Open rtf file from email attachment

[PerryM]

I am a seasoned Mac/Windows user but relatively new to iPad.
What I would like to do is directly open a rtf file attachment on an email. I normally use the GMail app but I would be OK to use Mail if I have to. I have read a lot of stuff that is supposed to help, but doesn’t!
I have read the stuff about Google enabling ‘default’ transfer to Google Apps from Gmail, but that doesn’t seem to include Google Docs. How do I open an rtf file from GMail?
Thanks for your understanding

 

[giradman]

I am a seasoned Mac/Windows user but relatively new to iPad.
What I would like to do is directly open a rtf file attachment on an email. I normally use the GMail app but I would be OK to use Mail if I have to. I have read a lot of stuff that is supposed to help, but doesn’t!
I have read the stuff about Google enabling ‘default’ transfer to Google Apps from Gmail, but that doesn’t seem to include Google Docs. How do I open an rtf file from GMail?
Thanks for your understanding

Hello Perry - welcome to the forum! Now I have a Google account and use their Docs apps but not GMail; however, as a test, I wrote a short rtf message using Text Edit on my MBAir, then emailed to myself as an attachment- opened Apple's Mail app on my iPad Pro, and the email downloaded as shown to the left below; clicking on the attachment shows the opened rtf message on the right. Not sure that is what you want to know but maybe one solution? Dave

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[PerryM]

Thanks - I get the same effect even though it doesn’t look the same (don’t know why!)
The problem is that both the preview in ‘Mail’ and opening in ‘Pages’ don’t show me the photos embedded in the document. I loaded ‘Google Docs’ but I don’t get an option in Mail to use it.
I normally use GMail app but that gives me no options to open the attachment.
Reading around, it seems that most iPad editors don’t like ‘rtf’ docs which is ironic since it was created to be a cross platform format. There is a suggestion to change the file name to .doc but I don’t know how you do that in Mail?

 

[twerppoet]

RTF is still licenced by Microsoft. It is not open, and therefor not fully supported outside of Microsoft. Most OS’s will read rtf files to some exten, but only the basic included-in-OS text editor that creates rtf by default (that I know of) is Microsoft’s.

Apple does an ok job of letting you preview most file types, including .docx and .rtf, but there are always issues. Things go missing, or don’t lay out correctly.

To properly view an rtf document on an iPad you need to copy it to a compatible app. To do this use the share sheet icon (Box with up arrow) and choose the app you want to view the document in. If you don’t see it in the row of apps, choose the (…) icon at the end of the row. You’ll see all compatible (and some incompatible) apps there.

Pages can import rtf documents, and they should look OK, if not perfect. Microsoftr Word will almost always present them correctly, of course. Even if you don’t pay for a licence for Word, it will still let you see documents in a read only view. On the rare occastion I need to create or edit an rtf file I use Textilus Pro, a simple word processor with rtf support.

 

[PerryM]

Thanks, that is very helpful. I have used rtf format for years to avoid issues with .doc and .docx files in non Word apps, so this is all rather ironic! I usually use Office Libre to compose on my computers, so what is the best format to save to for widest compatibility?
I did as you said and chose Pages on the iPad, but it misses out the photo inserts. I added Google Docs but it won’t show as an option. (Google vs Microsoft!?) I also added An app called ‘Rich Text’ but even that doesn’t work but at least it shows! I will try Textilus Pro.

 

[PerryM]

Textilus Pro comes nearest, shows correct formatting and fonts, opens a correctly sized placeholder for the photos but doesn’t show them! It seems to work better than anything else on the iPad at finding files, so I am happy with my purchase.(£5.99 in UK).

 

[PerryM]

I’ve tried a few, the only available format that works 100% is .docx! This even previews correctly in Mail (and GMail)
So am I just being way out of date? Is .docx now widely compatible with non ‘Word’ apps?
I should have said that OfficeLibre doesn’t offer a PDF option.

 

[twerppoet]

.docx is widely used by other word processing apps, though many can only import it. Pages imports and exports, but does not actually edit .docx filess.. I believe LibreOffice will do the same. Neither is 100% accurate. docx is a complicated format and other word processors don’t always have the same fonts or options.

The most universal formats are .txt and PDF. The first does not support formating beyond arranging the text, and the second is mostly for viewing documents. Even PDF editors have very limited ability to modify an existing PDF. The exception is PDF forms, which will allow you to enter data in defined fields.

PDF’s are the prefered way to share documente that are not intended to be modified or edited by others, and they are displayed consistantly on almost all platforms. If you want others to edit the source document you need to coordinate the apps you use to create the PDF..

Most computers systems allow saving to a PDF via the printing interface. Most Windows installatoins include it as a printer option. If it is not there are several utilities that will add it. Last I checked the free ones were so-so. The same is true of most Linix instalations. PDF printing has been a feature of Apple Mac OS’s for a long time.

Many apps on the iPad will offer PDF output, and when it is not there you can usually find it in the Share Sheet. If it’s not there, and the app allows printing then there is still a way to get a PDF. Once you see the print preview, pinch out to expand the preview, then choose the Share Sheet in the top corner of the screen and choose Save to Files.

Saving to Files from the expanded print preview results in an image file or PDF, depending on the file content. If there is text, it’s always a PDF.

There a few other, more complicated ways, to get a PDF.

 

[PerryM]

That is very useful, thanks.
I have now found the PDF option for LibreOffice, via ‘Export’ and as you say via ‘Print’.
Cheers

 

[twerppoet]

Glad to help.