Formatting for "send a message"

[gwillden]

The point was never to have a full-featured rich formatter. When we implemented the formatting in the editor, we made a specific, conscious decision to support some basic formatting but not to try to implement a full-featured editor.

The problem is that the formatting options that the UI provides are not all supported in the email that is generated. For example I tried creating a table with some contents. I set the border color. The border does not show up in the email. That really limits the usefulness of tables in formatting the messages.

[lajackson]

The problem is that the formatting options that the UI provides are not all supported in the email that is generated.

"Basic formatting" means bold, italics, and underline. You can also set a bullitized list. Anything else, including tables, is not simple formatting. It may be stone age stuff, but it is what it is.

[kd7mha]

The problem is that the formatting options that the UI provides are not all supported in the email that is generated.

"Basic formatting" means bold, italics, and underline. You can also set a bullitized list. Anything else, including tables, is not simple formatting. It may be stone age stuff, but it is what it is.

while I would agree, the fact remains that there are table formatting options in the send a message application but that formatting is not sent in the message
the received message has a table but there is no formatting

sent table.jpg

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[gwillden]

The problem is that the formatting options that the UI provides are not all supported in the email that is generated.

"Basic formatting" means bold, italics, and underline. You can also set a bullitized list. Anything else, including tables, is not simple formatting. It may be stone age stuff, but it is what it is.

while I would agree, the fact remains that there are table formatting options in the send a message application but that formatting is not sent in the message
the received message has a table but there is no formatting

Yes. This exactly. The UI allows you to create a table. I'm not talking about copy-pasting a table in. The UI allows you to create a table and set various properties including border color, background color, etc. Those options are not included in the generated email. If the options are not actually supported, then they should be removed from the UI since it gives false hope and leads to even more frustration when a new person spends time trying to format a message to only have it come out very poorly.

Tables are very very helpful. It wouldn't take much to fix the problem. If the backend would simply drop in a <style> tag with the table properties, it would work much better for users.

[Hilohi]

Any chance the formatting can be fixed so that the line breaks in the email that is sent to the members actually appear as how the email was drafted?

[drepouille]

I wonder if the Send a Message app should be changed to send text messages to cell phones, rather than sending email messages. Text messages are usually short, simple, and unformatted.

[kristianjohnson]

With greater emphasis from the Brethren on keeping announcements in sacrament meeting to a minimum (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/stu ... d?lang=eng), combined with no printed programs in limited capacity in-person meetings and the present & ongoing use of virtual meetings, many wards' dependence on email communication has greatly increased. It is time for Send A Message to have a full-fledged modern rich text editor that actually works. Send A Message is such a useful tool to ensure that all members receive intended emails, eliminating the burden of managing separate email lists. However, given the greater complexity of information that needs to be sent over email (tables of virtual meeting times and links, etc.), simple text editing is no longer sufficient (if it ever was). Please, please, make Send A Message a full WYSIWYG editor that can better accept the formatting pasted from other common rich text editors. It is very frustrating to work hard on getting effective email communication out to a ward, only to find that what was actually received by members looks nothing like what was intended/sent.

[lajackson]

It is time for Send A Message to have a full-fledged modern rich text editor that actually works.

Many have requested this, but it does not seem to have a very high priority (if any) from those who give the programmers their instructions. Simple seems to be the mode of the day.

There are two ways to add your voice so the decision makers will know of your desires. One is by way of the Feedback link at the bottom of the web page. The other is through your bishop and stake president to the Area Seventy. Either way, the programmers receive direction from those above them and follow the instructions they are given. They rarely frequent this user-to-user forum.

I agree with much of what you say. However, I am amused because I grew up in the day of the manual typewriter. I often ponder how we were able to so effectively communicate without all of the bells and whistles that are considered by many to be so required today.

[jonesrk]

It is time for Send A Message to have a full-fledged modern rich text editor that actually works.

One other option is to build the program (or any other formatted document) as a pdf and just attach it via Send A Message. That is what my ward is currently doing for the sacrament meeting program

[Hilohi]

It is time for Send A Message to have a full-fledged modern rich text editor that actually works.

One other option is to build the program (or any other formatted document) as a pdf and just attach it via Send A Message. That is what my ward is currently doing for the sacrament meeting program

I know it's one quick and simple step to open an attachment, but sometimes that one extra step is the difference between a person reading a message and not reading it.