name on TO field in email which is on a string value being reflected as different name

Question

I created a workflow which will send email to action owner. I initially had the returned field as Display Name Semicolon Delimited but I keep on encountering error below:

Coercion Failed: Unable to transform the input lookup data into the requested type.

I changed the returned field as string but the upon editing, the name in the TO field in the email is not reflecting the correct one.

Correct Name - Ostan, Rochelle R SSSCMLA-FO/HGI

Reflected Name - 37;#Ostan, Rochelle R SSSCMLA-FO/HGI

Because of this, the name is not receiving email from Sharepoint

Answer 1

You should return either Login Name or Email.

Answer 2

That usually happens when you use an empty field and set it to be something other than a string. For example, when you use a lookup value you can use it as a string, a lookup id, or a lookup value. If that lookup hasn't been set, lookup id and lookup value will give you a coercion error.

Same with a people field - if you try to use it as a 'Display Name' in workflow and the field is empty, you get the error.

Create a string variable, and before the email, set the variable only if the lookup is not empty. Then use that variable in your email instead of the actual lookup field.

Answer 3

37;#Ostan, Rochelle R SSSCMLA-FO/HGI is the way how SharePoint saves data, whenever using any people picker field preferable method is to use the Display Type as Login Name or Email ID in the Workflow.