The person who runs the clubs website thinks that it could be because freeway is creating so much in the way html scripts that the browsers are getting confused. As I don’t know anything about scripting I could not say.
Is anyone here able to say what I am doing wrong?
Some of the email browsers that are commonly used views the email ok or acceptable.
Can’t offer any real advice - but I’m sure someone will help out. But I would start by making the file HTML 3.2 (not 4.01) and ensure that you have no boxes over lapping or any combined graphics. I think the trick is to keep the first one simple and expand your creativity from there.
Good question! And I have no idea! It’s just that i have been using Freeway to generate HTML e-mails since 2005 and using a third party for the distribution. I recall they said to me back then that it was more suitable for software that reads e-mails ie Outlook etc. On the odd occasion when I have forgotten to select 3.2 the ‘test’ e-mail looked a mess - a simple change back to 3.2 fixed the ‘display’ errors.
I believe it is because e-mail client applications, (especially some
PC variants) are less sophisticated than browsers and cannot cope with
all the HTML/CSS whistles and bells we have become used to in web
design. They are aimed more at text based communication than graphics.
Think in terms of table like structures and in-line graphics rather
than layers and overlapping images (unless you produce a composite).
Having said that, MailChimp can convert web pages in HTML 4.01 and
above to e-mail format very successfully, on the whole, if you go the
route of that mailing service.
Colin
On 9 Dec 2009, at 09:30, Joe Hankin wrote:
Snapper,
Good question! And I have no idea! It’s just that i have been using
Freeway to generate HTML e-mails since 2005 and using a third party
for the distribution. I recall they said to me back then that it was
more suitable for software that reads e-mails ie Outlook etc. On the
odd occasion when I have forgotten to select 3.2 the ‘test’ e-mail
looked a mess - a simple change back to 3.2 fixed the ‘display’
errors.
Just watch your file names for web pages - I know this is just an example but Browsers can fall over if you put extra characters like full stops into file names. The browser expects name.html so when it gets something like versionhtml3.2.html then funny things can happen!
If you are planning to use 4.1 as your file format then you are going to have to doa bit of twaeking
but as luck would have it there is an action that gets yo most of the way there
Basically this action moves the Styles into the body, removes the outer div automatically created by freeway. Allows you to center the email via an outer table though everything needs to be in that outer table and finally removes the offending characters that stops the published HTML being run through TextMate’s “Move all styles to inline” if you have this application and bundle.
The idea is that you build your email with the blue button turned off in freeway pro and nothing is created in layers.
Things to look out for… background images are not supported by all email programs. THere are a few ways to accomplish that but it means using old school back ground referencing with no control over positioning and repeats, animated gifs are not supported by outlook 2007 although it is in older outlooks. sometimes positions of items are not perfect in every email program although it should be close… and ideally all the styles should be placed as inline styles, and for that to happen you need something like the textmate bundle and text mate.
Using HTML 3.2, it errors out when trying to preview.
I have reverted to using 3.2 following advice above.
However if I convert it to HTML 4.1 Transitional it states when erroring out under previewing that "There is no outer table in your artwork’ Them you have to abort JavaScript
I have also remade the page in HTML 4.1 Transitional and it still states when erroring out under previewing that “There is no outer table in your artwork’ Them you have to abort JavaScript
Make sure that there are no layered elements on your page. Remember,
they won’t work in Outlook anyway – it always wants to “party like
it’s 1997”. This error message is telling you that you don’t have a
table-based layout. Don’t confuse that with the table you can draw
using the table tool – if you have the CSS Positioning button off,
every time you draw anything, Freeway adds it to the automatic layout
table that it generates. It’s this automatic table that the Action is
looking for.
Walter
On Dec 10, 2009, at 9:54 AM, Snapper wrote:
I have also remade the page in HTML 4.1 Transitional and it still
states when erroring out under previewing that “There is no outer
table in your artwork’ Them you have to abort JavaScript
And consider simplifying your email design. If there’s the slightest
risk that it won’t arrive intact (remember, this is mainly down to
the abilities or otherwise of the recipient’s email clients AND what
settings they’ve selected) - then your work is quite simply wasted.
Worse, if it doesn’t work well you could be communicating the
opposite of the intended message.
Select each item, one at a time, and un-check the Layer checkbox in
the Inspector. Turning off the CSS Positioning button only changes
Freeway’s layout behavior for anything you draw after you change it.
Turning off the Layer checkbox will probably play havoc with your
layout’s stacking order, but once everything is turned off, you can re-
arrange things to be the way you want them.
Walter
On Dec 10, 2009, at 1:16 PM, Snapper wrote:
Can I select all items and simply turn the css Positioning button
off to correct every thing?
I have been through both the html 4.01 Transitional and the html 3.2 versions and I don’t have any layers (Or ticks in the layers boxin the inspectors panel from what I can see)
The CSS Button on the tool bar at the top of the page is appears Grey and has ‘Table Layout’ below in html 4.01 Transitional when I select the page or click on any or all items on the page.
In the html 3.2 version the CSS button states Table Layout as well and the button is in a halftone gray
On the html 4.01 Transitional I have then applied the Action: Page>Page Action>Email Ready HTML
If I try to upload or preview It states that “There is no outer table in your artwork to center” with the option of Abort or ok
I therefore remove it and it will allow me to upload or preview.
I also get the same thing in the html 3.2 version.