SP Online 2010 workflow: send email once when item is approved

Question

Objective:

Send a notification email to users when blog post is first approved but NOT on subsequent edits/approvals. Using a 2010 wf triggered by an item change.

Process:

Added a yes/no helper field ("email sent") to check if an email has already been sent.

Result:

Workflow runs but no email is sent. No error.

Workflow:

When I tried that I got a validation error about "An IfElseActivity must have at least one child of type IfElseBranchActivity.)". Wf still runs but doesn't send email.

Answer 1

It should be something like below:

The way it is right now, I don't think the workflow even enters the "then email..." activity.

Of course, you would want to place the second condition with an "else" statement, but with MSPaint I thought of keeping it simple.

Answer 2

I found the answer here:

http://www.networksteve.com/enterprise/topic.php/How_to_fix_this_Designer_Workflow_error/?TopicId=91458&Posts=3

In short there was a "hidden" else if condition from a previous attempt and you have to hover over each section in the wf and delete anything that's empty. Not at all obvious and not the best of designs, but pretty typical of Msft products.

Thanks for helping @Nisarg!