Event Approval Email Alerts¶

This documentation covers the email alert automation for Event Registration approval processes, ensuring committee chairs receive notifications when new events are submitted for approval.

Access¶

Workflow Alerts: Setup → Workflow Rules → Email Alerts
Approval Processes: Setup → Approval Processes
GitHub: Event_Registration__c.workflow-meta.xml

Purpose¶

These email alerts notify activity group committee members when a new event is submitted for approval. Each activity group has its own:

Approval Queue - Holds pending approval requests
Committee Group - Public group containing committee members who should receive notifications
Email Alert - Sends the notification email to the committee group

Components¶

Email Alerts (Workflow Alerts)¶

Alert Name	Recipient Group	Description
`Email_Chalet_Committee`	`Chalet_Committee`	Chalet Committee Event Approval
`Email_Climbing_Committee`	`Climbing_Committee`	Climbing Committee Event Approval
`Email_Clubwide_Committee`	`Clubwide_Approvers`	Clubwide Committee Event Approval
`Email_Conservation_Committee`	`Conservation_Committee`	Conservation Committee Event Approval
`Email_Hiking_Committee`	`Hiking_Committee`	Hiking Committee Event Approval
`Email_Mountain_Biking_Committee`	`Mountain_Biking_Committee`	Mountain Biking Committee Event Approval
`Email_Paddling_Committee`	`Paddling_Committee`	Paddling Committee Event Approval
`Email_Road_Biking_Committee`	`Road_Biking_Committee`	Road Biking Committee Event Approval
`Email_Skiing_Committee`	`Skiing_Committee`	Skiing Committee Event Approval

Email Configuration¶

All alerts share the same configuration:

Sender: admin@spokanemountaineers.org (Org-Wide Email Address)
Template: unfiled$public/Event_Approval_Request_Alert

Email Template¶

Developer Name: Event_Approval_Request_Alert

Subject:

A New {!Event_Registration__c.Activity_Group__c} Event Has Been Requested For Spokane Mountaineers

Body:

Hi,

{!Event_Registration__c.CreatedBy} has requested your approval for the following event:

{!Event_Registration__c.Name}
{!Event_Registration__c.Start__c} at {!Event_Registration__c.Location__c}
Led by: {!Event_Registration__c.Leader__c}

Please click this link to approve or reject this event:
{!Event_Registration__c.Link}

Thank you,
Spokane Mountaineers

Approval Process Configuration¶

Each approval process includes two key elements:

1. Email Template Reference¶

Added after the <approvalStep> section:

<emailTemplate>unfiled$public/Event_Approval_Request_Alert</emailTemplate>

2. Email Alert in Initial Submission Actions¶

Added to <initialSubmissionActions>:

<initialSubmissionActions>
    <action>
        <name>Email_{ActivityGroup}_Committee</name>
        <type>Alert</type>
    </action>
    <action>
        <name>Submitted_Status</name>
        <type>FieldUpdate</type>
    </action>
</initialSubmissionActions>

Approval Process List¶

Approval Process	Queue	Entry Criteria
`Chalet_Approvals`	`Chalet_Approval_Queue`	Activity_Group = "Chalet"
`Climbing_Approvals`	`Climbing_Approval_Queue`	Activity_Group = "Climbing"
`Clubwide_Approvals`	`Clubwide_Approval_Queue`	Activity_Group = "Clubwide"
`Conservation_Approvals`	`Conservation_Approval_Queue`	Activity_Group = "Conservation"
`Hiking_Approvals`	`Hiking_Approval_Queue`	Activity_Group = "Hiking"
`Mountain_Biking_Approvals`	`Mountain_Biking_Approval_Queue`	Activity_Group = "Mountain Biking"
`Paddling_Approvals`	`Paddling_Approval_Queue`	Activity_Group = "Paddling"
`Road_Biking_Approvals`	`Road_Biking_Approval_Queue`	Activity_Group = "Road Biking"
`Skiing_Approvals`	`Skiing_Approval_Queue`	Activity_Group = "Skiing"

Data Model¶

Objects Used¶

Object	Purpose	Key Fields
`Event_Registration__c`	Event record submitted for approval	`Name`, `Activity_Group__c`, `Status__c`, `Leader__c`, `Start__c`, `Location__c`
`Group`	Public groups for committee members	`DeveloperName`, `Name`, `Type`
`User`	Committee member user records	`Id`, `Email`, `Name`

