So ive got a ActionMailer mailer class ReportMailer < ActionMailer::Base def notify_doctor_of_updated_document(document) recipients document.user.email_id from "(removed for privacy)" subject "Document #{document.document_number} has been updated and saved as #{document.status}" sent_on Time.now body :document => document end end and the view is Document <%= @document.class %> but when running >> d = Document.last => #<Document id: "fff52d70-7ba2-11de-9b70-001ec9e252ed", document_number: "ABCD1234", procedures_count: 0, user_id: "630", created_at: "2009-07-28 18:18:07", updated_at: "2009-08-30 20:59:41", active: false, facility_id: 94157, status: "incomplete", staff_id: nil, transcriptionist_id: nil, job_length: nil, work_type: nil, transcription_date: nil, non_trans_edit_date: nil, pervasync_flag: true, old_id: nil> >> ReportMailer.deliver_notify_doctor_of_updated_document(d) => #<TMail::Mail port=#<TMail::StringPort:id=0x8185326c> bodyport=#<TMail::StringPort:id=0x8184d6b4>> from the console this is printed in the log Sent mail to (removed for privacy) Date: Tue, 11 May 2010 20:45:14 -0500 From: (removed for privacy) To: (removed for privacy) Subject: Document ABCD1234 has been updated and saved as incomplete Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=mimepart_4bea082ab4ae8_aa4800b81ac13f5 --mimepart_4bea082ab4ae8_aa4800b81ac13f5 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: Quoted-printable Content-Disposition: inline Document NilClass= --mimepart_4bea082ab4ae8_aa4800b81ac13f5--