Power Automate Large Gift Notification emails duplicating

Peta McGee

Hey there,

Wondering if someone could help solve this issue I'm having with the Power Automate large gift notification sending repeating email notifications that it has sent the previous day. I asked chatGPT and it suggested the issue is a time zone issue. The scheduled timezone is correct, but there's no timezone setting in the Store time since last run, and it's not pulling the gifts from my NXT report?

Alex Wong

@Peta McGee

Please detail what you mean by “repeating email notification".

Is the flow, triggering multiple times and sent out multiple of the same email when it should have been 1 (for the same gift)?

I am pretty certain that ChatGPT is wrong. timezone situation is one that affects the same “process” (flow) the same way each run, so the same flow isn't going to be “repeating” (regardless of what you mean by “repeating”).

Alex Wong

@Peta McGee
Also to the point about “store time since last run”. It does not have time zone means it is UTC timezone. again, b/c the flow runs using that same setting, it does not matter what timezone.

Provided you didnt' change the trigger, the store time since the last run action and list gifts action:

Everyday at 15:00:00 (3PM UTC time), it will list gift that was “added on or after” yesterday's 15:00:00 (3PM UTC time) and process through those gifts. So no gifts should be “repeated”

If you still have problems, it is best that you take the last 2 runs of the flow, and look at the input parameter for list gifts and confirm the date/time passed into added on or after parameter.

You can screenshot and paste the trigger and first 2-3 actions will help diagnose your flow's problem

Peta McGee

Hi @Alex Wong thanks for the reply. Yes, I'm getting an email notification for the same gift for up to 4 days. My NXT list only picks up gifts added Today, so it's not pulling the gift notifications from that list.

Peta McGee

@Alex Wong here is the schedule:

Ashley Moose

@Peta McGee Can you share a screen shot of the List gifts action? One important thing to note is if you are including a specific List in the List drop down AND using the Added on or after field, these two will not work together. You can either:

• use the List dropdown and not use any other fields on the List gifts action,
• OR not use the List dropdown and only use the other fields on the List gifts action.

Alex Wong

@Peta McGee
Your screenshot is very blurry, this is BB Community posting problem with image.

What I can see is you did change the trigger and the store time since action:

Trigger looks like it is running M-F at 17:00, I do see a “timezone” specified, looks like syndey time.

However, the “Store time since the last run” is set to 1 hour, this is a problem:

So for example, on Tuesday 6/20/2023 17:00 your local time, the flow will trigger, the “Store time since the last run” action will create a “date/time” string that is 1 hour before (operating in UTC time, 6/20/2023 17:00 syndey time = 6/21/2023 3:00 utc time), meaning 2023-06-21T02:00:00.0000Z, which is what got passed into the “added on or after” parameter. Gift List API is “smart” enough to know you give it UTC time (the Z indicated it) and will look for gift that was created since 6/20/2023 16:00 local time.

So everyday, your flow will only give you list of gift that was created in the last 1 hour, not last 1 day. Assuming you change it back to 1 day in your “store time since the last run”, there is still 1 more potential problem: weekend. On Friday 17:00 local, you get list of gift created from Thursday 17:00 to Friday 17:00 (good). Then on Monday, you get list of gift created from Sunday 17:00 to Monday 17:00 (bad). Your flow will have omitted gift entered Friday 17:00 - Sunday 17:00. Now, if you are certain that no gifts will ever get entered during those time, then it's ok.

All that said, it is to fix your trigger and action issue/potential issue. However, what Ashley mentioned is important as well, the List Gift will use the “List” parameter if that's what you have selected and ignore ALL other parameter, including “added on or after”. So take a look to make sure you are not using that

Candy Reichert

@Peta McGee
I am also having this same issue. The Gift list emailed did not pull gifts from the correct NXT list. It also included gifts from the previous week.

Alex Wong

@Candy Reichert
Same info needed, what is your “gift list” action looks like? please provide a screenshot so we can help better.

Candy Reichert

@Alex Wong
I have my list to send at 11:01 pm on Monday night, weekly. Until this week it always included the last 7 days, Tuesday through Monday. This week it included Monday-? This week we were closed on Monday so no gifts were added. But it did include the gifts posted the previous Monday. It has been consistent until this week.

Gifts list, Only the list is used :

Alex Wong

@Candy Reichert
Since you are using a “NXT Gift List” as the “criteria” for the list gift action, then what gifts are listed will depends on your NXT Gift List" filter. that will be what you need to look into. (you can screenshot that screen's filter).

Are there any other action after the list gift action that filters the list further?

Peta McGee

@Ashley Moose thanks that sounds like it's the issue as I'm using both:

Peta McGee

@Alex Wong thanks. I did have it set to 1 day but was still getting the same issue, even when set to an hour I get emails for gifts from the previous day. Looks like it's a conflict in the List Gifts criteria.

Alex Wong

@Peta McGee
then yes, in your case, the List paramter pointing to a RE NXT Gift List name will be used regardless of any parameter you set. For this Power Automate to work, remove the List paramter

Candy Reichert

@Alex Wong
The only other filter is Gift amount: Greater than or equal to $1,000
I'm guessing it is a NXT delay thing, maybe because it was a Holiday? I don't know. Thanks for confirming. At least I know the flow is working right.

Alex Wong

@Candy Reichert
I'm pretty certain it's not a delay situation

You mentioned you want to do last 7 days, where did you specify “last 7 days”? in the RE NXT Gift List named “MPA-Presidents Gift LIst-Posted Last 7 Days”? can you screenshot that list's filtering?

“only other filter is gift amount… $1000” I'm assuming this is in the flow action, please confirm:

Candy Reichert

@Alex Wong
Including the screen shot of the Filters.
Looks like the Greater than or equal to $1,000 is filtered in both places.
It is running every Monday at 10:00pm so it has been including Tuesday - Monday, the same day it is run.

Alex Wong

@Candy Reichert
the NXT list filter is on gift date, not date added, depending on your gift entry process, they are likely to be different

greater than or equal to $1k cannot be in both places, the “list gift” action in flow can only be used with a “list” parameter, or all others. As mentioned with Peta's reply.

you do not need a “nxt gift list” for your purpose, just do it in the flow and not point to a nxt list.