Checked OUT Alert - If files checked out for more than 1 hour

[aakkuummaarr]

I have a flow that runes everytime when someone checks out a file on sharepoint but it has one problem when the same user checks out the file again, it sends duplicate reminders. Suppose:

User 1 checked OUT a document xuz.xlsx at 11:00 AM

Flow triggered - Lets call it A

User 1 checked IN/ discarded xyz.xlsx at 11:10 AM

User 1 checked OUT the document again at 11:12 AM

Flow triggered - Lets call it B

The flow A does not end until 1 hour and it sends an email after checking the file is still check out or not (the file is indeed check out but under Flow B and not A). In this case the first flow should end and it should not send an email.

[Nived_Nambiar]

Hi @aakkuummaarr 

Just to confirm, you want flow B to end or flow A to end ?

[aakkuummaarr]

If the same user checks in/discards the file before 1 hour completedm the first triggered flow should not communicate with the second triggered flow (here, the second triggered flow is also due to the same person checking out the same file again).

If the person is different, the flow ends automatically because I have asked the flow to make sure that the Checkout user before delay and after delay should be same.

Its the same person checking out the file again with in 1 hour creating the email duplicates.

[Nived_Nambiar]

So for both cases Flow B should end ?

[aakkuummaarr]

Hi, sorry let me explain: The flow triggers when someone checks out the file.

There are 3 conditions:

1. Person A checked out, flow triggered to wait until 1 hour (Do Until) and the person checked in the file before 1 hour. Flow sent no email notification.

2. Person B checked out, another flow triggered to wait until 1 hour and the person did not check in/discard, flow sent an email asking them to let other team members edit the sheet by releasing the sheet lock.

The above 2 tickets are working fine.

3. Now comes the third condition where a person checked out the file and flow got triggered and is now waiting for 1 hour to complete.

Now note, even though the person checks-in the file in 5/10 minutes, and checked out the file again on 59th minute, the flow that is currently running to complete its 1 hour is now supposed to check if the file is checked out and if yes: 'to whom'

Unfortunately, as per the flow the person at the beginning of Do Until and the person at 59th minute of that ongoing flow is same and thus it will tell that user to close the sheet saying 'you have the sheet checked out for 1 hour', while the reality is that the person checked out at the begging of the hour and at the end only.

There is no break in this flow unfortunately and thus it is resulting in double emails. Assume I checkout the file , check in and check out again to leave it as it is for 1 hour, I'll get 2 emails.

I hope I could explain it now.

[aakkuummaarr]

@Nived_Nambiar Hey, does the info help?

[Nived_Nambiar]

Hi @aakkuummaarr 

Yes it helps me 

So your problem is you want to prevent the occurence of 2 duplicated emails .

Also if i am right, the two emails are coming after an hour delay right , that is one hour delay after other email arrives ?

[aakkuummaarr]

@Nived_Nambiar right about the first part you mentioned.

If ABC checks out the file at 11:00 AM, checks in at 11:30 and checks out the same file again at 11:31 (2 flaws have been triggered for 2 check outs) and does not checks in the file till 12:00 (1 hour = true for first flow)) or even till 12:30 (1 hour = true for 1st flow, 1 hour = false for second flow) , he gets one email.

If he does not checks-in the file till 12:31 (1 hour = true for second flow), he gets 2 emails for both triggers.

In this case, he should only be getting an email for keeping the file checked out for one hour continuously which is true for second case only.

[aakkuummaarr]

any update? @Nived_Nambiar 

[aakkuummaarr]

@Nived_Nambiar any update brother?

[Nived_Nambiar · Accepted solution]

Hi @aakkuummaarr 

One idea strikes to my mind. Since for this case, even same user is checkout file at different times but within one hour, but the modified time would be different right , let's say user A check out file at 11:00 am flow A triggers , while user A checks again at 11:30 am, while will triggers flow B. then before sending email, if we check whether the modified date at start of trigger and after delay of one hour , and if it is same it means user has edited/ checkout file after trigger has started, so email can be sent, if it is not same, this means same user has checked out in some time after first checkout has been done.

So from flow perspective, you have to add this condition while sending email in your flow

So by this, flow A will end , since modified before and after delay would be different, so it wont send any email

and flow B would send email, since for it modified time before and after would be same 🙂

Sorry for late response !

Let me know if you have any questions 🙂

[aakkuummaarr]

@Nived_Nambiar 

Hey, before I try it, are you sure power automate captures check-out time as modified time? I have heard it does not?

[aakkuummaarr]

@Nived_Nambiar - This condition is failing as I think check-out time is not = modified time.

Is there another way to capture checkout time?

[aakkuummaarr]

CheckOUT time is captured by:

triggerOutputs()?['headers']?['Last-Modified']

I added this as a condition and compared the checkOUT time before and after the delay. Worked.

[Nived_Nambiar]

Hi @aakkuummaarr 

is it returning last modfiied time itself ?

[aakkuummaarr]

Hi @Nived_Nambiar 

Yes, it does but There is still an issue with it, this is limited to the CheckOUTtime-1 event, and even with CheckOUTtime-2, it gives the same output as CheckOUTtime-1.

I am unsure how can I capture the fresh output at the second trigger so that it knows if anyone else checked it out after the 1-hour delay.