To send graphics files, wordprocessor files, programs and other files which consist of characters which are more complex than the simple ones in the ASCII set, the characters in the files are temporarily turned into ASCII characters. This temporary change is referred to as "encoding" the file. When the file arrives at it's destination then, the file is "decoded". It is a reassembling of the original characters and character sequences.

(To see the innerds of a binary file, just rename one of your graphics files, substituting the three letter extension (".gif" or ".bmp" or ".jpg", etc.) with the letters ".txt." and open the file in your wordprocessor or any standard text editor like Windows Notepad. It will look like gibberish.)

The email software you use to send and receive email handles the encoding and decoding of files. Different email packages use different encoding/decoding methods and the user is generally not aware of the process unless the method that's used to encode the file is incompatible with the decoding method of the recipient's email package. The three most popular encoding methods, in order of popularity, are UUEncode, Mime and BinHex.

Nobody we know has figured out why email software developers don't generally make it easy to find out what encoding method the email software uses to encode and decode email file attachments, but many of them not only don't provide encoding and decoding method options, they don't even provide any information at all in the Help files of the programs. (Your Internet Service Provider or the person who issued your email software to you, should be able to tell you what encoding method(s) your email software uses.) It's important to know what method your email software uses if you intend to send or receive any email file attachments. The encoding method used when the file is attached to a message and sent must be the same method used to decode the file when it arrives at it's destination.

(The Eudora Email Software, one of the most popular email packages, offers two options in:

You can choose either Mime or BinHex to send any email file attachment. The file will automatically be decoded by any email software - like the freebie version of Eudora, which handles both Mimed and BinHexed files. The commercial version of Eudora can send and receive Mime, BinHex and UUEncoded files.)

Step by step instructions for UUDecoding files with the Wincode utility are included just in case and so that you won't have to wade through all the Wincode documentation if you decide to try that program.

Instead of sending files one at a time, you can create little packages of files and send more information even more quickly by "compressing" the files before sending them. For more information, check out the Archive and Compressed File Section.