Automation to include Attachment (email notification), but there is no attachments?

Makiko Joans

I have set up to sent the notification once the task is assigned to a person. That notification should include the key information's columns and also attachments. It used to see the PDF icon in the email coming through but it is no longer there. Once you click the link to open the form, I can still access to it, but there is two-steps instead of one-step to open the attachment before. Do you know if there was any change in the feature?

Andrée Starå

Hi @Makiko Joans

I hope you're well and safe!

The only way to include attachments if the attachment isn't the trigger is to send an update request or use a so-called helper sheet to move the row, and then a workflow would trigger on the other sheet.

Make sense?

Would that work/help?

I hope that helps!

Be safe, and have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

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Makiko Joans

Hi, thank you for the quick feedback. So that the attachment was actually the PDF document created by the "Generate Document" feature. And before, it was showing up in the outlook email body as seen in the first image. But no longer showing the document icons anymore. Overall design of the looks of the message also changed.

Makiko Joans

I just did more research in the community, and I found the answer. The automation trigger was not in order. The automation kicks in from the top to the bottom of the automation list. The last updated trigger will be placed on the top. I had to update each trigger name (as updating) in the order I wanted to run. Now, the attachment shows up in the notification email. I just wanted to answer here for the future reference.

Andrée Starå

@Makiko Joans

Excellent!

Glad to hear that it's working!

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Vivien Chong

https://community.smartsheet.com/discussion/comment/414417#Comment_414417

@Makiko Joans would you mind to help me understand how you manage to make the attachment show up in the notification email? Has it got to do with the workflow position (numbering) as you mentioned? How does it work?

Makiko Joans

Hi, Vivien

What I did was... I edit each automation in order how you want it to be executed. (Technically, there is no editing needed, but I change something and resave it to make sure that automation is saved in that order.) My issue was... I must have edited documentation automation at some point. That automation was the last saved automation, so that was executed at the last of all automation I have. So, I was supposed to make the document, and then send the notification. However, Automation sends the notification and then makes the documents. Thus, there was no attachment. You mentioned the numbering (order of the automation). That did not work. But that may help to remind you that your automation runs in order for the automation to be created. Hope my explanation helps.

Vivien Chong

@Makiko Joans Thanks for your explanation. If I understand correctly, you are creating documents with Document builder? Therefore, the document must first be created, before your trigger the automation to send the document?

I think what I am looking at is different from your situation. There are documents attached to the row. When we send automation notification, the documents are not showing up in the notifications.

Makiko Joans

That's interesting. I assume you selected an Attachment to include in the notification, correct? I just tested it with my environment, and the attachment did come through my outlook email (at the end).

Vivien Chong

@Makiko Joans that's interesting indeed.

On my side, this is what happened:

If a document is already attached to the row, and we trigger a notification alert to another person, including the attachment, the recipient will receive the notification without the attachment.

If I attach the document and trigger the notification right away, the attachment will be included in the notification alert.

If sending update request, the attachment will be included.

Makiko Joans

I mentioned that I tested out with my sheet, and was able to see the attachment. It was a very similar case to your first scenario. I had the attachment already and a trigger was added or changed on the Assigned To field. I am not sure but you may want to delete the automation completely and recreate one? 😕 I am sorry but I don't know why it did not work. Even my inquiry on this tread of communications, it was such a small thing to fix but took for a while to figure it out. Hope you figure out your issue and let me know when you fix it. Sorry.

Andrée Starå

Hi @Makiko Joans & @Vivien Chong

I hope you're well and safe!

As far as I know, this is, unfortunately, still the case.

The only way to include attachments if the attachment isn't the trigger is to send an update request or use a so-called helper sheet to move the row, and then a workflow would trigger on the other sheet.

I hope that helps!

Be safe, and have a fantastic week!

Best,

Andrée Starå | Workflow Consultant / CEO @ WORK BOLD

✅Did my post(s) help or answer your question or solve your problem? Please support the Community by marking it Insightful/Vote Up, Awesome, or/and as the accepted answer. It will make it easier for others to find a solution or help to answer!

Makiko Joans

Hi, Andrée Starå 

You must be in the east coast. Good morning! This is the example I was posting about. My automation was using the trigger when the Assigned To is changed.

Andrée Starå

@Makiko Joans

Good morning/afternoon! (I'm in Sweden) ;)

Did you add the test.txt simultaneously or before you changed the assigned one?

Makiko Joans

Andrée Starå , you are in Sweden?! I am sorry, it was so ignorant of me thinking only this time zone. 😅

The attachment was already saved in the row a few minutes prior to changing the Assigned To. Since @Vivien Chong mentioned that issue, I made it sure to trigger a little bit later after the attachment was added on this test. I also did the same testing with another sheet I have yesterday and it did the same as well. The attachment has been there for months...

@Vivien Chong, I forgot to mention there is never an attachment in the outlook mail. You still have to click the icon to open the file. I just want to make sure we are trying to do the same thing.

Andrée Starå

@Makiko Joans

Haha! No Worries!

Can you share some screenshots of the actual workflow? (Delete/replace any confidential/sensitive information before sharing) That would make it easier to help.