Using @split to extract URL from email body text

[MrNigel]

We have a solution that sends emails containing a URL at the start of the body text (with further text after the URL which we want to discard) and want to upload this to a SPO list URL column.  This is a standard "When new email arrives" --> "HTML to text"-->"Compose @split" flow.  This is the email body in Outlook:

Outlook email body text

The output from the HTML to text action looks OK except that the space after the URL is bring translated to a new line:

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Microsoft-Forms-Blog/What-s-New-in-Microsoft-Forms-Oct-Nov-20...
This is text after the URL

We are using @split to extract the URL only as this is the first 'column' but in the split function I have tried ' ', '%20', '\n' for the separator but it just passes all the text through:

[

"https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Microsoft-Forms-Blog/What-s-New-in-Microsoft-Forms-Oct-Nov-20... is text after the URL"

]

This is the function in the Compose action, I have tried double quoting it as per other articles but it makes no difference:

split(body('Html_to_text_-_email_body'),'\n')

All I want is the URL https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Microsoft-Forms-Blog/What-s-New-in-Microsoft-Forms-Oct-Nov-20...so I can use it in a Create item action to fill at SPO list URL column.

I guess I am missing quotes/brackets somewhere but cannot figure out which/where.

TIA

Nigel

[Jay-Encodian]

Hey @MrNigel 

I think this does what you need... I played with this for quite a while and may have missed what you're trying to do!

The email...

The final extracted output from the HTML email body: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/Microsoft-Forms-Blog/What-s-New-in-Microsoft-Forms-Oct-Nov-20

The Flow:

The expressions:

'Compose - URI Encode' : uriComponent(body('Html_to_text'))

'Compose - Split on Encoded Line Break' : split(outputs('Compose_2'),'%0A')

'Compose - Decode First Item in Array' : decodeUriComponent(first(outputs('Compose')))

HTH

Jay

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[MrNigel]

Hi Jay,

Updated my Flow with your mods, all green ticks but when I look at the SPO list then entire body text has been saved as a URL:

Added the expressions as a comments so visible

What it has done is encode the entire body text as a single URL string (presumably the lat Compose action doing its stuff!  IMHO it is the split function 'separator' that is the issue.  To test it I used the letter 'm' and it duly broke up the string on every occurrence of 'm'.  I have tried various combinations of '%0A', '%0D', '\n', '\\n' but all pass through the body text unaltered.  It seems to be an issue when using a non-ASCII separator character - I even tried removing the single quotes around the %0A but that wouldn't let me save.

Has anyone successfully used @split with a non-ASCII separator?

Tks

Nigel

[Jay-Encodian · Accepted solution]

Hey @MrNigel 

I've tested this as per the Flow I'd sent across, it does work 🙂

Can you add a screen shot showing the outputs from each of the actions? and can you share the configuration of your 'Create item - SPO List' action please?

%0A is the encoded representation of '\n'... you can't use ' ' or '\n' to split a string... but you can split a string using the encoded version which is why I'd converted to a URI.

Example:

 Cheers J

[master_NK]

Im trying to do the same, Extract a URL from an Email, that i receive daily, this Link is a ZIP file that i save to sharepoint.

Problem is , when @split to extract i get the whole email body and not just the url

[MrNigel]

@master_NK This is how I did it, the key item is  the '%0A'

[aanyoti1]

Hi,

I am facing a similar issue only that the URL is in between the email text, how can this be split? 

[Jay-Encodian]

Hi @aanyoti1 

Can you raise a new thread and clearly explain what your trying to achieve? i.e. the input and outputs you require

Thanks J