Email links being "cut off"

[Mannheim62]

Hello,

This is my first post, I hope I placed it in the correct forum.

Here's the situation. I've received emails from a photographic website that I have been a member of since 2009. Each email that I receive, contains multiple links to different forums (ie. landscape, macro, etc ...) On or about Aug.12 or 13, 2015, these links have been cut off.

Let me explain. As you know, when you receive an email with a link in it, the link is underlined and it is blue in color. Lately, when I receive an email, only half of the link is underlined and blue. The other half is in plain text. Usually the link is cut off right after the "&" symbol. I have listed 2 ways in which I check my email depending on which computer I use. Both are running Yosemite 10.10.5.

1. When I'm on my wife's iMac, I launch Safari the log into my iCloud account. Once that's done, I open another tab and log into my photographic site. Then I go back to the iCloud tab, and only half of the link is underlined and blue. The other half is plain text; therefore the link doesn't work.

2. Now, when I'm on my Macbook Pro, I launch Safari then log into my photographic site. Once the login is complete, I click on the apple mail icon in the dock to bring up my mail. At this point, I click on a link in the email I've received from my photo site, and everything works beautifully. The entire link is underlined and blue in color as it should be.

My question is this: Does Safari or iCloud limit the character length in the email links? I ask this because prior to Aug 12th or 13th, 2015 everything was fine no matter which way I signed into my icloud account.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike

 

[chscag]

My question is this: Does Safari or iCloud limit the character length in the email links? I ask this because prior to Aug 12th or 13th, 2015 everything was fine no matter which way I signed into my iCloud account.

As far as I'm aware, there is no limit to the length. However, why don't you use another browser and test the links?

 

[Mannheim62]

As far as I'm aware, there is no limit to the length. However, why don't you use another browser and test the links?

Thanks for your reply. I've just tried it using Google Chrome on a Mac and just to cover all the bases; I've also tried it using Chrome on a PC. I'm still having the same issue.

 

[MacInWin]

It may be that the links are malformed from the source. If they put the ending HTML "[/URL]" in midstream, it would look exactly like what you see. Can you examine the link to see if that is the problem? If it is, then you'll need to contact the source to get them to correct the problem.

 

[Mannheim62]

It may be that the links are malformed from the source. If they put the ending HTML "[/URL]" in midstream, it would look exactly like what you see. Can you examine the link to see if that is the problem? If it is, then you'll need to contact the source to get them to correct the problem.

Hi Jake,

Thanks for your reply. I hope the forum permits this so here is a copy of the link as it appears in the emails I receive from my photo group: New Airline Cabin CarryOn Dimensions | Nikonians

The ONLY part of the link that is underlined and blue in color is: "http://www.nikonians.org/forums/dcboard.php?az=show_mesg".
The remainder of the link: "&forum=158&topic_id=21752&mesg_id=21926" is just plain text.

-Mike

 

[Mannheim62]

It may be that the links are malformed from the source. If they put the ending HTML "[/URL]" in midstream, it would look exactly like what you see. Can you examine the link to see if that is the problem? If it is, then you'll need to contact the source to get them to correct the problem.

The folks at the photo site aren't in any hurry to address my issue. They told me I'm the only one out of thousands of users that is having this problem so it must be on my end.

 

[Mannheim62]

I posted a screen shot on the photo forum of the Nikonians website of what the links look like when I receive them. The folks at the photo site came back with this:

"Your email client is truncating the link (you can see it is underlining only a portion of it). You need to copy the complete link and paste it in your browser, ideally the one where you are logged in into Nikonians, because they may be not from public forums."

I have 3 questions:

1. Any thoughts as to what they're talking about?
2. Why did this happen all of a sudden?
3. Is there a fix for it?

 

[chscag]

Thanks for your reply. I've just tried it using Google Chrome on a Mac and just to cover all the bases; I've also tried it using Chrome on a PC. I'm still having the same issue.

There's clearly something going on at your end if the same thing is happening using both OS X and Windows.

Each email that I receive, contains multiple links to different forums (ie. landscape, macro, etc ...) On or about Aug.12 or 13, 2015, these links have been cut off.

You're going to need to play detective and figure out what changed during that time. I'm assuming you're using the Apple Mail program in Yosemite 10.10.5. It's a pain to setup another mail program but you might consider doing that to see if it makes a difference. Mozilla Thunderbird is free and easy to install and setup.

 

[harryb2448]

Any chance you are using AV software that may prevent the links from working as a security measure? PC advice is often never use the links ~ copy the URL.

 

[Mannheim62]

"I'm assuming you're using the Apple Mail program in Yosemite 10.10.5."

Actually, the only time I use the mail app is when I use my MacBook Pro. I normally use the iMac in the morning (my eyes aren't what the used to be). When I do use the mail app, none of the links are cut off and they work beautifully.

