Diary and notebook of whatever tech problems are irritating me at the moment.

20110921

Extracting EML files

EML files are a problem for some of my users on Ubuntu. They receive these as Email attachments but can only view them as text (usually in gedit) even if they contain pictures. The senders are probably using Outlook Express or a related mail application to attach them. While some non-Microsoft mail clients can open them properly this is a hassle for my users as they all use web mail. There is a command-line tool, munpack, that will extract non-text objects automatically (part of the mpack package in Ubuntu/Debian). To make it easier for them I wrote a little script that integrates munpack with their file manager via a mime type association. To use it, download munpack_eml and extract the files. Put munpack_eml in /usr/local/bin with root ownership and u=rwx,go=rx (0755) permissions. Put munpack_eml.desktop in /usr/local/share/applicatons with root ownership and u=rw,go=r (0644) permissions. Then right-click on any *.eml file from your file manager and you should see and option to extract the contents with munpack.

About Me

Omnifarious Implementer = I do just about everything. With my usual occupations this means anything an electrical engineer does not feel like doing including PCB design, electronic troubleshooting and repair, part sourcing, inventory control, enclosure machining, label design, PC support, network administration, plant maintenance, janitorial, etc. Non-occupational includes residential plumbing, heating, electrical, farming, automotive and small engine repair. There is plenty more but you get the idea.