Email Masker Email Masker
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This signed Applet will produce *.png files (variable transparency background image files similar to *.gifs, but smaller) that contain your email address. When you post them on your website, it is harder for spammer to harvest them. It will let you make transparent a graphic email icon like this: email Roedy Green  ⇐ png graphic icon, not text.

Make your Email Icon Extra security
Using the Icons Nexodyne
Doctoring Links
Notes

You need Java to run the Masker applet.

If the above Email masker signed Java Applet does not work…

  1. This signed Java Applet needs Java 1.4 or later, version 1.4.2_17 or later recommended, ideally 1.6.0_06 and a recent browser.
  2. You should see an Applet above looking much like the screenshot. If you don’t, the following should help you get it working:
  3. If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer, try another browser. Seriously. Microsoft has taken great pains, over and over, to screw up Java and every other mult-platform standardisation.
  4. If you are using Internet Explorer 7, you must allow blocked content permission for Active X to run. This also gives permission to Java to run. Click the Information bar, and then click Allow blocked content. Unfortunately, this also allows dangerous ActiveX code to run. However, you must do this in order to get access to perfectly-safe Java Applets running in a sandbox. This is part of Microsoft’s war on Java. Don’t put up with it! Use a different browser.
  5. For this Java Applet to work, you must click grant/accept to give it permission to write the generated image files to disk.
  6. Optionally, you may permanently install the Canadian Mind Products DSA code-signing certificate so you don’t have to grant each time.
  7. If the above Java Applet appears to freeze-up, click Alt-Esc repeatedly to check for any buried permission dialog box.
  8. If you have certificate troubles, check the installed certificates and remove or update any obsolete or suspected defective certificates. The only certificate used by this program is mindprodcert2008dsa.
  9. To ensure your Java is up to date, check with Wassup.
  10. If the above Java Applet does not work, check the Java console for error messages.
  11. If the above Applet does not work, you might have better luck with the downloadable version.
  12. If you still can’t get the program working click HELP for more detail.
  13. If you can’t get the program working after trying the advice above and from the HELP button below, have bugs to report or ideas to improve the program or its documentation, please send me an email atemail Roedy Green.
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Using the Generated *.png Images

You can include the generated *.png image files in the HTML on your website with: code like this:
Rendering Email addresses
Effect How it Renders HTML needed
mailto text link Click to email Roedy Green at myid@mydomain.com
linked graphic Click to email Roedy Green
embedded graphic email Roedy Green at email Roedy Green

Some browsers (i.e. IE) may not render the transparent background of the email address correctly.
embedded graphic on coloured background
email Roedy Green at email Roedy
Some Some browsers (i.e. IE) may not render the transparent background of the email address correctly.
public posting
in a newsgroup
Roedy Green’s email address is posted at:
http://mindprod.com/image/mailto/roedy.png
Roedy Green’s email address is posted at:
http://mindprod.com/image/mailto/roedy.png

Doctoring

Internet Explorer has a bug, in that it does not properly render the transparent *.png files that Masker generates. If you look at this page with IE, you can see that the undoctored images don’t display properly. You can massage them so they IE can handle them properly by using Paint Shop Pro. Load the image, and flatten it with layers ⇒ merge ⇒ merge all (flatten). Then use colors ⇒ set transparency ⇒ click white background and save. Or you can write Microsoft asking them to fix their browser.

For very old browsers that have no *.png support at all, you can save the images as *.gifs. Doctoring this way will lose the nicely feathered transparency around the letters. The images will look best on a pure white background, unlike the originals that will work on any colour. On the other hand, doctored images are smaller.

undoctored:email Roedy Green
doctored:email Roedy Green

Notes

Extra security

You want to give automated spam harvesters as few clues a possible:

Nexodyne

If can’t or don’t want to use a signed Java Applet like Masker or if you don’t have a server to post the generated icon on the web, you could use the Nexodyne Email Icon Generator. Nexodyne stores the generated icon for you on their webserver, so you can include a link to it in newsgroup postings, emails or blogs without having your own webserver. With Masker, you have to upload the icon to some website before you can link to it. Nexodyne generates opaque images. Masker generates transparent ones. Nexodyne limits your choice of mailservers. Masker does not. Nexodyne is proprietary. Source is included free for Masker.
PackageVersionReleasedLicenceLanguageNotes 
masker
Masker
1.6 2008-03-11 free Java
summary / PAD description / screenshot for the current version of Masker. Helps hide email addresses from spam harvesters.
download Masker source and compiled class files to run on your own machine as an application or Applet. First install the most recent Java. To install, extract the zip download with Winzip, (or similar unzip utility) into any directory you please, often J:\ — ticking off the “user folder names” option. To run as an application,type:
java -jar J:\com\mindprod\masker\masker.jar
adjusting as necessary to account for where the jar file is.
download ASP PAD XML program description for the current version of Masker.
Masker is free. Full source included. You may even include the source code, modified or unmodified in commercial programs that you write and distribute. Non-military use only.
   
 
email
gif
mung
Nexodyne Email Icon Generator
other downloads
png
spam

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