iPad mini 7.1.2 email fails on clickable links

[jobeard]

I hard reset the device and read in new email containing a link with binhex data,
eg http://domain/cgi-bin/program?parm1=123&parm2=456&bin=djdjhjklcuviweis

Classically, the whole link should be blue and when clicked, all the data transmitted to the program. However;

a) link is blue up to and including bin= and the following is black
b) clicking sends the parm1 and park2 data, but program notes BIN is missing.

The same email directed to my Imac (or PC) system is received correctly, the link is all blue and the program receives all three fields.

What gives?

iPad mini has restrictions on Binhex???

 

[twerppoet]

Are you sure the link is formed properly. I notice that it did not come through as fully linked when pasted on the forum. For whatever reason the last bit is not part of the link, but looks like text.

And I wonder, you say binhex, but the link says bin, and then the data is not binary. It's not even hex.

Not that I actually know anything about it. This just seems strange.

 

[jobeard]

You are correct in all aspects - - and that's the issue.
1) the example posted demonstrates what the iPad email sees - - a badly formed link. I know the generated email is correct per the emails to a PC or an Imac.

FYI: the STMP protocol is

Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii";

2) yes the black portion is not binhex, but a place holder where it would/should appear.

 

[twerppoet]

Ah. Then no idea.

There are differences between desktop browsers and the ones you find on iOS. Mostly it's a matter of extensions. The iPad has no support for Java, Silverlight, Flash, etc..

It might be that it's not the URL itself that is the problem, but that the URL is requiring some kind of extension or protocol on the iPad to work properly.

On the other hand it would not surprise me to find out that the more complicated URLs for server side software is problematic. Not that I've run into anything like this myself.

 

[jobeard]

Purhaps :sigh: Normal links (ie not CGI) work just fine, and as I said,
two of the three cgi parms are transmitted.

BUT - - the error is in the email presentation, as pasting that link into a browser does work !

 

[jobeard]

follow up: When I direct the email to a GMAIL account and open it with the Gmail app - -
everything performs correctly;

• the entire link is blue
• click sends all parms to the website.

I conclude that the Apple Email App is broken for quoted-printable content, which by the way, is required for folding long lines and/or email text containing large amounts of text

 

[twerppoet]

That sounds a lot more likely than it being a problem with Safari.

Here is a trick that might work.

Instead tapping ont he link, copy&paste it to Safari's URL field. If you have trouble selecting the link in the read view, start to forward or reply to the email, then copy it from the quoted area. Cancel and delete the email before sending it.

You might try copy&pasting to the Notes app as well. Because it does not support RTF or HTML, Notes strips away most extra bull, and may present the URL properly.

Or, if you have Evernote, forward the email to Evernote and see if it handles things better.

Or, as you've already done, forward it to a different account and view it in a different email app or website.

All of this is a pain, of course, but might be doable if you don't have to do it a lot.

You can also send feedback to Apple here: http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html

Don't expect a reply, but it can't hurt to let them know. You're probably not the first, but each report pushes the issue a little further up the priority list.

 

[jobeard]

As I said, copy/paste works well, the issue is solely in the Email App not treating the whole link as a link.

I filed a bug report with Apple, iOS 7 (18332059).

Thanks for participating - - the object was to make this a known issue for the iPad (mini at least).