How does mailto really work?

**Nicholas Paldino [.NET/C# MVP]** · Nov 16 '05, 04:45 AM

Re: How does mailto really work?

clintonG,

You aren't going to find any. This is an implementation detail that is
left to the actual client viewing the HTML. It just has to be able to
understand the protocol that is used in the URL, and then perform an action
based on that.

Hope this helps.

--
- Nicholas Paldino [.NET/C# MVP]
- mvp@spam.guard. caspershouse.co m

"clintonG" <csgallagher@RE MOVETHISTEXT@me tromilwaukee.co m> wrote in message
news:eO3oRLoPEH A.628@TK2MSFTNG P11.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> Example:
> <a href="mailto:so mebody@somewher e.com>Send Mail</a>
>
> I've been trying to find documentation via W3 and the RFCs but I have
> yet to find documentation that explains how a click event on an anchor
> tag can launch a client-side e-mail program and populate its To: field
> with an e-mail address.
>
> I've found RFCs that briefly describe mailto but they fail to describe
> the actual mechanism that enables the functionality.
>
> Comments? Documentation?
>
> --
> <%= Clinton Gallagher
> A/E/C Consulting, Web Design, e-Commerce Software Development
> Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin USA
> NET csgallagher@ REMOVETHISTEXT metromilwaukee. com
> URL http://www.metromilwaukee.com/clintongallagher/
>
>
>[/color]

**James Curran** · Nov 16 '05, 04:45 AM

Re: How does mailto really work?

The text inside a HREF is a URI. A URI begins with a "scheme" which
could be an URL protocol, in which "mailto" is one.

Regardless, the URI is passed onto the OS for processing as it sees fit.

In this case, your email client has told your OS, "When you see a
mailto, let me handle it"

--
Truth,
James Curran
Home: www.noveltheory.com Work: www.njtheater.com
Blog: www.honestillusion.com Day Job: www.partsearch.com
(note new day job!)

"clintonG" <csgallagher@RE MOVETHISTEXT@me tromilwaukee.co m> wrote in message
news:eO3oRLoPEH A.628@TK2MSFTNG P11.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> Example:
> <a href="mailto:so mebody@somewher e.com>Send Mail</a>
>
> I've been trying to find documentation via W3 and the RFCs but I have
> yet to find documentation that explains how a click event on an anchor
> tag can launch a client-side e-mail program and populate its To: field
> with an e-mail address.
>
> I've found RFCs that briefly describe mailto but they fail to describe
> the actual mechanism that enables the functionality.[/color]

**clintonG** · Nov 16 '05, 04:47 AM

Re: How does mailto really work?

Thanks for the rehash of the W3 and RFC documents ;-)

<%= Clinton Gallagher

"James Curran" <JamesCurran@mv ps.org> wrote in message
news:Of6W2VoPEH A.988@tk2msftng p13.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> The text inside a HREF is a URI. A URI begins with a "scheme"[/color]
which[color=blue]
> could be an URL protocol, in which "mailto" is one.
>
> Regardless, the URI is passed onto the OS for processing as it[/color]
sees fit.[color=blue]
>
> In this case, your email client has told your OS, "When you see a
> mailto, let me handle it"
>
> --
> Truth,
> James Curran
> Home: www.noveltheory.com Work: www.njtheater.com
> Blog: www.honestillusion.com Day Job: www.partsearch.com
> (note new day job!)
>
> "clintonG" <csgallagher@RE MOVETHISTEXT@me tromilwaukee.co m> wrote in[/color]
message[color=blue]
> news:eO3oRLoPEH A.628@TK2MSFTNG P11.phx.gbl...[color=green]
> > Example:
> > <a href="mailto:so mebody@somewher e.com>Send Mail</a>
> >
> > I've been trying to find documentation via W3 and the RFCs but I[/color][/color]
have[color=blue][color=green]
> > yet to find documentation that explains how a click event on an[/color][/color]
anchor[color=blue][color=green]
> > tag can launch a client-side e-mail program and populate its To:[/color][/color]
field[color=blue][color=green]
> > with an e-mail address.
> >
> > I've found RFCs that briefly describe mailto but they fail to[/color][/color]
describe[color=blue][color=green]
> > the actual mechanism that enables the functionality.[/color]
>
>[/color]

**Daniel O'Connell [C# MVP]** · Nov 16 '05, 04:47 AM

Re: How does mailto really work?

