Save an mp3, video, or other non-supported file from an email (Homebrew required) 27
Many file types can be downloaded and saved directly from an email, such as photos, PDFs and documents, but just as there is no built-in mechanism to save a video from a text message, there is no standard way to save a non-supported file from email (including videos, mp3s, zip files and many more). Here comes Homebrew to the rescue! Note that this requires you to get to get access to parts of the phone that can cause some serious damage. So please proceed with caution if you are not familiar with these steps. Keep reading after the break to learn how to save attachments from your emails
Let's assume we want to save the mp3 attachment from an email above. Here are the steps you would need to follow:
- Ensure that the attachment is downloaded in the email. Do this by tapping on the attachment name in the email
- Open Terminal (available via Preware)
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Type "cd /var/luna/data/attachments" (Note the space between "cd" and the first "/", and make sure you type in all lowercase) - Type "find -name *.mp3" (or replace "mp3" with the file type that you are searching for, which can be seen from within the email app)
- This will give you a listing of every file that matches your search criteria. Make a note of which "bucket" directory that file you want is in, along with the subdirectory under that.
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Open the Internalz app to navigate to "var/luna/data/attachments" and then find the correct "bucket" directory (note that some directories have a"-" in-between "bucket" and the number, some don't). Then, find the correct subdirectory under that "bucket" and click on that. - The file you are looking should now be displayed on screen. If it is not, check that you have the right "bucket" directory and the right subdirectory.
- If you click on the filename, you should now have an option to "copy" the file and then select the directory that you want to copy the file to. Note that the "/media/internal/" directory represents your USB drive, so you should select /media/internal and then whatever path you want that move to go into.
Thanks to Habious in the forums for this tip
27 Comments
god, there should be a simpler way.... Palm come on, give us a patch for this!
why would palm give you a patch for that? Idiot.
wow. Jack-ass much?
Don't call other users an idiot, idiot.
Signed, Idiot.
Accessing attachments in WebOS is no fun. I tried and tried to come up with a simple method for opening downloaded documents in OpenOffice. The best idea I came up with would be a script that finds the downloaded files and moves them to /media/internal. Never did put the script together though... Maybe one day I'll come up with something simpler...
If you're going that far in the command line, you could skip Internalz and just:
cp /var/luna/data/attachments/bucket(something)/(something)/mario_power_up.mp3 /media/internal/
or whatever destination, to copy the file.
Remember that you can use control-i (orange or grey + i) to use tab completion, so you don't need to type entire directory names. For example, showing for control-i:
cp /var/ludaatt etc. It works only if you have enough of the name to be unique, so for bucket when you type bu it'll expand to bucket, but not the number, as there are several.
Great tip! But with Terminal, it's SYM + I, not Option + I. otherwise, good to know!
Oh right! Thanks for the correction! :)
Sorry. I'm not doing all that.
I was going crazy last week trying to figure out how to do something like this. Now I no just not use my phone for music. No wonder why Palm is only 3% marketshare.
Now I no just not use my phone for music. No wonder why Palm is only 3% marketshare.
Right. That's why iPhone is failing miserably: Because you can't download MP3s to your phone using Email on a iPhone. And since you can't do that, an iPhone is useless for listening to music.
Wait, what?
If anything you should be glad that there's transparency on the WebOS platform to allow for this. You're likely not going to find that elsewhere. I also wouldn't be surprised if someone creates a patch for this functionality in the GUI. That's something you're also unlikely find on any other platform.
+1... If there's one thing that I love of my palm pre and webOS is that I can do all this stuff...
Frankly I think iphone's inability to do these things at all increases their appeal to non-techies. My iphone-toting friends will pay extra not to have options. Telling them that there's an easy hack to save attached mp3 files would make them shudder and say it makes them glad they have an iphone.
I just forward the email to an email account that I can open from a PC then go there to open or save the attachment. If the attachment can
IMHO, tips shouldn't be about what can be done with patches and homebrew.
The majority of our tips do NOT require homebrew (this may only be the 2nd or 3rd that require it). However, we do like to throw in a few like this that can be very valuable and gets asked often in the forums.
I disagree...There's a lot of good stuff that can be done with homebrew and everyone deserves to know. Although I see your point, I still want to see more of this stuff.
Thanks PreCentral
Finally a tip that tells me how to do something that I didn't already know about!
I've only run into the situation where I needed this a couple times (mainly when downloading files for use with pReader, like .epub). I'm glad to know there is a workaround until pReader can fully associate with downloaded files. Thanks!
You know, whether this should be default behavior or an easier way or W/E... The point is.... Thanks are due to those who care enough to search for solutions and thanks to due to homebrew for giving them tools to facilitate finding said solutions
Keep up the good work!!
ugh.. Sorry. Double post bug strikes again :)
Great tip. I like having a use for terminal. How about some more terminal tips like a useable text editor and script writing for the shell.
this way you can open .emls files now. c'mon palm this has to be easier.
Has anyone ever written an application/workaround for opening compressed files?
i have one easier for u all why even bother with homebrew and open attachment up on ur pc. use doubletwist to convert the file to a pre readable file and use wifi media sync to send it to ur pre. i do it all the time its so much easier and less time consuming where u dont need to remember codes and all.
Sure, that sounds great...assuming you always have ready access to your computer. I don't know about you, but I regularly leave my house and don't see my computer all day!
the idea is to not have to rely on a computer
I just emailed myself an .ipk file, found it with Terminal, moved it and installed it with Preware! Sweet!
I love this tip - I get .mp3 files eMailed to me regularly from a friend who is a musician and just wanted to save them to my Palm, rather than having to always connect to my PC (hate to say this, but I did used to be able to do this with my previous phone which was on Windows Mobile...). But, having copied the latest one which was sent to me, it's not being picked up in the lists of songs in the Music Library, or in the Music (Remix) app... Would be grateful for any ideas...