Creating bulk flows

[Fidesh]

Hello,

I'm a newbie in flows, I managed to create a flow which fits perfectly our needs for one folder, but I need one for each of 400+ folders.

Here is the context (it is in a University) : 

Folder architecture :

SP Site 1 - Program 1 - Lesson 1 - Teacher A

                                                    - Teacher B

                                                    - Teacher C

                                   - Lesson 2 - Teacher A

                                                    - Teacher D

              -  Program 2 - SubProgram 1 - Lesson 1 - Teacher B

                                                                               - Teacher E

                                   - SubProgram 2 - Lesson 1 - Teacher F

              - Program 3 - Lesson 1 - Teacher G

                                  - Lesson 2 - Teacher C

What the actual flow does : It is attached to SP Site 1 - Program 1 - Lesson 1 - Teacher A, and for each file dropped in it, or folder created in it, permissions of this folder/file are changed for :

- The creator has edit permissions

- The users having unique permissions on the parent folder (Teacher A, in our case, the user having unique perms on this folder is the teacher himself) have read permissions on the file.

This is the part that is working, and here is what it looks like : 

The only "variable" hardcoded in this is the Folder in "When a file is created", which is "SP Site 1/Program 1/Lesson 1/Teacher A".

We have 400+ folders which would need this flow, each "Teacher X" folder. If needed, I will copy/paste it 400+ times and change the Folder variable in each, but I'm pretty sure that there is a more clever way to do this.

I'm stuck here with no idea on how to do this. I've been thinking of creating bulk flows via Powershell but I'm pretty sure that isn't ideal and I didn't found much information about this. I wish there was a way to do this directly in Flows that I haven't think of yet. 

Thank you very much for helping,

Fidesh.

[vivekpande18]

Hi @Fidesh , 

Definitely the way you are thinking is not efficient. 

Can you send the screenshot  of the action where you are hardcoding that folder path. 

Send the expanded view of the action

Thanks, 

Vivek

[Fidesh]

Hello Vivek,

At the first step :

Thanks for replying 🙂

Fidesh

[vivekpande18]

Hi @Fidesh , 

Folder structure are fixed, right? Till Teacher A/B/C....

Need to change the permission inside to file or folder created inside Teacher? 

Thanks

Vivek

[Fidesh]

Hi @vivekpande18,

The structure is not really fixed, it changes (not entirely though) at every semester or year. The whole structure is created and updated via Powershell, with the corresponding rights (Specific unique right on each folder "Edit" for the teacher, although the teacher already has this right as the members also have this "Edit" right. But it allows me to automatize the "Read" rights for children files/folders, by getting parent's unique rights and putting these people in "Read" for the new file/folder created).

I hope it sounds clear.

Thanks again,

Fidesh

[vivekpande18]

So entire structure creation and permission managed by powershell. We need to manage the permission of the final files/folder created inside using flow. 

Is my understanding clear? 

Thanks

Vivek

[Fidesh]

Yes that's it. Actually we have multiple folders after Teachers, as /Semester 1/Assessment 1/Group A, /Semester 1/Assessment 1/Group B or just /Assessment 1, things like that but that does not change the way it works. Until now we managed everything via Powershell, with a new folder created at the name of the student for every "final folder", but that is a bit over 40 000 folders created and that is a nightmare to manage when a student changes its program,... That's why we give it a try with Powerautomate.

Thanks again, 

Fidesh. 

[vivekpande18 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Fidesh ,

I tried replicating your scenario at my end. Please find below steps.

This flow will run on the entire library and not just restricted to any particular folder.

Document Library I created : Program

1- Trigger 

Folder : keep it blank, it will capture the activities on all the folder

2- Initialized variable to check, whether created entity is folder or file.

3- To capture the entire path for permission.

4- Condition to provide or break permission

I have replicated till break permission, as I don't know to whom you are providing permission.

Note : if you do any activity at any level of folder it will trigger flow.

Thanks

Vivek

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[Fidesh]

Hello Vivek,

That indeed does the job 🙂 That's what I said, an easy solution I hadn't think of!

Thanks a lot,

Fidesh.