Knowledge Base

XCLN: Attachment Unusable in Message but Opens in Folder

Article ID: 156718

Article Last Modified on 10/28/2006

Microsoft Exchange Client 5.5
Microsoft Exchange Client 5.0
Microsoft Exchange Client 4.0
Microsoft Exchange Client 5.0
Microsoft Exchange Client 4.0 for Macintosh
Microsoft Exchange Client 5.0 for Macintosh

This article was previously published under Q156718

SYMPTOMS

When a message with an attachment is received by the Microsoft Exchange client and the attachments have generic icons, trying to open them results in problems.

With the Windows and Macintosh clients, an error message may appear:

No associated application.

With the Macintosh client only, a compose note opens.

However, if you drag the same attachment to the Inbox as a FreeDoc, the attachment picks up the correctly associated icon (that is, Word) and opens fine. If you drag the FreeDoc to a message window, it loses the correct icon again and can no longer be opened.

WORKAROUND

This typically occurs with long filename attachments. You should be able to work around the problem by sending the attachment with the correct extension.

STATUS

This functionality is by design.

MORE INFORMATION

FreeDocs determine the filetype by:

Checking to see if the file is an IStorage (more commonly known as 'OLE DocFile'). If it is an IStorage, the CLSID embedded in it is pulled out. Using the CLSID, the Microsoft Exchange client looks in the registry to see whether it can determine an icon for this file. In more cases than not, there is some clue in the registry about where an icon can be pulled out.
If the file is not an IStorage, the Microsoft Exchange client makes a call, passing the file name, to get the file information and to request an icon for it. Typically, this function just works off the extension.

The file attachment code uses only the second of these methods.

Keywords: kbusage KB156718