Approval Goes to One Person Instead of Multiple - Apply to Each issue?

[Anonymous]

Hi. Part of my flow isn't behaving as it should. It's an approval flow which goes and fetches a list of users from a list, then sends an approval email to all of the people in that list and waits for the first person to respond to that email before moving on. However what seems to happen is, the approval email goes to only one person, waits for them to do something, then once they have either approved or rejected the approval email then goes to the next person in that list. Which is not how I would like it to behave; I want it to go to everyone on the list at once. Here is a screenshot of this particular section. Is it because the Apply to Each happens sequentially rather than all together at once? Meaning it is doing a 'Start and Wait'.... waiting... then once that person makes a choice the Apply to Each sends the 'Start and Wait' to the next person? I am assuming this is the issue, and now wondering the best way to make it behave how I'd like. Perhaps change it from a 'Start and Wait' to 'Create Approval' then send it outwith the Apply to Each...?

[DamoBird365 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous 

Your email field has created the apply to each 2, so it will be creating seperate approvals.  You want to create a string of emails and drop the apply to each.  Have a look at this https://powerusers.microsoft.com/t5/General-Power-Automate/Start-and-wait-for-approval-from-a-dynamic-list-of-users/m-p/520808#M48449

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly.
Cheers,
Damien

P.S. take a look at my new blog here

[Anonymous]

Hi, and thanks for the response.

I'm looking through this now and trying to fix mine. I'm having issue though where you say:

"After that, you should only have the Approval action (not in the loop) and in the Assigned to field use an expression: join(variables('ListOfApprovers',';')"

Using this (altered to match my own variable name) I simply get "The expression is invalid".

As seen in the screenshot. Am I missing something? Why can't I set this expression in the Assigned To field as you suggested?

[DamoBird365]

@Anonymous so close...  misssing a closing bracket?  To close off the join parenthesis.

join(variables('ListOfApprovers',';'))  <-missing