How to Skip parallel branch, Skip Approvals

[sarveshshinde15]

Hi Team,

We have requirement where we need to send approval emails.

1. Email must include html content and approver should be able to approve from mail body itself (HTML cant be achieved with markdown in approvals so - "Email with Options" satisfy this need)

2. There should UI/App where approver can see his all approve request at one place (Only FLOW app satisfy this need) 

So to satisfy both above needs we have used both above actions as parallel branch.

Now the problem is that approver needs to approve from both location i.e. outlook email as well as from flow approval as those two are separate approve actions. 

So question is "Is there any way to skip the parallel branch? If one branch is finished, I dont want other to be executed - it should skip and go to next step"

How to skip one of the parallel branch if other is executed?

Let me know if some one have any suggestion.

Thanks in advance

[v-bacao-msft]

Hi @sarveshshinde15 ,

You could try this method.

• Initialize a integer variable to record whether two actions are executed. Configure Increment variable action in each parallel branch.
• Under each branch, determine whether the value of the current variable is equal to 1, equal to 1 indicating that the approval action in this parallel branch has been executed successfully, and then execute the following action.
• So even if the other branch's approval action is executed successfully, the following action in this parallel branch will not be executed, because the variable value has already become 2.
• This requires configuring the same action (next step) in If yes branch of each parallel branch. This seems to be able to achieve your needs, please take a try.

Image reference:

Edit:

This approach does not actually skip the Approval action, because this is unavoidable, but it can directly perform the expected next step after one of the Approval actions is executed, regardless of the execution result of another Approval action.

And the other approval action will not affect even if it is executed.

Best Regards,

[sarveshshinde15]

Hi @v-bacao-msft 

Thanks For the response. It will help me in some other scenario for sure.

In this scenario - I want to skip whole branch ( user should not be needed to complete even first action in the branch). 

e.g. If user approves from Email with options. Then approval action should get skipped. Vice versa.

I need to use both the action - so that user can approve from mail body OR he can see the pending approvals from FLOW app. User can take anyone approch to approve. 

[v-bacao-msft]

Hi @sarveshshinde15 ,

In fact, we can't capture the state of execution of one of the branches.

If you want similar features to be supported by MS Flow, please post this idea in the Flow Ideas forum, so it might be considered for future releases.

https://powerusers.microsoft.com/t5/Flow-Ideas/idb-p/FlowIdeas

Best Regards,

[ScottShearer]

@sarveshshinde15 :

You could include the logic required to finish the Flow in each branch and use a Control/Terminate action (with success) to end the Flow after the logic is complete.  However, the issue with that or any other proposed solution is:

• If your user responds to the email, the approval will still show in the approvals center and will still be there for 30 days
• If your user responds to the approval, the send email with options email is still in their in box and will generate an error if the user responds.

As a result, I don't believe there is a good way to achieve you goal.

Scott