Sharepoint trigger 'for a selected item'

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I am trying to use the Sharepoint trigger 'for a selected item' to start a flow. I selected the Site Address and the List Name, but I do not understand how I select an item from the list to trigger the flow. There are no other options.

I would expect to be able to somehow select an item from the list after which the flow would start.

Please advise.

Thanks

[Mike2500]

In a SharePoint list that is set to use the modern UI, select an item, and then click flow --> create a flow. This will bring up a list of templates on the right, including "create a custom action for the selected item". 

I agree that the trigger named "for a selected item" sounds like a good option, but to my knowlege, MS has not provided any documentation as to how to work with that trigger.  

[v-monli-msft]

Hi @Anonymous,

The SharePoint – For a selected item is currently not usable. We will be adding support in SharePoint imminently so that flows created with this trigger will be callable from SharePoint.

Regards,

Mona

[Anonymous]

Hello,

So if I understand correctly this trigger will be activated very soon and will work?

Any idea on a specific date so I can follow this up?

Thanks and regards

Wim

[v-monli-msft]

Hi @Anonymous,

Sorry that we do not have an exact date to tell now.

Regards,

Mona

[Anonymous]

Hello,

It would be very useful to have this. We have a specific case whereby we would like to trigger 2 separate flows that will send approval mails based on changes in specific list items and set a yes/no column to yes in that list if everybody approves.

Thanks

Wim  

[efialttes]

@v-monli-msft

Is this new feature interfering with the tradidional way to implemant this, explained by @merwan in by @merwan in https://flow.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/flow-in-spo-document-libraries/  ?

I am having problems with such traditional approach, I explained them briefly in https://powerusers.microsoft.com/t5/Using-Flows/Flow-on-demand-for-a-selected-file-not-available-on-...

Thank you in advance!

[merwan]

Hi @efialttes, this is not expected. Few things to check:

1. Are you checking for Flow#2, Flow#3, etc. after selecting an item in library#2? On-demand flows act on a selected item, so something must be selected. 

2. Is the trigger of your flow - "When an HTTP request is received" or "For a selected item"? It must be HTTP Request as the "For a selected item" is not supported (we will start rolling out this functionality in the coming weeks). 

3. Could you please confirm that you are creating the Flow using one of the templates in the panel on the right hand side after an item is selected? 

Looping in @KeremY as an FYI. 

[Anonymous]

Hello @merwan

I tried creating a flow by selecting an item and selecting the template 'Request manager approval for the selected item'. However since my approval flow is a bit more complicated (I need 1 approval by the actual requestor and 2 approval levels via mail followed by an update of the item in the list) I tried to remove some of the building blocks in the flow, but I couldn't.

I then tried to select an item in the list and create a flow from blank, but when I selected the trigger 'When an HTTP request is received' I was unable to add a next action or condition.

I'm glad to hear that the Sharepoint trigger 'for a selected item' will be rolled out in the coming weeks.

Wim

[efialttes]

@Anonymous

Did you check there is not any other action block depending on the outputs of the one you want to delete? IF not, please follow the instructions from the screenshot, a warning message is shown in such a case

Hope this helps

 

[Anonymous]

Hello @merwan

Let me take advantage of the fact that you are a senior program manager for Flow... 🙂

This is what my ideal scenario would look like:

1. A user creates a new list item and gives it the status 'Pending' in a choice field 'Status'. Data is still missing, so we cannot start an approval flow for management yet.

2. The user has collected the necessary data and sets the choice field 'Status' to 'Pending Approval'. A customized flow (so not one of your templates, but a flow started from a template, but modified or created from blank) is kicked off. If approved the choice field 'Status' is automatically changed to 'Visit Approved'.

3. Once the visit is approved a budget needs to be allocated and approved. The choice field 'Status' is changed to 'Pending Budget Approval' and a second approval flow is kicked off. If approved the choice field is changed to another value again.

This is of course the ideal scenario.

I would already be very happy with a situation whereby a user can select an item in a list, kick off a specific flow we built and have a column of the type 'Yes/No' swiched from yes to no (I know that this works since I build a flow that does that). In my scenario I would then have a 'YES/NO' column called Visit Approved and a second one called 'Budget Approved'. The real status column would need to be modified manually by the user.

Thank your for your thoughts on this.

Regards

Wim

[efialttes]

@merwan@KeremY

First of all - thank you very much for looking into this!

1.- Yes, I first select an item on the library, then search for the flow created by clicking on the SP Flow menu

2.- I am using a template, the trigger displayed is "When an HTTP request is received"

3.- Yes, I have tried two different templates on the panel of the right after an item is selected

Please fin enclosed screenshots about the process I am following on library#2. The Flow I've just created is just for test purposes, that's why it is so simple

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Hello,

@merwan@KeremY

I could not delete the step and got no error message, but then I tried to delete the last step in the template and work my way up. This worked perfectly, meaning that I was able to delete all but the first 2 steps of the template and add an action.

I then saved the flow and was able to kick it off by selecting an item in a list.

I then created a second flow and when I selected another item I saw the flow via the Flow option and was able to start it, so I do not have the problem you are having with the second flow not being visible.

Thank you for your help.

Wim

[merwan]

@Anonymous - For your scenario, you'll either have to use this template: https://preview.flow.microsoft.com/en-us/galleries/public/templates/1900e1b496874e98ae32b1a345d920ff/complete-a-custom-action-for-the-selected-item

OR paste in the below request body JSON schema into the flow you've created from scratch. The below is what creates the output tokens that can be used in the other steps like Get item. 

{

"type": "object",

"properties": {

"ID": {

"type": "integer"

},

"itemURL": {

"type": "string"

},

"fileName": {

"type": "string"

}

}

}

[katonage]

I created sharepoint Triggered flow from the same approval template. You can change the flow but it disappears from the sharepoint as soon as you delete the sharepoint / get item action. This is for some unknown reasons necessary. So in my flow I immediately pass the process to a http call but I had to include an unnecessary get item action.
I have problem with retrieving the 'requestor' so any info about who has actually pressed the button...

[Mike2500]

You said you were testing this from different browsers/machines. Were you logged in as the same user? Flows created as you described are only available to the user who created the flow, not all users of the SharePoint library.

[katonage]

I tested flow editing being slow on multiple browsers.

Fortunately sharepoint and flows actually work the same on any browser.

Please try the test case: select the sharepoint item approval template and start deleting actions from it. Callig the flow from sharepoint will dissapear when you delete the last sharepoint action from the flow. I guess this is used in the background to link sharepoint and the flow, but it is not documented.

g.

[merwan]

Hi @katonage - yes indeed. The SharePoint Get item action is what we use to link the flow to the SharePoint list or library. 

[katonage]

I've read with excitement that new sharepoint flow management tools are rolling out.

1 can we have info about that?

2 when does that roll reaches central Europe?

[merwan]

Hi @katonage - Are you referring to the new "for a selected item" trigger and the flow launch panel? If so, we talk about it in this Ignite session video, starting at 21:17 and up to 27:16 - https://myignite.microsoft.com/sessions/55718?source=sessions. We don't have an exact date for when it'll reach Central Europe, but it's approximately within the next month.