General Emailing a PDF...

[SomeGuyDude]

I got an email from work to get a copy of a document to them. I use Scanner Pro to scan documents to PDF, so I figure okay, no problem.

I use Mailbox, not default mail. So I fire up Mailbox, open the email, hit reply, write my message, tap the paper clip and... oh. That's for Dropbox links. Okay, what about the camera icon? No go. That's just pictures from the camera roll.

All righty, let's go into Scanner Pro. Open up the PDF there and hit the envelope... and it says I need to set up mail accounts. I disabled sync through the stock mail app in order to use Mailbox (avoiding double notifications). So that meant I had to go back into settings, re-enable sync, and THEN I can send a new mail with the attachment, not a reply.

Oh wait! I can COPY the attachment from my message and paste it into a reply. So let's do the steps, in order, for someone who uses a third party email app:

1. Go into settings, re-enable sync for Mail
2. Go to the app with the PDF, hit share, choose email
3. Copy attachment from message.
4. Re-open mail, this time going into your conversation thread.
5. Paste copied attachment into reply. Send.
6. Go BACK into settings, disable sync from Mail.

That is hilariously unintuitive when all I want to do is respond to an email with a document. Is there a faster method I don't know about?

 

[orangems]

No, there isn't. There was actually another thread fairly recently that had this same issue. One of the few things that really are an issue on iOS but not on Android. It's a bit embarrassing.

 

[Armen]

I downloaded the app below when it went free for a day and use it all the time to scan > pdf > e-mail.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/turboscan-quickly-scan-multipage/id342548956?mt=8

 

[Zcott]

...and this is why most people use Apple Mail. For 99% of the population, it works just fine.

 

[Armen]

No, there isn't. There was actually another thread fairly recently that had this same issue. One of the few things that really are an issue on iOS but not on Android. It's a bit embarrassing.

What is embarassing exactly?

 

[hafr]

What is embarassing exactly?

Not allowing us to add other files than pictures and videos when composing a message. Not being able to reply to an e-mail and add an attachment such as a PDF right there in the app.

 

[dhlizard]

What is embarassing exactly?

Having an $850 so called "smart phone" that can not or will not let you use it to mail .pdf files.

Personally, that meets the Preponderance of Evidence for "embarrassing" in my book.

 

[Armen]

Not allowing us to add other files than pictures and videos when composing a message. Not being able to reply to an e-mail and add an attachment such as a PDF right there in the app.

iOS doesn't have a user accessible file system. Where would these files be kept? I mean if Apple implements a Finder type file system like on Mac OS X I would understand.

 

[hafr]

iOS doesn't have a user accessible file system. Where would these files be kept? I mean if Apple implements a Finder type file system like on Mac OS X I would understand.

You can add photos and videos to an e-mail message without a user accessible file structure.

There are a few different options here. For instance, in any and all apps where you can view a PDF, you have the opportunity to save it in iBooks - so adding a PDF in an e-mail could use iBooks the way adding a picture uses Photos.

Another option could be being able to choose Add file from > [list of apps that saves files] and use their respective documents folders.

Not having a user accessible file structure is a non-issue. Simple as that.

 

[Armen]

You can add photos and videos to an e-mail message without a user accessible file structure.

There are a few different options here. For instance, in any and all apps where you can view a PDF, you have the opportunity to save it in iBooks - so adding a PDF in an e-mail could use iBooks the way adding a picture uses Photos.

Another option could be being able to choose Add file from > [list of apps that saves files] and use their respective documents folders.

Not having a user accessible file structure is a non-issue. Simple as that.

I'm talking about a system wide solution. Of course you can use 3rd party apps to accomplish this like Dropbox etc.

 

[zBoost]

Emailing a PDF... wtf

having an $850 so called "smart phone" that can not or will not let you use it to mail .pdf files.

Personally, that meets the preponderance of evidence for "embarrassing" in my book.

.

 

[Armen]

Look,

All I'm saying is unless iOS comes up with a native filesystem like Mac OS X don't expect to be able to attach a file directly into an e-mail without a 3rd party app (aside from pics)

 

[hafr]

I'm talking about a system wide solution. Of course you can use 3rd party apps to accomplish this like Dropbox etc.

And I'm talking about what the thread is actually about: the possibility to, at any given time, in any given e-mail, be able to attach a file. This is NOT doable today and this is NOT dependent on having a user accessible file structure.

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Look,

All I'm saying is unless iOS comes up with a native filesystem like Mac OS X don't expect to be able to attach a file directly into an e-mail without a 3rd party app (aside from pics)

Why would I need a "native file system" (what does that even mean, are you referring to access to the file system, or a native file browser?) in order to add a PDF from iBooks into a reply to an e-mail?

Why are "pics" unique in this sense, what makes them being able to attach in any given e-mail, and not a Pages document that I created on the very device?

 

[BaldiMac]

There is no need to "disable sync" in Mail. Simply set up the account in Mail and set "Fetch New Mail" to "Manual". You can also disable notifications for the account in Mail. In fact, that's the way Mailbox suggests that you set it up.

Now the email sheet will work normally in Scanner Pro.

