Description
The only way to link attachments to KB articles is via URL link in the format: /sys_attachment.do?sys_id=<sys_id>
This makes end users not necessarily authenticated to an instance, but with access to public articles, unable to access the attachment link they receive from emails on public KB articles.
Steps to Reproduce
- Login as KM administrator on any current instance.
- Create a KB article and upload a document/picture as attachment.
- Mark some of the text and create a link to the attachment through the HTML editor.
- Choose the Attachment link, as opposed to URL.
- Select the document uploaded earlier.
- Save the KB article.
- Open the KB article in edit mode and select the link to edit it.
Notice the Attachment link has been reset to be an URL link. It is not possible to make it stay as an Attachment link, even deleting and recreating the attachment.
If you send the KB article as email to users with no access to the instance, they cannot access the attachment.
Workaround
This is expected behaviour and by design. In all current releases an attachment link to an article is always converted to a URL link before being stored into the database.
Related Problem: PRB686107