This workflow contains at least one Python script. Only use it if you trust the person who shared this with you, and if you know exactly what it does.
This is a workflow for Editorial, a Markdown and plain text editor for iOS. To download it, you need to view this page on a device that has the app installed.
Description: This workflow is designed to send an email to a large number of people using the BCC field (This is why it requires the Drafts action to actually send it. Otherwise, the whole thing could be done within Editorial.) It depends on a text file with a list of emails, one per line in your file browser. I use an Automator script running on a Mac to create mine. My Mac mini is set to run this script every day very early in the morning. That way, I always have an updated list of emails.
This workflow makes liberal use of conditional blocks for the purpose of being able to 'fold' repeated actions out of the way and thereby make the workflow less unwieldy.
It has the following parameters that should be changed to fit your particular situation:
- The name of your text file with your list of emails in it. This should be set in the action 'Get Email List' located right after the first block of conditionals.
- The number of emails per variable (or Small List). This is set by the 'interval' parameter in the 'Split Email List Into Small Lists By "interval":' action. Remember, there are up to 11 variables in this workflow so plan accordingly. It will only use the variables that have emails in them. But it can not create more on the fly.
- In the 'Set Subject of Email' action within the 'Prepare Text' block you can enter the subject of your email. This assumes it will be the same subject every time you send this email. I put the current month in mine so that it's not exactly the same subject every month.
- The body of the email will be the full text of the current document. I write the email in Markdown and often include pictures and links. The workflow will convert it to HTML.
- The last few actions prepare a template for the next time you will send this email. You'll want to set the 'Number', 'Unit' and 'Output Format' in the 'Date Math' action to line up with your plans.
- Set the value in the 'Next Month's Name' action to match what you want the template to be named. I use date math to pre-name it for next month.
- In the last action, 'Next Month's Name', set the template for the body of the next occurrence's email. I include this month's text at the bottom so I can see what I wrote last month.
- You'll also want to click [the following link](drafts://x-callback-url/import_action?type=email&name=MonthlyMail&to=&cc=&bcc=%5B%5Bclipboard%5D%5D&subjecttype=0&subject=%5B%5Btitle%5D%5D&markdown=1&background=0&fromprefix=&template=%5B%5Bbody%5D%5D) to create the corresponding Drafts action:
drafts://x-callback-url/import_action?type=email&name=MonthlyMail&to=&cc=&bcc=%5B%5Bclipboard%5D%5D&subjecttype=0&subject=%5B%5Btitle%5D%5D&markdown=1&background=0&fromprefix=&template=%5B%5Bbody%5D%5D
You can rename the Drafts action anything you like, just be sure to change the name of the Drafts action you call in each of the urls in the 'Cascade Through Short Lists' block to match the name of the Drafts action, if you do change it.
Note: You will have to press the send button once per 'Short List' in Drafts. This can be changed to send automatically, but it will not come from your email, it will come from drafts-mail@agiletortoise.com instead. I prefer to send it from my own email address.
Note 2: This workflow has not been thoroughly tested and debugged. I believe it to be relatively free of trouble, so let me know if you have any issues by starting a thread in the forum. :-)
Thanks to Ole for creating the date math script and helping to nail down the script that splits the long list into smaller ones!
Enjoy!
Shared by: Minnepicker (Dan)
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