Here's just a passing thought. Is it possible that when I updated my system to Yosemite 10.10.5 that may have contributed to this issue? I ask this because I installed 10.10.5 on August 15. In my OP I stated "on or about Aug.12 or 13, 2015 these links have been cut off." I used the phrase "on or about" because i can't remember exactly.
I looked at the detailed information about 10.10.5. It has a number of security updates the were released on Aug 13, 2015.

Like I said ... just a passing thought ...

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Mannheim62]

Any chance you are using AV software that may prevent the links from working as a security measure? PC advice is often never use the links ~ copy the URL.

If you are referring to antivirus software; then no I'm not using it.

 

[MacInWin]

"I'm assuming you're using the Apple Mail program in Yosemite 10.10.5."

Actually, the only time I use the mail app is when I use my MacBook Pro. I normally use the iMac in the morning (my eyes aren't what the used to be). When I do use the mail app, none of the links are cut off and they work beautifully.

Here's just a passing thought. Is it possible that when I updated my system to Yosemite 10.10.5 that may have contributed to this issue? I ask this because I installed 10.10.5 on August 15. In my OP I stated "on or about Aug.12 or 13, 2015 these links have been cut off." I used the phrase "on or about" because i can't remember exactly.
I looked at the detailed information about 10.10.5. It has a number of security updates the were released on Aug 13, 2015.

Like I said ... just a passing thought ...

Thanks,
Mike

OK, I am totally confused by that post. "Mail" is the Apple email application on all Macs, and it works primarily the same way on all Macs. So, if you are using Mail on the iMac and it works, then it should work on the MBP as well. Or are you using a different email application on the iMac?

As I said earlier, if only part of the link is highlighted, then something is marking the text in the middle of the string as being the end of the URL. I just copied the URL you provided and email it to myself in Mail and it came through just fine, so it's NOT the Mail application, it's something else.

So, what's the app that works on the iMac and what's the app that does not work on the MBP?

 

[Mannheim62]

Hi Jake,

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to confuse you. I'll try to explain it better.

My MBP is the only computer I use to access my email via the Mail app. When I use my MBP and the Mail app, the links are perfect; nothing is cut off and everything works as it should. I click on a link, it takes me to the correct web page and life is good.

NOW ... when I launch a browser and go to iCloud.com, i enter my user name and password to access my email. THIS is where the links are being cut short. It's only when I use a browser to access my email. It doesn't matter if it's a Mac or Windows machine or what browser I use.

I hope I've explained this better and I want to sincerely apologize again for any confusion I've caused.

-Mike

 

[MacInWin]

OK, that's an entirely different problem. What you see at iCloud.com is a web version of email, not Mail. Mail is an app that runs on the MBP or iMac locally, showing mail there. What you see when you go to iCloud is a browser version of your email, seen through whatever browser you use. You didn't say, but assuming it's Safari, there is no reason for that not to work. I just tested with that long URL you gave and it worked perfectly bo when I opened it in Mail and when I went to iCloud to see it. I still think that the sender is doing something when they send it out that is causing the truncation. Try this: Go to the site with a long URL, copy the URL and then paste it into an email to yourself to see if it comes through ok. I'm betting that it will.

 

[Mannheim62]

I hope this was right ...
On my MBP using Safari, I went to the site with the long URL. I copied the URL, then pasted it into an email and sent it to myself. I received the email and opened it from the mail app. it worked perfect.
Then I closed the Mail app, went to iCloud.com, logged in and it's the same problem, link cut off.

 

[chscag]

On August 13th, Yosemite 10.10.5 was made public. Check your update history to see if you in fact updated to 10.10.5 on that date. You stated in a previous reply that everything was working OK until around Aug 12 or 13. Maybe the update does have something to do with what you're experiencing.

 

[MacInWin]

Chscag, I don't see how 10.10.5 can be involved. Mail works, it's the web version at iCloud that is malformed. When I tested his URL example to my email and looked at it with Safari at iCloud.com, it was perfect. The only thing I can think of is that the OP has a keyboard shortcut that is seeing some combination in the URL and kicking in to replace the valid symbol with the KB shortcut.

 

[chscag]

Just a "shot in the dark" Jake. But his reply about when the anomaly started to occur coincides with the date 10.10.5 was released. And we really don't know what else is going on when he's accessing iCloud. Like I told him above, he's going to have to play detective to solve this one.

 

[Mannheim62]

On August 13th, Yosemite 10.10.5 was made public. Check your update history to see if you in fact updated to 10.10.5 on that date. You stated in a previous reply that everything was working OK until around Aug 12 or 13. Maybe the update does have something to do with what you're experiencing.

I checked my update history and I have in fact updated to 10.10.5.