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Approvals connection

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Hi,

I'm currently in the process of modernizing several SharePoint Designer workflows to MS Flow. One of the flows involves ordering items via a SharePoint list.

Every time a new item is created in a SharePoint list it triggers a Flow. It performs several operations (HTTP request trigger) to set item level permissions (only the approvers and the requester are allowed to see the items). So far so good. But I have run into a small problem with the approvals step.

No matter what I do, the flow always sends out approval emails to the requesters using my name and picture (requested by [my name] + picture) in every mail.

This is troublesome since the creator of the SharePoint item is of course not me but the requester. But the initial mail makes it seem like I was the one requesting the item to be ordered. I have gotten some complaints about this as well.

As far as I could find online this seems to be a bug in MS Flow Approvals? Is this correct? Here are some posts about it that I could find online.

Similar issue

MS Flow idea

Team flow coming from creator

A co-worker said that I maybe could solve this issue by creating the flow directly from the SharePoint list (with the Flow button). Which I did, but this didn't change the end result. The requester is not mentioned in the requested by field. Is there any way I can resolve this or is there anything I did wrong?

Just to summarize:

1.) A new SharePoint item in a SharePoint list is the trigger

2.) This triggers an approval flow (start approvals)

3.) The approval flow isn't sent or appears to be sent from the requester. It appears to have been sent by me (to the approvers).

4.) My own picture is added to the approval mail sent out to management as well.

They want this resolved. At the time of this writing I have done the following:

1.) Built the Flow from scratch starting from the SharePoint list itself (no effect).

2.) Tried to add another connection to the Approval flow step (does not work). The connection that I wanted to add was and admin account.

As a current workaround I have added some more text to the Approval flow (name of the real requester and son on). But this is not an ideal solution.

Is this a bug or can I do something about it in MS Flow so that this issue is resolved? My only other option would be to import this solution into another account (account made for this purpose) and run these flows from there.

Categories:

Building flows

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v-yamao-msft on at

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Re: Approvals connection

Hi @Anonymous,

Thanks for feedback. As I mentioned in another thread, it is a default behavior that flow will send out an approval email from the account of the creator of flow but not the one who start the request.

The idea adding the From field on the action Send approval email has started, I assume that it would be available in the future releases. Please vote the idea.

Besides, another workaround for this issue is to use the trigger For a selected item, then enable Run-only user permission. By using manage run-only user permission, you could share it with colleagues run the flow based on their own connections. Requesters could add the item first, then trigger the flow by selecting the item. Please take the following blog for more details:

https://flow.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/introducing-flow-launch-panel-in-sharepoint-lists-and-libraries/

Another idea on Allow run-only users for non-button flows (thus not requiring owner creds) could also be a good addition for flow, please vote it at here:

https://powerusers.microsoft.com/t5/Flow-Ideas/Allow-run-only-users-for-non-button-flows-thus-not-requiring/idi-p/58848

Best regards,

Mabel Mao

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GabrielStJohn on at

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Re: Approvals connection

Hello, @Anonymous!

Have you had an opportunity to apply @v-yamao-msft‘s recommendation to adapt your Flow? If yes, and you find that solution to be satisfactory, please go ahead and click “Accept as Solution” so that this thread will be marked for other users to easily identify!

Thank you for being an active member of the Flow Community!

-Gabriel
Flow Community Manager

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Community Power Pla... on at

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Re: Approvals connection

Thank you for your reply. I read the blog post, it could be a solution. But it would also mean changing the way the process works for our end users. At this moment they just have to enter an item for it to be submitted for approval. With the blogpost you provided they would have to manually start the approval process. I am trying to avoid any extra click if at all possible.

I will check up on the uservoices mentioned. A from field on the approval process would be very welcome and would solve several issues both for myself and many others.

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Tanner 190 on at

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Re: Approvals connection

Until this has been fixed, my team has worked around this by creating a generic no-reply Office 365 account and we use that account for all of our connections. That way no matter who creates a flow on our team, all MS Flow emails come from that generic account rather than a "person's" account.

With a single account, we are also able to include some generic prose with each e-mail along the lines of "this is an automated e-mail, please contact our help desk at <extension> if you are having issues or believe you have received this e-mail in error", and we can set that as an automatic reply in Outlook Online as well, in case people try to reply to it (We have a lot of trouble with managers/directors in our organization replying to MS Flow Approval emails with the words "approved" or "rejected" instead of them just clicking the buttons in the email).

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joe_ihlsg 37 on at

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Re: Approvals connection

Hi,
I am also having same issue. When email is sent out to do approval/reject, email has "Request By" who is always me (I am the creator of flow). That will create confusion to user because user is the one who made the request. Has any solution been come out?
@Anonymous dont' mind if you can share steps on how to create a list where user can see his/her own items and admin group can see all items. Any references or guides will be helpful. Greatly appreciate for your help.

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MartinBragg 7 on at

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Re: Approvals connection

Same issue. I started an Approval Flow from a Template for when a new item is created in a SharePoint list (I specified).

In my case, I'm tracking Project Change requests submitted by a Project Manager -who's name is captured when they create a new SharePoint Online list item. I can't seem to then leverage their name to send them the email responses (Approved or Rejected) as specified in the Flow template. (Odd)

In my situation, the dynamic content (that is failing) shows "Author.DisplayName" -which is not resolving to the person who created the SharePoint Online List item.

Note: I am sending the approvals via email and in Flow to myself. I have full permissions over the SharePoint List, etc.
I am successfully getting emails in Outlook and the in the Flow mobile app.
However, when I click Approve, the flow fails because the flow is not able to resolve the name of the person who originally submitted the "Project Change Request".... no field to choose that matches that of the creator of the list item. The email I do get, shows my name as the one who requests the change... oddly.

When I review the "Start an approval" Section of this Flow Template, it shows a Details line item.
The dynamic content values for that field is: "Author.DisplayName" at "Created" <--SharePoint Dynamic Content types.

@Anonymous - Is this the same issue being discussed in this thread?

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katyknock 17 on at

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Re: Approvals connection

This post is a few years old - any ideas what the current answers are? Where do we vote to get this resolved?
Thank you for the great sharing of what you have tried in the question!

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jackc00 8 on at

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Re: Approvals connection

Requester be be modified with the action called, "Start and wait for an approval". More detail can be found in this video, https://youtu.be/GDF1V81rnaw?t=175 .

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