WYSWYG HTML mail composition with Gnus/Org-mode

WYSWYG HTML mail composition with Gnus/Org-mode

[Eric Schulte]

This email stems from a discussion on the org-mode mailing list [1].

The code located at [2] allows for the sending of text/html multipart
alternatives of email messages from Gnus message buffers.

`orgstruct-mode' and `orgtbl-mode' allow for using Org-mode syntax in
mail buffers.  The code mentioned above uses the HTML export mechanisms
of Org-mode to approximate WYSWYG HTML email composition -- retaining
the original org-mode text as a text/plain alternative.

Not to advocate an increase in the use of HTML email, but I find these
functions useful when sending tables, lists or latex formulas to people
who I know use web clients w/o fixed-width fonts to read their email.

I just thought I'd mention this code here as well.

Cheers -- Eric

Footnotes: 
[1]  http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/23153

[2]  http://github.com/eschulte/org-mime

Re: WYSWYG HTML mail composition with Gnus/Org-mode

[Uwe Brauer]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 415 bytes --]

>>>>> On Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:23:56 -0600, "Eric Schulte" <schulte.eric@gmail.com> wrote:

   > I just thought I'd mention this code here as well.

   > Cheers -- Eric

   > Footnotes: 
   > [1]  http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/23153

   > [2]  http://github.com/eschulte/org-mime
thanks nice idea but it seems not to work in Xemacs21.4.21
Mule. I obtain the following error which I attach

Uwe Brauer 


[-- Attachment #2: org-mime-bug --]
[-- Type: application/octet-stream, Size: 1708 bytes --]

Debugger entered--Lisp error: (wrong-type-argument stringp nil)
  string-match(nil ">>>>> On Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:23:56 -0600, \"Eric Schulte\" <schulte.eric@gmail.com> wrote:")
  byte-code("..." [org-maybe-keyword-time-regexp b r s nil string-match 0 " @<span class=\"timestamp-wrapper\">" 1 format "@<span class=\"timestamp-kwd\">%s @</span>" match-string " @<span class=\"timestamp\">%s@</span>" org-translate-time 3 -1 "@</span>" "\\S-" "@<br/>"] 10)
  org-html-handle-time-stamps(">>>>> On Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:23:56 -0600, \"Eric Schulte\" <schulte.eric@gmail.com> wrote:")
  byte-code("..." [start local-list-indent local-list-type desc path line string-match "^\\*+ " "</pre>\n" org-open-par nil org-html-protect "\n" throw nextline "^[ 	]*:\\(\\([ 	]\\|$\\)\\(.*\\)\\)" t org-close-par-maybe "<pre class=\"example\">\n" match-string 3 org-export-html-close-lists-maybe get-text-property 0 org-protected original-indentation re-search-backward "\\(<p>\\)\\([ 	\r\n]*\\)\\=" 100 1 replace-match "\\2\n" "<p>\n" "ORG-BLOCKQUOTE-START" "<blockquote>\n" "ORG-BLOCKQUOTE-END" "\n</blockquote>\n" "ORG-VERSE-START" "\n<p class=\"verse\">\n" "ORG-VERSE-END" "</p>\n" "ORG-CENTER-START" "\n<div style=\"text-align: center\">" "ORG-CENTER-END" "\n</div>" run-hooks org-export-html-after-blockquotes-hook org-get-string-indentation mapconcat identity ...] 12)
  org-export-as-html(nil nil nil string t)
  (let nil (org-export-as-html nil nil nil (quote string) t))
  eval((let nil (org-export-as-html nil nil nil (quote string) t)))
  org-mime-htmlize(nil)
  call-interactively(org-mime-htmlize)
  command-execute(org-mime-htmlize t)
  execute-extended-command(nil)
  call-interactively(execute-extended-command)

Re: WYSWYG HTML mail composition with Gnus/Org-mode

[Eric Schulte]

Uwe Brauer <oub@mat.ucm.es> writes:

>>>>>> On Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:23:56 -0600, "Eric Schulte" <schulte.eric@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>    > I just thought I'd mention this code here as well.
>
>    > Cheers -- Eric
>
>    > Footnotes: 
>    > [1]  http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode/23153
>
>    > [2]  http://github.com/eschulte/org-mime
> thanks nice idea but it seems not to work in Xemacs21.4.21
> Mule. I obtain the following error which I attach
>

Hi Uwe,

Judging by the attached error message, it looks like the error may be
thrown during the export to HTML by the org-mode function
`org-export-as-html'.

