Symptoms

When trying to configure an email event to display specific data from a list item that contains multiple entries, it does not display in a fashion that is desirable. For example if a list has a control that contains multiple items, and these items are displayed in an email event, they are combined into a single string which is unreadable by the person receiving the email.
 

Diagnoses

This behavior is specifically noted in lists that contain a SharePoint column of the Number type. It appears that when trying to utilize this type of column in an email event that it concatenates these values into a single item. To recreate this the following steps can be used:

1. Access an appified list/ library that has a number column that is able to save multiple number entries for the same control.
2. Create a workflow for the list/ library, if this has not already been done.
3. In the empty workflow step drag in an email event.
4. In the main body of the email, find the control that contains the number data.
5. Deploy the workflow.
6. Create a new list item that saves multiple number entries on the control in question.
7. After receiving the email, open it, notice that the displayed values are condensed into a single string.
 

Resolution

There is a workaround for this issue and can be done by doing the following:

1. Drag an email event into an empty workflow step.
2. In the email event wizard locate the context browser to the right of the email configuration.
3. Find Inline Functions, expand this section to find Text. Expand this to find the 'Join' function.
4. Drag the Join function into the body of the email.
5. In the new window that appears, there are two values that must be configured. These are 'Values' and 'Separator'.
6. In the Values field, drag in the Number column that contains the multiple data entries.
7. For the Separator field, a comma or semicolon can be utilized.
8. Finish the configuration screen, finish the email event.
9. Deploy the workflow.

After this configuration has been completed, any new items that are emailed to users will display as separate entries, making visibility much better.