"clintonG" <csgallagher@RE MOVETHISTEXT@me tromilwaukee.co m> wrote in message
news:%23mh3YvrP EHA.2452@TK2MSF TNGP11.phx.gbl. ..[color=blue]
> Thanks for the rehash of the W3 and RFC documents ;-)
>[/color]
If you want IE specifics, read
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...w/overview.asp[color=blue]
> <%= Clinton Gallagher
>
> "James Curran" <JamesCurran@mv ps.org> wrote in message
> news:Of6W2VoPEH A.988@tk2msftng p13.phx.gbl...[color=green]
>> The text inside a HREF is a URI. A URI begins with a "scheme"[/color]
> which[color=green]
>> could be an URL protocol, in which "mailto" is one.
>>
>> Regardless, the URI is passed onto the OS for processing as it[/color]
> sees fit.[color=green]
>>
>> In this case, your email client has told your OS, "When you see a
>> mailto, let me handle it"
>>
>> --
>> Truth,
>> James Curran
>> Home: www.noveltheory.com Work: www.njtheater.com
>> Blog: www.honestillusion.com Day Job: www.partsearch.com
>> (note new day job!)
>>
>> "clintonG" <csgallagher@RE MOVETHISTEXT@me tromilwaukee.co m> wrote in[/color]
> message[color=green]
>> news:eO3oRLoPEH A.628@TK2MSFTNG P11.phx.gbl...[color=darkred]
>> > Example:
>> > <a href="mailto:so mebody@somewher e.com>Send Mail</a>
>> >
>> > I've been trying to find documentation via W3 and the RFCs but I[/color][/color]
> have[color=green][color=darkred]
>> > yet to find documentation that explains how a click event on an[/color][/color]
> anchor[color=green][color=darkred]
>> > tag can launch a client-side e-mail program and populate its To:[/color][/color]
> field[color=green][color=darkred]
>> > with an e-mail address.
>> >
>> > I've found RFCs that briefly describe mailto but they fail to[/color][/color]
> describe[color=green][color=darkred]
>> > the actual mechanism that enables the functionality.[/color]
>>
>>[/color]
>
>[/color]

**clintonG** · Nov 16 '05, 04:47 AM

Re: How does mailto really work?

Thanks for commenting Nick. Maybe more to be said later...

<%= Clinton Gallagher

"Nicholas Paldino [.NET/C# MVP]" <mvp@spam.guard .caspershouse.c om> wrote
in message news:eaOlyOoPEH A.3452@TK2MSFTN GP10.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
> clintonG,
>
> You aren't going to find any. This is an implementation detail[/color]
that is[color=blue]
> left to the actual client viewing the HTML. It just has to be able to
> understand the protocol that is used in the URL, and then perform an[/color]
action[color=blue]
> based on that.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
>
> --
> - Nicholas Paldino [.NET/C# MVP]
> - mvp@spam.guard. caspershouse.co m
>
>
> "clintonG" <csgallagher@RE MOVETHISTEXT@me tromilwaukee.co m> wrote in[/color]
message[color=blue]
> news:eO3oRLoPEH A.628@TK2MSFTNG P11.phx.gbl...[color=green]
> > Example:
> > <a href="mailto:so mebody@somewher e.com>Send Mail</a>
> >
> > I've been trying to find documentation via W3 and the RFCs but I[/color][/color]
have[color=blue][color=green]
> > yet to find documentation that explains how a click event on an[/color][/color]
anchor[color=blue][color=green]
> > tag can launch a client-side e-mail program and populate its To:[/color][/color]
field[color=blue][color=green]
> > with an e-mail address.
> >
> > I've found RFCs that briefly describe mailto but they fail to[/color][/color]
describe[color=blue][color=green]
> > the actual mechanism that enables the functionality.
> >
> > Comments? Documentation?
> >
> > --
> > <%= Clinton Gallagher
> > A/E/C Consulting, Web Design, e-Commerce Software[/color][/color]
Development[color=blue][color=green]
> > Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin USA
> > NET csgallagher@ REMOVETHISTEXT metromilwaukee. com
> > URL http://www.metromilwaukee.com/clintongallagher/
> >
> >
> >[/color]
>
>[/color]

**clintonG** · Nov 16 '05, 04:47 AM

Re: How does mailto really work?

