Send email when a date on an excel row meets the current date

[JoRoc]

Hello everyone, 

I am new to this Power Automate flows. And though I've tried to follow multiple tutorials. It seems I can not get the flow to work. So keeping in mind that I've just recently discovered Power Automate and it's great possibilitys, and that I am a complete beginner with this; this is what I want to achieve: 

I would like to receive an email reminder that the date on excel has met the current date. So, for example, today it's 22/03/2023. And lets say I have in the excel row the dates for thursday and friday. Which would be 23/03/2023 and 24/03/2023. I would like to receive an email once it's thursday, and again for the one on friday. And so on with on going dates. 

I hope I'm explaining myself. 

Thank you in advance. 

[Nived_Nambiar]

Hi @JoRoc 

So you have to try the approach of scheduling the flow, like scheduling the flow to run at every day

So in the flow you can try as below

1. Use list rows to list all rows using filter query

Filter Query would be like: if the column name where date is Date 

then filter query would be like Date eq 'formatDateTime(utcNow(),'yyyy-MM-dd')' 

Then check the count of rows using length function by passing output of List rows from table action

If it is zero, it mean that there now row having date as current date , else it have date equal to current date.

Hope this helps you !

[Mira_Ghaly]

Hi @JoRoc

Please follow the below steps:

1. Your table on the excel should be formatted as table as below sample

2. Then you need to setup a new recurrence flow that runs daily

3. Then you need to list rows from your excel sheet that matches the current date as below:

Expression for the filter is as below:

formatDateTime(parseDateTime(split(body('Current_time'), '.')[0]), 'd-MMM-yyyy', 'en-US')

 Depending on the format of your date column the above expression can be changed.

3. Then you can send the email as below:

Hope this gives you an idea!

[JoRoc]

Helo @Mira_Ghaly , 

Pretty straight forward. But still... I must be doing something wrong, because it's not working. There seems to be an issue with "List rows present in a table". Could you please advise me what to do? 

Thank you 

 

Could you please advise me what to do? 

Thank you 

[Nived_Nambiar]

@JoRoc 

Could u share how you have specified the filter query ?

Also have you tried the approach which i have suggested ?

[JoRoc]

Hello @Nived_Nambiar ,

Like I said, I am a complete beginner. So I'm sorry if I didn't understood your explanation correctly. 

But as I understand, what you can see in the next screenshot is what you told me I had to write as "expression", right?: 

 

But once I click OK, this next window pops up: 

 

Don't know what to do... 

[Nived_Nambiar]

In the expression removes the quotes ' '

While adding the filter query Date eq '{expression}'

Where {expression} is formatDateTime(utcNow(),'yyyy-MM-dd')

[JoRoc]

Hello @Nived_Nambiar ,

Now this error pops up: 

An identifier was expected at position 8.
inner exception: An identifier was expected at position 8.
clientRequestId: 111ccb31-6890-4453-9865-b65d1b6ee634

 

[Nived_Nambiar]

Could u please show me how u type the filter query part ?

[JoRoc]

Hello @Nived_Nambiar , 

This is how I type it: 

formatDateTime(utcNow(),'dd/MM/yyyy')

Thank you for your effort. 

[Nived_Nambiar]

Try this 

formatDateTime(utcNow(),'yyyy-MM-dd')

Also share me screenshot of how u enter the filter query 

[Mira_Ghaly]

@JoRoc 

I can't really see clearly your screen shot but what I am suspecting here a missing single Quotes ' Before and after your formatdatetime expression.

[JoRoc]

Hello @Nived_Nambiar 

If I try this: 

formatDateTime(utcNow(),'yyyy-MM-dd')

I get the following error:

Invalid filter clause: unsupported operation. Only single 'eq', 'ne', 'contains', 'startswith' or 'endswith' is currently supported.
clientRequestId: 3b3bcb20-6a1e-4be0-97f4-56287283bdb0
serviceRequestId: 34cb5cb8-6e31-4c3b-a611-bfe281a3fadd;b7ecb051-ab01-4ccb-b4c8-c26bb16b1ac8;ada006d6-3f99-4bdc-a2b5-16bc9f63552c 

I write it this way: 

formatDateTime(utcNow(),'dd/MM/yyyy')

Because that's how the dates are written in the row in excel. 

[Nived_Nambiar]

does writing this way 

formatDateTime(utcNow(),'dd/MM/yyyy')  helps to resolve the error ?

[JoRoc]

Hello @Mira_Ghaly ,

If i use Quotes ' Before and after my formatdatetime expression. Once I click OK. the following window pops up: 

"make.powerautomate.com says 

The expression is invalid"

[Nived_Nambiar]

@JoRoc 

I think what @Mira_Ghaly  meant is once you entered the formatdatetime expression in filter query part, Then in filter query at both ends of expressions add quotes 

something like this 

Hope this helps !

[JoRoc]

Hello @Nived_Nambiar 

"does writing this way 

formatDateTime(utcNow(),'dd/MM/yyyy')  helps to resolve the error ?"

Sorry, but still the same error. 

If i type what @Mira_Ghaly said, as you showed me on the picture. I get the following error: 

Invalid filter clause: cannot find the 'Date' column.
clientRequestId: 58ca4c3b-8182-49db-8ce5-ae97e6dc2d13
serviceRequestId: 0472834b-6f45-4790-9c50-f5ef066bb563;fbec4dd5-a55c-4b89-9786-7777256c1502;b415ce88-955d-4346-82ed-88441e11b912

[JoRoc]

@Nived_Nambiar @Mira_Ghaly 

After following all your helpfull indications, I finally got it to work by changing the name of the column in excel to: Date

But is there any way to keep the original name I had? 

[Nived_Nambiar]

You can replace the column name as u need and then specify that there😊

[JoRoc]

@Nived_Nambiar 

Specify it where?