Getting Rid of Repeated Email Addresses in Power Automate for Notifications on SharePoint Documents

Streamlining SharePoint Notifications

To keep material current and foster teamwork, it's essential to configure automated notifications for document review dates when managing document libraries in SharePoint Online (SPO). The complexity of Power Automate is frequently the problem, particularly when a flow is intended to notify several stakeholders at once. When every document, like the "Fire" and "Flood.docx" in our example, sends out an email to several users identified in columns like "Lead Author" and "Contact," the situation gets quite complicated. Duplications in these alerts, nevertheless, may cause a communication breakdown.

The main problem is that each recipient of the notification emails receives the contact details twice, creating duplication of information. The handling of arrays in Power Automate is probably the source of this issue, as user information is unintentionally repeated when arrays are converted to strings for the email's To and CC fields. These difficulties not only make the process more difficult, but they also fill the receivers' inboxes with pointless reprints, highlighting the necessity for a simple way to efficiently get rid of these duplicates.

Using Power Automate to Simplify Email Notifications in SharePoint

In order to address the problem of duplicate email addresses when delivering notifications from SharePoint Online (SPO) document libraries, PowerShell and JavaScript scripts are supplied. The first thing the PowerShell script does is use the ClientContext object to connect to the SharePoint site. This is a necessary step for any action within a SharePoint site. After it is connected, it retrieves papers that meet certain criteria, like the "review date," from a certain document library. It is essential for automatically sending messages without human error. Next, for every document, the script gathers email addresses from the "Lead Author" and "Contact" fields. Initially kept as arrays, these addresses are then combined and filtered to get rid of duplicates. The Select-Object cmdlet with the -Unique flag is used to do this deduplication, making sure that each email address is listed just once. This crucial step addresses the main problem by preventing the same user from receiving numerous copies of the same email.

The JavaScript script provides a frontend solution that dynamically updates email fields in a web form or interface, complementing the backend PowerShell logic. It makes use of documents.querySelectorAll to locate all email address input fields and collect all inputted emails. By using a Set object, duplicate email addresses are immediately removed, guaranteeing that all collected addresses are unique. An efficient use of frontend JavaScript to improve user experience and expedite the email sending process within SharePoint is then demonstrated by dividing this array of distinct emails between the 'To' and 'CC' fields of an email form. When combined, these scripts provide a thorough solution to the issue of duplicate email notifications, fusing front-end UI enhancements with back-end data processing to ensure a smooth operation.

$siteURL = "YourSharePointSiteURL"
$listName = "YourDocumentLibraryName"
$clientContext = New-Object Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.ClientContext($siteURL)
$list = $clientContext.Web.Lists.GetByTitle($listName)
$query = New-Object Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.CamlQuery
$items = $list.GetItems($query)
$clientContext.Load($items)
$clientContext.ExecuteQuery()
$emailAddresses = @()
foreach ($item in $items) {
    $leadAuthors = $item["LeadAuthor"] -split ";"
    $contacts = $item["Contact"] -split ";"
    $allEmails = $leadAuthors + $contacts
    $uniqueEmails = $allEmails | Select-Object -Unique
    $emailAddresses += $uniqueEmails
}
$emailAddresses = $emailAddresses | Select-Object -Unique
# Logic to send email with unique email addresses goes here

const uniqueEmails = new Set();
document.querySelectorAll('.email-input').forEach(input => {
    const emails = input.value.split(';').map(email => email.trim());
    emails.forEach(email => uniqueEmails.add(email));
});
const emailArray = [...uniqueEmails];
console.log('Unique emails to send:', emailArray);
// Function to add emails to the To and CC fields dynamically
function updateEmailFields() {
    const toField = document.querySelector('#toField');
    const ccField = document.querySelector('#ccField');
    toField.value = emailArray.slice(0, emailArray.length / 2).join(';');
    ccField.value = emailArray.slice(emailArray.length / 2).join(';');
}
updateEmailFields();
// Add more logic as needed for handling SharePoint list and email sending

Improving Email Effectiveness in SharePoint Processes

Making sure that email notifications are timely, appropriate, and duplicate-free is another essential part of using Power Automate to manage SharePoint Online document libraries. This calls for more than simply technological changes—it also calls for a calculated approach to the organization and delivery of notifications. To make sure that only relevant documents initiate the notification process, for example, conditions can be used in Power Automate to filter documents according to their review date. By being more precise, fewer emails are sent and each notice is more relevant, increasing the likelihood that the recipient will interact with the material.

Additionally, incorporating sophisticated Power Automate features like Adaptive Cards into email notifications can greatly enhance the way that users are presented with information. Using adaptive cards, emails can have rich, interactive information like forms and buttons that let recipients take actions right from their inbox, including giving a document approval or leaving feedback. This degree of interaction improves user engagement and expedites procedures. Organizations can further optimize their document management operations by utilizing these additional features to turn their SharePoint notification system into a more dynamic and effective tool.