# Force a digest send
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/force-a-digest-send/175821
**Category:** Support
**Tags:** activity-summary
**Created:** [January 11, 2021, 10:49pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/force-a-digest-send/175821 "2021-01-11T22:49:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Andro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Andro)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2021, 10:49pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/force-a-digest-send/175821/1 "2021-01-11T22:49:31Z")
Is there a way force a digest send at a point in time, before the next scheduled run? I need digest users to get a prompt notification about some issues. A ‘send digest now’ function?
---
### Author:  [@Falco](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Falco)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2021, 11:08pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/force-a-digest-send/175821/2 "2021-01-11T23:08:35Z")
> [@Andro](#):
>
> I need digest users to get a prompt notification about some issues.
As digests doesn’t provide any guarantee of content, they are a poor fit for notifications.
If you want an easy way to be able to trigger user notifications, an “Special Announcements” category where only staff can create topics and every user is on the “Watching first post only” state is the correct solution.
---
### Author:  [@Andro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Andro)
#### Post date: [January 11, 2021, 11:21pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/force-a-digest-send/175821/3 "2021-01-11T23:21:59Z")
Thanks. This was for a once off. But your solution is great.
---
### Author:  [@Mark\_Schmucker](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mark_Schmucker)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2021, 9:49am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/force-a-digest-send/175821/4 "2021-01-12T09:49:18Z")
@Falco Can you please elaborate on this solution?
- How to put every user in the “Watching first post only” state?
- Presumably staff would edit the first post periodically, not add a second post?
- This would not force an email, depending on the user’s preferences. Any way to force an email?
- How is this better than sending a PM to [@trust\_level\_0](https://meta.discourse.org/groups/trust_level_0)?
---
### Author:  [@Andro](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Andro)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2021, 10:23am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/force-a-digest-send/175821/5 "2021-01-12T10:23:36Z")
> [@Mark\_Schmucker](#):
>
> How is this better than sending a PM to [@trust\_level\_0](https://meta.discourse.org/groups/trust_level_0)?
For my case at least, I have had to change the domain name of the Discourse server, so I have to send a mail outside its realm, because the site has effectively disappeared. A slightly special use case.
But you have shown me how to send wildcard PM’s. Where is this syntax and capability documented?
---
### Author:  [@Mark\_Schmucker](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mark_Schmucker)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2021, 10:34am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/force-a-digest-send/175821/6 "2021-01-12T10:34:18Z")
Good point, I made some assumptions about being able to PM [@trust\_level\_0](https://meta.discourse.org/groups/trust_level_0). Go to Users \> Groups (/g), select a group (say trust\_level\_0), Manage, Interactions, and set “Who can message this group?” as desired.
Then start a PM (I start with the first user I see) and add [@trust\_level\_0](https://meta.discourse.org/groups/trust_level_0). Everyone gets a notification.
I don’t doubt @Falco’s solution has advantages- this is just how I’ve done it in the past.
---
### Author:  [@Falco](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Falco)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2021, 1:40pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/force-a-digest-send/175821/7 "2021-01-12T13:40:25Z")
> [@Mark\_Schmucker](#):
>
> How to put every user in the “Watching first post only” state?
There is a site setting exactly for this `default categories watching first post`.
> [@Mark\_Schmucker](#):
>
> - Presumably staff would edit the first post periodically, not add a second post?
> - This would not force an email, depending on the user’s preferences. Any way to force an email?
Why? Don’t know your use case, but most sites need to send a global announcement once in a while and can create a new topic for each just fine.
> [@Mark\_Schmucker](#):
>
> How is this better than sending a PM to [@trust\_level\_0](https://meta.discourse.org/groups/trust_level_0)?
Public topic has many advantages over PMs.
---
### Author:  [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2021, 1:40pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/force-a-digest-send/175821/8 "2021-02-11T13:40:26Z")
This topic was automatically closed 30 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.