Sharepoint Choice Field with multiple selections or pick list, not supported. Workaround?

[Anonymous]

I have made a Custom list in SharePoint 365. In that list I created a column "Frequency" (column type is Choice). Now I want to read the value of this column and based on that create an item in the custom list. To realize this I will use MS Flow. I took the following steps:

1) Create Flow;

2) I choose -> "SharePoint - For a selected item";

3) connect to my site and custom list;

4) Condition: @eguals(triggerBody()?['Frequency']?['Value'],'year')

5) action

All what i have tried no positive result. I every situation the "No action" is executed. Is there a requirement for using SharePoint custom columns in a list before that you can use the value in the column in MS Flow?

Please help me with resolving this issue

[v-micsh-msft]

Hi @Anonymous,

If you have the choice field with multiple selection enabled, then it is not available for Microsoft Flow to get its data.

The Multiple-enabled choice field would always in NULL state within Microsoft Flow.

And currently there is no workaround for this.

An idea related with the choice field has been submitted:

SharePoint - Update Item Choice Field

If you would like Microsoft Flow to work with fields that have multiple values enabled, then please consider submit your own idea.

Regards,

Michael

[Anonymous]

Thank you for your response Micheal!

Do you know if it is possible to copy a value from a choice field to a created item with flow? The choice field isn't showed in the "create item" template in Flow. Maybe an alternative?

Thanks a lot for your support!

[NickiGreene · Accepted solution]

Hi jmol, can you explain further what you are trying to achieve from this? From reading your post you have one custom list which a user might populate and within this list is a choice field allowing multiple selections.

What's your purpose to copy this item, one created, from one list to another? Maybe understanding your goal might help us to come up with a workaround.

Shamelessly plugging my own article but this might help you understand some of the current limitaitons and vote for items you'd like to see Microsoft implement https://collab365.community/7-problems-will-encounter-using-microsoft-flow-including-workarounds/

[Fred]

Same need here...

Pb is to get value from choice field.

Absolutely mandatory for a correct use.

And no workaround for now except use of text field...with limites involved...

@Microsoft: Please, add this importante functionality...

Fred

[Anonymous]

Hi Nicki,

I have made a custom task list. I like to achieve that a user of the custom task list could make a task and in the task could make a choice from a choice field with values month, quarter, year. After that FLOW read the choice field and based on the value, create a new task with startdate = duedate task + 30 days for the choice month. (quarter/91 and year/365).

MS said that FLOW doesn't support mutiple lines choice field.

My workaround is that we are telling the users to use the values month, quarter and year in the field "Recurring". This solution isn't very user friendly but it is working well.

Best regards, Jeroen

[robdix]

Was there a proposed solution made for this? I'd love to vote on that, because I feel there are many applications for using a multi-chooice field in a Flow. Perhaps the business process is to make sure the choices are aligned on both ends. (e.g. MSFT Forms and SP List)

[TaurangaNZ]

as at July 2018 (now)  it appears to work fine for me..

I even took some notes for myself for next time I needed to do this:   taking data from the header record (with a multipick choice) to update those child records that were selected in the picklist. 

Equipment Header (header table)  when a new item is created.

triggerBody()[‘Equipment_0x0020_List’]

Equipment Child List   (child table)   use an "Apply To each" task.  and use this to find the correct records in the child table to update.
items(‘Apply_to_each’)?[‘Id’]

items(‘Apply_to_each’)?[‘Value’]

and this is what the success flow looked like in the log, when I looked at the multiple selections field...  yes that was correct, I multi picked just the carry box and the colour sensor in the picklist.  I have no idea what SPListExpandedReference means, because I didn't set that, I just made a multi pick list based from another list. and thats just what it uses in the background.

Run History | Microsoft Flow  triggerBody()[‘Equipment_0x0020_List’]

[
  {
    "@odata.type": "#Microsoft.Azure.Connectors.SharePoint.SPListExpandedReference",
    "Id": 230,
    "Value": "Carry Box 2054"
  },
  {
    "@odata.type": "#Microsoft.Azure.Connectors.SharePoint.SPListExpandedReference",
    "Id": 22,
    "Value": "Colour Sensor 1235"
  }
]

[TaurangaNZ]

It works fine as at July 2018. it works for me.  use the "Apply to Each" step, and select the multichoice column. and then you can use it like this.  to find the items in the original list and you can get the id and value of every item selected by the user.

Shipment (multi pick the list of equipment on a shipment)  

triggerBody()[‘Equipment_0x0020_List’]

Apply To Each loop:

Equipment Master List update child records.

items(‘Apply_to_each’)?[‘Id’]

items(‘Apply_to_each’)?[‘Value’]

[amitlathia]

Hi @TaurangaNZ I don't suppose you have a screenshot of how you used the apply to each loop to select the values out of the multichoice column. I am struggling to work out how to do this. Essentially I am looking for one of my many CSV columns being created through the select operation to be the values out of a multichoice column and I think your soulution may work, but would be good to see some sort of visual of how you have applied the suggested expressions. Apologies if it sounds basic, I am quite new to flow.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Amit