Logic Apps: Wrong attachments (binary files) in sending email from SharePoint list

Question

Logic Apps: Wrong attachments (binary files) in sending email from SharePoint list

Sener Gazi 55

I built a workflow in Azure Logic Apps to send an email with attachments from a SharePoint list when a new item is created.

I used this tutorial and followed all the steps: https://powerautomate.microsoft.com/de-at/blog/multiple-attachments-single-email/

So far it works to send an email to a recipient. It also includes attachments but not the right format files. They are all binary files with this naming: ATT00001.bin, ATT00002.bin, ATT00003.bin and so on (all files have the same size).

Anyone that can help? Thank you in advance.

VasimTamboli 5,215 Reputation points

2023-06-04T11:38:29.5933333+00:00

This issue might occur if the Logic App is not correctly retrieving the actual file attachments from the SharePoint list. To troubleshoot this problem, you can perform the following steps:

Verify the Logic App configuration: Double-check the Logic App configuration and make sure that you have followed the tutorial accurately. Ensure that you are retrieving the correct field or property from the SharePoint list that contains the file attachments.

Check the SharePoint list structure: Ensure that the field in the SharePoint list, which holds the file attachments, is of the correct type. It should be a "Multiple lines of text" field with "Enhanced rich text" enabled. If the field type is incorrect, it can result in the generation of binary files instead of the actual attachments.

Validate the attachment extraction process: Review the steps in the Logic App where the attachments are extracted from the SharePoint list item. Ensure that you are correctly parsing the attachments and handling them in the subsequent actions. Verify that the attachments are being retrieved as file objects or base64-encoded strings, depending on your implementation.

Debug the Logic App: Enable debugging in Azure Logic Apps to gain more insights into the execution flow. You can use the built-in logging and tracking capabilities to check the values of variables, inputs, and outputs at different stages of the Logic App. This will help identify any issues with the attachment extraction process.

Test with a single attachment: Modify your Logic App to send an email with only one attachment, and check if it is being sent correctly. This will help isolate the problem and determine whether the issue lies in the extraction of multiple attachments or the overall setup.

Review any custom code or expressions: If you have used any custom code or expressions in your Logic App, ensure that they are correctly handling the attachments and producing the desired output format.

By following these steps, you should be able to identify the cause of the issue and resolve it accordingly. If you require further assistance, feel free to provide more details about your Logic App configuration and the steps involved in handling the attachments.
Sener Gazi 55 Reputation points

2023-06-05T21:42:29.3866667+00:00
Thank you, there are some good recommendations. I tried to solve the problem, but it still does not work as expected. So I require further assistance on this topic.

I always use the the standard attachment field in the SharePoint list. So this filed holds the file attachments and it only supports to upload different type of files. When I use "Multiple lines of text" field with "Enhanced rich text" enabled I have only the possibility to attach image files (apart from formatting text features etc.). So I think this can not be the solution.

Just for clarification: The amount of files attached in the email match with the files I have uploaded in the new SharePoint list item before. So when I upload three pdf files in a new SharePoint list item, then three binary files are attached in the email. Is this a sign that the array is working so far?

Maybe there is an issue with the Logic Apps configuration. See the screenshots below (the first screenshot is just for the overview of the Logic Apps structure):
Sener Gazi 55 Reputation points

2023-06-06T18:20:20.2666667+00:00

Please note the content of this post was deleted because it was a duplicate of the previous comment (the duplicate was caused due to internet connection problems while posting).

Accepted answer

2 additional answers

Your answer

Sener Gazi 55 Reputation points

2023-06-05T21:42:29.3866667+00:00

Thank you, there are some good recommendations. I tried to solve the problem, but it still does not work as expected. So I require further assistance on this topic.

I always use the the standard attachment field in the SharePoint list. So this filed holds the file attachments and it only supports to upload different type of files. When I use "Multiple lines of text" field with "Enhanced rich text" enabled I have only the possibility to attach image files (apart from formatting text features etc.). So I think this can not be the solution.

Just for clarification: The amount of files attached in the email match with the files I have uploaded in the new SharePoint list item before. So when I upload three pdf files in a new SharePoint list item, then three binary files are attached in the email. Is this a sign that the array is working so far?

