Re: uuencode

Bob Proulx <[email protected]> Mon, 15 Dec 2014 21:16:28 -0700
Newsgroups gmane.comp.gnu.utils.bugs
Message-ID <[email protected]>
[email protected] wrote:
> I have a problem with uuencode / mailx linux commands. When I run the 
> command line:
> 
> uuencode uuencode_test_file.txt uuencode_test_file.doc | mailx -s "TEST - 
> Report" [email protected]
> 
> The following attachment return this:
> 
> begin 640 uuencode_test_file.doc
> 3555%3D-/1$4@5&5S="!&:6QE"@``
> `
> end

That looks exactly correct.  Congratulations.  Your uuencode is
working properly.

> This issue just happen on Outlook mail client.
> Could you please help us in this case?
> Note: Was used Linux Operation System.

I would not want to talk someone out of using uuencode since it is a
solid and robust way to send small files by email.  But since the
middle of the 1990's we have had MIME standard ways of attaching
binary files to email.  Using a MIME standard attachment would allow
all of the email clients including Outlook to detach the attachment as
a file verbatim.  It is probably arguably better to use MIME rather
than uuencode these days.

If you have the 'mutt' mail client available you can use it similar to
mailx in order to attach files.  This will attach two files as an
example.

  echo The files are attached. | mutt -s "Subject Line Here" -a somefile1 somefile2 -- [email protected]

Bob