Email Attachments

Most people know how to send an email today; however many people are confused when it comes to sending an attachment.  This part of the tutor workshop will test your knowledge of attachments and will serve as a refresher course on how to properly send and receive an attachment.  You can also return to this page whenever you need to remember how to send an attachment through a specific word processor.

The first thing to know about attachments is that most instructors hate to receive them.  Sent improperly attachments are hard to open and time consuming.  In addition attachments spread viruses! Generally online assignments should be sent using the copy and paste commands.  However, sometimes instructors require a term paper, or specifically request that an attachment be sent.  This workshop will help you to learn to send attachments properly.

Sending Attachments Using Hotmail

To attach another file to your email message click on the attachment button located on the compose screen.
A screen will appear with the following information:

Attach file -- click inside this square
Browse -- use this button to find the file.
Attach to Message -- use this button to attach the file you selected to a
message.
Done -- use this file when you are through attaching your messages.

Always remember to tell the receiver what program you used to create the file you have attached, and before sending an attachment, make sure the other person has the program they need to open your attachment.

Here are a few tips:

1.  When creating a file to send as an attachment, always let the program give the extension for the file.  Example: research.wpd not research.s99

Why leave the extension alone?  Because if you let the program use the extension most computers will automatically open the attachment in the appropriate program.

2.  Always use filenames of eight letters or less with no spaces.  Example: research.wpd not this is my research paper.wpd

Why use a filename of eight letters or less with no spaces?   Because older computers can't read filenames longer than eight letters, or filenames with spaces.

3.  If the email program asks you to send the file "As is" or "Convert to HTML" always choose "As Is." 

Why should the file be left "As is"?  Because if you choose to convert the file to HTML it is no longer readable.  The attachment was not created on the Internet using an HTML editor, it was created in a word processor; therefore it is NOT an HTML document.

4.  Always save your file as Rich Text Format (.rtf) no matter what word processor you are using.

Why should the file be saved as a Rich Text Format (.rtf)? Because this option is present in all of the popular word processors:  Word, Word Perfect, Works, and Lotus.  The option in Claris Works for the McIntosh is Wordperfect for DOS 6.0. 

Opening Attachments

To open an attachment someone has sent to you, click the download attachment link at the bottom of your email message.

A save as dialog box appears. Click the Save button. Open the program the document was created in. Open the document.

Here are a few tips:

If the attachment doesn't open automatically, look at the extension (the part of the filename after the period).  The extension will tell you what program the document was created in.

What are common extensions?

.doc = Word or Office Document
.wpd = Word Perfect Document
.wps = Works Document

The Assignment

Now that you have had a refresher course on attachments send an email to the webmaster and include as an attachment the file you saved when completing the "Using An Interactive Form" portion of the workshop.