Introduction
In this article, we will learn to create Power Automation or a flow using a SharePoint List. This article will demonstrate how to create a flow when a new item is added to a SharePoint List. Here, we will use a previously created List and create a flow to send customized emails to the manager and users in order to leave an approval request. I will also shortly explain the available connectors: Get my profile (V2) and Get Manager (V2), as well as demonstrate how to use them in a flow. However, there are a plethora of connectors that we can use, we will focus only on two connectors that we will use in the flow.
To create a flow, we need a SharePoint List. Create a SharePoint List first. For demo purposes, I am using List LeaveApprovalDemo which I have already designed.
Steps
First, go to your SharePoint site collection and open your List. Then click on Automate --> go to Power Automate --> Create a flow as illustrated below.
In the next step, you will get a plethora of options to create flow. In this demo, I will show how to send customized emails when a new SharePoint list item is added. So, choose the option, as shown in the below screen:
Then, it brings you to the below screen. Scroll down the screen and click on Create Flow, as depicted below.
After that, click on Edit to rename your flow.
By default, the flow name comes as Send a customized email when a new SharePoint list item is added, but for my demo purpose, I am renaming the flow name by clicking on it to Demo Leave Approval - Send a customized email when a new SharePoint list item is added for better understanding in the future.
When a new flow is created using the above-mentioned trigger by default, the below three options will come in the flow. However, we can customize it.
Get my profile(V2)
Get my profile (V2) is a connector available in power automate which we can use according to our need in the flow. It gets the detailed information of the person who adds the items in the list (i.e., Initiator) such as Name, Email, Phone Number, Display Name, Department, Designation, Manager, and so on. Whatever the information is available in the User's profile, Get my profile gets that information which we can use as a dynamic value in the flow.
Now, for our flow, we are going to send email notifications to the user’s manager when the user adds items to the SharePoint List. So, first, we must find out the manager of the user. In Power Automate, we can get the Manager of User by following steps.
Click on the + icon as depicted below to add another action.
Type get manager in the search area and select Get manager (V2). Then, Get Manager Action will be added to the flow.
Get manager (V2)
Get manager (V2) is another available connector in Power Automate or Microsoft Flow, which we can use to get detailed information of the manager. Follow the below steps to use it in our flow.
To get the Manager of the user, click on Add dynamic type mail in the search textbox and click on mail. This email is just coming from the Get User Profile(V2). It gets the detailed information of the manager of the user from the user’s email.
Then the Get manager step will look like the below image, which will get the manager of the user. We need to send an email to the Manager, so in order to get the User's manager email, we need this step in our flow.
Now, it is time to customize the email. To customize an email, click on the Send email step, to enlarge the step. First, go to To Textbox and select Manager Mail in this field, as depicted below.
You can change the Subject Field in the email details as per your flow purpose. In my case, I am going to send an email notification to request to the manager for Leave Approval. So, I am keeping “New Leave Approval Request Sent for Your Approval” as the Subject. You can customize your Email Subject according to your needs.
You can customize the whole email as shown below. I have taken some dynamic values in the email body to provide detailed information about the request, for instance, I have added information about who has sent this request, Request Code and Link to items etcetera. Here, the Link to the item provides the link of the Request by default. We can get Link to the item as a Dynamic field. Hence, when the email receiver clicks in this Link to the item, he/she will be able to load and view details of the Request.
Then click on Save. Now your automation flow is ready.
We can test the flow by adding a new item to the List. Subsequently, check the email of your manager. The manager will get an email exactly the same as customized in the flow.
Additionally, the Manager can also take his action (Approve, Reject) from email for his Approval.
Send One Email to Requester/Initiator
If you want to send one mail notification to the requester or initiator user, follow the below steps.
Right below the Get my profile (V2) step, click on the Insert new step + icon and type send an email in the Search box, and again select Send an email(V2), as shown below.
Choose the email of the user in To Field, put an appropriate Subject, and customize the body of the email. In my flow, I have customized it as depicted below.
Save the Flow and check your flow by adding a new item.
Now, if you add an item in SharePoint List LeaveApprovalDemo, then you and your manager will get an email as customized above respectively.
Conclusion
Thus, this article has described the necessary steps to create a flow using SharePoint List and demonstrated how to automate SharePoint List using power automate with an example of Leave Approval Request by sending a customized email notification to user and manager. Additionally, it explained what is Get Profile(V2), Get Manager(V2) and how to use them in flow. I hope that by following this article you will be able to create flow using the trigger explained in the article.