Thank you for the reference to the article Daniel. It was most helpful
to identify the correct terminology, i.e. "pluggable protocol" that I
can
now also Google.

About Asynchronous Pluggable Protocols

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/workshop/networking/pluggable/overview/overview.asp

<excerpt>
About Pluggable Protocols
Internet Explorer uses two mechanisms for registering new URL protocol
handlers. The first method is to register a URL protocol and its
associated
application so that all attempts to navigate to a URL using that
protocol
launch the application (for example, registering applications to handle
mailto: or news: URLs). The second method uses the Asynchronous
Pluggable Protocols API, which allows you to define new protocols by
mapping the protocol scheme to a class.
</excerpt>

--
<%= Clinton Gallagher
A/E/C Consulting, Web Design, e-Commerce Software Development
Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin USA
NET csgallagher@ REMOVETHISTEXT metromilwaukee. com
URL http://www.metromilwaukee.com/clintongallagher/

"Daniel O'Connell [C# MVP]" <onyxkirx@--NOSPAM--comcast.net> wrote in
message news:#NLUi3rPEH A.1348@TK2MSFTN GP12.phx.gbl...[color=blue]
>
> "clintonG" <csgallagher@RE MOVETHISTEXT@me tromilwaukee.co m> wrote in[/color]
message[color=blue]
> news:%23mh3YvrP EHA.2452@TK2MSF TNGP11.phx.gbl. ..[color=green]
> > Thanks for the rehash of the W3 and RFC documents ;-)
> >[/color]
> If you want IE specifics, read
>[/color]
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/de...w/overview.asp[color=blue][color=green]
> > <%= Clinton Gallagher
> >
> > "James Curran" <JamesCurran@mv ps.org> wrote in message
> > news:Of6W2VoPEH A.988@tk2msftng p13.phx.gbl...[color=darkred]
> >> The text inside a HREF is a URI. A URI begins with a "scheme"[/color]
> > which[color=darkred]
> >> could be an URL protocol, in which "mailto" is one.
> >>
> >> Regardless, the URI is passed onto the OS for processing as it[/color]
> > sees fit.[color=darkred]
> >>
> >> In this case, your email client has told your OS, "When you see[/color][/color][/color]
a[color=blue][color=green][color=darkred]
> >> mailto, let me handle it"
> >>
> >> --
> >> Truth,
> >> James Curran
> >> Home: www.noveltheory.com Work: www.njtheater.com
> >> Blog: www.honestillusion.com Day Job: www.partsearch.com
> >> (note new day job!)
> >>
> >> "clintonG" <csgallagher@RE MOVETHISTEXT@me tromilwaukee.co m> wrote in[/color]
> > message[color=darkred]
> >> news:eO3oRLoPEH A.628@TK2MSFTNG P11.phx.gbl...
> >> > Example:
> >> > <a href="mailto:so mebody@somewher e.com>Send Mail</a>
> >> >
> >> > I've been trying to find documentation via W3 and the RFCs but I[/color]
> > have[color=darkred]
> >> > yet to find documentation that explains how a click event on an[/color]
> > anchor[color=darkred]
> >> > tag can launch a client-side e-mail program and populate its To:[/color]
> > field[color=darkred]
> >> > with an e-mail address.
> >> >
> >> > I've found RFCs that briefly describe mailto but they fail to[/color]
> > describe[color=darkred]
> >> > the actual mechanism that enables the functionality.
> >>
> >>[/color]
> >
> >[/color]
>
>[/color]