# Announce approved documents from a library, with a rule per folder

Source: [https://docs.virtosoftware.com/docs/alerts-and-reminders-by-virto/virto-alerts-use-cases/document-approval-notifications/](https://docs.virtosoftware.com/docs/alerts-and-reminders-by-virto/virto-alerts-use-cases/document-approval-notifications/)
Product: Virto Alerts & Reminders App
Updated: 2026-10-23


Our policies and procedures live in a SharePoint library with a folder per department. Each document has an owner, a status and a review date. Readers should hear when a document is approved, not every time someone saves a draft; the security team should hear about every change in its own folder; and the person who looks after the library should get one table a week. We will use the [Virto Alerts & Reminder App](https://www.virtosoftware.com/microsoft-365/virto-alerts-and-reminders-app/).

[Open the interactive demo](https://app.storylane.io/demo/06cwv2skty1u)

**Interactive demo walkthrough**
1. When a document changes — A policy library in SharePoint: an email when a document is approved, a rule for one folder and a weekly table.
2. A policy library in SharePoint, one folder per department. Each document has an owner, a status and a review date; this one is still a Draft.
3. The alert has one condition: Status equals Approved. Drafts stay quiet, and an approved policy goes out to its readers as soon as it is saved.
4. Once the travel policy is approved, its readers get this email: the file name as a link, the folder, who changed it and the new status.
5. A folder can have its own rule: the condition Path contains /IT security sends the security team an email for every change in that folder.
6. Once a week, whoever answers for the library gets one table: every document changed that week, drafts included, with its status and who changed it.
7. Tell the readers when a document changes — Virto Alerts & Reminder App runs in your Microsoft 365 tenant; the documents stay in the SharePoint library.

## The library

A **Policies and procedures** library with a folder per department, such as HR, Finance and IT security, and the columns **Owner**, **Status** (for example Draft and Approved) and **Review date**.

## Step 1. Announce approved documents

On the **My alerts** page, click **Add alert**, choose the library and fill in the blocks as described in [How to create an alert](https://docs.virtosoftware.com/docs/alerts-and-reminders-by-virto/configuration-and-usage/creating-an-alert/index.md):

- **Options**: **Use condition(s)** with **Status** equals **Approved**, and **Send notification immediately**. Drafts stay quiet; the email goes out when a document reaches **Approved** or an approved one is changed.
- **Message view**: the subject "Policy updated:" followed by the file name, and in the body the file name as a link to the document, the folder path, the person who changed it (**Modified By**) and the status. Nothing is attached or copied.
- **Recipients**: the readers, for example a group of all staff.

## Step 2. A rule for one folder

Create a second alert on the same library with its own recipients, such as the security team. Limit it to the folder in one of two ways, as described in [Documents in one folder](https://docs.virtosoftware.com/docs/alerts-and-reminders-by-virto/configuration-and-usage/creating-an-alert/options/index.md#documents-in-one-folder):

- **Filter by Folders**: tick only the **IT security** folder instead of **All folders**.
- A condition on the path: **Path** contains **/IT security**.

Each folder rule has its own recipients and its own message.

## Step 3. A weekly table for the library owner

Create a third alert with **Apply to all items**, **Send a weekly summary** on the weekday you choose and **Show latest version only** ticked, so a document edited several times appears once. Put one table in the body with the header row Document, Status, Changed by, Review date; see [How to merge summary alerts in one alert with a table](https://docs.virtosoftware.com/docs/alerts-and-reminders-by-virto/configuration-and-usage/special-options-for-an-alert-or-reminder-message/how-to-merge-summary-alerts-in-one-alert-with-a-table/index.md). Without a condition on **Status**, drafts are listed too, so the owner sees the whole week.

## When something else fits better

A few named people who want an email at every change can use the built-in rules of SharePoint libraries. If readers must confirm that they have read a document, use a policy management system: the app sends the notification, it does not collect acknowledgements or track who opened the document.