Reconsider presenting links in responses in "reference-style"

[RichardTaylor]

Alaveteli currently presents some incoming messages in a format where links (email links and web links) are extracted and displayed below the text.

This often surprises and confuses users.

Should Alaveteli display the plain text version rather than try to reformat a HTML version of an incoming mail?
Should Alaveteli display links in-line when presenting a HTML version of an incoming mail.

Suggesting this as an alternative to fixing #4577 (Reference-style links get hidden in the quoted section).

[RichardTaylor]

Just to link to the other major HTML rendering issue:

#1528 (Improve/fix HTML rendering of tables)

[WilliamWDTK]

This has recently caused some confusion with a request for some rather aesthetically-pleasing Victorian engineering drawings for Branksome station. Network Rail (NR) shared some files through SharePoint/Onedrive because they were large, there was an automated email with an authenticated link (with an access token), but their subsequent manual email included a direct link to the file, which required a NR log-in to use. This could perhaps have been avoided had the links in the automated email been easier to see.

Note that the fault here is partially with NR for sending a link manually which couldn't be used.

[HelenWDTK]

This issue has been automatically closed due to a lack of discussion or resolution for over 12 months.
Should we decide to revisit this issue in the future, it can be reopened.