Change value in arrays

[buzz2095]

Hi, I'm not sure if what I am asking for is possible in a very simple solution. The question is 

Is it possible to change the values in an array using a switch? (Explanation below)

I am wanting to create new records in Microsoft Dynamics 365 based on a web form submission.

Originally the field I am now having trouble with was a single select field and I was able to change the value of that field by using a switch. My steps were

Initialise Variable: Identifying the field from the webform (String)

Initialise Variable: Creating a variable for CRM (Integer) and then 

Switch: to change the string value to an integer.

This has worked perfectly until the web form design changed and now the field has been changed to a multi-choice field which presents as a string. I have converted into an array and we have a very long and tedious "replace" expression which replaces the different strings to the appropriate integer. There are over 50 values I need to convert with new topics being added. One of the main reasons I want to change how I am managing this is if the options selected are

{Arts

 Arts and Design

 Darts}

then the replace command changes the string to

{166000

 166000 and Design

 D166000}

Which is obviously incorrect. I don't need a resolution for this because I have fixed it already, but with new topics being added to the list I don't want to have failures because of this oversight. I've looked high and low for a possible answer and thought I'd just come and ask the brains trust.

Is it possible to change the values in an array using a switch?

Thanks

[ekarim2020]

Hi @buzz2095 ,

I'm not clear on the question question, but it seems like you are asking how to update a choice field in Dataverse with a new value, and if new choice values are added to D365, the flow is able to handle that without generating an error?

I don't work with D65 and very little with Dataverse, but take a look at the following two examples:

1. Solved: Re: Multiselect option set mapping - Power Platform Community (microsoft.com)
2. Re: Get Dataverse Choices with Label and ID(Value) - Power Platform Community (microsoft.com)

May be a mapping table would help with your problem, as long as the text in the webform matches exactly the mappings table?

{
  "Arts": 166001,
  "Arts and Design": 166002,
  "Darts": 166003
}

Ellis
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[buzz2095]

Hi @ekarim2020 

Thanks so much for taking time to respond. I've had a look at what you have posted and I think it's actually quite helpful for a different problem I have - so thanks!

One of the reasons this solution wouldn't work is because the items listed on the web form are different to those in the dataverse, so I need to map for two reason - an integer variable is required for the field and labels are not the same.

I will try and explain what I am asking through screen shots.

I would like to know if I can use the switch action to change values in an array. One of the issues I have with my current solution is that it is not looking at the whole variable within an array. So when a variable string is "Darts" the expression identifies "Arts" and changes the variable to "D166000" (As an example). When I use a switch for a field that has only one variable in it, the switch will consider the entire variable and ignores that "arts" exists in the word Darts. Does that make sense?

Here are the steps I have for a switch with only one variable in the field.

then I list my different cases

then I am able to use the StudyAreaId to populate the field in the dataverse.

I'm wondering whether something like this is possible with an array. Can I do an apply to each somehow and get the variables to update that way? I don't want to have to maintain three separate switch cases for each variable in the array.

Thanks Maya

[ekarim2020]

Hi   @buzz2095 

(1) Do you already have a list of subjects and integers defined that you can use in your flow, such as:

"Arts and Humanities": "166000001",
"Business": "166000002"
"Darts": "D166000001"

(2) Or will you need to search the StudyArea string for the word "arts" in the texts "Darts" "Harts" "Carts" etc and then assign a value?

(3) You could use a switch action with the StudyArea string, but if there are many choices the flow will be unmanageable and you will need to consider a different method, such as a "lookup" table.

(4) Is the data from the Form for the StudyArea an array?

The final output can be stored in an new array that can then be used with Dataverse.

(5) Please share more of the flow to get context and some of the source sample data.

Ellis

[buzz2095]

Hi Ellis

Thanks for responding again. Here are the answers to your questions.

