One-Click AND Drag-and-Drop Attachments in Gmail!
Posted by anas on Jan 1, 2009 in Geek Speak | 14 commentsAttaching files using the web-mail interface can be, and surely is, a painful task especially if you have an obsession of keeping files in deep multiple levels of hierarchy. The most arduous part is extracting the file from that tenth level deep folder while browsing and selecting file to upload. It is especially redundant when that particular folder is already open in your Windows Explorer with the file starting in your face, but you can’t attach by clicking on the file.
As a user of Gmail, one should believe with conviction that there exists all sorts of add-ons to grease the skids and make our lives as easy as possible. With that in mind, I googled the web looking for some sort of software using which I could just right click on the desired file to be attached and the rest be taken care of. I easily found gAttach! which did everything I was yearning for except that it didn’t work for me. (Do let me know if it works for someone) [Update] gAttach! works wonders!! The developer of this gem, Chris, was kind enough to work with me to pinpoint my problem which was resolved after I cleaned up my registry!
So the quest continued. As with any problem, there are always two solutions: the simple and neat straightforward one, and the workaround.
It is this workaround (I’d rather call it improvisation) that I present here to do exactly the same thing – attach files in Gmail with a right-click file option.
Gmail space can be used as online drive (yeah!), that can be accessible just like any other ordinary drive on your computer. This is neatly done by installing this little piece of gem called Gmail Drive. This software makes use of the vast space allotted to every Gmail user and makes it a virtual online drive. The files that are copied to this drive appear as a new mail message with the file attached in your Inbox. From the inbox, you can just forward that e-mail to the desired address. Pretty simple, isn’t it? The Gmail Drive shows up in My Computer. Files can be sent to this drive (and hence attached) with a right click option Send To > Gmail Drive. This solution in fact kills two birds with one stone. Easy attachments and online drive, with just one software! If you just want to use it as an online drive, then create a filter to apply some label on mails with subject GMAILFS to avoid cluttering the Inbox. (This is shown below.)
Here is the step-by-step solution with visual aid:
1) Download and install Gmail Drive. This should not take more than a few seconds. Verify installation by looking for a drive named Gmail Drive in My Computer. Open the drive and save your login details.
2) An option to send a file to this drive by right clicking should also appear. Test it out on any file as shown below.
3) To attach a file, move the file to this Gmail drive using either the right click option or dragging it to the drive.The file will now be posted on to the web.
4) As soon as the posting completes, a new email pops up in the Inbox with the desired file as an attachment.
5) Forward this e-mail, with the file already attached, l to your desired recipient! (and that’s it)
CREATING A FILTER (AND LABEL)
Most of the Gmail users already know about this. Those who don’t should either use it, or stop using Gmail because this is one of those fundamental edges of Gmail over all other e-mail providers (okay, I can never control myself when it comes to labels and filters).
So to create a filter to keep the inbox neat, follow the steps below:
1) Log in to your Gmail and go to Settings on top right.
2) Now go to the Filters tab and click on Create New Filter at the bottom.
3) Enter GMAILFS in the Subject field and hit Next Step>.
4) Select the options as required (shown below) and create a label if necessary. Click on Create Filter button.
5) If you selected the option to skip the inbox (and apply the settings to current converstaions), the next thing you will notice is the e-mail disappearing from Inbox and appearing in the label (Gmail Drive, as I call it).
6) Henceforth, all files attached/moved using this method will appear in the new label and can then be forwarded as required.
Nice
For a person who has that kind of organizationally deep hierarchy in which files are stored.. Otherwise, for a simple one folder deep file .. it’s pretty okay and simple to attach that..
Just one thing though, aren’t there privacy issues? Like this drive in your computer, is accessible by Gmail right ? So if your account is hacked … what happens then? ALL your personal files are gone into unwanted hands eh ? :S :S
WOOW!!! is all I have to say….GOOGLE rocks man….
@Uni: Yes, there are always privacy issues like in any other case. This can serve as your drive online. So you would not ideally keep anything that private on it – as an online drive, it serves nicely to keep things that you need at multiple places. But my primary usage will be to attach files!
@UTP: Yeah man
And the guys who work to create these freewares 
Interesting post, Anas. Attaching mein maslay hotay hain – jesay you mentioned – This should be of help to make my gMail life easier! =)
Hi there,
I’m the developer of gAttach!
I can assure you that there are many satisfied users of the software, and I’d be glad to help you work with any problems you were experiencing.
Feel free to drop me a line either by email (address submitted with comment) or via http://www.gattach.net/contact.html
A new major version of the software will be released in a couple of weeks.
All the best,
Chris
With regards to Gattach, are there any plans to be able to drag an attahcment FROM an email to a hard drive? One of my biggest complaints from my users.
Jay Kenney
CIO – Lincoln Property Company
@Ammar: Thanks
@ALL: I’ve managed to attract Chris on my blog (yayy!!!),the developer of gAttach! which didn’t work for me. So, if anyone does try gAttach, please post your results here. Also, post on his site [link in his comment]. I’m sure he’ll be glad to help out
yep virtual drive has its problem….one of them is to use it efficiently u will have to install virtual drive on the other pc too. As for privacy…any thing that goes on net is not private any more…yeah that hold true for “protected post”…man if i “ever” start bloging it will start from a post against protected posts
@ Anas
wow…the developer himself was here to help you out!
a really good post, havent tried using gAttach as yet but it looks cool
@ Awais
lol, you can just protest on everyone’s blog against protected posts
Thats an achievement =D Cheers mate!
@Awais: True about privacy issues, but I don’t agree with protected posts. I think they’re fine.
@KW: yeah maybe the dev thought i should promote his thingie
@Ammar: ‘mate’ ?? when did you turn Brit/Aussie?
Pwacticing, mate! =D
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Hi, I apologize fo inquiring this query here, but I am not ableto find a contact form or something so I assumed I could I leave my enquiry here. I run a blogengine blog but I am receiving bigger amounts of spam. I see u use wordpress, is it uncomplicated to regulate spam with wordpress or doesn’t it make any difference? I hope you will respond to my comment or maybe send me an email with your answer if you don’t want to approve the comment. Best regards