Email Workflows

[Danielle Arcuri]

I am having a hard time understanding the user manual in regards to creating email workflows. I have a DFFS list and I created the DFFS_Email list. Is that supposed to mirror my list? And I create the workflows on the DFFS_Email list or my list on Sharepoint designer? Do you have a step by step guide more detailed than what it is in the user manual?

[Alexander Bautz]

The DFFS_Email list is not supposed to mirror your list – it has a To, Cc, Subject and Body and a few more fields. The way it works is that when triggering an email from a DFFS enabled list, the content of the email is written to this list and a workflow / FLOW starts and sends the actual email.

The list that is created from the Email and Print tab in DFFS configuration, but the workflow picking up a new item being added to this list must be created manually – either with SharePoint Designer or as a FLOW using Power Automate (in SharePoint Online).

Have you looked at this section in the user manual? It shows images of how the workflow is built in SharePoint designer – which step is it you need more information about?

PS: If you use SharePoint 2013 (or newer) you can use REST to send emails – just uncheck the “Use custom list with workflow to send E-Mails” checkbox in the E-Mail and Print tab.

Alexander

[Danielle Arcuri]

Ok I am using SP13 so if I understand correctly. I should be able to create my workflows in SP Designer and uncheck the “use custom list…” I do not need to do anything in DFFS or use the DFFS_email. I did my workflows in SP Designer and they do not work. I know how to build workflows in SP Designer my question is the DFFS causing it not to work?

[Alexander Bautz]

If you UNCHECK the Use custom list with workflow to send E-Mails you do not need any workflow at all, but please note that if you are on an on-prem SP 2013, you might not have the REST api enabled, and if your email don’t go through you must use the workflow option with the custom list.

If you use the “Use custom list with workflow to send E-Mails” – does the DFFS_Email list get updated with the email when you same your DFFS enabled form and it triggers your email?

If so, you must ensure that your workflow is set to trigger when a new item is added to the DFFS_Email list.

Alexander

[Danielle Arcuri]

I do not have the REST app. So I need to “use the custom list with workflow to send emails”. So I created an email and created a rule but that didn’t work either. I got an error message that email can’t be sent make sure valid recipient. I attached a picture of the error message and how I want my workflow emails to work from sharepoint designer. My DFFS_Email list does not have any fields. That is what I was asking originally is how to build the DFFS_Email list to work. I don’t see that in the user manual. Also the DFFS set up is asking me to add a field _DFFSID. Do I need to do that?

Attachments:

1. Doc1.pdf

[Alexander Bautz]

From the error message it looks like you have not checked the “Use custom list with workflow to send E-Mails” – please ensure you have done so for that form you are configuring.

Also, just to make it easier to see what email template you try to send – give it a name like “NewItemEmail” and then use this same name in the “Send or stop these emails” field.

You don’t need to create the _DFFSID field, but some functionality in the form (like linking back to an item sent from NewForm from the email) requires it – so I recommend adding it (it’s just a single line of text field).

Please check to see that an item is actually written to your DFFS_Email list when you send the email trough your DFFS enabled form.

Alexander

[Alexander Bautz]

I didn’t see this at first, but your workflow seems to have been created on the DFFS enabled list and NOT in the DFFS_Email list – please recreate the workflow to trigger on the DFFS_EMail list.

Alexander

[Danielle Arcuri]

How do I write an item from my DFFS list to the DFFS_Email list in order for the workflow to be built on the DFFS_Email list?

[Alexander Bautz]

You don’t – this is all taken care of by DFFS when you trigger an email. Did you try it and look at you DFFS_Email list to see if you got a record there when triggering the email from your DFFS enabled form?

Alexander

[Danielle Arcuri]

I am still having problems, the emails are not sending. I reviewed everything and I thought I had it all set up correctly.. I attached screenshots.

[Danielle Arcuri]

attachment

Attachments:

1. Doc1.docx

[Alexander Bautz]

Do you see the workflow status column in your list view for the records in your DFFS_Email list?

This looks right to me, but have you set the workflow start options to “Start the workflow automatically when an item is created”? – see attachment.

Alexander

Attachments:

1. 

   wf_start_options.png
   

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