Add row into a table doesn't list columns because the file hasn't been created yet.

[lfk73]

I have a kind of chicken and the egg scenario i need help with.  I have a flow that uses a predetermined file contents value to create a excel file in SharePoint with a empty table with header values in the columns all done on the fly.  I do it on the file because each time it runs the name of the file is generated based on values unique to each time it runs and I use this dynamic content to act as the file name when the file is created.

Then I use parse json to read values from a table from another sources which I then want to add as rows to the file that is created on the fly.

This is where i run into a issue.  I use the "Add a row into a table" action.  I select the SharePoint location, document library and then using the same dynamic content as when creating the for the file value.  Then when I go to put the table value nothing comes up because the file hasn't been created yet and because I cant select a table it doesn't show me the table header values.

Then I added a step to get the tables from the file and then I put the result from the Get Tables Name value into the add row table value.  However again since the file is only created at the time it runs the column headers are not being shown while building the flow.

Anyway to fix this?

[grantjenkins · Accepted solution]

If you use dynamic values for the Table, then all you will see is Row. In here you will need to write the key/values in an object that you want to update your table with.

In this example, I have an Excel File with two columns: Name and Color.

My flow is below. It has a variable that contains the Table name that I pass into the Add a row into a table action. This won't display the fields I need to update but will show Row. In here we need to put a JSON object that will have the property names matching your Excel column headers, and the values will be the data you want to add to those columns.

In this example I want to add "Grant" to the Name column, and "Purple" to the Color column. The JSON object I'm using here is:

{
    "Name": "Grant",
    "Color": "Purple"
}

After running the flow, I would have the following.

[lfk73]

Thanks sounds promising.  I used this and added the variables into each line to insert and just tried it but no good.

When i look at the raw data of the flow it placed the variable into each value as expected but then i get an error

{

  "error": {

    "code": "",

    "message": "The request entity's media type 'text/plain' is not supported for this resource."

  },

  "debugInfo": "clientRequestId: ea39b481-4a6d-423f-ac7c-a322771801bd"

}

At the start of the floe I create the xlsx file on the fly using file content.  I initially got the file content I use by creating a template xlsx file, created the table and then exported the file contents.

[lfk73]

Fixed it.  Used () instead of {}

Changed it and then it worked.