Rename files like the folder name in SharePoint

[MF-19]

Hello there,

I can't find something similar so I am here trying to find a solution to my problem.

I've a Forms in which responders need to upload files in several questions and when submitted triggers an automation that does the following:

1. Creates a new folder in a new location named after a parameter in the form
2. Copy all the files from the Form files directory to the new folder
3. Deletes all the files from the Form directory so I have a fresh beginning when a new answer is submitted

what I want to do - and I'm struggling realizing - is to add an action between point 2 and 3 that renames the copied files as the name of the folder where the original copy is taken from so I can easily pinpoint which file belongs to which answer.

Any suggestion will be very very welcome!

[nitishsh91]

Hi @MF-19 

Give it a try and see if it helps:

1. After you have used "Copy file" action to copy all the files from the Form files directory to the new folder.

2. Use a "Get file metadata" action to retrieve the metadata of the file, including the file name.

3. Use a "Compose" action to create a new file name for the copied file. You can use the folder name as a parameter and concatenate it with the original file name to create a unique name for each copied file.

4. Use a "Rename file" action to rename the copied file with the new name created in step 3.

5. Use a "For each" action to repeat the above steps for each file in the Form files directory.

6. After the files have been renamed, you can use the "Delete file" action to delete all the files from the Form files directory, so you have a fresh beginning when a new answer is submitted.

[MF-19]

I'm stuck with the Compose action. I'm not an expert and I don't know how to insert as input the name of the copied file and change it with the name of the folder from which I copied the original file. Also the source folder might contain more than one file and I have several source folder.

Let me try to represent this with some screenshot:

1. 

2. 

In screenshot 1: when a new response is submitted gets the details and uses the "Name of Application" as name of the newly created folder then I have a "Get files (properties only)" actions that allows me to get the properties of all the files and subfolder of the main folder in which the Forms attachments are uploaded (in my case the root folder is: "/Shared Documents/Apps/Microsoft Forms/IT Self-Assessment Survey - Global Apps (3)". Within this folder there are several other subfolders, one for each question that require the upload of at least 1 document - max 5).

Screenshot 2: loop that checks if the selected item is folder or not, in case is not a folder copies it into the destination folder which is the newly created folder from screenshot 1, then it deletes the original file that is located in one of the subfolder of directory "/Shared Documents/Apps/Microsoft Forms/IT Self-Assessment Survey - Global Apps (3)".

What I need is that the copied file instead having the random name that people uploading it give, should be something like: "<name of the subfolder>-<file name>".

Maybe it's better having the name of the file changed before being copied, when it is still in the subfolder of the main directory "/Shared Documents/Apps/Microsoft Forms/IT Self-Assessment Survey - Global Apps (3)".

[nitishsh91 · Accepted solution]

This gives a much better insight, try this:

Use the "When a new response is submitted" trigger to start the flow.
Use the "Create folder" action to create a new folder in the desired location, using the parameter from the form as the folder name.
Use the "Get files (properties only)" action to get the properties of all the files and subfolders of the main folder in which the Forms attachments are uploaded.
Use the "For each" action to loop through all the files that were retrieved in the previous step.
Within the "For each" loop, use the "Get file content" action to get the file content of the current file.
Use the "Create file" action to create a new file in the destination folder. Use the "concat()" function to create the new file name.
Use the "Delete file" action to delete the original file that is located in one of the subfolder of directory "/Shared Documents/Apps/Microsoft Forms/IT Self-Assessment Survey - Global Apps (3)".
This approach will copy the files to the new folder and rename them as the name of the subfolder, but it will also create a new file, which will contain the same content of the original file.

[MF-19]

Thanks a lot for your reply! I feel like I'm getting there however I have problem with the concat function.

I've found some similar case and I copied/adapted the code but it's not working and every test ends with a failure. Here the code:

concat(split(outputs('Get_files_(properties_only)')?['body/{FullPath}'],'/')[3],'_',outputs('Get_files_(properties_only)')?['body/{FilenameWithExtension}'])

what did I do wrong?

[MF-19]

Fixed the concat issue:

concat(split(split(items('Apply_to_each')?['{FullPath}'], '/')[4], ' ')[0],'_',items('Apply_to_each')?['{FilenameWithExtension}'])

what this concat does is: split the FullPath of the file and takes only the name of the folder in which the file is located -> then I split the name again because the folder's name is very long and because of the structure of the Form I have each folder starting with a little code of four digits.

Then it contacts the four digit code with "_" and the file name with extension.

Here how it looks: