Populate Library metadata with filename elements

[Wildtypitch]

I'm sure this has been done many many times before and fairly simple but i need a bit of a hand to finish this. I'm very Noob to power automate but now want to do everything with it! SO much time saving potential on small things like this...

I've a filename ex. 0056-KAS-V1-01-A-DR-0111-GA Plan.pdf

This is a standard format and is always the same structure.

I want to split the name by '-' delimiter and put those values into different columns of the file metadata

So start with a "when file is created or modifies (properties only)" trigger

Then use Split(string(triggerBody()?['file']?['name']),'-')

To give me an array of the '-' separated string

Then a series of variables to identify those array strings 

How do I get the elements of the array, via index I presume? outputs[0], outputs[1] etc...? Basic I know...

I tried outputs('Compose')[1]

but computer says no!

Then I Feed these variable into the update file properties action right?

And that should be it right.

Will there be an infinite loop as the trigger looks for metadata changes and the result is a metadata change?

Ultimately some of these variables will be Store terms but that's another disco.

[tom_riha]

Hello @Wildtypitch ,

you don't need special variable for each part of the file name, you can repeat the split(...) expression for each of the metadata and just add the index at the end.

Split(string(triggerBody()?['file']?['name']),'-')[0]
Split(string(triggerBody()?['file']?['name']),'-')[1]
Split(string(triggerBody()?['file']?['name']),'-')[2]

And yes, if your flow is triggered on file update then updating the file will trigger the flow again = infinite loop risk. The metadata update from file name seems to me like a one-time action, maybe you could use the trigger 'When a file is created' instead of handling the infinite trigger loop.

[Wildtypitch]

Hi I went with 

I created a variable BIMCode

split(triggerBody()['{name}'],'-')

not sure why I had string in there. Then 

variables('BIMCode')[0]

I kept them separate just for visual clarity.

I've gone with your on creation only suggestion. We've no need to apply after changes yet. But if we have to change the filename because one of the metadata fields changes over time we may have to do it manually. Wondering if there is a way to stop looping otherwise? 

[tom_riha]

Hello @Wildtypitch ,

there're some ways to avoid the looping based on the metadata:

• if you have a special account used only in flows, you can check if the 'Modified' column is the service account (updated by flow, don't update again) or by some user (update)
• or you can check the metadata value, you could have a huge condition that would check if all the columns already have the value they should have, if not = update, if yes = do nothing

It would be the updating flow + 1 extra flow triggered by the update, but the extra flow would not update anything = no loop.