SharePoint Workflow: Remove the "?????" for blank values in email

So you have emails being sent out using SharePoint workflow but the problem is the blank values return five question marks "?????" and this is not very appealing to the user. Perhaps you would like it to say something else instead that wouldn't confuse your recipients as much. Follow this tutorial to learn how to make your workflows do just this!

To complete this tutorial you will need SharePoint Designer and appropriate permissions to edit workflows. Let's begin!

1. Start SharePoint Designer and navigate to the site where the workflow you wish to create or edit will be (or is) located.

2. Double-click on the .xoml file to enter the workflow wizard.

3. Here's where it gets kinda tricky, but when you do it a few times you will get the idea:

Select Conditions > Compare "Name of your list" field

The condition should read: If "List name" is not empty

Next select Actions > Set Workflow Variable

Set (create new workflow variable for logging this) to value (value = the actual lookup value of that field as it was actually entered in the recordset)

You are halfway done now... Click "Add 'Else If' Conditional Branch

Select Conditions > Compare "Name of your list" field

If field is empty

Now select Actions > Set Workflow Variable

Set to a string, or a number and enter the value to whatever you'd like...

(value = the message you wish to have displayed instead of "?????")

Here's an example image of a workflow step that has these variable setup: