I’d like to use the Slack integration rules to remind colleagues who aren’t in Asana daily about upcoming and overdue tasks. However, it seems like there are major limitations to both the recipient options and triggers.
Has anyone found a way to make either of the below scenarios work with the Slack integration rules?
- With the “send a direct message” rule, send that DM go to the task assignee.
- With the “send a channel message” rule, use project sections as part of the trigger. For example, only send a channel message for tasks overdue tasks in Section A.
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Hi @buffally, welcome to the forum 
I’m afraid I’m not that familiar with the Slack integration to help you, but for all it’s worth my advice would be to start at the root of your problem which is to challenge why some of your colleagues don’t check their Asana Inbox daily.
Just like checking email on a daily basis is an ‘unofficial’ convention, the same should apply to Asana.
If you set them the question ‘would you allow a day to go by without checking your email?’ and relate this to Asana, I find that this creates some ‘FOMO’ in case they miss important information in Asana that others are reliant on recieving feedback on - it’s about taking ownership and responsibility to check and take action.
I know this is easier said than done, but I find this the #1 rule to push across organisations using Asana.
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@buffally were you ever able to accomplish your #1 “send a direct message” to the actual task assignee. I’m attempting this and haven’t found it
Hi @buffally have a couple of replies for you.
- Is not possible natively - you could do a rule that @the variable assignee in a comment but that would be an email not a slack
- The rule for this is possible, hover on the section and then click the three dots and ‘add rule to section’ then add another trigger using “task is overdue” then action send a channel message.
Hope it helps.
Yes, this feature would be very helpful! Instead, I have to ping people every week before their due date of tasks.
@Danielle-GenD can you please detail the process of setting up this rule? 
@Richard_Sather we have already difficulty making people adopt Asana, asking them to do “boring tasks” might not help with the adoption. Hope you understand
HI @Diana13 you would go to customise, click on rule, add custom rule.
Trigger is Task is Overdue, Action is send channel message (under external actions if using slack) or you can do add comment and choose the variable of assignee so that it @'s them and sends and email. Screenshots below.
Hello @Danielle-GenD
We are unable to see similar options under Sending Channel message to slack. “+” option does not appear even with “/” option
Hi @anon63517511 , the screenshots above by @Danielle-GenD are showing the ‘add comment’ action which supports variables using the ‘+’ button.
Variables are not currently available with the Slack send message action - it’s just plain text for now.
Is there a plan to add variables to things like Slack messages? Otherwise the options are very limited…
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Hi @Lyle_Hayhurst (welcome to the forum 
) and @BenRivlin , you may or may not be aware that I am a volunteer forum leader; I don’t work for Asana (who do not make their roadmap public) so I am not aware when this feature will be available, sorry!
