Start and Wait for Approval - Apply to each

[ClaireAllen]

Hello Community,

I need your help please!

I am in the process of building an approval flow, when I start to configure my flow the system automatically adds Apply to each based on the actions I enter into the Flow, but then I start receiving errors and I don't know why, this seems to happen a lot lately with other flows I am trying to build when using either Start and Wait for Approval and Apply to each actions.

I've used the Start an approval action before, but this has been replaced with Start and Wait for Approval.

My flow is as follows:

Step 1, when an item is created, send an email to the travel team - Pending Approval and update a SP List.

when I configured the email, it added the apply to each automatically

Step 2, Start an Approval, again based on the configuration the system has added a further 2 apply to each

Step 3, based on the outcome of the approval (Outcome is equal to Approve), send another email to Admin Team - Approved and update SP List.

I've not been able to save my flow past the start an approval due to an error message that I receive, so I keep loosing my changes for the condition is equal to Yes, then send the email

Error Message:

I would appreciate some guidance as to what I am doing wrong, as I don't understand the error messages, and I am not adding any apply to each, the system does this based on my content within each action.

Help please!

Thank you & regards

Claire

[Hardesh15]

@ClaireAllen 

Whenever you put dynamic content which is type of collection, Apply to each applies automatically. if you are not using correct inputs in apply to each then this kind of error came.

Please share complete flow screen. And in which part you are facing issue?

Thanks

Hardesh

[ClaireAllen]

Hello @Hardesh15 ,

Thank you for coming back to me, I did put a complete screen shot of my workflow in my initial post, what other information to do you require?

I think the best place to start is understanding the error message, I don't get the error message as the apply to each have been entered automatically, so I don't know what is right or wrong.

Is this something you explain to me?

Thank you

Claire

[Reimi]

could you provide us the screenshot when opening the action below?

[Hardesh15]

@ClaireAllen 

When you use dynamic content of SharePoint List from dynamic panel then if column type is of collection type then it will apply loop automatically.

You are using some wrong column references inside apply to each loop. See when you use something in loop each data make reference of that loop. So in your case you are passing some data from loop 2 into loop 1 if i say in general terms.

Thanks

Hardesh

[ClaireAllen]

Hello @Reimi ,

I've not been able to save my flow past the start an approval due to an error message that I receive, so I keep loosing my changes for the condition is equal to Yes, then send the email

Error Message:

Kind regards

Claire

[ClaireAllen]

Hello @Hardesh15 ,

Sorry I'm not sure I understand.

When I configure my condition for example as shown below, I did not add the apply to it, the system has done this automatically and based on the information I have entered in the Start and Wait for Approval, 

i.e. Name Display, is then used as one of the apply to each outputs, automatically generated by the system

My question then would be, how do I know I am entering incorrect outcomes when the system does it for me?

What should I be using instead?

Kind regards

Claire

[ClaireAllen]

Hello Community,

Can anyone help me please with Apply to each - I'm confused as to what I should be using in the output?

When I build a Flow depending on what I enter into the content, the Apply to each gets automatically applied, but then I get error messages, as per my initial post.

So I thought I would try it the other way, 

My flow triggers when an item is created in a SharePoint List, I then want to start and wait for approval, BUT this is where I then get confused with the Apply to each and which values should be entered.

I've added an apply to each myself, instead of the flow doing it for me to see where I am going wrong

In my Apply to each I selected ID - Question: is this the correct out come from the previous step? (screen shot below)

But as I start to configure my start and wait for approval, I add a dynamic content i.e. Employee Name Display and the system automatically adds a second apply to each, same questions as before is this the correct out come from the previous step?

Previous Step:

This is where I get confused, as the system adds the apply to each based on my dynamic content, so how would I know if this right or wrong.

Can anyone help me and explain Apply to each and what is right or wrong please, as I can't get passed this to continue with my flow without some kind of error.

i.e. previous error, so I gave up, but I do really need to build a flow.

This is what I am trying to do:

Start & Wait for approval

When approved send an email and also update a field in a SharePoint list with Approved or Rejected depending on the outcome of the approval.

Any help or guidance please around Apply to each will really help.

Thank you & regards

Claire

[Hardesh15]

@ClaireAllen 

What is your column type named as 'Employee Name'?

You can create another test demo for approval process in case your flow is corrupted.

Thanks

Hardesh

[ClaireAllen]

Hello @Hardesh15 

My Employee Name Column in SharePoint is a Person or Group Column

Sorry I'm don't understand what you mean by - 

You can create another test demo for approval process in case your flow is corrupted.

Thank you for contacting me

Kind regards

Claire

[Hardesh15]

@ClaireAllen 

See your Employee Name is type of person field with multiple selection. That is why apply to each added automatically.

Example- if i add 5 people how flow understand this? flow iterate each person one by one.

You need to Append all Employee Name before Approval process in a string variable then supply variable value in approval process.

Thanks

Hardesh

[ClaireAllen]

Thank you @Hardesh15 

I understand, do you have any screen shots for the suggestion made.

(Append all Employee Name before Approval process in a string variable then supply variable value in approval process. )

I'm not really familiar yet with variables, so if you could provide screen shots to help, it would be appreciated.

Thank you

Claire

[Hardesh15 · Accepted solution]

@ClaireAllen 

Follow below steps-

1. Use  Employee Name Email instead of MultiP1 Email

2. Mind semicolon so that each email is separated by semi colon.

3. Now Email variable has all emails and you can assign this in approval process.

Thanks

Hardesh