 

[confucious]

Am I to understand from the OP that the problem is that he is using a mail app that doesn't work? If so, why is he/she using it?
There isn't a problem using the built in app, using a third party app that doesn't wrk appears to be the problem.

 

[orangems]

Look,

All I'm saying is unless iOS comes up with a native filesystem like Mac OS X don't expect to be able to attach a file directly into an e-mail without a 3rd party app (aside from pics)

Exactly, and that's embarassing in my opinion. My mothers friend actually switched to android for the sheer purpose of being able to reply to an email and attach her resume. It's pathetic she had to do that.

 

[confucious]

Exactly, and that's embarassing in my opinion. My mothers friend actually switched to android for the sheer purpose of being able to reply to an email and attach her resume. It's pathetic she had to do that.

Wow! I'm glad I didn't know that I couldn't send my CV from iOS.

Now I know it can't be done does that mean I will have to stop doing it?

A very drastic solution to an imaginary problem.

 

[orangems]

Wow! I'm glad I didn't know that I couldn't send my CV from iOS.

Now I know it can't be done does that mean I will have to stop doing it?

A very drastic solution to an imaginary problem.

Care to tell us all how you do it?

 

[hafr]

Wow! I'm glad I didn't know that I couldn't send my CV from iOS.

Now I know it can't be done does that mean I will have to stop doing it?

A very drastic solution to an imaginary problem.

For people who are looking for a [new] job, this can be a major inconvenience. My wife manages her whole online life via the iPad and iPhone - but as soon as she's contacted by a headhunter, or talking to a recruiter working for a company, she needs a proper computer because it's just impossible to add a cv in a simple fashion.

I've got colleagues who refuse iOS devices due to how insanely bad they are from a productivity standpoint.

Other people's problems aren't imaginary just because you're not affected.

 

[Menel]

Look,

All I'm saying is unless iOS comes up with a native filesystem like Mac OS X don't expect to be able to attach a file directly into an e-mail without a 3rd party app (aside from pics)

It has a native filesystem, by all accounts the same one as Mac OS X. Its there, no need to 'come up' with one.

Apple made a calculated decision to sandbox it. Its a major feature of iOS that it is not user or third party app developer accessible.

 

[Armen]

It has a native filesystem, by all accounts the same one as Mac OS X. Its there, no need to 'come up' with one.

Apple made a calculated decision to sandbox it. Its a major feature of iOS that it is not user or third party app developer accessible.

Yes, Jailbreakers are quite aware that there is a file system and can access it but in order for attaching files to e-mails natively to make sense Apple has to provide the user workspace to save these files.

 

[PNutts]

Is there a faster method I don't know about?

I use TinyScan. Use TinyScan to image the document and save it to the camera roll.

1. Reply to e-mail.
2. Insert photo. Send.

 

[SomeGuyDude]

iOS doesn't have a user accessible file system. Where would these files be kept? I mean if Apple implements a Finder type file system like on Mac OS X I would understand.

Where are pictures "kept"? There has to a method to let users attach files to email IN the email app. Have a "document roll" that houses PDFs and Office files, perhaps?

See, I work in oil and gas, and one thing that I need to do is scan and send PDFs while at county courthouses or after getting forms signed. Frequently it's in an email thread and for the sake of our admin's sanity it needs to stay within that thread.

Yes, there are workarounds and methods to get a PDF to an email recipient, but they're horribly clunky and unintuitive. As far as I know iOS is the only platform where this cannot be done in the normal fashion. A user should be able to open an email and respond to it with an attachment.

----------

Am I to understand from the OP that the problem is that he is using a mail app that doesn't work? If so, why is he/she using it?
There isn't a problem using the built in app, using a third party app that doesn't wrk appears to be the problem.

Well there's the fact that Mailbox is a far superior mail app in general, but it gets at what is a deeper issue that you cannot "send as email" from within any app with a third party email application.

One thing Android does VERY right is it lets everything become a "share with" app. Hit "send by email" and you get to choose which one to use. What's the use of different email apps if you can't point other applications at it?

And even in the stock app you still can't add an attachment to a reply, you have to send it as a separate email FROM THE APP THAT MADE THE PDF. That's really aggravating, because it means I can't keep conversations contained. Sometimes I'm out in the field and someone needs documents over the course of a day, and now I have to clutter up the recipient's inbox because each one has to be sent as a new conversation.

 

[cynics]

Emailing a PDF...

Our company uses other mobile OS's because we will need to email PDF and other file types quite often. I use an Android tablet to do so.

With a PDF I can usually just email it directly from the app I'm viewing it in. If you have multiple PDF files or other file types you and you need to do this regularly then you'll be better off with a different mobile OS. They are more powerful in that regard.

I can understand why someone would call that embarrassing. Pretty much the most expensive device running the ever so talked up "most advanced mobile OS" can't do a very simple task.

 

[hafr]

Yes, Jailbreakers are quite aware that there is a file system and can access it but in order for attaching files to e-mails natively to make sense Apple has to provide the user workspace to save these files.

No, they don't. You can add pictures but no other files saved on the phone. What makes picture-files unique in your opinion?