Some AOL users have reported that my previous message on this subject showed up
red and unreadable on their screens.  So, I'm going to try making some minor
editing changes where I suspect the problem was caused and try re-posting it for
our AOL users.

I suspect the problem was that the quoted message thread included a few HTML
style commands.  I will try replacing the angle bracket characters which
indicate the HTML commands with two asterisks.  Just to be safe, I'll modify
anything else I suspect might possibly cause a problem for anyone with double
asterisks too.

Sorry all the readers not having any problems are having to see this again.

Steve Coker


---------EDITED COPY OF PRIOR MESSAGE---------

It was brought to my attention recently that some users may be having trouble
reading the Forum messages due to strange problems with colors in the messages. 
I've scanned several recent Listowner digests to see what I could discover that
might help.  Shown below is information I found that I felt might be of use to
some of you regarding this problem.  

This may be too technical and of little help to some of you.  Sorry, but I won't
be able to assist you by explaining any of this since I don't use AOL.  If I
discover a better, more simplified explanation I will try to remember to post
it.

Hope this helps,

Steve Coker
Forum Manager


______________________________

 Subject: Re: AOL and the color problem
   Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 14:53:18 -0700

Hi Lin!

I've got a couple of digests that AOL is seeing in color.  Even when I 
forwarded a copy to them of the digest - they still got it in color.  How 
about if I forward it to you to see what you can find out about it.  I do 
know which message created the problem - non-AOL posters, using Microsoft and 
posted in HTML.

Let me know - it would be nice if there was 'something' AOL people could do  
in order to read them.  I know it's not their fault - just don't know what to 
tell them as far as "HOW" to be able to see it.

Sharon

______________________________

 Subject: Re: AOL and the color problem
   Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 19:35:56

Sharon, 

This was written by Joan (probably xxxxx) and posted by someone else to the
Robinson list. I've been sending it to the people who have been complaining
about the backgrounds. It's apparently been happening on my majordomo
lists, too, but no one thought to mention it - I suppose since they are
mostly young and like funky colors - until for someone the text changed to
white so they thought the digest was blank -- and that may be what happened
with other complaints of blank digests - the text was white so some aolers
couldn't read it!

The problem is almost certainly caused by mime and occurs in the digest
when the text is converted or with individual messages when they quote the
entire message posted to the list. To clarify, in the case I can document,
person A posted a message using Mac_MOE and includes a word in bold to a
list, person B reading list mail on aol will see a regular message, but
when person C quotes person A's message from the list and sends it to the
list, person B will see it with a red background,(and person B thought the
problem was caused by something C did - when I extracted just A's message
and uncoding from the digest and sent it to B it was red).

Here's the fix. So far every who responded said it worked (including the
person who said the digest was blank):

---------EDITED COPY---------

The simple solution is to highlight the entire message and click on reply--once
in the reply message window the message will still appear with the colored
background--BUT then you click on the box with the A inside the blue square and
click on the white background and then click on OK.  The background will now be
white and the message can be read.  You can then either delete it when you are
finished reading it or if you want to save it you can complete the subject box
and put your own e-mail address in the TO box and then click on send--it will
come right back to you and you can then save it with your saved e-mails WITH the
white background preserved. 

Another way to accomplish the same thing assuming you wish to save the digest is
to bring down the file menu (when looking at the unreadable digest with the
colored background) and click on save as--then select a name for your file and
save it as a text file.  Then click on file open and open the saved text file
and then go through the same procedure as above to change the background
color--works every time.  This procedure will save your corrected file as a text
file (in your AOL download directory by default or anywhere else you want to
save it if you prefer another folder).  When you close this file you will be
asked if you wish to save the changes--click on yes to save the background
change.

I looked at the digest this happened in and this bit of code appeared with the
bold text. This explains the background and the font size difference. (please
note, I changed the FFF****F to 999****9 so it wouldn't be red). Perhaps the
reason that only aol seems affected is the 3D in the code which might prevent
some browsers from displaying the color and it doesn't matter to aol.

**B**DY BGCO**OR"****99999"**
anyone heard about a supposed **BR**
**FO**T SI**E"7"****B**B-52's/Pretenders**/B****/FO**T****BR**
tour staring on June 18th?**BR**

At 02:53 PM 4/19/98 -0700, Sharon wrote:
Hi Lin!

I've got a couple of digests that AOL is seeing in color.  Even when I forwarded
a copy to them of the digest - they still got it in color.  How about if I
forward it to you to see what you can find out about it.  I do  know which
message created the problem - non-AOL posters, using Microsoft and posted in
HTML.

Let me know - it would be nice if there was 'something' AOL people could do in
order to read them.  I know it's not their fault - just don't know what to tell
them as far as "HOW" to be able to see it.

Sharon

______________________________

 Subject: oops. I'm very sorry for that background, aolers
   Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 20:51:14

When I sent my last message I bcc:d my aol account and just checked. I though
the 999 would be nothing. Instead it was red/black plaid pattern, interesting,
and it proved that little piece of html code with bgcolor is the problem, but I
didn't mean it, and I'm sorry. The good news is, unless someone quotes that
part, it shouldn't be in the next message.

Lin 

---------END OF EDITED COPIES---------

==== SCROOTS Mailing List ====