E-mail attachment from phone...

[DropPass]

Hi all!

Maybe someone can enlighten me on what I was doing wrong here:

I created a file (.PDF) on my home computer that I needed printed on card stock and in color. So after putting the new .PDF file in SkyDrive, I headed on down to my local FedEx Office store with my Lumia 920 in hand.

Thinking this would be an easy process, I walked up to the counter and told them what I needed. I assumed they would want me to e-mail the file to them. This was an accurate assumption. I figured... "no problem"! I have the file in SkyDrive, I can open up SkyDrive and e-mail it to them from there! Unfortunately, this appears to be much easier said than done.

I first logged into the SkyDrive app on my phone. Their WiFi was seriously slow, so it took forever!!! I found the file I was looking for. Unfortunately the only thing that I could seem to do as far as e-mailing the file was to send them a link to the shared file. Not what I wanted. So, I download the file from SkyDrive to my phone so I could open it in the PDF app. Worked fine.

I then figured since the file was now downloaded to my phone, I would be able to create a new e-mail with my Outlook account and e-mail the file to them. I opened up the Outlook app and created a new e-mail only to discover that it will only let you add photos as attachments. WTF? Same with using my other e-mail accounts through my phone. So I then decided to log into the Outlook web site from my phone to attach and e-mail the file that way. After waiting FOREVER for the Outlook web page to come up I was finally able to create a new e-mail. BUT, I could find no attachment option in the Outlook mobile web page!!!

My last option was to use a USB cable to download the file from my phone to one of their computers, but I didn't have one and neither did they. So, I ended up having to "rent" one of their machines so I could log into my SkyDrive account, download the file to that machine and then e-mail it off to them. Sadly, I had to use my g-mail account as I kept getting an error every time I tried attaching the file through my Outlook account. Grrrrr.....

Anyway... I consider myself to be a pretty savvy tech guy thanks to many years of programming and handling basic IT tasks at work over the years, but this was simply an exercise in frustration!

I guess in hindsight I could have just logged into SkyDrive and e-mailed them the link, but that's really not the point. Seems this should be a simple task, yet I was unable to complete it.

Was I doing something wrong or is it just not possible to e-mail a file (other than a photo) from a Windows Phone? Very sad if this is indeed the case!

 

[Ray Adams]

Nothing was wrong This how Windows Phone is ready for business
You cannot attach anyone you want to email from inside email client. You cannot attach files to email from third party applications.
You can do this only by using application which has internal SMTP client and ability to fetch files from cloud storages. For example pocket file manager.

 

[trickym81]

Nothing was wrong This how Windows Phone is ready for business
You cannot attach anyone you want to email from inside email client. You cannot attach files to email from third party applications.

It's ridiculous, to be honest.

 

[Ray Adams]

WP itself is a big ridiculous thing. I just cannot imagine who worked on WP! Who gave ideas and who them implemented.
Seems like people who never sow smartphones before.

 

[tgp]

Don't you guys know that WP is the most productive, business - ready platform?

Sent from my Nexus 4

 

[m3kk]

Don't you guys know that WP is the most productive, business - ready platform?

Sent from my Nexus 4

i Hate i cant send attachment! With my old nexus 4 I would apply for jobs on the fly and send both my CV and needed documents to companys..
I figured out how to send one PDF at least.. :/

 

[explosive0]

In before the "that's how it's meant to be and it's the best" folks come in here.

 

[pdxrunr]

Sounds like the Bing News App. You can't email a link from an article! WTF. Actually, there is no way to share the articles.

 

[Richard Davis3]

This is my number one frustration with WP; email attachments! I wish I had known of this limitation, I would have gone with Android. Business ready... dont think so. Its a great phone if you are a teenager wanting to send pics of your junk, not really fit for anything else.

 

[taymur]

Sadly, there is something that you didnt do, which would have finished the task in less than a minute, try this:

1) Go to the pdf you downloaded, where ever it is, adobe reader, or office i guess.
2) Click and hold.
3) Share via email.

works like a charm, less than a minute, try it now

I am guessing (just guessing) you owned an android before your WP, its just you are not use to the tap+hold interface.

