Is there a way to hyperlink a file attachment on the file server

boe · May 23, 2007

In outlook I can hyperlink the file by dragging it into the new message and
then selecting hyperlink

e.g. \\fileserver\sharedrive\myfile.bmp

Is there a way to do this so entourage clients can easily create a working
hyperlink by dragging into entourage? I'd like to try and decrease the
mailbox sizes going forward.

Thanks

Diane Ross · May 23, 2007

Sorry, that option is not available.

If you want to remove outgoing attachments, then create a rule in ³Outgoing²
to remove attachments. This is assuming your outgoing attachments are stored
elsewhere on your computer. No need to have them duplicated and filling up
your database.

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/rules/example/rule001.html>

You can also remove incoming attachments with one of the "remove attachment"
scripts. They will save, remove and link the saved files to the message, so
you can open the file directly from the message.

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/script/fav_scripts.html#favscript17>

<http://scriptbuilders.net/files/saveattachments20041.0.0.html>

--
Diane Ross, Microsoft Mac MVP
Entourage Help Page
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog
<http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>

Jolly Roger · May 23, 2007

Have you considered storing all attachment files on a local web server
and distributing an AppleScript script to your users that would create
URLs of the files in emails?

boe · May 23, 2007

Thanks

boe · May 23, 2007

Thanks - I hadn't considered that.

Jolly Roger · May 23, 2007

This works for me:

Set up a Mac OS X machine to do AppleShare file sharing ("Personal File
Sharing" in System Preferences > Sharing > Services).

In the e-mail message, include a link to the file on the file server in
this format:

<afp://servername/sharename/path/to/file.rtf>

So for instance, let's say you have a user account "bob" on the serving
machine "server", and on Bob's desktop is a file named "share_me.doc" -
here's how the URI would look:

<afp://server/bob/Desktop/share_me.doc>

Note: I haven't figured out yet how to get spaces in the path to work
right - could be an Entourage issue. So don't include spaces in the
path for testing.

When I click this link, the Finder displays the standard Mac OS X
"Connect To Server" dialog box asking for the name and password to log
into the AppleShare server. When I enter the user name and password,
and click Connect, another dialog box appears listing the shared
folders on the server. I select the one containing the file in question
and click OK. The Finder mounts the shared folder and opens the folder
containing the file, and highlights the file in that window.

Hope this helps.

Barry Wainwright [MVP] · May 23, 2007

I did post a response to this message this morning, but it doesn't appear to
have reached the server for some reason.

I already have a script that will insert file URLs for a local network
stored file - running this script will allow you to select as file using a
standard 'open' dialog, and will insert a link to that file (or multiple
files) into the current draft message window.

Copy the script and paste it into Apple's Script Editor application. Save
the script as a compiled script & put it in the ŒEntourage Script Menu
Items¹ folder in your ŒMicrosoft User Data¹ folder. The script can be
manually run from the menu or (if you name the script "Insert File URL\cmF")
you can call it up by hitting Command-Control-F

-- Insert File URL v1.0 (13th March 2007)
-- an applescript by Barry Wainwright <mailto:[email protected]>
-- Inserts the URL of a chosen file into an Entourage message
-- This script released under a Creative Commons Attribution, NonCommercial,
ShareAlike 2.0 England & Wales License.
-- see <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/> for full
details

set targetFiles to choose file with prompt "Select a file (or files) to link
to:" with multiple selections allowed without invisibles and showing package
contents
set targetFileList to {}
repeat with anItem in targetFiles
tell application "System Events" to copy "<" & URL of anItem & ">" to
end of targetFileList
end repeat
set {oldDelims, AppleScript's text item delimiters} to {AppleScript's text
item delimiters, {return}}
set targetFileText to targetFileList as text
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to oldDelims

tell application "Microsoft Entourage"
try
set windowClass to class of window 1
set editableWindow to windowClass is draft window or windowClass is
draft news window
on error
set editableWindow to false
end try
if editableWindow is false then
beep
display dialog "There is no message composition window open in
Entourage!" buttons {"End Script"} default button 1 with icon stop
return -98
end if

if selection is "" then
set the selection to targetFileText as text
else
set doWhat to button returned of (display dialog "Some text is
already selected, do you want to replace it?" buttons {"Replace", "Append",
" Cancel "} default button 1)
if doWhat is "Replace" then
set selection to targetFileText as text
else if doWhat is "Append" then
set selection to selection & " " & targetFileText as text
else
beep
return -97
end if
end if
end tell

Jolly Roger · May 23, 2007

My god man - get your finger off the Send button!!!

