Slack · Post a message — Posts to a channel in Slack — sends a message to a channel through your Slack connection. It posts as the Bizomate app unless you switch on Post as me.

Who can do this

Workspace Admins and Editors, on every plan.

Before you start

  • A Slack connection in this workspace — see Connect Slack.
  • For a private channel, @Bizomate invited to it: type /invite @Bizomate in the channel.
  • To post as yourself, your own Slack account connected beside the connection.

Steps

  1. Select + where the message should be posted. In the step picker, open Apps, select Slack, then Post a message. Or search Slack.
  2. In Connection, choose your Slack connection. If it is the only one, it is already chosen.
  3. In Channel, choose the channel — Channels in the workspace. A private channel needs @Bizomate invited first. The list reads Loading your channels… first; channels show as # sales-leads, with Private beside private ones.
  4. In Message, type the message — Slack's own formatting: *bold*, _italic_, `code`. Use {{ }} for values from earlier steps.
  5. Optional: under Buttons, select Add a field. Type the button's label — Approve — and in Value the link it opens. A label and the link it opens. Buttons open a link. They do not reply to the workflow.
  6. Optional: set Post as me to Yes — Off posts as the Bizomate app. On posts as you — you connect your own Slack account once. The step then says who it acts as (see below).
  7. Optional: set Unfurl links to Yes to have Slack show a preview of links in the message.
  8. Select Run this step to post a test message.

To take the channel from an earlier step instead, select Use a value beside Channel and type {{ }} — a channel id. Choose from the list goes back. Refresh reloads the list after you add or invite the app to a channel.

Post as me

With Post as me on Yes, the step shows who it acts as:

  • "Acts as you. Connect your own Slack account once — until then the step fails." — with Connect my Slack account, which takes you to Slack and back to the workflow.
  • "Acts as Rohan Mehta (@rohan) in Slack." — that person's own account is connected.
  • "Acts as Asha Raghunathan, who has not connected their own Slack account yet — the step fails until they do."

The step acts as whoever set Post as me to Yes. Setting it again yourself makes it act as you.

Output

Field What it is
channel The channel's id.
ts The message's timestamp — Slack's id for it. Reply, update, delete, react to or pin it with this.
text The message as posted.
user The Slack id of who posted it.
threadTs The thread it is in, if any.

Later steps read it as, for example, {{ steps.post_a_message.ts }}.

Good to know

  • Runs once per item. Ten items post ten messages.
  • Buttons only open links. Up to 25; only https or http links are used, and a label is cut at 75 characters. With buttons, a message over 3,000 characters is shortened.
  • Unfurl links is No by default, so links show as plain links.
  • A public channel can be posted to without inviting the app. A private one cannot.

If something goes wrong

What you see Why What to do
Bizomate is not in this channel. Type /invite @Bizomate in the channel, then run it again. The app is not in the channel. Invite it.
Slack cannot find that channel — it may be private and without Bizomate in it, or gone. The channel is private without the app, or deleted. Invite the app, or choose another channel.
That channel is archived. Nothing can be posted there. Choose another channel.
Nothing to pick — There are no channels to show. A private channel needs @Bizomate invited first. The app can see no channel. Invite it, then Refresh.
Could not load the channels Slack did not give the list. What you set here is kept. Try again, or Reconnect if offered.
… has not connected their own account for Post as me. They connect it once from the connection on Connections. Post as me is on, and that person has no own account connected. They connect it, or set Post as me to No.
This step acts as a person, but nobody is set to act as. Open it and switch Post as me on again. The step has lost who it acts as. Set Post as me to No, then Yes.
Slack no longer accepts the connection. Reconnect it on Connections. The app was removed from Slack, or access withdrawn. Reconnect the connection.
Slack is asking Bizomate to slow down. The step will work again in a minute. Too many messages at once. Wait a minute, or have the step try again when it fails.
Channel is empty when the step ran — … / Message is empty when the step ran — … The value came out empty. Check the values it reads.
Slack refused: …. Slack turned it away for another reason, in its own words. Check the channel and message.