALLED: N/A OTHER COMMENTS: There should be an option to load images in HTML emails. This should not be an all-or-nothing option, as is currently configurable though gconf. This option should be built in to modest. Ideally, it should be possible to remember "safe senders", but a button to "display images" when viewing HTML emails without remembering behaviour would be enough. Priority medium because in 2008 showing images in HTML emails should be a standard behaviour.
> STEPS TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM: > View an HTML email with images in modest This is a bit vague - I assume you refer to images that are not sent together with the email, but references to images that have to be downloaded from a server first? I can reproduce the latter case, but I consider it as an enhancement.
Yes, I mean downloaded images. Why is this an enhancement? Surely an inability to correctly render an email, which this is, is a bug? I receive a number of mailshots from online retailers which are 90% image, and the images are on a server. I am unable to view these images in modest, and have to use another tool. How is this not a bug?
Having mentioned the related thread at http://www.internettablettalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23480 pointing to the solution described in http://www.maemoapps.com/2008/06/26/howto-enable-graphics-in-html-mail/ would have been helpful. So running gconftool-2 --type bool --set /apps/modest/fetch_external_images true should workaround this. There ARE privacy reasons (webcookies tracking user behaviour and whether an email has been read/the email address is valid) to not enable this by default, though, hence enhancement.
I was aware of the gconf "solution", as I mentioned in my first comment, but it is hardly something that an average user can be expected to do, is it? If this was configurable through the settings, that would be a different matter, but the inability to enable this functionality without modifying core systems could be classified as a bug in itself. Anyway, I can see that I'm not going to win this one, so ...
Errr... this is not about "winning" something, but finding a useful default. Having a setting in the UI would be the best way, right.
As Chris mentions in his opening comment, the best solution would be to download images in emails from trusted senders only, with an easy way to add senders to the trusted list (and also remove and maintain the trusted list too). This solution works absolutely fine for Thunderbird and there's no reason why it shouldn't work for Modest too. The gconf workaround is a potential security risk as it applies to all senders equally and gconf is hardly an option for all users. A better solution is needed sooner rather than later.
(In reply to comment #5) > Errr... this is not about "winning" something, but finding a useful default. > Having a setting in the UI would be the best way, right. A simple on/off UI setting will not be acceptable (just in case this is what you are suggesting!) - the sender of the email must be taken into consideration before any images are downloaded, if there is no trust then there should be no images downloaded. It might also be useful to have a "Display this image" context menu option too, which would allow the user to download and display an image without explicitly trusting the sender going forward. However I'm not convinced I would use this option myself...
The webmail client I use (www.roundcube.net) has a simple "display images" button at the top of HTML emails. It doesn't remember _anything_, and I have to click it for each and every HTML email, but it's easy to do. I know whether or not I can trust the sender, and if not I'm normally going to delete the email anyway. This wouldn't require any logic for checking and storing "safe senders", but it would maintain security/privacy.
I don't see why this should be classified as an enhancement either. The discussion here explains that modest already has the ability to show images in html emails. But this ability is not enabled by default and /or not available via the UI? That's a bug in my book - function in specification not delivered. I receive a high proportion of 100% image emails from trusted sources as I'm sure do most people who sign up to retail marketing emails.
In Fremantle, Modest will probably have a button when viewing a HTML message. It will let you load external images.
Fixed in Fremantle
Setting Target Milestone to Fremantle SDK beta.
I have the same problem on my N900. However the point to note is I can see the images in the email body for my Gmail account, whereas the problem of images coming up as attachments is only for my Mail For Exchange account and the Image icon in the toolbar becomes greyed out. So what could be differentiating these two account types?
(In reply to comment #13) > I have the same problem on my N900. However the point to note is I can see the > images in the email body for my Gmail account, whereas the problem of images > coming up as attachments is only for my Mail For Exchange account and the Image > icon in the toolbar becomes greyed out. > > So what could be differentiating these two account types? > Dunno, but I would strongly suggest you create a separate bug for that issue as this particular enhancement is closed fixed.