Why Do URLs in Email Templates Appear with the Prefix "about:"?

Symptoms

Email templates sometimes render URLs from custom attributes with the prefix about:, instead of the appropriate protocol.

Cause

When using a custom attribute to insert a URL in an email template, the email template renders the URL with the prefix about:, instead of the appropriate protocol, such as http or https.

Resolution

1. In the value of the custom attribute, specify the host and location without the protocol, such as hostname.com/folder
2. When the custom attribute is referenced, specify the protocol, such as http://${MyServer}/

   For example, http://hostname.com/folder/

Cause

If you edit a hyperlink and change a custom attribute, the URL from the custom attribute appears with the prefix about:.

If you are using a custom attribute to store your URL, it is recommended that you do not store the protocol, or Type, within the custom attribute. Instead, use the Type field to define the protocol, and the custom attribute to represent the remainder of the URL.

If you do not follow this best practice, and you have a custom attribute with a URL that includes the protocol, in certain cases the default Type prefix about: is added automatically when the URL is modified. In this situation, if you modify the URL, you must manually remove the about: prefix.

Resolution

For more information, see Modifying a Hyperlink in an Email Template.