Can I attach files to tickets using the API?

Question

Can I attach files, such as photos, to a ticket using the Zendesk API?

Answer

Yes, when a file is attached to a ticket, and if the account requires authentication to download attachments, the attachment's visibility becomes restricted to only users with access to the ticket. Until the attachment is associated with a ticket, any authenticated user can view an attachment using its content_URL. The attachment's token expires after 60 minutes.

To do this

1. Use the Upload Files API end point, which returns a token.
2. Include the token in a ticket comment by the uploads array while creating or updating a ticket. If you don't complete this step, Zendesk will delete the uploaded files and display a 404 not found error when the upload token expires.

Example

{
  "ticket": {
    "comment":  { "body": "See screenshot.", "uploads":  ["vz7ll9ud8oofowy"] }
  }
}

Note: Private attachments are available in messaging tickets for end users and ticket assignees. These attachments provide a higher level of security, and users have limited access to these types of attachments.

Tip: To restrict specific types of attachments in Support, you may use the Allowed file types feature. More information can be found here: Restricting ticket attachments to Zendesk-recommended file types.