Also applies to v8

Attach files to an email

Last update: September 10, 2024

CREATED FOR:

  • User

About email attachments

You can attach one or more files to an email delivery.

NOTE
To avoid performance issue, it is recommended not to include more than one attachment per email. The recommended threshold can be configured from the list of Campaign Classic options.

There are two possible cases:

  • Select a file and attach it to the delivery as it is.
  • Personalize the content of the attachment for each recipient. In this case, you need to create a calculated attachment: the name of the attachment is computed at the time of delivery for each message depending on the recipient. The content can also be personalized and converted into PDF format at the time of delivery, if you have the Variable Digital Printing option.
NOTE
This type of configuration is generally carried out in the delivery templates. For more on this, refer to About templates.

Guardrails

To avoid performance issues, images included in emails cannot exceed 100 KB. This limit, set by default, can be changed from the NmsDelivery_MaxDownloadedImageSize option. However, Adobe strongly recommends to avoid large images in your email deliveries.

Adobe also recommends to limit the size and number of attached files. By default, you can only add one file as an attachment to an email. This threshold can be configured from the NmsDelivery_MaxRecommendedAttachments option.

Learn more in the list of Campaign Classic options.

Attach a local file

To attach a local file to a delivery, follow the steps below.

NOTE
You can attach several files to a delivery. Attachments can be in any format, included zipped format.

  1. Click the Attachments link.

  2. Click the Add button.

  3. Click File… to select the file to be attached to the delivery.

You can also directly drag and drop the file in the delivery Attachments field, or use the Attach icon from the delivery assistant toolbar,

Once the file is selected, it is immediately uploaded onto the server to be available at the time of delivery. It is listed in the Attachments field.

Creating a calculated attachment

When you create a calculated attachment, the name of the attachment can be computed during analysis or delivery of each message and can depend on the recipient. It can also be personalized and converted to PDF.

To create a personalized attachment, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Attachments link.
  2. Click the Add button, then select Calculated attachment.
  3. Select the type of calculation from the Type drop-down list:

The following options are available:

  • File name is specified when creating the delivery template
  • The content of the file is personalized and converted to PDF during the delivery of each message
  • The file name is computed during delivery analysis (it cannot depend on the recipient profile)
  • File name is computed at the time of delivery for each recipient (it can depend on the recipient)

Attaching a local file

If the attachment is a local file, select the option: File name is specified when creating the delivery template. The file is selected locally and uploaded onto the server. Follow the steps below:

  1. Select the file to upload in the Local file field.

  2. Specify the label if necessary. The label replaces the filename when viewed in messaging systems. If nothing is specified, the filename is used by default.

  3. If necessary, select Upload file on the server, and then click Update on server to start the transfer.

The file is then available on the server to be attached to the different deliveries created from this template.

Attaching a personalized message

The option The file content is personalized and converted into PDF format at the time of delivery for each message lets you select a file with personalization fields, such as the last name and first name of the intended recipient.

For this type of attachment, apply the following configuration steps:

  1. Select the file to upload.

  2. Specify the label if necessary.

  3. Select Upload file on the server, and then click Update on server to start the transfer.

  4. You can display a preview. To do this, select a recipient.

  5. Analyze your delivery and then start it.

    Each recipient receives a personalized PDF attached to the delivery.

Attach a calculated file

You can calculate the attachment name during the delivery preparation. To do this, select the option The file name is calculated during delivery analysis (it cannot depend on the recipient).

NOTE
This option is used only when the delivery is sent by an external process or a workflow.

  1. Specify the label you wish to apply to the attachment.

  2. Specify the access path of the file and its exact name in the definition window.

    IMPORTANT
    The file must be present on the server.

  3. Analyze and then start your delivery.

    The filename computation can be seen in the analysis log.

Attach a personalized file

When selecting the attachment, you can choose the option The file name is calculated during delivery for each recipient (it can depend on the recipient). You can then map recipient personalization data with the name of the file to send.

NOTE
This option is used only when the delivery is sent by an external process or a workflow.

  1. Specify the label you wish to apply to the attachment.

  2. Specify the access path of the file and its exact name in the definition window. If the filename is personalized, you can use the Personalization fields for the relevant values.

    IMPORTANT
    The file must be present on the server.

  3. Analyze and then start your delivery.

    In the example below, the attached file was chosen according to its name as defined using the merge fields.