Word Online (Business) Connector : Populate a Microsoft Word Template

[PhilipGoodfello]

I am trying, without success, to find clear instructions for using the "Word Online (Business) Connector : Populate a Microsoft Word Template" connector.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Philip

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Hi @PhilipGoodfello,

I can try... You need to use a *.docx-file. The add document properties do the following:

• Make sure the developer tab is added to your ribbon (link)
• Select the text you want to replace and select the following icon in the developer tab

• Save the document to OneDrive (there were some problems with SharePoint before, so use OneDrive for now)
• Select it as a template in the populate a word template action
• Fill in the properties

Hopefully this works for you! 

Let me now! 

Cheers,

Daniel

[PhilipGoodfello]

Thank you @Anonymous

That seems to have got me off the ground.  I had already noticed it wasn't finding the template file in Sharepoint and had moved it to OneDrive.  I would hope to move it back at some point so am hoping issues will be fixed.   

My missing bit of information was adding the content control in the word document.

[PhilipGoodfello]

OK, the flow has run.  The Populate template has worked without error.  However, I have not yet got any Word files. So it seems this connector does not actually save the files anywhere (unless I am looking in the the wrong place - but the only place it knows about is the folder containing the template).  How to I now save out the populated documents?

[PhilipGoodfello]

To reply to self ... I needed to add a "Create file" card (either OneDrive or Sharepoint).

[Anonymous]

Sorry, I was not available, but yeah, you have to create a file somewhere. After that you can use the Convert to PDF action to convert it to PDF.

Really love the potential of this connector! 

[Wauters]

Very cool stuff indeed! Any idea when (or how) we can use repeating section or something like conditional content? I have tried to add both "Rich Text Controls" and "Repeating Section Controls" but they are not showing up in the Connector. 

[PhilipGoodfello]

To add to the "can we/would it not be nice if" list:

I have lines of an address.  Some of the lines (each line is a single content control) are blank.  Can we suppress printing the blank lines?

[Anonymous]

I already posted some ideas in the Flow ideas forum. Add some or vote for my ideas if you want. 👍

[Anonymous]

Hi Philip,
What do you use for "File Content". I chose the "Microsoft Word document" from the "Populate..." card above, but it fails with "Invalid Template":
InvalidTemplate. Unable to process template language expressions in action 'Create_file' inputs at line '1' and column '2492': 'The template language expression 'json(decodeBase64(triggerOutputs().headers['X-MS-APIM-Tokens']))['$connections']['shared_onedriveforbusiness']['connectionId']' cannot be evaluated because property 'shared_onedriveforbusiness' doesn't exist, available properties are 'shared_wordonlinebusiness'. 
Would you mind sharing a screenshot with more details?
Thank you!

[amirf13]

Hi,
can anyone please put a print screen of the flow he made?
i am trying to create a flow that will fill the dynamic fields on the word template with an information from microsoft forms

[amirf13]

Hi,
could you please put a print screen of the flow he made?
i am trying to create a flow that will fill the dynamic fields on the word template with an information from microsoft forms

[PhilipGoodfello]

@Anonymous

Yes, "Microsoft Word document" from "Populate ..." for the file content in Create File.

I will try and paste the flow.

Perhaps there is an issue with your template file itself rather than with your flow?

[PhilipGoodfello]

@Anonymous

Flow looks like this:

 

[amirf13]

Thank you!

does the file you upload to the flow  is a docx or dotx?

I need to upload a templent in the advanced settings of the library?

[Anonymous]

docx!

[Wauters]

Some additional printscreens if helpful:

[PhilipGoodfello]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

docx!

---

Took me a while to spot that one too!

[GD20]

Has anyone tried using this with Microsoft Forms? The open text field answers are easy to incorporate, but, when using more dynamic questions like multiple choice, rating, likert, date etc., they don't match up with Plain Text Content Control. Are they any recommendations around how to match these up template controls?

[elephant_33]

Does anyone have trouble opening the file after saving it to a sharepoint library in Word Desktop? It opens in the online version but not the desktop version.