# How might I use file\_column for incoming email attachments? **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [December 31, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-might-i-use-file-column-for-incoming-email-attachments/51476 "2005-12-31T23:27:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Duane\_J](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Duane\_J](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Duane_J)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-might-i-use-file-column-for-incoming-email-attachments/51476/1 "2005-12-31T23:27:16Z")
I’m writing a ‘Mailman’ model that catches emails sent to my application (kind of like backpack, I think). The trouble is that I’d like to save image attachments in the same was that file\_column saves them–in fact, I’d really like to use a simple assignment like photo.image = attachment to save the image in its proper place. However, I’m getting the following error from the ImageMagick extension of file\_column: “Image invalid image” (“image” is the name of the column, so that’s why it seems to be duplicated). Does anyone know how to leverage file\_column’s fantastic simplicity when dealing with this kind of incoming attachment? Thanks, Duane J. (canadaduane) [http://blog.inquirylabs.com/](http://blog.inquirylabs.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Duane\_J](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Duane\_J](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Duane_J)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-might-i-use-file-column-for-incoming-email-attachments/51476/2 "2006-01-02T18:51:55Z")
On 12/31/05, Duane J. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > [http://blog.inquirylabs.com/](http://blog.inquirylabs.com/) > > * * * > > Rails mailing list > removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid > [http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails](http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails) In grepping the source, the only place “invalid image” occurs is when RMagick throws an exception. I use a modified magick\_file\_column.rb that uses the command-line Imagemagick, because I’m not a fan of RMagick, so I can’t say too much, but try breakpointing the first few lines of the magick\_file\_column.rb to see what that exception is coming from. – Kyle M. Chief Technologist E Factor Media // FN Interactive removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid 1-866-263-3261 ---
**Author:** ![Duane\_J](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Duane\_J](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Duane_J)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 4:48am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-might-i-use-file-column-for-incoming-email-attachments/51476/3 "2006-01-03T04:48:22Z")
On Jan 2, 2006, at 10:48 AM, Kyle M. wrote: > > “Image invalid image” > > (canadaduane) > > RMagick throws an exception. I use a modified magick\_file\_column.rb > > that uses the command-line Imagemagick, because I’m not a fan of > > RMagick, so I can’t say too much, but try breakpointing the first few > > lines of the magick\_file\_column.rb to see what that exception is > > coming from. Thanks for looking in to this a bit, Kyle. I think my question is more of an “I don’t quite understand how file\_column automatically handles IOString objects, why won’t it handle a TMail::Attachment object?” I did find the error message that you pointed out, but I was a bit surprised at the size of the plugin as a whole. Quite an achievement! 🙂 Any idea how I might trick or otherwise modify file\_column in to accepting TMail::Attachment object assignment (e.g. I’d like to do this: User.new(:photo =\> attachment) where :photo is a file\_column column and attachment is a TMail::Attachment object)? Duane J. (canadaduane) [http://blog.inquirylabs.com/](http://blog.inquirylabs.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Duane\_J](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Duane\_J](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Duane_J)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-might-i-use-file-column-for-incoming-email-attachments/51476/4 "2006-01-03T19:16:08Z")
On 1/3/06, Kyle M. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > > [http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails](http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails) > > > > Thanks for looking in to this a bit, Kyle. I think my question is > > removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid > 1-866-263-3261 Note that the solution I just proposed won’t help with the RMagick issue, just getting a TMail::Attachment into FileColumn – Kyle M. Chief Technologist E Factor Media // FN Interactive removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid 1-866-263-3261 ---
**Author:** ![Duane\_J](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Duane\_J](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Duane_J)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/how-might-i-use-file-column-for-incoming-email-attachments/51476/5 "2006-01-03T19:16:06Z")
On 1/2/06, Duane J. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > However, I’m getting the following error from the ImageMagick > > > Thanks, > > more of an "I don’t quite understand how file\_column automatically > Duane J. > (canadaduane) > [http://blog.inquirylabs.com/](http://blog.inquirylabs.com/) > > * * * > > Rails mailing list > removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid > [http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails](http://lists.rubyonrails.org/mailman/listinfo/rails) File\_column relies on receiving a CGI-uploaded file, which is either a File, or an IOString object, depending on filesize, which has been extended with a few extra methods (original\_filename, size, local\_path, content\_type). If you pass an ordinary File, FileColumn::FileCompat is mixed in to provide this functionality. This happens in BaseUploadedFile.assign(). I don’t know much about TMail::Attachment, but if its similar enough to File, you could replace the first line in BaseUploadedFile.assign(): #old if file.is\_a? File #new if file.is\_a?(File) || file.is\_a?(TMail::Attachment) – Kyle M. Chief Technologist E Factor Media // FN Interactive removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid 1-866-263-3261