Fundamentals

AMPscript is a server-side scripting language unique to Salesforce Marketing Cloud. It executes at render time — when an email is being prepared to send to each subscriber, or when a Cloud Page is loading. This means it can access and output subscriber-specific data for every individual in your send.

When to use AMPscript vs other tools

Use caseBest tool
Simple personalisation (first name, etc.)Personalisation strings %%FirstName%%
Show/hide blocks by attributeContent Builder dynamic content rules
Look up data from another DEAMPscript Lookup()
Loop through multiple rows (e.g. cart items)AMPscript LookupRows() + FOR
Complex conditional logic with many branchesAMPscript IF/ELSEIF/ELSE
External HTTP callSSJS (AMPscript cannot make HTTP requests)
Cloud Page form processingAMPscript or SSJS

Syntax rules

⚠️ In email vs Cloud Pages

In emails, AMPscript executes during the send process and cannot make HTTP calls. On Cloud Pages, AMPscript runs on page load and has access to URL parameters via RequestParameter(). Some functions (like UpsertDE()) are available in both contexts.

Variables & output

AMPscript Declaring and setting variables 
%%[
  /* Declare one or multiple variables */
  VAR @firstName, @lastName, @fullName

  /* Set from subscriber attribute (sending DE field) */
  SET @firstName = AttributeValue("FirstName")
  SET @lastName  = AttributeValue("LastName")

  /* Combine into a third variable */
  SET @fullName = Concat(@firstName, " ", @lastName)
]%%

<!-- Output inline -- use %%=v()=%% -->
<p>Hello, %%=v(@fullName)=%%!</p>

<!-- Setting a literal value -->
%%[ SET @brand = "Acme Corp" ]%%
<p>From: %%=v(@brand)=%%</p>

Conditionals

AMPscript IF / ELSEIF / ELSE 
%%[
  VAR @tier, @message
  SET @tier = AttributeValue("LoyaltyTier")

  IF @tier == "Gold" THEN
    SET @message = "Enjoy your exclusive Gold member benefits."
  ELSEIF @tier == "Silver" THEN
    SET @message = "You're one step from Gold — here's how to get there."
  ELSE
    SET @message = "Join our loyalty programme to start earning rewards."
  ENDIF
]%%

<p>%%=v(@message)=%%</p>
AMPscript IIF — inline conditional (single line) 
%%[ /* IIF(condition, value_if_true, value_if_false) */
   VAR @salutation
   SET @salutation = IIF(AttributeValue("Gender") == "Female", "Ms", "Mr")
]%%

<p>Dear %%=v(@salutation)=%% %%=v(AttributeValue("LastName"))=%%,</p>
AMPscript Empty check with fallback 
%%[
  VAR @name
  SET @name = AttributeValue("FirstName")

  /* If field is empty, use a fallback */
  IF Empty(@name) THEN
    SET @name = "there"
  ENDIF
]%%

<p>Hey %%=v(@name)=%% 👋</p>
<!-- Renders "Hey there 👋" if FirstName is blank -->

String functions

AMPscript Common string manipulation functions 
%%[
  VAR @str

  /* Concat — join strings */
  SET @str = Concat("Hello", " ", "World")        /* "Hello World" */

  /* Uppercase / Lowercase */
  SET @str = UpperCase("hello")                  /* "HELLO" */
  SET @str = LowerCase("WORLD")                  /* "world" */
  SET @str = ProperCase("john smith")             /* "John Smith" */

  /* Length and trimming */
  SET @str = Length("hello")                      /* 5 */
  SET @str = Trim("  hello  ")                    /* "hello" */

  /* Substring */
  SET @str = Substring("Hello World", 1, 5)       /* "Hello" */

  /* Replace */
  SET @str = Replace("Hello World", "World", "SFMC") /* "Hello SFMC" */

  /* Contains — returns 1 (true) or 0 (false) */
  IF Contains(AttributeValue("EmailAddress"), "@gmail") THEN
    /* subscriber is a Gmail user */
  ENDIF
]%%

Date functions

AMPscript Date manipulation and formatting 
%%[
  VAR @now, @future, @diff, @formatted

  /* Current date/time */
  SET @now    = Now()
  SET @today  = Now(1)  /* date only, no time */

  /* Add days to a date */
  SET @future = DateAdd(@now, 7, "D")  /* 7 days from now */

  /* Difference between two dates */
  SET @expiry = AttributeValue("OfferExpiry")
  SET @diff   = DateDiff(@now, @expiry, "D")  /* days until expiry */

  /* Format a date for display */
  SET @formatted = FormatDate(@expiry, "MMMM d, yyyy")  /* "June 15, 2026" */
  SET @shortDate  = FormatDate(@expiry, "dd/MM/yyyy")    /* "15/06/2026" */

  /* Extract date parts */
  SET @year  = DatePart(@now, "Y")
  SET @month = DatePart(@now, "M")
  SET @day   = DatePart(@now, "D")
]%%

<p>Your offer expires %%=v(@formatted)=%% — only %%=v(@diff)=%% days left.</p>

Data lookups

AMPscript Lookup() — single value from another DE 
%%[
  /* Lookup(DE_Name, ReturnField, MatchField, MatchValue) */

  VAR @subKey, @tier, @region
  SET @subKey = AttributeValue("SubscriberKey")

  /* Single field lookup */
  SET @tier   = Lookup("LoyaltyDE",  "Tier",   "SubscriberKey", @subKey)
  SET @region = Lookup("ProfileDE",  "Region", "SubscriberKey", @subKey)

  /* Multi-key lookup (match on two fields) */
  SET @price  = Lookup("PricingDE",
    "Price",
    "Region",   @region,
    "Tier",     @tier
  )
]%%
AMPscript LookupOrderedRows() — sorted multi-row results 
%%[
  VAR @subKey, @rows, @rowCount
  SET @subKey = AttributeValue("SubscriberKey")

