Multi-Level Approval - Comments to next Approver - Too many Apply to Each

[DerekCFI]

Hello Community,

I'm building multiple flows and one problem is holding me up. This first flow is relatively short, but the one that follows has a lot more conditions and approvals. To the point where I'm at my max 8 nest limit, and I still have to add another approval and more conditions. 

I know the issue is having too many "Apply to Each" functions because it creates a new nested level, and it was occurring because I need the Approver Comments to be shown to the next Approver in the details box. 

After some searching, I thought I found a solution by using an expression instead of dynamic content from the approval, but now my flow is failing, and I don't know where. The flow succeeds up until the first approval is done, then fails somewhere in the Apply to Each that holds the conditions and next approvals. I'm getting the "The execution of template action 'For_each' failed: the result of the evaluation of 'foreach' expression '@body('Flight_Ops_Approval')?['body']?['responses']' is of type 'Null'. The result must be a valid array." error message.

Here is what I have.

The expression I was using to try and pull the comments (which I did add) is: 

outputs('Flight_Ops_Approval')?['body/responses'][0]?['comments']

And I was sure to change the name for each approval level.

HELP!!! 😓 @Reza  

I watch your videos a ton, but I can't find a solution!

[DerekCFI]

Apparently the issue was in the "body.responses" in the outputs box for the "For Each." I now have a successful test, BUT each approval ended up being assigned to the same people, instead of different departments. Let me explain. 

I followed the directions in Reza's video for dynamic approvals (Dynamic Approvers & log history with Power Automate Approvals (youtube.com)). I have the Department column in the Check Ride Request list and am updating it to the next department before each subsequent approval. I thought this would follow the same logic that successfully assigned the first approval with Initialize Variable > Get Departments > Get Approvers (Select>Join>Set Variable), but it didn't. Each approval was assigned to the same people in the first Approval.

[David_MA]

I don't know if this will resolve your issue, but I was having similar issues with a process that can have up to 11 approvals. To get around the issue, I created one workflow for each approval. In my process, the approvals go in the same order every time. When the first approval is done, and it is approved, I use an HTTP request to call the next workflow using the When a HTTP request is received action. The calling workflow passes data to the called workflow so that it can continue. In my case, I just need to pass the ID of the list item so the workflow can retrieve the item for the next approval.

The HTTP post URL will not be generated until you save the flow. Then, you put the URL in an HTTP request with the JSON to send that calls the workflow:

An added benefit of this approach is that because each approval is in its own workflow, each approval will have 28 days to complete before it times out rather than all of your approvals needing to complete within 28 days if they are in the same workflow.

[DerekCFI]

I was trying to avoid having to build multiple flows. All of this is triggered when a MS Form is submitted, and responses from that form determine if the approval process takes the same route. It would certainly be easier to have it all in one place. 

When I was thinking it through, I think the issue is that I only pulled information from my Department Config list once in the top of the flow, so I don't think changing the department in the other list is doing any good. It's just using the information from the first set variable. However, if I repeat that process, I think it will add another "Apply to Each" which was my problem to begin with. 😫

[David_MA]

Sorry, I am not familiar with Reza's approach, and I cannot think of anything that I have that uses a similar approach you are using for the approvals. I watched the first few minutes of Reza's video, and I do use lists to store approver names, but every solution only relies on one row of approvers and not multiple selections. Good luck... I am sure someone is probably doing something similar.

[DerekCFI · Accepted solution]

My suspicion was correct. I had to repeat the "Get Departments > Get Approvers (Select>Join>Set Variable) step each time to pull the correct approvers. It did add an "Apply to Each" for the Get Approvers action, but I ended up with a much lower nested level than I originally had.