Relationships¶

Event_Registration__c.Leader__c → User (Lookup)
Event_Registration__c.Activity_Group__c → Determines which approval process runs
Committee Groups contain Users who receive email alerts

Flow: How Approval Works¶

flowchart TD
    A[Event Created with Status = Requested] --> B{Activity Group?}
    B -->|Chalet| C[Chalet_Approvals]
    B -->|Climbing| D[Climbing_Approvals]
    B -->|Other...| E[Corresponding Approval Process]

    C --> F[Initial Submission Actions]
    D --> F
    E --> F

    F --> G[Email Alert Sent to Committee]
    F --> H[Status Updated to Submitted]

    G --> I[Committee Members Receive Email]
    I --> J[Click Link to Approve/Reject]

    J -->|Approve| K[Status = Approved, RecordType Updated]
    J -->|Reject| L[Status = Rejected]

Monitoring & Troubleshooting¶

Verify Email Delivery¶

Query to check if emails are being sent:

SELECT Id, ToAddress, Subject, CreatedDate, Status
FROM EmailMessage
WHERE CreatedDate = TODAY
AND Subject LIKE '%Event%Requested%'
ORDER BY CreatedDate DESC

Check Approval Process Execution¶

Query to verify approval process is running:

SELECT Id, TargetObjectId, Status, CreatedDate,
       (SELECT Id, ActorId, OriginalActorId, StepStatus FROM StepsAndWorkitems)
FROM ProcessInstance
WHERE TargetObject.Type = 'Event_Registration__c'
AND CreatedDate = TODAY
ORDER BY CreatedDate DESC

Common Issues¶

Issue	Possible Cause	Solution
No email received	User not in committee group	Add user to the appropriate `{Activity}_Committee` group
No email received	Wrong Activity Group on event	Verify `Activity_Group__c` matches expected value
Email to wrong people	Wrong group configured	Verify email alert recipients match committee group
Approval not triggering	Status not "Requested"	Verify `Status__c = 'Requested'` when event created
Email not sending	Invalid sender address	Verify Org-Wide Email `admin@spokanemountaineers.org` is active

Verify Group Membership¶

Query to check who is in a committee group:

SELECT GroupId, Group.Name, UserOrGroupId, UserOrGroup.Name
FROM GroupMember
WHERE Group.DeveloperName = 'Chalet_Committee'

Adding a New Activity Group¶

To add email alerts for a new activity group:

1. Create the Public Group¶

Setup → Users → Public Groups
Create group: {ActivityGroup}_Committee
Add committee members

2. Create the Email Alert¶

Add to Event_Registration__c.workflow-meta.xml:

<alerts>
    <fullName>Email_{ActivityGroup}_Committee</fullName>
    <description>{ActivityGroup} Committee Event Approval</description>
    <protected>false</protected>
    <recipients>
        <recipient>{ActivityGroup}_Committee</recipient>
        <type>group</type>
    </recipients>
    <senderAddress>admin@spokanemountaineers.org</senderAddress>
    <senderType>OrgWideEmailAddress</senderType>
    <template>unfiled$public/Event_Approval_Request_Alert</template>
</alerts>

3. Update the Approval Process¶

Add to the approval process XML:

Email template reference after </approvalStep>:

<emailTemplate>unfiled$public/Event_Approval_Request_Alert</emailTemplate>

Email alert in <initialSubmissionActions>:

<action>
    <name>Email_{ActivityGroup}_Committee</name>
    <type>Alert</type>
</action>

4. Deploy¶

sf project deploy start --source-dir force-app/main/default/workflows/Event_Registration__c.workflow-meta.xml \
  --source-dir force-app/main/default/approvalProcesses \
  --target-org production

Technical Details¶

API Version: 64.0
Metadata Types: Workflow, WorkflowAlert, ApprovalProcess
Email Template Type: Classic Email Template (Text)
Template Folder: unfiled$public

Fixing Approval Email Notifications (Article): Overview of the problem and solution
Notify Leader on RSVP: Related email notification automation

Future Enhancements¶

Feature	Notes
Flow Approval Orchestration	Migrate to modern approval system (Spring '25+) for better debugging
HTML Email Template	Format approval emails with HTML for better presentation
Approval Reminder	Send reminder if approval pending > 3 days
Mobile Deep Links	Add mobile-friendly approval links

Support¶

For issues or questions about approval email alerts, contact the tech team at webdev@spokanemountaineers.org.