P
pdalton
I would like to be able to send e-mail messages from Outlook 2003 with the
following characteristics/format/etc.:
1. At the very top of the new message, several lines of text would be
centered and there would be a line drawn across the page just below the last
line of that text. (I call this the Top Text)
2. At the bottom of the new message, several lines of text would be
left-justified (more of a "true" signature appearance). (This would be the
Bottom Text)
3. Finally, when I start a new message, the cursor (the beginning point of
typing) would be located about 2-3 lines below the line under the Top Text,
and there would be another couple of lines before the first line of the
Bottom Text.
More or less, this would be like letterhead stationary for "hardcopy" use --
there is preprinted information at the top, preprinted information at the
bottom, and the letter gets typed in between the two.
I thought about taking the Top Text and turning it into an image for use as
custom stationary, but that was unsatisfactory for a couple of reasons:
First, for recipients whose systems block out all but the text in received
messages, using an image would mean that the information of the Top Text
would not appear at all, and that's unacceptable, as it is critically
important for that to be read by every recipient BEFORE getting to the text
of the message (if the Top Text is formatted to be centered and messages are
converted to ASCII before delivery, while the centering would be lost, the
text would still appear). And second, I found that the image gets handled
more or less like a watermark, so I ended up typing over it, instead of
starting only at a point following it.
I already can do ~80% of this with a Custom Signature, by placing into the
Custom Signature both the Top Text and the Bottom Text and separating them by
several lines. Nevertheless, two problems persist that I have not been able
to resolve. When done as a Custom Signature, I find that (a) the "Top" text
doesn't actually begin until about the 3rd or 4th line from the top of the
message, and I haven't discovered how to reclaim those blank lines; and (b) I
have not been able to find a way to reposition the cursor to a point between
the Top Text and the Bottom Text.
Consequently, when I start a new message, I first musts delete the blank
lines appearing before the Top Text, and then -- before I start my actual
message -- I must manually move the cursor down to one of the blank lines
after the Top Text and before the Bottom Text. Not a big deal, but a bit of
a PITA.
It seems like there ought to be a way to skin this cat, but I've run out of
ideas of my own.
- Paul
PS -- In case anyone is curious about the "why" of this, keep reading:
I concluded that the format I describe above is a superior format for
sending out e-mails that contain confidential information, as opposed to what
seems to be the more common practice of placing a "confidentiality notice" at
the bottom of the e-mail message as part of a signature.
Placing that notice at the bottom makes it almost certain that an unintended
recipient will have read the confidential information BEFORE seeing the
confidentiality notice. Formatted in that manner, the sender has
intentionally disclosed the confidential information before telling the
reader that the information IS confidential. By doing that, there's a pretty
good argument that the sender waived any right to thereafter prevent further
disclosure of that information.
Of course, it is true that, no matter where a confidentiality notice is
placed in an e-mail, it's certainly possible for any unintended recipient to
ignore that notice and read the confidential information.
However, if confidential information is contained in an e-mail that I send
and it ends up in the Inbox of an unintended recipient, if/when I am
questioned about the steps I took to try to dissuade unintended recipients
from reading that confidential information, I would like to be able to show
that the VERY FIRST text that recipient would have seen was a clear notice
stating that (a) the information that follows is confidential and (b) any
unintended recipient should not read any farther (along with appropriate
handling instructions). At least THEN I will have an argument that the
unintended recipient was on notice of the confidential information and had
been asked not to read or use it.
So that's the WHY.
following characteristics/format/etc.:
1. At the very top of the new message, several lines of text would be
centered and there would be a line drawn across the page just below the last
line of that text. (I call this the Top Text)
2. At the bottom of the new message, several lines of text would be
left-justified (more of a "true" signature appearance). (This would be the
Bottom Text)
3. Finally, when I start a new message, the cursor (the beginning point of
typing) would be located about 2-3 lines below the line under the Top Text,
and there would be another couple of lines before the first line of the
Bottom Text.
More or less, this would be like letterhead stationary for "hardcopy" use --
there is preprinted information at the top, preprinted information at the
bottom, and the letter gets typed in between the two.
I thought about taking the Top Text and turning it into an image for use as
custom stationary, but that was unsatisfactory for a couple of reasons:
First, for recipients whose systems block out all but the text in received
messages, using an image would mean that the information of the Top Text
would not appear at all, and that's unacceptable, as it is critically
important for that to be read by every recipient BEFORE getting to the text
of the message (if the Top Text is formatted to be centered and messages are
converted to ASCII before delivery, while the centering would be lost, the
text would still appear). And second, I found that the image gets handled
more or less like a watermark, so I ended up typing over it, instead of
starting only at a point following it.
I already can do ~80% of this with a Custom Signature, by placing into the
Custom Signature both the Top Text and the Bottom Text and separating them by
several lines. Nevertheless, two problems persist that I have not been able
to resolve. When done as a Custom Signature, I find that (a) the "Top" text
doesn't actually begin until about the 3rd or 4th line from the top of the
message, and I haven't discovered how to reclaim those blank lines; and (b) I
have not been able to find a way to reposition the cursor to a point between
the Top Text and the Bottom Text.
Consequently, when I start a new message, I first musts delete the blank
lines appearing before the Top Text, and then -- before I start my actual
message -- I must manually move the cursor down to one of the blank lines
after the Top Text and before the Bottom Text. Not a big deal, but a bit of
a PITA.
It seems like there ought to be a way to skin this cat, but I've run out of
ideas of my own.
- Paul
PS -- In case anyone is curious about the "why" of this, keep reading:
I concluded that the format I describe above is a superior format for
sending out e-mails that contain confidential information, as opposed to what
seems to be the more common practice of placing a "confidentiality notice" at
the bottom of the e-mail message as part of a signature.
Placing that notice at the bottom makes it almost certain that an unintended
recipient will have read the confidential information BEFORE seeing the
confidentiality notice. Formatted in that manner, the sender has
intentionally disclosed the confidential information before telling the
reader that the information IS confidential. By doing that, there's a pretty
good argument that the sender waived any right to thereafter prevent further
disclosure of that information.
Of course, it is true that, no matter where a confidentiality notice is
placed in an e-mail, it's certainly possible for any unintended recipient to
ignore that notice and read the confidential information.
However, if confidential information is contained in an e-mail that I send
and it ends up in the Inbox of an unintended recipient, if/when I am
questioned about the steps I took to try to dissuade unintended recipients
from reading that confidential information, I would like to be able to show
that the VERY FIRST text that recipient would have seen was a clear notice
stating that (a) the information that follows is confidential and (b) any
unintended recipient should not read any farther (along with appropriate
handling instructions). At least THEN I will have an argument that the
unintended recipient was on notice of the confidential information and had
been asked not to read or use it.
So that's the WHY.