CSV and PDF Attachments Mathership can attach order details to order emails as either a PDF file or a CSV file .
This allows vendors to process incoming orders in the format that best fits their workflow.
What are order attachments? Order attachments are files added to the order notification email that is sent to the vendor after a customer places an order.
They help vendors:
Review the order
Print the order
Archive the order
Import order data into another system
Process article numbers and quantities outside Mathership
When attachments are created Attachments are created when a customer sends an order.
The attachment is generated automatically and added to the vendor order email.
Order mode Attachment behavior Send Email is sent with attachment Draft No email is sent immediately Scheduled Email is not sent immediately Internal order view Order details are available in Mathership
Attachments are only sent when an order email is sent. Draft or scheduled orders may not create an immediate email attachment.
Mathership currently supports two main attachment formats.
Format Best for PDF Manual reading, printing, archiving CSV Excel, ERP import, structured processing
If no format has been selected, Mathership uses PDF by default.
PDF attachments PDF attachments contain the order in a readable document format.
Use PDF if you want to:
Print the order
Read the order manually
Archive the order as a document
Forward the order internally
Keep a clear visual order summary
PDF is usually the best option for teams that process orders manually.
CSV attachments CSV attachments contain order items in a structured table format.
Use CSV if you want to:
Import orders into another system
Open orders in Excel
Process orders in an ERP workflow
Copy article numbers and quantities
Automate order handling
The CSV can include order item information such as:
Field Meaning Article number Vendor article number Article name Product name Quantity Ordered quantity Packaging Packaging or unit information Total price Line total, if price is available
CSV column language The CSV column names can depend on the customer’s selected language.
For German users, the CSV can use German column names.
German column Meaning Artikelnummer Article number Artikelname Article name Menge Quantity Gebinde Packaging Gesamtpreis Total price
For other languages, English column names may be used.
English column Meaning Article Number Article number Article Name Product name Quantity Ordered quantity Packaging Packaging information Total Price Line total
The attachment format can be changed in the customer company settings.
Available formats are:
The selected attachment format belongs to the customer company. It affects order emails sent from that customer company to vendors.
Why the setting belongs to the customer The attachment format is stored on the customer company because different customers may have different processing needs.
For example:
Customer Preferred format Reason Small restaurant PDF Manual order processing Chain customer CSV Import into internal system Office team PDF Easy forwarding Automated buyer CSV Structured data processing
File naming Mathership creates attachment filenames automatically.
The filename can include information such as:
Customer number
Order ID
Timestamp
Customer email
Mathership reference
Example PDF filename:
4711_order_123_1710000000000_customer_at_example_de_mathership.pdfExample CSV filename:
4711_order_123_1710000000000_customer_at_example_de_mathership.csvThis helps vendors match the attachment to the correct customer and order.
Customer numbers in filenames If a customer number exists for the vendor-customer relationship, Mathership can include it in the filename.
This is useful when vendors use customer numbers in their ERP, accounting, or internal order processing systems.
If no customer number is available, Mathership may use the customer company ID instead.
Missing prices Attachments can still be created if some products do not have prices.
If prices are missing:
The order can still be sent
The product line can still appear
Missing totals may be shown as unavailable
The full order total may be omitted or incomplete
If you rely on CSV files for automated price import, make sure your product prices are maintained correctly.
Order totals When prices are available, Mathership can calculate line totals and an order total.
If one or more prices are missing, the order total may not be fully available.
Situation Result All products have prices Line totals and order total can be calculated Some products have missing prices A complete order total may not be available No product prices exist Attachment still contains quantities and product information
Email recipient Order emails with attachments are sent to the vendor’s notification email address.
If no notification email is configured, Mathership may use the vendor user’s email address.
Vendors should keep their order notification email address up to date to avoid missed orders.
Example: PDF order attachment A restaurant places an order and the customer company uses PDF attachments.
Field Example Customer Main Restaurant Vendor Fresh Food Supplier Format PDF Result Vendor receives readable order document
This is useful when the vendor prints or manually processes orders.
Example: CSV order attachment A restaurant places an order and the customer company uses CSV attachments.
Field Example Customer Main Restaurant Vendor Fresh Food Supplier Format CSV Result Vendor receives structured order file
This is useful when the vendor imports orders into Excel or another system.
Example: Missing product price A product has no price stored in Mathership.
Field Example Product Tomato Box Quantity 3 Price Missing Result Product appears, but total price may be unavailable
The order can still be sent.
Best practices Use PDF for manual workflows Choose PDF if your team reads, prints, or forwards orders manually.
Use CSV for system workflows Choose CSV if you want to import orders into Excel, ERP, or another processing system.
Keep product data clean CSV files are only as useful as the product data behind them.
Maintain:
Article numbers
Product names
Packaging
Prices
Maintain customer numbers Customer numbers help identify orders in internal systems.
Add customer numbers when connecting customers to vendors.
Before relying on CSV import, test the file format with your internal system.
Check:
Column names
Delimiter
Article numbers
Quantity format
Price format
Encoding
Common problems Vendor receives PDF but expected CSV Check the customer company’s attachment format setting.
The setting must be changed from PDF to CSV.
Vendor receives CSV but wants PDF Change the customer company’s attachment format back to PDF.
CSV cannot be imported Check whether your target system expects:
Different column names
A different delimiter
Different decimal formatting
A specific encoding
Required article numbers
Attachment has missing prices Check whether product prices are maintained for the vendor products.
Missing prices can prevent complete total calculations.
Vendor did not receive the email Check that:
The order was sent, not saved as draft
The order was not only scheduled
The vendor notification email is correct
The email is not in spam
The vendor email address is active
Filename does not show expected customer number Check whether a customer number is stored on the vendor-customer relationship.
If no customer number exists, Mathership may use another customer identifier.
Related pages
Email Notifications Learn how order emails are sent to vendors.
Order Details View the full details of an order.
Customer Numbers Manage customer numbers for vendor-customer relationships.
Delivery Locations Understand customer delivery locations used in orders.
