Start a flow in a canvas app

  • 2 minutes to read
  • Contributors
    • Stephen Siciliano
    • Anne Frances Owen
    • VSC-Service-Account
    • Michael Blythe

You can use Microsoft Flow to create logic that performs one or more tasks when an event occurs in a canvas app. For example, configure a button so that, when a user selects it, an item is created in a SharePoint list, an email or meeting request is sent, a file is added to the cloud, or all of these. You can configure any control in the app to start the flow, which continues to run even if you close PowerApps.

Note

When a user runs a flow from within an app, that user must have permission to perform the tasks that are specified in the flow. Otherwise, the flow will fail.

Prerequisites

Create a flow

  1. Sign in to PowerApps.

  2. In the left navigation bar, select Business logic, and then select Flows.

  3. In the upper-left corner of the My Flows page, select New, and then select Create from blank.

    Option to create a flow without using a template

  4. Near the bottom of the page that appears, select Search hundreds of connections and triggers.

  5. In the search box, type PowerApps, and then select the PowerApps icon.

    Create a PowerApps trigger

  6. On the next page, select the PowerApps icon again, and then select New step.

  7. In the box that says Search connectors and actions, specify an action for your flow, as in this example:

    1. Type SharePoint in the box, and then select Create item in the list under Actions.

      Option to create a SharePoint item

    2. If prompted, provide credentials to connect to SharePoint.

    3. In the Site Address box, type or paste the URL of a SharePoint Online site that contains a list.

      Note

      Don't append the name of the list to the URL.

    4. In the List Name box, specify the list that you want to use.

      Specify list

    5. Select the input box for a field in your list (such as Title), select See more in the dynamic-content pane, and then select Ask in PowerApps.

      Add Ask in PowerApps parameter to Title field

  8. (optional) Specify one or more additional steps, such as sending approval mail to an address that you specify or creating a related entry in another data source.

  9. Near the upper-left corner, type or paste a name for your flow, and then select Save near the upper-right corner.

Add a flow to an app

  1. In the left navigation bar, select Create.

  2. Hover over the Canvas app from blank tile, and then select Make this app.

  3. Add a Text input control, and name it RecordTitle.

  4. Add a Button control, and move it under RecordTitle.

  5. With the Button control selected, select Flows on the Action tab.

    Flows option on the Action tab

  6. In the pane that appears, select the flow that you created in the previous procedure.

    Note

    If the flow that you created isn't available, confirm whether PowerApps is set to the environment in which you created the flow.

    Add a flow from the customization pane

  7. In the formula bar, type or paste RecordTitle.Text) at the end of the formula that's been automatically added.

    OnSelect property that includes the flow

Test the flow

  1. Double-click the Text input control, and type or paste some text into it.

  2. While holding down the Alt key, select the Button control.

    A SharePoint item is created in the list that you specified with the text that you specified as the title. If the list was open when the flow ran, you might need to refresh your browser window to show the changes.