E-mails with attachments and avast! tag

[Lars-Erik]

When sending a message with attachments avast! does not add the "signatur tag" at the end of the message text, but instead it becomes a separate attachments. And I get complaints of the type "I can't open your 2nd attachment". Why does avast! do like this?

Can't it just add the signatur to the main message text as usual?

[alanrf]

Some email structures make it difficult for avast (or any av) to append tags ... can you supply a (suitably edited) example?

[Lars-Erik]

It's a bit strange. In Forte Agent the extra attachment is just called "avast info" (no file type extension) and can't be opened by clicking on it (can be opened from the message index where it is shown as text/plain), but the content is shown (if one has selected to show text/plain content below the main message). BUT in Outlook 2003 the extra attachment IS called "avast info.txt" and can be opened.

So to be sure, can't you call the attachment "avast-info.txt"?

See enclosed image for example.

[alanrf]

Can you post the raw message source of the mail you showed above?

[Lars-Erik]

Here it is. Seems like it's a file name that is missing that causes some email clients not to treat the acast! attachment like a text-file...


From: Lars-Erik Østerud <lars-erik@badebakken.com>
To: "Lars-Erik Østerud" <larse@chello.no>


----=_7avf82lo85blhrb8mq503m5tk94vc10eiv.MFSBCHJLHS
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

Just a test !
--
 Lars-Erik Østerud  -  http://home.chello.no/~larse/  -  ICQ 7297605
 Styremedlem i Sameiet Badebakken 2-34  -  http://www.badebakken.com

----=_7avf82lo85blhrb8mq503m5tk94vc10eiv.MFSBCHJLHS
Content-Type: application/octet-stream; name="Skillevegg 2002-08-28.doc"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="Skillevegg 2002-08-28.doc"

0M8R4KGxGuEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPgADAP7/CQAGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABAAAAKwAAAAAAAAAA <truncated this part>

----=_7avf82lo85blhrb8mq503m5tk94vc10eiv.MFSBCHJLHS
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
   boundary="----=_NextPart_Avast_Info_Boundary"

------=_NextPart_Avast_Info_Boundary
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Description: avast info


avast! antivirus (0623-1, 06.06.2006), Outbound message clean

------=_NextPart_Avast_Info_Boundary--

----=_7avf82lo85blhrb8mq503m5tk94vc10eiv.MFSBCHJLHS--

[alanrf]

Lars-Erik,

sorry for the delay in replying.

I have created, using my mail client Thunderbird, the same format of message - based on the raw text - as yours.  The raw text of the message looks (in its format) just about identical to yours. 

However, my client does not not display the avast "clean" message as an attachment but simply as the final part of the message. 

The raw text you posted shows that the avast clean message is just an extra body part of the message and is not an attachment as such. 

Edited later: 

Since it appears that some clients will use the Content-Description as an attachment name in addition to or instead of just showing the "clean" text inline maybe the avast folks could consider your sugestion of adding the .txt to help those affected.   

[alanrf]

Edited above post with some later consideration.

[Vlk]

Sounds like a reasonable suggestion to me...

If the "Content-Description" is not rendered, it doesn't make any difference.
If it is, it's more sensible to assume that it will be displayed as an attachment name, and therefore it should have an extension.


Thanks
Vlk