Strip Quoted Reply and Reply Separator Tag

[larry_rma82]

Using v1.6 RC3.

Under "System Preferences and Settings", in the section "Email Settings", there are two fields, "Strip Quoted Reply" and "Reply Separator Tag". Could someone volunteer an explanation of what affect these two fields have, and how they interact?

I still have the default "Reply Separator Tag" value '-- do not edit --', which appears in the email that is sent to the customer that opens a new ticket. Before I change the default value of "Reply Separator Tag", I'd like to know how it might affect anything else besides the new ticket email.

[Zoidberg]

Your "Reply Separator Tag" may be any arbitrary string you choose, e.g. "please do not edit below this line" or "mary had a little lamb"

This is the process
- Client opens New Ticket
-- Staff replies to Client, Email to Client contains Reply Separator Tag "-- do not edit --"
--- Client Replies to Staff, possibly quoting the original Staff Reply
---- Client Reply is added to the OSTicket database and appended to the existing ticket thread

all text BELOW the Reply Separator Tag "-- do not edit --" will be stripped from the Client's Message

Pro's:
+ Ticketview remains neatly arranged and accessible for Staff members

Con's:
- In case the Client responds with text below the Separator Tag "-- do not edit --" all relevant text will be removed as well.
- It's ugly.
- might confuse Clients.

*Quote: TODO: figure out how mail clients do it without special tag /include/class.pop3.php, line 238*


Example #1 Client Reply Email (PRO)

Hi Support,
Thanks for Your reply - it's working now.

Original Message from Support:
> -- do not edit -- <- Reply Separator Tag
> Please install the latest drivers
> blah, blah blah
> and 50 more lines of foo and bar

Example #1 turns out to be saved in the OSticket database as

Hi Support,
Thanks for Your reply - it's working now.

Original Message from Support:
>

Example #2 Client Reply Email (CON)


Original Message from Support:
> -- do not edit -- <- Reply Separator Tag
> Please install the latest drivers
> blah, blah blah
> and 50 more lines of foo and bar

Hi Support,
Thanks for Your message it's working now.

Example #2 turns out to be saved in the OSticket database as

Original Message from Support:
>

[larry_rma82]

Thank you for the clear & detailed reply!

I tend to reply to my personal emails in the way of the CON example - even worse, I like to interleave my reply between lines of the original message. Many other people do so as well.

I could replace '-- do not edit --' with a more detailed explanation, but it would end up taking maybe more than one line, and clients may not read it anyway!

Maybe I will disable "Strip Quoted Reply", even though that will increase my storage requirements.

Again, thanks!

[djtremors]

Here's a silly question, why not try a diff?
or better still.. put a --do no reply-- at the top and bottom and strip in between?

anyone tried it and seen what effects on all sorts of clients?