Power Automate: SharePoint – When a file is created (properties only) Trigger

The “When a file is created (properties only)” trigger is an excellent way to control files by automating the actions that deal with them.

Today we’ll look at how it works and how to use it efficiently.

Where to find it?

To find it, you can search for the “When a file is created (properties only)” action or go to “SharePoint.”

Select “When a file is created (properties only)” from the list.

Here’s what it looks like.

Let’s check how to use it.

Usage

The trigger requires the following information:

1. Site address – where to look for new files
2. Library Name – since we can have multiple libraries, we need to define which one we’ll look at.
3. Folder – The folder is optional since you can define that you want to catch all files created in the document library.

Here’s an example:

Let’s upload a new Document.docx (ok, I’m not the most creative person when it comes to naming things) and see what happens:

Notice that we uploaded the file into the “Attachment” folder, and Flow catches the file creation. Another essential thing to consider is right in the trigger’s name. Power Automate will only return the file’s properties, so if you want to get the file contents, you must use the “Get file content” Action.

Outputs

The trigger returns a lot of information in a JSON format, although the conversion from JSON is done automatically for you. Here’s an example:

{
  "headers": {
    <redacted>
  },
  "body": {
    "@odata.etag": "\"2\"",
    "ItemInternalId": "95",
    "ID": 95,
    "Modified": "2021-11-04T11:15:03Z",
    "Editor": {
      "@odata.type": "#Microsoft.Azure.Connectors.SharePoint.SPListExpandedUser",
      "Claims": "i:0#.f|membership|manuel@manueltgomes.com",
      "DisplayName": "Manuel Gomes",
      "Email": "manuel@manueltgomes.com",
      "Picture": "https://manueltgomescom.sharepoint.com/sites/Test/_layouts/15/UserPhoto.aspx?Size=L&AccountName=manuel@manueltgomes.com",
      "Department": "",
      "JobTitle": ""
    },
    "Editor#Claims": "i:0#.f|membership|manuel@manueltgomes.com",
    "Created": "2021-11-04T11:15:01Z",
    "Author": {
      "@odata.type": "#Microsoft.Azure.Connectors.SharePoint.SPListExpandedUser",
      "Claims": "i:0#.f|membership|manuel@manueltgomes.com",
      "DisplayName": "Manuel Gomes",
      "Email": "manuel@manueltgomes.com",
      "Picture": "https://manueltgomescom.sharepoint.com/sites/Test/_layouts/15/UserPhoto.aspx?Size=L&AccountName=manuel@manueltgomes.com",
      "Department": null,
      "JobTitle": null
    },
    "Author#Claims": "i:0#.f|membership|manuel@manueltgomes.com",
    "OData__DisplayName": "",
    "{Identifier}": "Shared%2bDocuments%252fAttachment%252fDocument1.docx",
    "{IsFolder}": false,
    "{Thumbnail}": <redacted>,
    "{Link}": "https://manueltgomescom.sharepoint.com/sites/Test/Shared%20Documents/Attachment/Document1.docx?d=w177b5536d74b42c39b817d9801342d10",
    "{Name}": "Document1",
    "{FilenameWithExtension}": "Document1.docx",
    "{Path}": "Shared Documents/Attachment/",
    "{FullPath}": "Shared Documents/Attachment/Document1.docx",
    "{IsCheckedOut}": false,
    "{VersionNumber}": "1.0",
    "{TriggerWindowStartToken}": "MTszOzNlZDk2NGQzLTk1YzMtNGJlY1y04M2E3LWJjOGEyOTk3NmJlYTs2zc3MTYyMTI3zNTUxMzAwMDA7NTg4MDE1NjY3",
    "{TriggerWindowEndToken}": "MTszOzNlZDk2NGQzLTk1YzMtNGJlY1y04M2E3LWJjOGEyOTk3NmJlYTs2zc3MTYyMTI3zNTUxMzAwMDA7NTg4MDE1NjY3"
  }
}

There’s a lot of information, but some are pretty useful. First, look at the properties and some tricks to improve your data.

Identifier vs. ID

The file identifier is used to fetch things like its content and is required in other actions, like the “Get file content,” for example. Notice that we have the “Identifier” and the “ID.” They serve different purposes. The “Identifier” is used in the actions to fetch the file itself.

To understand why the ID is, we need to understand that files in SharePoint are stored as items in a list. We see them as “files,” but we can add additional properties. Let’s open the list and see how to add the “ID.

Pick “ID”

You’ll see it in the list.

So think of it as follows:

1. The “Identifier” is the file itself, where we can get the file size, path, and contents, for example.
2. The “ID” is the file’s list properties, like the modified date and other columns we add to augment the file’s information.

Properties vs. Columns

Files have properties like the file size and path, but you can add more columns to augment the file’s information. For example, if you want to have a column with an approval status, you do the following:

Add the options.

Here’s what it looks like.

You can do this to any document library and have many more information associated with files. However, please remember to use the “ID” and not the “Identifier to edit this information.”

Limitations

You can’t access files in a shared library.

Recommendations

Here are some things to keep in mind.

The folder is optional but think about it.

SharePoint document libraries can be pretty busy, and Power Automate will trigger a lot depending on the files created. Limit the folders you want to look at as much as possible, but if not possible, plan for what happens when the Flow triggers a lot, like quotas, for example.

Never generate the ID or Identifier.

I always recommend against generating the ID. Although getting the ID by encoding the special characters is possible, it’s pretty error-prone if you know the path. For example, if Microsoft changes something in Power Automate, you’ll get into trouble, but if you use the IDs from other actions, your Flows become future-proof of any changes.

Name it correctly

The name is super important since we can get the trigger from anywhere and with anything. Always build the name so that other people can understand what you are using without opening the action and checking the details.

Always add a comment.

Adding a comment will also help avoid mistakes. Indicate your expectations, why the Flow should be triggered, and the data used. It’s essential to enable faster debugging when something goes wrong.

Back to the Power Automate Trigger Reference.

Photo by Henry & Co. on Unsplash