Retrieve user manager and send email in SharePoint designer workflow

Recently I had a simple requirement like leave approval task. Whenever user submits a leave request, an email needs to be send user manager. It is an easy task by providing the manager name in leave request form. But we don’t have manager field here. So according the requirement we have to get the manager assigned to specific user from AD.

We are not allowed to deploy the custom code for the requirement. I thought there is no option to get the user manager assigned in AD from designer WF. I have tried if there is any option to get user manager. Surprisingly I have found the Option in designer workflow to get Manager Details and also it is available from 2007 version. Superb.

We can get the user manager details by using simple command as shown below,

Search for command look up we can get “Find Manger” option as shown below.

Select the User and manager and assign the user to manager variable. Send email to the manager using Send mail command.

Simple. There are plenty of options are available in SharePoint designer instead of going custom development. Hope this helps. 

Add BCC to SharePoint designer workflow

In SharePoint designer 2010, workflow to send emails, we cannot find BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) column. We can see only To and CC (Carbon Copy) options with Subject and Body. 

If we have the requirement to include users in BCC, we can do that by using the steps below,

Complete the Send Mail activity and click on OK. Select Email task in the workflow, click on “Advanced Options” on the top of the ribbon.

We can see “Send an Email Properties” window. In BCC column we can add users to include BCC. Browse users in workflow click on (…) on BCC Column. Add users and click on OK. Click on Ok to close “Send an Email…” window.

Save and publish workflow.