Could you try export a normal org-mode buffer to HTML and see if that
works on your system?  If not then that is the cause of the error, if so
then the problem may be org-mime specific, but I am unable to pinpoint
the source of the error from the attached error message.  Upgrading to
the latest version of Org-mode (a constantly moving target) may help.

Sorry I can't be more helpful -- Eric

>
> Uwe Brauer

Re: WYSWYG HTML mail composition with Gnus/Org-mode

[Ted Zlatanov]

On Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:23:56 -0600 "Eric Schulte" <schulte.eric@gmail.com> wrote: 

ES> This email stems from a discussion on the org-mode mailing list [1].
ES> The code located at [2] allows for the sending of text/html multipart
ES> alternatives of email messages from Gnus message buffers.

ES> `orgstruct-mode' and `orgtbl-mode' allow for using Org-mode syntax in
ES> mail buffers.  The code mentioned above uses the HTML export mechanisms
ES> of Org-mode to approximate WYSWYG HTML email composition -- retaining
ES> the original org-mode text as a text/plain alternative.

Should we mention this in the Gnus manual?  It seems quite useful.

ES> Not to advocate an increase in the use of HTML email, but I find these
ES> functions useful when sending tables, lists or latex formulas to people
ES> who I know use web clients w/o fixed-width fonts to read their email.

That battle was lost last century :)

Ted

Re: WYSWYG HTML mail composition with Gnus/Org-mode

[Eric Schulte]

Ted Zlatanov <tzz@lifelogs.com> writes:

> On Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:23:56 -0600 "Eric Schulte" <schulte.eric@gmail.com> wrote: 
>
> ES> This email stems from a discussion on the org-mode mailing list [1].
> ES> The code located at [2] allows for the sending of text/html multipart
> ES> alternatives of email messages from Gnus message buffers.
>
> ES> `orgstruct-mode' and `orgtbl-mode' allow for using Org-mode syntax in
> ES> mail buffers.  The code mentioned above uses the HTML export mechanisms
> ES> of Org-mode to approximate WYSWYG HTML email composition -- retaining
> ES> the original org-mode text as a text/plain alternative.
>
> Should we mention this in the Gnus manual?

There is documentation for this available on Worg (the collaborative
Org-mode wiki) at http://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/org-mime.php

This file now lives in the contrib directory of Org-mode, and has
support for the WL mailer as well.

Assuming you don't want a url in the documentation, I'd be happy to
summarize the above into a paragraph or two for the gnus manual, could
you point be towards where such a paragraph should be located in the
gnus manual structure?

> It seems quite useful.
>

Great, I hope so -- Eric

>
> ES> Not to advocate an increase in the use of HTML email, but I find these
> ES> functions useful when sending tables, lists or latex formulas to people
> ES> who I know use web clients w/o fixed-width fonts to read their email.
>
> That battle was lost last century :)
>
> Ted

Re: WYSWYG HTML mail composition with Gnus/Org-mode

[Harry Putnam]

Ted Zlatanov <tzz@lifelogs.com> writes:

> ES> `orgstruct-mode' and `orgtbl-mode' allow for using Org-mode syntax in
> ES> mail buffers.  The code mentioned above uses the HTML export mechanisms
> ES> of Org-mode to approximate WYSWYG HTML email composition -- retaining
> ES> the original org-mode text as a text/plain alternative.
>
> Should we mention this in the Gnus manual?  It seems quite useful.

Just my .02:  I think it should be in the gnus manual, but spelled out
in some detail how to do it.