Create a Microsoft planner task for a selected file in SharePoint - assign a user

[DetourNoir]

Hi all, I've just discovered the "Create a Microsoft planner task for a selected file in SharePoint" flow in PowerAutomate. Works great, my only issue is that I can't see a way to assign the task to a specific user (it automatically just assigns the task to me first - I can go into Planner and change the assignee afterwards but I'd rather assign it immediately). Is there a way to choose the assignee when using this flow? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

@DetourNoir ,

could you share a screenshot of your flow?

the Create a Task action should allow you to set an assignee:

In my example, I am using the user's email address from an excel spreadsheet. If the user's email address is in your SharePoint list, you should be able to use that through Dynamic Content.

thanks,

Kyle

[DetourNoir]

Thanks Kyle - see screenshot below - I guess what I want is to have a list of email addresses of people in my company to choose from(I guess from Active Directory?)so that the user can be assigned before the flow is triggered - is that possible?

https://imgur.com/a/soD6d1J

[Anonymous]

@DetourNoir ,

Based on your screenshot, it looks like you've got the right idea about assigning a certain user or users to a task you're creating. The next thing to do is make sure that what you are passing into the "Assigned User ID" field in the Create a Task Action block identifies the desired users.

And if you want to have those users determined before the flow runs, then that means that there has to be a column in your SP list that identifies the assigned user(s).

Are you talking about having a dropdown list of email addresses in an "Assigned" field in your SharePoint list? That's not really a Power Automate issue, though. That has more to do with SharePoint before Power Automate is even in the picture.

[DetourNoir]

Thanks Kyle - perhaps it would help to post screenshots of what i am doing. First, I am going to the file in SharePoint, clicking on the ellipsis, clicking on "Automate", then clicking "Create a Microsoft planner task for a selected file in SharePoint".  Then the "Run Flow" window pops up on the right hand side, see screenshots below.  There is no way at any point during this process where the user could be prompted to select a user to assign the task to? Thanks...

https://imgur.com/a/soD6d1J

[Anonymous]

@DetourNoir ,

Creating that flow from SharePoint set up a basic template in your PowerAutomate list of flows.

Now you can go and edit that flow in Power Automate. The "Automate" process is not for setting up a new planner task right then, it's for creating a Flow that will allow you to create a task for a selected Item.

There will be no prompt for the assignee when you run the flow, because you need to set the assignee in the flow before it's run. This is why you need a field in your SP list that has the user's email address. You need to replace the Dynamic Content "x-ms-user-email" with the column name that has the assignee's email address.

Then, when  you run the flow for a selected item, the user's email address that is on that item will be plugged into the "Assigned User ID" field of the new Planner Task.

thanks,

Kyle

[DetourNoir]

Hi Kyle - apologies, I just saw your reply. So it is impossible to allow the user to assign an email address to a task when the Flow is triggered - it has to be assigned statically within the Flow or changed via Planner - is that correct?  Thanks!

[Anonymous]

@DetourNoir ,

To my knowledge, there is no way to prompt the user for any input when the flow is run.

Like I said, though, if you can have an email address field in the sharepoint list on which you want the flow to run, you can set the flow up so that it automatically grabs the email address out of that field and assigns the task to that email address.

Thanks,

Kyle