Incorporating GIFs in Power Automate!

Power Automate offers users the ability to automate tasks and enhance their workflows with dynamic content. One fun way to add a touch of excitement to routine messages, such as reminders for time sheets or expense reports, is by incorporating GIFs into scheduled emails or team messages. Helen Devlin, a Power Platform trainer at Pragmatic Works, demonstrates how to easily add GIFs to your messages using Power Automate in this step-by-step tutorial.

Step 1: Setting Up a Scheduled Flow

To add GIFs to your scheduled messages, you’ll first need to create a flow in Power Automate. Here’s how:

• Create a New Scheduled Flow:
  • Begin by creating a new scheduled flow in Power Automate.
  • Name your flow (e.g., "Reminder Emails") and set it to trigger at a specific time, such as every Monday at 10:00 AM.
  • You can also customize the flow's frequency to suit your needs, like scheduling it weekly or monthly.
• Set up the Trigger:
  • The trigger you’ll use here is "Recurrence," which allows you to define how often the flow runs. In Helen’s example, it’s set to run every Monday.
  • Don’t worry if you need to adjust the frequency later; you can always come back and modify the settings.

Step 2: Incorporating GIFs into Your Flow

Now that you’ve set the flow’s schedule, you can move on to adding the GIFs.

• Initialize a Variable for the GIFs:
  • The first step is to create a variable that will hold a set of GIF URLs.
  • This can be done using an “Initialize Variable” action. Choose the variable type as an Array to store multiple GIF links.
  • Add the URLs of the GIFs you want to use, making sure to separate each one with a comma.
• Selecting a Random GIF:
  • Next, you'll need to add a “Compose” action that will randomly select a GIF from the array of URLs.
  • To do this, use a Power Automate expression with the rand() function. This function generates a random number between 0 and the length of your GIF array, effectively picking a random GIF.
  • The expression looks like this: rand(0, length(variables('var_random_GIF'))).
  • This will point Power Automate to the array and pull a random GIF URL.

Step 3: Sending the Message with the GIF

Now that you’ve got a random GIF selected, the next step is sending the message.

• Posting the GIF to Teams:
  • To send the message with the GIF, add a “Post message” action.
  • You can configure this to post in a chat, a group chat, or a channel. For testing purposes, you can have it send to yourself or a specific group.
  • Use the HTML img tag to embed the GIF in the message. In the message body, insert the dynamic content from the "Compose" action. Your code should look like this:

  <img src="dynamic_content_from_compose_action" />

• Sending via Email:
  • Alternatively, if you prefer to send the message via email, you can use the “Send an Email” action in Power Automate.
  • Again, use the HTML img tag to embed the GIF into the email body.

Step 4: Testing and Customization

Once everything is set up, you can test the flow manually to ensure it’s working correctly. Power Automate will send a message in Teams or an email with the randomly chosen GIF. If you run the flow multiple times, you'll see different GIFs being selected each time.

• Testing the Flow:
  • Run the flow manually and check both Teams and email to see the GIF in action.
  • If you want to add more GIFs in the future, simply edit the array variable to include additional URLs.
• Optional Customization:
  • You can further customize the flow by changing the frequency, adding more GIFs to the array, or modifying the message text.

Final Thoughts

Using Power Automate to schedule and enhance your team messages with GIFs is an easy and fun way to boost engagement and make routine reminders more enjoyable. Whether it’s for a weekly reminder or a special announcement, this feature adds a personal touch to your communication.

Helen Devlin’s tutorial provides clear, easy-to-follow instructions for anyone looking to incorporate GIFs into their automated workflows. If you’re new to Power Automate, consider exploring Pragmatic Works’ extensive courses to deepen your understanding of this powerful tool.

And just to settle a debate: Is it pronounced “GIF” or “JIF”? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Don't forget to check out the Pragmatic Works' on-demand learning platform for more insightful content and training sessions on Power Automate and other Microsoft applications. Be sure to subscribe to the Pragmatic Works YouTube channel to stay up-to-date on the latest tips and tricks.