  /* LookupOrderedRows(DE, MaxRows, OrderField, ASC/DESC, MatchField, MatchValue) */
  SET @rows     = LookupOrderedRows(
    "RecentOrdersDE",
    3,                /* max 3 rows */
    "OrderDate", "DESC",  /* newest first */
    "SubscriberKey", @subKey
  )
  SET @rowCount = RowCount(@rows)
]%%

%%[ IF @rowCount > 0 THEN ]%%
  <h2>Your last %%=v(@rowCount)=%% orders</h2>
  %%[ FOR @i = 1 TO @rowCount DO
    SET @row  = Row(@rows, @i)
    SET @item = Field(@row, "ProductName")
    SET @date = Field(@row, "OrderDate")
    SET @date = FormatDate(@date, "d MMM yyyy")
  ]%%
  <p>%%=v(@item)=%% — %%=v(@date)=%%</p>
  %%[ NEXT @i ]%%
%%[ ENDIF ]%%

Loops

AMPscript FOR loop — dynamic product grid 
%%[
  VAR @subKey, @rows, @rowCount, @i
  VAR @row, @name, @price, @image, @url

  SET @subKey   = AttributeValue("SubscriberKey")
  SET @rows     = LookupRows("CartAbandonDE", "SubscriberKey", @subKey)
  SET @rowCount = RowCount(@rows)
]%%

%%[ IF @rowCount > 0 THEN ]%%
<table width="600"><tr>
%%[
  FOR @i = 1 TO @rowCount DO
    SET @row   = Row(@rows, @i)
    SET @name  = Field(@row, "ProductName")
    SET @price = Field(@row, "Price")
    SET @image = Field(@row, "ImageURL")
    SET @url   = Field(@row, "ProductURL")
]%%
  <td style="padding:10px; text-align:center;">
    <a href="%%=v(@url)=%%">
      <img src="%%=v(@image)=%%" width="160" alt="%%=v(@name)=%%" />
    </a>
    <p><strong>%%=v(@name)=%%</strong></p>
    <p>£%%=v(@price)=%%</p>
  </td>
%%[ NEXT @i ]%%
</tr></table>
%%[ ELSE ]%%
  <p>Your basket is ready when you are.</p>
%%[ ENDIF ]%%

Writing to Data Extensions

AMPscript UpsertDE, InsertDE, UpdateDE, DeleteDE 
%%[
  VAR @subKey, @email, @result
  SET @subKey = AttributeValue("SubscriberKey")
  SET @email  = AttributeValue("EmailAddress")

  /* UpsertDE — update if key exists, insert if not */
  /* UpsertDE(DE_Name, KeyFieldCount, KeyField1, KeyValue1, ..., DataField1, DataValue1, ...) */
  SET @result = UpsertDE(
    "EmailOpensLog",
    1,
    "SubscriberKey", @subKey,
    "EmailAddress",  @email,
    "LastOpenDate",  Now()
  )

  /* InsertDE — add a new row (fails if key exists) */
  SET @result = InsertDE(
    "AuditLog",
    "SubscriberKey", @subKey,
    "EventType",     "EmailOpen",
    "EventDate",     Now()
  )

  /* UpdateDE — update existing row, fail if not found */
  SET @result = UpdateDE(
    "Preferences",
    1,
    "SubscriberKey", @subKey,
    "LastUpdated",   Now()
  )

  /* DeleteDE — remove a row */
  SET @result = DeleteDE(
    "TempHoldDE",
    1,
    "SubscriberKey", @subKey
  )
]%%

Snippet library

Ready-to-use patterns for common SFMC use cases. Copy and adapt for your sends.

Birthday email personalisation

AMPscript Birthday check and personalised greeting 
%%[
  VAR @dob, @dobMonth, @dobDay, @nowMonth, @nowDay

  SET @dob      = AttributeValue("DateOfBirth")
  SET @dobMonth = DatePart(@dob, "M")
  SET @dobDay   = DatePart(@dob, "D")
  SET @nowMonth = DatePart(Now(), "M")
  SET @nowDay   = DatePart(Now(), "D")

  IF @dobMonth == @nowMonth AND @dobDay == @nowDay THEN
    SET @isBirthday = 1
  ELSE
    SET @isBirthday = 0
  ENDIF
]%%

%%[ IF @isBirthday == 1 THEN ]%%
  <h1>Happy Birthday, %%=v(AttributeValue("FirstName"))=%%! 🎂</h1>
  <p>Here's a special gift from us today only.</p>
%%[ ELSE ]%%
  <h1>A little something for you</h1>
%%[ ENDIF ]%%

Redirect with tracking (Cloud Page)

AMPscript Log a click then redirect to URL 
%%[
  VAR @subKey, @destination

  SET @subKey      = RequestParameter("sk")
  SET @destination = RequestParameter("url")

  /* Log the click */
  SET @log = InsertDE(
    "ClickTrackingDE",
    "SubscriberKey", @subKey,
    "Destination",   @destination,
    "ClickDate",     Now()
  )

  /* Redirect to the destination */
  Redirect(@destination)
]%%

Personalised subject line

AMPscript Dynamic subject line with personalisation 
%%[
/* Used in the Subject Line field of your email */
VAR @firstName, @numItems

SET @firstName = AttributeValue("FirstName")
SET @numItems  = AttributeValue("CartItemCount")

IF Empty(@firstName) THEN
  SET @firstName = "there"
ENDIF
]%%

/* In the Subject field, reference variables: */
%%=v(@firstName)=%%, you left %%=v(@numItems)=%% item(s) in your cart
/* Renders as: "Alex, you left 3 item(s) in your cart" */