 

[mjrtoo]

Yeah, it's pretty easy. I agree that Microsoft could do better with a user guide for WP though. Anything in SkyDrive via Office Hub (SkyDrive app shares a link instead), press+hold to share really anywhere. Works for photos in your hub too. Oddly, not within the acrobat app itself.

 

[mpt15]

Try using PDF send by Kipware, or PDF Reader Pro by Ocius.

 

[mjrtoo]

Try using PDF send by Kipware, or PDF Reader Pro by Ocius.

Why, those apps are pointless, this is all built into the OS natively.

 

[N_LaRUE]

Sadly, there is something that you didnt do, which would have finished the task in less than a minute, try this:

1) Go to the pdf you downloaded, where ever it is, adobe reader, or office i guess.
2) Click and hold.
3) Share via email.

works like a charm, less than a minute, try it now

I am guessing (just guessing) you owned an android before your WP, its just you are not use to the tap+hold interface.

You're almost right.

If you only have Adobe Reader you cannot do a long press and share. So the only option you have is the Office Hub.

You download the PDF in Office Hub then do the share via email.

The other option is to place the PDF in the Documents folder (you cannot put it in a folder in the documents folder) on your phone and then when in Office Hub, go to Place -> Phone and you'll find it there and then do the long press, share.

Lastly, yes I agree with other comments here regarding how file attachments are done in email. It's silly and not very business friendly at all.

 

[taymur]

yeah sorry, i didnt try it out when i was typing, but you are absolutely true, you cant tap+hold in the Adobe app, but in the Office Hub it works just fine.

and yes i also agree its very stupid that when you click attach in an email you only get photos, i sometimes feel that the windows phone team are half skilled fresh grads, non of them tried to send an email using their phones and when the came to the attachment part felt like, WHA! we are idiots.

But still i guess this limitation is due to WP not have a folder manager, i wonder who made that decision too? maybe its for security.

 

[taymur]

relative to the subject, found this:

25 Windows Phone 8 tips | Reviews | CNET UK

check out number 17.

 

[mjrtoo]

You're almost right.

If you only have Adobe Reader you cannot do a long press and share. So the only option you have is the Office Hub.

You download the PDF in Office Hub then do the share via email.

The other option is to place the PDF in the Documents folder (you cannot put it in a folder in the documents folder) on your phone and then when in Office Hub, go to Place -> Phone and you'll find it there and then do the long press, share.

Lastly, yes I agree with other comments here regarding how file attachments are done in email. It's silly and not very business friendly at all.

Not business friendly to go to the office hub to email a document? I suppose....

 

[N_LaRUE]

Not business friendly to go to the office hub to email a document? I suppose....

Depends on your work I guess. I deal with documents and sometimes the people contacting me are not on my contact list. So, go ahead, reply to an email and add a document, go on I know you can do it. Oh, yes, you can't.

Yes I know how to use copy and paste, thing is I shouldn't have to.

When that gets straightened out I'll then think differently. Until then understand everyone has different opinions as to what an effective business device is. Also from an enterprise solution it lacks certain functionality that some companies find limiting. So it's not just my opinion.

 

[mjrtoo]

Depends on your work I guess. I deal with documents and sometimes the people contacting me are not on my contact list. So, go ahead, reply to an email and add a document, go on I know you can do it. Oh, yes, you can't.

Yes I know how to use copy and paste, thing is I shouldn't have to.

When that gets straightened out I'll then think differently. Until then understand everyone has different opinions as to what an effective business device is. Also from an enterprise solution it lacks certain functionality that some companies find limiting. So it's not just my opinion.

This is true, but the OP was saying you couldn't do it in an original email.

 

[N_LaRUE]

This is true, but the OP was saying you couldn't do it in an original email.

I see you don't understand how a conversation works. You were quoting and commenting on my opinion that it wasn't a business friendly device, you said nothing about the OP.

As for original emails, same issue. You have to go to the Office Hub and can't use the email app. You can only attach photos from the email app. Which goes to show what market WP8 was catering for.