Jeff Zienowicz · May 23, 2007

Barry's script looks like a great solution. If you'd like to have this
capability in other applications besides Entourage, you might also look into
a donation-ware utility called PathSnagger
(<http://www.bergenstreetsoftware.com/>). It will install an additional
contextual menu item in the Finder for copying the current file's path to
the clipboard, so the URL can be inserted into any application.

Jeff

boe · May 23, 2007

Thanks - I don't think that will work when they send to the windows clients
in the same office - I may have to set the file server up as web server.

boe · May 23, 2007

Re: Is there a way to hyperlink a file attachment on the file serverThanks - I'll take a look at it.

I did post a response to this message this morning, but it doesn't appear to have reached the server for some reason.

I already have a script that will insert file URLs for a local network stored file - running this script will allow you to select as file using a standard 'open' dialog, and will insert a link to that file (or multiple files) into the current draft message window.

Copy the script and paste it into Apple's Script Editor application. Save the script as a compiled script & put it in the 'Entourage Script Menu Items' folder in your 'Microsoft User Data' folder. The script can be manually run from the menu or (if you name the script "Insert File URL\cmF") you can call it up by hitting Command-Control-F

-- Insert File URL v1.0 (13th March 2007)
-- an applescript by Barry Wainwright <mailto:[email protected]>
-- Inserts the URL of a chosen file into an Entourage message
-- This script released under a Creative Commons Attribution, NonCommercial, ShareAlike 2.0 England & Wales License.
-- see <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/> for full details

set targetFiles to choose file with prompt "Select a file (or files) to link to:" with multiple selections allowed without invisibles and showing package contents
set targetFileList to {}
repeat with anItem in targetFiles
tell application "System Events" to copy "<" & URL of anItem & ">" to end of targetFileList
end repeat
set {oldDelims, AppleScript's text item delimiters} to {AppleScript's text item delimiters, {return}}
set targetFileText to targetFileList as text
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to oldDelims

tell application "Microsoft Entourage"
try
set windowClass to class of window 1
set editableWindow to windowClass is draft window or windowClass is draft news window
on error
set editableWindow to false
end try
if editableWindow is false then
beep
display dialog "There is no message composition window open in Entourage!" buttons {"End Script"} default button 1 with icon stop
return -98
end if

if selection is "" then
set the selection to targetFileText as text
else
set doWhat to button returned of (display dialog "Some text is already selected, do you want to replace it?" buttons {"Replace", "Append", " Cancel "} default button 1)
if doWhat is "Replace" then
set selection to targetFileText as text
else if doWhat is "Append" then
set selection to selection & " " & targetFileText as text
else
beep
return -97
end if
end if
end tell

Jolly Roger · May 23, 2007

You might instead share the files Samba ("Windows File Sharing" in
System Preferences > Sharing > Services), and changed the URL to:

<smb://username

assword@servername/sharename/path/to/file.doc>

But yeah, a web server may be even better than either of these.

William Smith · May 24, 2007

Hi boe!

I see you've already had several responses and different solutions. I'll
add this with the caveat that I've never used it for the reason you're
describing.

Have a look at WinShortcutter
<http://www.lobotomo.com/products/WinShortcutter/index.html> for reading
Windows UNC paths in the Finder. This may at least translate for you
when you receive UNC paths.

I know that on the Windows side you can also write some of your paths
with "file://\\fileserver\sharedrive\myfile.bmp" or something similar
(I'm not in a place to verify the exact syntax). Doing this in Entourage
may make your links clickable for Windows folks.

Hope this helps! bill

Is there a way to hyperlink a file attachment on the file server

boe

Diane Ross

Jolly Roger

boe

boe

Jolly Roger

Barry Wainwright [MVP]

Jolly Roger

Jeff Zienowicz

boe

boe

Jolly Roger

William Smith