Inline attachment with a Mailable

Hello,

I'm trying to add an inline attachment.

https://laravel.com/docs/12.x/mail#inline-attachments

But I get this error message.

Undefined variable $message

The documentation says that the $message variable is not available in plain-text messages.

I don't have any text attribute in the content class.

public function content(): Content
{
    return new Content(
        view: 'mails.secretsantainvitation',
    );
}

What am I doing wrong ?

Thanks for your help.

LaryAI

4 months ago

Level 58

To send an inline attachment with a Laravel mailable, you'll want to use the embed() or embedData() method from the $message object, but this is only accessible within the build() method, not with the new MailMessage object syntax (the content() method). Here’s how to do it:

Correct Way to Handle Inline Attachments

Use the build() method in your Mailable class
The $message variable is available in the build() method, not in the content() method (which is used in combination with the mailables approach).
Example:

public function build()
{
    $cid = $this->embed(public_path('images/logo.png'));

    return $this->view('mails.secretsantainvitation')
                ->with([
                    'logoCid' => $cid,
                ]);
}

Use the $logoCid variable in your Blade template
```
<img src="cid:{{ $logoCid }}">
```

If You Prefer `content()`, Use Attachments, Not Inline Embed

The new mailables (content(), attachments()) use a more structured approach, but inline attachments aren't directly supported yet in this syntax. You'll need to use build() for true inline attachments.

Summary of Your Error

You get "Undefined variable $message" because you're trying to use inline attachments in a method (content()) that doesn't give you access to $message.
For inline images, always switch to the build() approach in your mailable class.

Reference:
Laravel Docs - Inline Attachments

If you want to use the newer syntax and can move the image as a standalone attachment, you can still use the attachments() method, but this is NOT inline.

public function attachments(): array
{
    return [
        Attachment::fromPath(public_path('images/logo.png')),
    ];
}

But, again, that's just an attachment, not inline in the email content.

Bottom line:
Use the classic build() approach for true in-message inline images.

Inline attachment with a Mailable

Correct Way to Handle Inline Attachments

If You Prefer content(), Use Attachments, Not Inline Embed

Summary of Your Error

If You Prefer `content()`, Use Attachments, Not Inline Embed