"Mailto" Link Opens Empty E-mail Message (154864)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 for Windows 95 SP 1
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 for Windows 95 SP 2
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.02 for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.01 for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 for Windows 3.1
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 for Windows 3.1
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 for Windows 3.1
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.03 for Windows 3.1
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.02a for Windows 3.1
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.01 for Windows 3.1
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 for Windows 3.1
This article was previously published under Q154864

SYMPTOMS

When you click a Mailto link on a Web page, a new message may appear in your mail client with the address filled in, but nothing in the body of the message.

CAUSE

The Web page uses a MAILTO HTML command as part of a FORMS reference. Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 does not support the MAILTO command as part of a FORMS reference at this time.

MORE INFORMATION

An example of such an HTML tag might be: 
<FORM enctype="multipart/form-data" action="mailto:user@site.com"
   method="POST">
Other browsers may support this function, but such browsers usually have a built-in mail system. Internet Explorer 3.0 is an open system that allows any mail client to be used for Internet mail functions. Because there is no way to determine which mail client will be used, Internet Explorer does not know how to post this information to the mail message.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:12/16/2003
Keywords:kbinterop KB154864
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