# Issue attaching Attachments via Workbench

**URL:** <https://speciforum.org/t/issue-attaching-attachments-via-workbench/3092>\
**Category:** Get Help\
**Created:** [October 27, 2025, 7:40pm UTC](https://speciforum.org/t/issue-attaching-attachments-via-workbench/3092 "2025-10-27T19:40:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 4

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**Author:** ![Grant](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex029/user_avatar/speciforum.org/grant/32/4255_2.png) [@Grant](https://speciforum.org/u/Grant)\
**Post date:** [October 28, 2025, 1:41am UTC](https://speciforum.org/t/issue-attaching-attachments-via-workbench/3092/4 "2025-10-28T01:41:36Z")

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Hi @nfshoobs,

If you want to perform a mass import of attachments and have access to the asset server backend, you can:

1. Add the attachments directly to the configured `attachments/originals` directory for the [Asset Server](https://speciforum.org/t/specify-attachment-server-asset-server/715). You can model this off other attachments already present in the directory and on the asset server!

2. Create a corresponding `attachment` record using SQL for each asset in the database, setting the `attachmentLocation` field in each record to the file name in the `attachments/originals` directory.

3. Create a `collectionobjectattachment` record with the appropriate `CollectionMemberID`, `AttachmentID`, and `CollectionObjectID`, linking the new `attachment` record to the correct `collectionobject`. You will likely want to include an identifier to match in step 2, allowing you to easily link the correct records!

This process can be automated using a script, allowing you to complete it entirely outside of the main interface and without the use of the APIs.

For some more information about how Specify talks to the asset server, you can read this doc here:

> [@How does Specify 7 work with the Web Asset Server?](https://speciforum.org/t/how-does-specify-7-work-with-the-web-asset-server/2817):
>
> book This article describes how attachments in Specify are linked to attachments on the [Web Asset Server](https://speciforum.org/t/specify-attachment-server-asset-server/715). Linking an Attachment to the Source When an attachment is uploaded to Specify, it is added to the database as a set of attachment records (in the attachment table and the joining attachment table, in this case collectionobjectattachment). In this example, I uploaded an attachment for a Collection Object with the catalog number 29499: Cit…

You don’t need to generate the thumbnails manually as they are created dynamically when viewed in Specify 7!

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_[View the full topic](https://speciforum.org/t/issue-attaching-attachments-via-workbench/3092)._