Maybe there is an issue with the Logic Apps configuration. See the screenshots below (the first screenshot is just for the overview of the Logic Apps structure):
Sener Gazi 55 Reputation points

2023-06-06T18:20:20.2666667+00:00

Please note the content of this post was deleted because it was a duplicate of the previous comment (the duplicate was caused due to internet connection problems while posting).

Answer 1

Sonny Gillissen 3,751 Volunteer Moderator

Hi Sener Gazi

Thanks for reaching out on Microsoft Q&A!

The reason your attachment isn't added as expected is due to the fact binaries in Logic Apps are decoded in a JSON format. Therefor your binary isn't just BASE64, but looks somewhat like below:

{
"$content": "dGVzdA==",
"$content-type": "text/plain"
}

Also see a sample from my Logic App test lab as well: User's image

So to get to your BASE64 that needs to be added in the 'ContentBytes' part of the attachments you should not refer to the attachment contents from the selection menu, but point to the '$content' using the code below:

body('Get_attachment_content')['$content']

Next to that you're now also able to add a 'ContentType' part to the attachment object using:

body('Get_attachment_content')['$content-type']

Your object will then look somewhat like below:

{
"Name": "@{items('For_each_2')?['DisplayName']}",
"ContentBytes": "@{body('Get_attachment_content')['$content']}",
"ContentType": "@{body('Get_attachment_content')['$content-type']}"
}

Resulting in this output:

User's image

Please let me know if my answer was helpful by clicking 'Accept answer'. Feel free to drop additional queries in the comments below!

Kind regards,

Sonny

Sener Gazi 55 Reputation points

2023-06-06T18:18:20.1966667+00:00
Thank you for your help. I have tried to fix it, but I still require further assistance on this topic.

I put the new JSON-Code to the "Append to array variable" action. Now I get the following result for the attachments in the email:

ATT00001.png

ATT00002.pdf

ATT00003.docx

etc.

So the attachments have the right file format (png, pdf, docx etc.), but the file name is still wrong (ATT00001.png, ATT00002.pdf, ATT00003.docx and so on) and I am still not able to open the files cause of wrong decoding.

The new JSON-Code in the "Append to array variable" action is the only thing I have changed. Did I forget anything?
Sener Gazi 55 Reputation points

2023-06-06T18:20:33.2+00:00

Sorry, due to internet connection problems, the same answer was posted three times.
Sonny Gillissen 3,751 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2023-06-07T06:51:03.3566667+00:00
Hi Sener Gazi

Sorry, I've been assuming you were using the 'Office 365' mail connector, but when looking back at your screenshots I saw you're using the SMTP connector.

So I've added this one in my testlab, and noticed there's a slight difference in the way attachments are added. In the 'Office 365' connector for example 'ContentBytes' are used for the contents of a file whereas the 'SMTP' connector uses 'ContentData'.

The body below worked for me:

{ "ContentData": "@{body('Get_attachment_content')['$content']}", "ContentType": "@{body('Get_attachment_content')['$content-type']}", "FileName": "@{items('For_each')?['DisplayName']}" }

Please test if this is also the case for you :-)

Feel free to let me know if I can assist you further!

Kind regards,

Sonny
Sener Gazi 55 Reputation points

2023-06-07T19:04:59.4333333+00:00

Hi Sonny,

thank you very much, it works with the new JSON-Code. The only thing I had to change is the 'For_each' to 'For_each_2' in the "FileName" field. But now I am finished with this topic.

I have another topic in the same Logic App workflow. I will post it here below. Please let met now if this was not a good idea - then I will immediately will open a new question in Microsoft Q&A.

Actually my workflow sends an email with the SMTP connector to a person, which is selected in the SharePoint list item from a column (lets call it "A"). This column "A" is from type "person or group". Now I want to improve my workflow. There is another column (lets call it "B") in my SharePoint list. This column "B" is from type "lookup", which is linked to another SharePoint list. This linked list has just two columns: title and email address.

What I want is this: If a person from "A" AND/OR a title from "B" is selected, then the email should be send to the person from "A" AND/OR to the email address from "B". How could I implement this in my actual workflow?

Thank you in advance.
Sonny Gillissen 3,751 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2023-06-07T19:47:12.1566667+00:00

Hi Sener Gazi

Great that it worked!

Regarding your other query: I believe that when this is your requirement it’s always a good idea 😊

I can definitely help you out with that! Please tag me in the new question so I receive a notification on it.

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Logic Apps: Wrong attachments (binary files) in sending email from SharePoint list

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