Signature - preferences

Fun with Mail Signature:

I upgraded my Notes Client from version 8.0.2 to version 8.5 beta 2. Upgraded my mail template to Mail 8.5. Created a new memo. Noticed that my Mail Signature block was outdented by 1".

Troubleshoot steps:

  1. Replace design of mail file with Mail 8 template. Open Mail Preferences. Confirm that the mail signature in use is “text” (not HTML).

1.a. Modify the Mail Signature. Create a new memo using the Mail 8 template. Confirm that the Mail Signature that displays on the memo reflected the modification.

1.b. Open Mail Preferences and delete the mail signature information, but leave the option checked to append a signature. Create a new memo. Confirm that the Mail Signature is no longer present.

(So … this confirms that Mail 8 sees the plain text signature and allows me to modify it.)

  1. Replace design of mail file with Mail 8.5 template, close and re-open mail file.

2.1 Create new memo. Notice that the Mail Signature is present, even though the plain text was deleted while using the Mail 8 template.

2.2 Open mail preferences and see the signature data in the richtext lite field. Delete the signature. Close mail. Close Notes. Restart Notes. Signature reappears … still outdented by 1".

2.3 Try several times to modify or delete the signature data that is appearing in the richtext lite field. I am unable to do anything that results in that signature actually being changed.

Obviously, the 8.5 template is picking up the obsolete mail signature from somewhere.

Note: a long time ago … (version 6 I think) I used an HTML signature line instead of plain text.

I had to replace that HTML signature with a plain text signature line because I started using lotusscript code to generate automatic messages, and (at that time) the lotusscript code couldn’t handle HTML format signatures.

I SUSPECT that the signature that is reappearing now is the old HTML signature that I used back on Version 6, and the 8.5 client is ignoring whatever is in the “plain text” signature.

Subject: signature - “be healed!”

hmmm … o.k. … today, I was able to open my preferences and modify my signature line, and it retained my modifications. Plus … the mysterious “outdent” is now gone. How odd. I suspect Devine Intervention.

I think this is what happened:

  1. On version 6, I set up my signature as “html”.

  2. Later, still on version 6, I changed my signature to “plain text”. I left it on plain text through the version 7, version 8, and version 8.5 upgrades.

  3. I noticed the odd outdent on version 8.5. I suspect that the 8.5 client was picking up my old “html” signature instead of the plain text. For some reason, I the 8.5 client was not allowing me to modify or delete the old signature.

  4. A few days have passed since my client was upgraded to 8.5. My server has compacted my mail file at least three times since I replaced the design with 8.5.

  5. Now I can open the signature preferences, make modifications, and they work.

Maybe compacting the database had something to do with it? Either that, or it really was Devine Intervention.

Subject: Workaround…

Went back into Actions → More → Preferences and picked the Signature option (why this isn’t ituitively under File-> Preferences defeats me… sigh) and took the following action.

‘Copy’ a correctly formatted signature block from an old note, and ‘paste’ it into the Signature field in the Preferences tab - you’ll note that it outdents itself rather strangely, but don’t give up. Save the preferences, then open a note. The immediate reaction was that the Signature block was correctly positioned, but the input line above was outdented by 1 tab!!! Fix that, send the note, close down notes, reopen and magically, all seems to be right!

Subject: Signature block alignment problem

This is actually a very irritating bug! When I installed the code, it did rather surprisingly indicate that the signature block from now on would be managed from a central server. I’d welcome any obvious circumvention to this, preferably without having to go through the pain of another uninstall/install.

Subject: forwarded to development <>