Create Document from SharePoint List

[nhalvorson]

I'm new to Flow, and fairly new to SharePoint. So far I'm finding myself unable to do what I need. I'm really hoping that it's just my inexperience, but it's extremely frustrating.

Right now I am trying to create a flow that will generate a new document in my SharePoint library when a new item is added to my SharePoint list. I want it to pull the list data and populate the new document using the template that I created for my document library. I have search all over trying to find how to do this and everything that I've found uses SharePoint workflows and SharePoint Designer. From what I can tell, SharePoint Designer doesn't exist anymore and the only SharePoint workflow that shows as an option is a three-state workflow.

Due to company policies, I cannot do this using any third-party add-ons.

Someone please tell me that this is possible to do using Flow?

[Anonymous]

I am in the same scenario. I have been researching the past hour. I can do text file outputs but not output with a word template and use something like a merge. Other posts state it can be done.

[v-yuazh-msft]

Hi @ nhalvorson,

What is the document type of the template that you would use for your document library? Is it the word document or excel document？

Could you please share a screenshot of the content of the template document?

If your template is an excel document, Microsoft flow support to insert row to an excel file in services such as “OneDrive” , “OneDrive for Business”, “Dropbox”, “Google Drive” and so on as screenshots below:

You could store the excel in the services to such as “OneDrive”, you could use “insert row” action of OneDrive Connector to insert the dynamic content of your sharepoint item to the excel.

Regards,
Alice Zhang

[nhalvorson]

I'm using a word .docx as my library template. I have figured out how to use the create file and update file properties to generate a new word doc and insert the metadata into the file, however this step still does not generate a document that is formatted as my template.

I am also able to save the template to my library and use the 'copy file' step to generate a new, formatted file that is named based on the list item being updated. After the 'copy file' step, the dynamic content does not populate with the item id for the new file, my only option is file size. Is there a way to use expressions to determine the item id from the 'copy file' step?

It seems at this point I can either have a file with the metadata, or a file based on my template, and not both.

[nhalvorson · Accepted solution]

I was able to create a functional flow to acheive this. If there is an easier way, I couldn't figure it out. Here's my workaround.

Create word document with desired template. Put this document into my sharepoint library and assign quick parts for the column metadata that I will fill in from my list information.

Set up a flow to copy and rename that file in the library when a new list item is added. I then have an approval step. If the new list item is rejected, the document copy and the list item are deleted. If the item is approved, it is assigned a tracking number, and I pull the item id for the new file through the get metadata through path step (to this point, the copy file step does not populate the item id). Then I'm using the 'update file properties' step to assign the list item column data into the new file's quick parts.

I'm actually then going a step farther, and using the 'get file content using path' step to then create a file and have this file stored on the server in addition to our sharepoint document.

This is all working to fill in my template and update it when changes are made to my list. Hope this helps someone!

[mykel]

Hi nhalvorson,

Would you mind posting a screenshot of your flow?  How are you assigning the list variables into the web parts of the document?

[nhalvorson]

Unfortunately, I'm in the middle of a major overhaul on this Flow (for other reasons) and I had to break everything before rebuilding it. So a screenshot right now wouldn't help you much. I've got web parts on my word document so that when I use the update file properties action I can assign the SharePoint list columns to the web parts. That puts the data from each column into its respective field on the template.

[LegOps63]

Would you be so kind as to create a quick How To video for this?! It would be greatly appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Thank you so much - this worked perfectly!!  🙂 

[Anonymous]

How is this an accepted solution? Please post screen shot of flow.

Thanks

[CFernandes]

I have written a blog, which will help you convert a List item to PDF using a Button for a SharePoint Form customized in PowerApps https://clavinfernandes.wordpress.com/2018/11/07/convert-a-list-item-to-pdf-using-a-button-for-a-sha...

[WonderLaura]

Here's a post that I just wrote about how to send metadata to Flow, and Flow generates a Word document with the Quick Parts populated.

https://wonderlaura.com/2019/01/09/microsoft-flow-quick-parts/

[danmitchell36]

@nhalvorson ,

There is a new Microsoft Word connector that allows you to do this without using quick parts.

Check out this blog post I wrote on it here: https://www.dmcinfo.com/latest-thinking/blog/id/9838/overview-of-microsoft-flows-new-word-online-con...

Let me know what you think!

[TimWild]

Hi,

Could you expand on "assign quick parts" in your solution please?

Scenario:

I have a sharepoint list which collects the data I need.  I want to populate the data from the list into a formatted word document.  This sounds similar to what you were wanting to achieve.

Did you have to add a bookmark where you wanted the text to go?  When adding a quick part, I keep seeing 'Error: Bookmark not defined'.

What type of quickpart did you use in your solution, I have been through the entire list a few times and the various options which seem sensible, don't seem to want to work for me.

Thank you for any assistance/guidance you can provide.