--- title: "Send a Different Attachment to Each Recipient" slug: "send-a-different-attachment-to-each-recipient" description: "Attach a different file, such as an invoice, to each recipient’s email in Mapp Engage. The file is loaded from your server at sendout." status: "update" updated: 2026-10-20T09:20:53Z published: 2026-10-20T09:20:53Z canonical: "docs.mapp.com/send-a-different-attachment-to-each-recipient" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mapp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Send a Different Attachment to Each Recipient ## Goal Attach a different file to each recipient's email, for example an invoice or an account statement. Mapp Engage loads the file for each contact from your web server during sendout. > [!NOTE] > Note > > To attach the same file to all recipients, you do not need this variable. See [Add Attachments to an HTML Email](/v1/docs/add-an-attachment-to-a-message). --- ## Background Information The **Individual Attachment** variable contains the address of the file. Part of the address is built from a contact attribute, for example the customer ID or the last name. During sendout, Mapp Engage resolves the address for each contact, retrieves the file, and attaches it to the email. Requirements: - The files are stored on a web server. You cannot upload them from your computer. - The value that makes the address unique, for example the customer ID, is stored in a standard or custom attribute in Mapp Engage. - The web server can handle the load during sendout. Each attachment generates one request to the server. Sendout speed and other factors affect the server load. To protect the files, you can restrict access to the web server to specific IP addresses. > [!WARNING] > Warning > > Mapp Engage does not check the attachments or scan them for viruses. You are responsible for making sure that the source of the attachments is secure and trusted. --- ## Insert the Variable 1. Create an email message. 2. Click **Mapp Engage Variables**. 3. From the **Category** drop-down list, select **Content/Attachment**. 4. Drag and drop the **Individual Attachment** variable into the email. The position of the variable in the email does not matter. The variable has the following format: ```plaintext 'URL' ``` Replace the placeholder `'URL'` with the address of the file. Do not change any other part of the variable. How you build the address depends on how your web server provides the files: - The files are stored in a fixed folder structure: see *Option 1: Stable URL Path*. - A web application returns the files: see *Option 2: URL with Query String*. --- ## Build the File Address from Contact Attributes Because each contact receives a different file, a part of the path or the file name must be unique for each contact. To insert an attribute value into the address, use an `ecm:` command with the attribute reference: | Attribute | Command | | --- | --- | | Last name (standard attribute) | `<ecm:user.lastname/>` | | CustomerID (custom attribute) | `<ecm:user.CustomAttribute.CustomerID/>` | For example, if the file name is the last name of the contact, the address ends with `<ecm:user.lastname/>.pdf`. For a list of attribute references, see [Attribute References](/v1/docs/attribute-references). Do not use `%` characters in the `ecm:` command. > [!NOTE] > Note > > If attribute values contain special characters that are not allowed in URLs, add `escape='uri'` to the command. Mapp Engage then converts the special characters automatically. Example: `<ecm:user.FirstName escape='uri'/>` --- ## Option 1: Stable URL Path Use this format if the files are stored in a fixed folder structure and the folder or file name is personalized. The variable has the following structure: ```plaintext http://host/path/file/.pdf ``` ### Example The file server URL is `http://www.mydata.com/emailAttachment/`. Every contact has a folder on the file server: - The folder name is the customer ID. It is stored in the custom attribute **CustomerID**. - The file name consists of the purchase date and the last name. The purchase date is stored in the custom attribute **PurchaseDate** in the format `YYMMDD`. The last name is stored in the standard attribute `user.lastname`. For a contact with the customer ID 1984532325235 and the last name Jones who made a purchase on 15.04.2016, the file address is: ```plaintext http://www.mydata.com/emailAttachment/1984532325235/160415Jones.pdf ``` The customized variable has the following format: ```plaintext http://www.mydata.com/emailAttachment//.pdf ``` --- ## Option 2: URL with Query String Use this format if a web application evaluates the address and returns the files. The query string starts with a question mark (`?`) and contains parameters for the web application. You personalize these parameters with attributes. The structure of the query string depends on the web application, not on Mapp Engage. The variable has the following structure: ```plaintext http://host/path/file?parameters=.pdf ``` ### Example The web application at `http://www.mydata.com` expects two parameters: - `UserID`: the customer ID. It is stored in the custom attribute **CustomerID**. - `Filename`: the purchase date and the last name, for example `160415Jones.pdf`. The purchase date is stored in the custom attribute **PurchaseDate** in the format `YYMMDD`. The last name is stored in the standard attribute `user.lastname`. The customized variable has the following format: ```plaintext http://www.mydata.com?UserID=&Filename=.pdf ``` --- ## Send Only When the Attachment Is Available If there is no file at the address, Mapp Engage does not stop the sendout. The message is sent without the attachment. To send the message only if the attachment is available, add `required='true'` to the `ecm:attach` tag: ```plaintext 'URL' ``` To receive a warning email when an attachment is missing, also add `alarm-email` with the address that receives the warning: ```plaintext 'URL' ``` Mapp Engage uses the system message **SysMsgAttachmentError** for the warning. --- ## Related Topics - [Add Attachments to an HTML Email](/v1/docs/add-an-attachment-to-a-message) - [Mapp Engage Variables - Content/Attachment](/v1/docs/mapp-engage-variables-contentattachment) - [Attribute References](/v1/docs/attribute-references)