Image texture on extruded SVG I can't seem to be able to apply a texture to an extruded .SVG.

Note: How do I put an image texture on a material in Cycles? does not solve the question as it relates to an older version of Blender: there's nothing like a "grey dot icon on the right side of the Color selector" in my Blender version. 

Here's what I do:
1) Import SVG and extrude

2) Transform to mesh (Mesh from Curve: Alt-C, 2)

3) Import texture file, and set texture coordinates as "View"

4) Set the viewport shading to Texture

5) Notice the the mesh does not get textured properly
6) Go to edit mode to check if something is weird
7) Notice that there IS something fishy


What am I doing wrong?
Thanks
AC

My materials look like this: 





@cegaton: 
This is how my blender looks like:


If I click on "New" this is what I get:


While this is what YOU see:


How can I do it with my GUI?
You don't really need to convert the curve to mesh. 


Import the SVG
Create a material
Use an image texture in the material
Select the image you want to use
Create an empty
Select your object again and in the materials set the coordinates to object
Select the empty as the control object for the coordinates.


If you switch to rendered view you should be able to see the texture being used as part of the material of the curve.



To control the placement and size of the image move/scale/rotate the empty.



For Blender internal is the exact same procedure: create a material, create a texture, set it to use object coordinates and use an empty to control them.