Flow to send email based off a choice column in SharePoint

[NitrosMom]

Good morning - I feel like I have been all over the Internet to search for this answer but everything I find is just a bit off from what I need.

I built a Power App off of a SharePoint list (List A). The app allows the user to essentially submit a ticket for work they need. I have a multi choice box (Groups Assigned) with the 6 departments listed. I do not have their distro email addresses in this list. There is also an "Assigned" column where the user would select the head of the group. When the user hit save, I had a flow send an email to both the user and the assigned person. Management wanted to be able to select multiple groups for one ticket. (originally they could only select one). I changed the SharePoint list and after what seemed like forever, fixed the Power App to allow this. But by doing this, it renders the assigned column essentially useless. Without the assignee column, the flow will not work.

I have been trying to rebuild my flow so that when a new ticket is created, it will email the distro email boxes of the groups assigned only. I also need it to send another email if someone makes a change, for instance adds another group to the ticket after it has been created - send that email to the new distro group.

I followed some instructions I've pieced together and have a flow that will send an email when a new item is created, however - it is sending it to all 6 distro groups instead of only the ones that are selected, which I do not want. I also cannot figure out how to send an email when it is updated with a new group. I did create a second SharePoint list (List B) with just two fields, the group names (with only the 6 groups from my multi choice box from SharePoint (List A) and the associated distro email for them, but I do not know what to do with them from here. I've included a .PDF w/ markups of what I have so far that is sending emails to everyone. 

I am new to all of this. I am self-taught on Power Apps and Power Automate thanks to this site and YouTube. 🙂 

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks

Sandy

[David_MA]

I am just spit balling here, but this is what I would try:

• Change your drop-down for the departments to six yes/no fields with the default choices being no.
• Create one workflow for each department that has the trigger When a new item is created. Each of the flows will have a trigger condition to where that department's yes/no field is yes.
• Then each of the six workflows does its thing specific to that department. One or all six could run when an item is created depending on how many are selected. 
• With individual flows for each department, it should make customizations easier.
• Then create a flow that triggers when the item is modified. Use the Get changes for an item or a file action and set up logic to see if any of the six fields for the departments has changed since the last version. If so, you can check if they were changed to yes, and send the additional notification.

It may sound like a lot of work to set up six workflows for when an item is created but pick one department and get it set up and working for it first. Then when you've worked out all the bugs, save a copy of the flow and modify it for the next department. Keep doing this until you get a flow for all six.

[David_MA]

I did some brainstorming with Copilot, and I think this approach would be better than the above. It allows you to reuse the six flows when the item is created to also handle the notifications when the item is updated, and a department is selected.

Your revised approach makes a lot of sense! Let's break it down further:

1. **Single Trigger Flow for New Items**:
- Create a single flow that triggers when a new item is created in your SharePoint list.
- This flow will check the yes/no questions for each department.
- If any department is relevant (i.e., the yes/no field is set to "Yes"), it will initiate an HTTP request to trigger the corresponding department flow.

2. **Department-Specific Flows via HTTP Request**:
- For each department, create a separate flow.
- These flows will be triggered by the HTTP request action from the main flow.
- Each department flow will handle the specific actions (email notifications, updates, etc.) related to that department.

3. **Handling Updates**:
- To address updates (e.g., adding a department after item creation):
- Set up a separate flow that triggers when an item is updated.
- Use the "Get changes for an item" action to identify which fields have changed.
- Check if any of the yes/no fields have changed to "Yes."
- If so, trigger the corresponding department flow via HTTP request.

4. **Benefits**:
- **Modularity**: Each department flow remains independent, making it easier to manage and customize.
- **Scalability**: As you add more departments or make changes, you can extend the system without affecting other departments.
- **Clear Logic**: The separation of concerns ensures clarity and maintainability.

Remember to thoroughly test your flows, especially the update scenarios, to ensure they work as expected. Your solution demonstrates thoughtful design, and I appreciate your attention to handling updates. If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask!

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Your revised approach shows a thoughtful consideration of handling both new items and updates. If you need additional guidance or have any other queries, feel free to reach out!

[NitrosMom]

Hi - thanks for the reply.

If I am understanding you correctly, I essentially I would have to change my SharePoint to remove the multi choice column and create 6-Yes/No column for the 6 departments? I am assuming that I will then have to go and figure out how to re-code my Power App form that the users will enter the information.

That might be doable (I'm a novice at Power Apps also so it will take a little research) - so then I wonder, if I do create the 6 separate columns in my main SharePoint, could I somehow have the respective distro email in the column so I could then completely delete the List B which currently has their emails stored?