Turning decimal to integer

[nbrown02]

Hi there,

I have a field CycleTimeDays that I am getting from Azure DevOps Odata API which I want to populate a custom field (integer) in ADO called 'Cycle Time'. It works fine for whole numbers (e.g. 0) but will nearly every time return a number with 7 decimal places.

What step(s) do I need to add into my flow to convert this into a whole number (rounded up) every time?

[ManishSolanki]

Hi @nbrown02 

To round off a decimal number to integer, pls use 'Format number' action. Here is an example:

pls pass the value of cycle time as input.

If this helps, please remember to give a 👍 and accept my solution as it will help others in the future.

Thanks

[David_MA]

With the help of a post from @ScottShearer on this topic and ChatGTP, I think I found a solution to round up. This has not been fully tested, so please be sure to do some testing with this as ChatGPT can provide incorrect information.

if(greaterOrEquals(mod(variables('CycleTimeDays'),1),0.5),formatNumber(variables('CycleTimeDays'),'0'),if(less(mod(variables('CycleTimeDays'),1),0.5),if(equals(mod(variables('CycleTimeDays'),1),0),formatNumber(variables('CycleTimeDays'),'0'),add(int(first(split(string(variables('CycleTimeDays')),'.'))),1)),first(split(string(variables('CycleTimeDays')),'.'))))

Following is the breakdown of how it works from ChatGPT.

Certainly! Here's an explanation of the expression:

The expression is used to round up a decimal number (CycleTimeDays) to the next whole number. It checks the fractional part of the number and applies the rounding logic accordingly.

1. if(greaterOrEquals(mod(variables('CycleTimeDays'),1),0.5), ... , ...): This condition checks if the fractional part of CycleTimeDays is greater than or equal to 0.5.
2. If the fractional part is greater than or equal to 0.5, it executes the code inside the first set of parentheses.
3. formatNumber(variables('CycleTimeDays'),'0'): This function formats CycleTimeDays as a whole number, rounding it up to the nearest whole number. The '0' parameter specifies that it should be rounded to 0 decimal places.
4. If the fractional part is less than 0.5, it executes the code inside the second set of parentheses.
5. if(equals(mod(variables('CycleTimeDays'),1),0), ... , ...): This condition checks if the fractional part is exactly equal to 0.
6. If the fractional part is equal to 0, it executes the code inside the nested if statement.
7. formatNumber(variables('CycleTimeDays'),'0'): This function formats CycleTimeDays as a whole number, returning the original value as it is.
8. If the fractional part is not equal to 0, it executes the code inside the nested else part of the second if statement.
9. add(int(first(split(string(variables('CycleTimeDays')),'.'))),1): This code extracts the integer part of CycleTimeDays, increments it by 1, and returns the result.
10. If none of the above conditions are met, it means that CycleTimeDays is already a whole number, so the expression returns the original value without any modifications.

The expression utilizes functions like mod, greaterOrEquals, less, equals, formatNumber, int, split, and add to perform the necessary calculations and comparisons to round up the decimal number.

[David_MA]

This does not round up, however:

Is there a way to make the Format number action always round up?

[nbrown02]

Thanks both - do I need to do anything involving initializing a variable? At the minute it’s just passing the value and I’m not sure that’s correct…

[David_MA · Accepted solution]

The easiest thing for you to do would be the following:

1. Before your Apply to each action initialize a variable of float type with variable name CycleTimeDays.
2. Before your update item action, but within the Apply to each, insert a Set variable action and set it to the value that you currently have in Other fields next to cycle time. You may need to insert it after your Azure action, but you can then drag the Azure action below the Set variable action.
3. You can then use the expression builder and copy and paste the expression from my earlier post exactly as it is. Note: if you don't name the variable exactly as shown, you will need to update the expression accordingly. 

Attached is a manually triggered flow so you can see how it works. No connections are required, so it shouldn't have any sensitive information in it.

If you don't know how to import a flow, go to My flows and click Import > Import Package (Legacy) which should give you this prompt:

Just press import.

[nbrown02]

Amazing - yes that has worked! Thank you 🙂