I've done it again -- sent an email that mentions an attachment, and then forgot to attach the file. It's always embarassing. Here's a way to save yourself from similar humiliation. Download this free Attachment Scanner plugin for Mail.app, and install it following the directions on the developer's site. Now when you type "attach," "attachment,", "attaching," or similar words in an email, if you hit Send without actually attaching a document, you'll see a warning like this one: "Message Has No Attachment. Your mail appears to refer to an attachment, but none exists. Do you wish to continue?" If you don't mention an attachment, you won't see anything different than usual. I've been using it all day, and really appreciate getting a second chance to save face thanks to developer James Eagan.
[via macosxhints]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-20-2006 @ 7:18PM
Mr Lizard said...
What a lifesaver.
Now, all we need is a similar plugin that identifies when you're b*tching behind someone else's back.
Before sending you'll receive an alert that makes sure you're not sending it to the wrong person!
(Ideal for those who have ever accidently sent such an email to the person whose the subject of the b*tching...)
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8-20-2006 @ 7:27PM
fero said...
Great idea and great execution! I tried it and it works wonders!
Additionally, if you are looking for more Mail plugins, I would strongly recommend this site: http://www.tikouka.net/mailapp/
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8-20-2006 @ 8:38PM
matt nicklin said...
what a great idea, I can't tell you how bad it looks when you are supposed to be sening this big paper to your teacher by a certain time and they say they got the email and no paper.
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8-20-2006 @ 10:15PM
Stephen Macklin said...
Fantastic! Anybody know how to write one for Entourage?
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8-21-2006 @ 1:23AM
kangamini said...
This is the hottest thing ever!
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8-21-2006 @ 3:14AM
Scott F said...
Oh, I want one of those a couple of months ago. This might get me to use Mail again, instead of Google's gmail page. Might.
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8-21-2006 @ 3:29AM
Christiaan W. Lustig said...
Hmm... this would come in handy if it were ajustable for other languages. I mean, the Dutch 'bijlage' doesn't even come close to 'attachment'. ;)
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8-21-2006 @ 4:31AM
jerome said...
it ain't working here...tried it in the home folder and the root hd Mail libraries...run the terminal commands. nothing :-(
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8-21-2006 @ 5:07AM
bryan webster said...
works as advertised but the only problem is my signature from work has the following text
"This e-mail (and its attachment(s) if any) is intended for the named addressee(s) only"
So the plug in picks this up with every email i try and send!
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8-21-2006 @ 5:32AM
Kenny said...
KDE's KMail had this some time ago -- but it is seriously is the coolest thing ever.
http://lists.kde.org/?l=kmail-devel&m=111452120315439&w=2
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8-21-2006 @ 7:02AM
Stephen said...
Very useful. I forget to do that a lot.
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8-21-2006 @ 9:17AM
Chris said...
Argh, where has this been for the past couple years! I can't even begin to count how many "Oops, forgot to add the attachment...." emails I've sent to potential employers, family members, etc... This will be a lifesaver for sure!
I like Mr Lizards idea as well, I imagine that could save more embarassment than a forgotten file attachemnt!
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8-22-2006 @ 9:42AM
olivier said...
well, great idea, BUT...
the plugin should just check the 1st level text, not the quoted text from previous messages, otherwise if:
1/ you're replying to a message that was referring to an attachment
2/ the other guy has a legal footer saying "This message and any attachments are confidential"
the pop-up still asks for an attachment and it becomes very annoying...
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