This article explains how HappyFox Workflows handles attachments from trigger events — what merge fields are available, which action fields accept them, and what to expect when passing attachments to external systems.
How attachments are represented
When a workflow is triggered by a ticket event, HappyFox Workflows receives the trigger payload from HappyFox Help Desk. Attachments in that payload are represented as URLs, not as binary files. Each attachment URL points to the file hosted on HappyFox Help Desk's servers.
This means:
- Inserting an attachment merge field into a Message field embeds the URL as text — the recipient sees a link, not a downloaded file.
- Inserting an attachment merge field into an Attachments field (where available) passes the URL to the action, which may fetch and attach the file depending on how the receiving system handles URLs.
Note: When passing attachments to third-party systems such as Jira, behaviour depends on the receiving system's API. Some systems fetch the file from the URL and attach it natively; others embed the URL as a string.
Available attachment merge fields
The following attachment merge fields are available in the Insert Merge Fields panel when your trigger is a HappyFox Help Desk ticket event. To find them, search "attachments" in the merge field panel.
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Note: When you insert Ticket Attachments or any array-type attachment field into a Message field, it renders as a raw merge field. Hence, please use the attachments merge field only in a field that is labelled as attachments.
Individual attachment URL fields
When a ticket has multiple attachments, HappyFox Workflows also surfaces individual attachment fields numbered from 0. For example, a ticket with four attachments exposes:
- Ticket Attachments 0 — URL of the first attachment
- Ticket Attachments 1 — URL of the second attachment
- Ticket Attachments 2 — URL of the third attachment
- Ticket Attachments 3 — URL of the fourth attachment
These numbered fields appear dynamically in the merge field panel based on the attachment count of the test ticket used during workflow setup.
Which actions accept attachment fields
The following HappyFox Workflows actions include an Attachments field that accepts attachment merge fields:
- Add Reply
- Add Private Note
- Send Email
- Request Approval
- Create Ticket
- Create Related Ticket
- Create Ticket with Ticket Template
To insert an attachment merge field into an Attachments field:
- Open the action configuration panel.
- Locate the Attachments field.
- Click + Insert Merge Fields next to Attachments.
- Search for "attachments" in the merge field panel.
- Select the attachment field that matches the source you want — for example, Ticket Attachments for all attachments on the trigger ticket, or a numbered field like Ticket Attachments 0 for a specific file.
Warning: Do not insert an attachment merge field into a Message or Subject field expecting it to produce a clickable link or embedded file. Those fields render the merge field as a text token. Use the dedicated Attachments field for the action instead.
Your attachment merge fields are now ready to use in workflow actions. Next, learn how to use merge fields and dynamic variables in HappyFox Workflows to build more complete action configurations.