Send a message to Microsoft Teams when a record is added

Language: English

In this tutorial we set up an automation that posts a message to a Microsoft Teams channel each time a new record is added to a form — directly from ActivityInfo, with no intermediary service. It uses ActivityInfo's built-in webhook step to post the message.

We assume the role of a coordinator whose team works in a Teams channel. The team tracks projects in a Projects form, and wants each newly submitted project announced in the channel as it arrives.

What you need

A form to watch. Ours is a Projects form with a text field Project Name with the code NAME and a reference field Partner with the code PARTNER, but any form will do — adjust the field references to yours.
Permission to design the database in ActivityInfo.
A Microsoft Teams channel, and permission to add a workflow to it. Teams receives webhooks through the Workflows app (the older "Incoming Webhook" Office 365 connectors have been retired by Microsoft).

Step 1: Create a webhook workflow in Microsoft Teams

In Teams, go to the channel that should receive the messages and click ⋯ (More options) next to the channel name and select Workflows.

Workflows
Choose the webhook template — named "Send webhook alerts to a channel" or "Post to a channel when a webhook request is received", depending on your Teams version.

Send webhook alerts to a channel
Select the "Team" and "Channel".

Team and Channel
Copy the webhook link.

Copy webhook link

Step 2: Add the automation

In ActivityInfo, open the database, select the Database Settings.

Database Settings
Select Projects form, and then select Automations in the form's detail pane.

Automations
Select Add automation and name it "Announce new projects in Teams Chat".

Add automation
Select Click here to get started and choose the On record added trigger.

On record added trigger
Label the trigger and Select form.

Label the trigger
Choose the Projects form and Select form.

Select Projects form
Select Done.

Done

Step 3: Add the webhook step

Select Add a new step.

Add new step
Select Action.

Action
Select Fire webhook.

Fire webhook
Give the step a label, for example "Post to Teams channel".
Paste the Teams workflow URL into the Webhook URL field.
Set the Payload format to Custom, so we can write exactly the message body the Teams workflow expects.

Label, webhook and payload format

Step 4: Write the message

Select Edit payload.

Edit payload

Enter the message body. The Teams workflow accepts Adaptive Cards, which can carry headings, bold text, facts, columns, and buttons linking back to ActivityInfo. Design the card, then paste it into the payload editor wrapped in a message envelope, adding ${...} references where the record's values belong:

Adaptive Card text renders **double asterisks** as bold.

{
     "type": "message",
     "attachments": [
       {
         "contentType": "application/vnd.microsoft.card.adaptive",
         "content": {
           "$schema": "http://adaptivecards.io/schemas/adaptive-card.json",
           "type": "AdaptiveCard",
           "version": "1.4",
           "body": [
             {
               "type": "TextBlock",
               "size": "Medium",
               "weight": "Bolder",
               "text": "New project submitted"
             },
             {
               "type": "TextBlock",
               "text": "**${NAME}** by ${PARTNER.NAME}, added by ${_user.name}",
               "wrap": true
             }
           ]
         }
       }
     ]
   }

Select Done to close the payload editor, and Done again to close the step.

Complete configuration
Select Save. The automation is now active.

Save automation

Step 5: Test

Add a test record to the Projects form.

Add record
Within moments, the message appears in the Teams channel with the project's details filled in.

ActivityInfo notification received in Microsoft Teams

Going further

Announce only some projects: add a filter step between the trigger and the webhook — for example CONTAINS(SECTORS, "Health") to announce only health-sector projects.
Announce status changes instead: use the On record edited trigger with the filter STATUS != _previous.STATUS, and include both values in the message: ${_previous.STATUS} → ${STATUS}.

Webhook step — all payload formats in detail
Send a message to Google Chat when a record is added
Post a workflow when a webhook request is received in Teams (external link)
Adaptive Cards designer (external link)

Next item

Trigger: On record added