1. We have an option set in our dataverse where the integers are defined but they do not match the option set values that are on the webform (which is why i have to map them manually rather than use some clever look up process)

2. I do not want to search the studyarea string for the word "arts" in text like "Darts", "Harts", "Carts". This is the problem I'm trying to avoid. What I want is for the system to realise that there are unique values which should be considered in whole and not in part. This is presented as a string upon submission but can easily be converted to an array. What I mean by this is, if there is a submission of "Arts", "Darts", "Carts", only the first value "Arts" should be 166000 and any other string which contains the string 'arts' is ignored.

The new array would look like "166000", "Darts", "Carts". At the moment with the replace expression I have the new array would look like "166000", "D166000", "C166000" which is undesirable.

3. I have successfully used a switch to change a string, but I have not been able to work out how or if it is possible to change variables within an array using a switch (which is basically what my original question is)

4. Yes, the data from the form is actually written as a string which I then convert into an array. It comes in looking like this. 

5. I'm not sure what more I can show you of the flow for more context? I'm really stuck with converting the information.

- Webform is submitted with a multi-choice field, this is presented in a string. In the screen shot above the three unique variables are "Arts and Humanities", "Not Sure Yet", "Indigenous Knowledge"

- I need to change these values to their corresponding value from an option set within the dataverse, however, the labels don't match so I need to map it manually.

- I want to use a switch but don't know how I can do this. Not sure how I can "Apply to each" or if it is even possible.

I'm not sure if this information has made anything more clear.

[ekarim2020 · Accepted solution]

What I was proposing is that we can take an array of study areas to create Dataverse option set values that can then be used to update a Dataverse row. This will make the flow less complex than using mutliple conditions or switch actions

(1) Using a table of values

 

A sample flow is given below.

We will use a new array to store the option set values - we can't change array items - but we can append values to a new array:

 

 

 

What happens to Study Area values that don't have a corresponding dataverse option set value? The flow currently ignores them. This is the area where I'm not clear on how you will handle this, but you could simply map them to a value. If the labels (from the webform) don't match any dataverse options, you can use the table to map it for you:

{

  "Arts and Humanities": 166000001,

  "Business": 166000002,

  "Indigenous Knowledge": 16000003

  "I don't know": 166000005

}

 

(2) Keep Study Areas where there is no option set value:

 

if(equals(variables('varTable')?[item()], null),item(),variables('varTable')?[item()])

(Note that the resulting array now includes a mix of integers and strings)

(3) Sorry, I still didnt understand the different submissions and how you manage them.

What I mean by this is, if there is a submission of "Arts", "Darts", "Carts"...

I think you are saying that the webform allows the user to select subject areas Arts, Darts.. etc?

We could map the "variations" of each subject area to the same values:

{
"Arts and Humanities": 166000001,
"Arts": 166000001,
"Art and Design": 166000001,
"Darts": 166000001,
"Business": 166000002,
"Indigenous Knowledge": 16000003
}

 

Any duplicate values from the resulting array (varDataAray) can easily be removed:

 Hope this helps.

Ellis
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[buzz2095]

@ekarim2020 This is solution has worked perfectly! I can clearly see each value and can update the list easily if changes are made to the webform.

It recognises the whole string which means I'm not getting partial updates (like what I was trying to explain with values like "Darts" or "Carts".) This was caused by the replace expression which wasn't the ideal solution.

Your outline and explanation was perfectly clear as well. Thank you so much! I really appreciate it.

[buzz2095]

@ekarim2020 

I hope you have time for me to ask another question that is a bit of an extension of my previous problem.

If our process changed, and submission of our web form was restricted to single choice, ie. I am no longer required to change a string into an array, how could I change the value of a string using a similar methodology as you have demonstrated.

I followed your previous instructions for the values in an array exactly and it worked, but it was not done with a clear comprehension of how the expressions and steps actually work (if that makes sense). sometimes it takes me a bit of time to get around this stuff because I'm not a developer and am always on a journey to understand these technicalities.

Cheers Maya

[ekarim2020]

If I still remember correctly, you could still use the same flow but with a small change.

Place the submission from your web form into the varStudyArray:

 

 

Hope this helps.

Ellis