cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
rebeccas

Generating PDF in Flow using Word Connector

Real life example of how I use this: Equipment is tested before being shipped.

* The PM uses PowerApps to enter in the equipment details 

* Engineering uses PowerApps to pull the equipment description the PM has entered and they input the design specs for that unit

* Tesing uses PowerApps to view the equiment details from PM, design specs from Engineering and they then input the actual readings they get when they are testing the untit. 

All three people have put in different parts of the data for this one item on a SharePoint list. A flow is triggered by 'Item Modification' and looks to see that all three have done their part and then gets the item details, puts them in a Word Template already created, generates a pdf of the final "Test Report" and attaches it back to that item on the SharePoint list. The test report can then be viewed, emailed or printed by any of the involved parties within minutes of the last person inputting their data.

See below:

First create a word document that is laid out how you would like. Put text as a place holder (the column name of that field on your SharePoint list is a good choice) in all the places you want to pull in data from your SharePoint List. Hightlight each of those text fields one by one and in Word under Developer click on "Plain Text Content Control"

 

Capture.JPG

Save this Word document on your SharePoint site.

Flow Breakdown:

* When an item is created or modified

* Condition (making sure your required fields are all complete..mine makes them actually mark it as complete so there are two Yes/No columns)

* Get item (ID of item modified)

* Populate a Microsoft Word template (select Word document, items on left side are fields from Word document, the items you select on that show on the right side are the fields from your SharePoint List)

* Create file (OneDrive)

* Convert file (OneDrive)

* Update item (I like changing to status to easily flag this as complete and attached)

* Add attachment (OneDrive pdf)

* Delay (most systems take a minute or two to add an attachment so this is to allow for that..I use 2 minutes)

* Delete file (OneDrive)

See screen shots below:

Part1.JPGPart2.JPGPart3.JPGPart4.JPGI have found this to be very useful and much easier and nicer looking than the HTML method so I hope this helps you out too!! 

 

Thanks for reading! 

Comments

Great post! With the new features it makes us much easier to put things together with ‘a little more’ actions, but no need to code! 👍🏻💪🏻


@rebeccas wrote:

Real life example of how I use this: Equipment is tested before being shipped.

* The PM uses PowerApps to enter in the equipment details 

* Engineering uses PowerApps to pull the equipment description the PM has entered and they input the design specs for that unit

* Tesing uses PowerApps to view the equiment details from PM, design specs from Engineering and they then input the actual readings they get when they are testing the untit. 

All three people have put in different parts of the data for this one item on a SharePoint list. A flow is triggered by 'Item Modification' and looks to see that all three have done their part and then gets the item details, puts them in a Word Template already created, generates a pdf of the final "Test Report" and attaches it back to that item on the SharePoint list. The test report can then be viewed, emailed or printed by any of the involved parties within minutes of the last person inputting their data.

See below:

First create a word document that is laid out how you would like. Put text as a place holder (the column name of that field on your SharePoint list is a good choice) in all the places you want to pull in data from your SharePoint List. Hightlight each of those text fields one by one and in Word under Developer click on "Plain Text Content Control"

 

Capture.JPG

Save this Word document on your SharePoint site.

Flow Breakdown:

* When an item is created or modified

* Condition (making sure your required fields are all complete..mine makes them actually mark it as complete so there are two Yes/No columns)

* Get item (ID of item modified)

* Populate a Microsoft Word template (select Word document, items on left side are fields from Word document, the items you select on that show on the right side are the fields from your SharePoint List)

* Create file (OneDrive)

* Convert file (OneDrive)

* Update item (I like changing to status to easily flag this as complete and attached)

* Add attachment (OneDrive pdf)

* Delay (most systems take a minute or two to add an attachment so this is to allow for that..I use 2 minutes)

* Delete file (OneDrive)

See screen shots below:

Part1.JPGPart2.JPGPart3.JPGPart4.JPGI have found this to be very useful and much easier and nicer looking than the HTML method so I hope this helps you out too!! 

 

Thanks for reading! 



@rebeccas wrote:

Real life example of how I use this: Equipment is tested before being shipped.

* The PM uses PowerApps to enter in the equipment details 

* Engineering uses PowerApps to pull the equipment description the PM has entered and they input the design specs for that unit

* Tesing uses PowerApps to view the equiment details from PM, design specs from Engineering and they then input the actual readings they get when they are testing the untit. 

All three people have put in different parts of the data for this one item on a SharePoint list. A flow is triggered by 'Item Modification' and looks to see that all three have done their part and then gets the item details, puts them in a Word Template already created, generates a pdf of the final "Test Report" and attaches it back to that item on the SharePoint list. The test report can then be viewed, emailed or printed by any of the involved parties within minutes of the last person inputting their data.

See below:

First create a word document that is laid out how you would like. Put text as a place holder (the column name of that field on your SharePoint list is a good choice) in all the places you want to pull in data from your SharePoint List. Hightlight each of those text fields one by one and in Word under Developer click on "Plain Text Content Control"

 

Capture.JPG

Save this Word document on your SharePoint site.

Flow Breakdown:

* When an item is created or modified

* Condition (making sure your required fields are all complete..mine makes them actually mark it as complete so there are two Yes/No columns)

* Get item (ID of item modified)

* Populate a Microsoft Word template (select Word document, items on left side are fields from Word document, the items you select on that show on the right side are the fields from your SharePoint List)

* Create file (OneDrive)

* Convert file (OneDrive)

* Update item (I like changing to status to easily flag this as complete and attached)

* Add attachment (OneDrive pdf)

* Delay (most systems take a minute or two to add an attachment so this is to allow for that..I use 2 minutes)

* Delete file (OneDrive)

See screen shots below:

Part1.JPGPart2.JPGPart3.JPGPart4.JPGI have found this to be very useful and much easier and nicer looking than the HTML method so I hope this helps you out too!! 

 

Thanks for reading! 


 

About the Author
  • Experienced Consultant with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology and services industry. Skilled in Office 365, Azure, SharePoint Online, PowerShell, Nintex, K2, SharePoint Designer workflow automation, PowerApps, Microsoft Flow, PowerShell, Active Directory, Operating Systems, Networking, and JavaScript. Strong consulting professional with a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) focused in Information Technology from Mumbai University.
  • I am a Microsoft Business Applications MVP and a Senior Manager at EY. I am a technology enthusiast and problem solver. I work/speak/blog/Vlog on Microsoft technology, including Office 365, Power Apps, Power Automate, SharePoint, and Teams Etc. I am helping global clients on Power Platform adoption and empowering them with Power Platform possibilities, capabilities, and easiness. I am a leader of the Houston Power Platform User Group and Power Automate community superuser. I love traveling , exploring new places, and meeting people from different cultures.
  • Read more about me and my achievements at: https://ganeshsanapblogs.wordpress.com/about MCT | SharePoint, Microsoft 365 and Power Platform Consultant | Contributor on SharePoint StackExchange, MSFT Techcommunity
  • Encodian Owner / Founder - Ex Microsoft Consulting Services - Architect / Developer - 20 years in SharePoint - PowerPlatform Fan
  • Founder of SKILLFUL SARDINE, a company focused on productivity and the Power Platform. You can find me on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/manueltgomes and twitter http://twitter.com/manueltgomes. I also write at https://www.manueltgomes.com, so if you want some Power Automate, SharePoint or Power Apps content I'm your guy 🙂
  • I am the Owner/Principal Architect at Don't Pa..Panic Consulting. I've been working in the information technology industry for over 30 years, and have played key roles in several enterprise SharePoint architectural design review, Intranet deployment, application development, and migration projects. I've been a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) 15 consecutive years and am also a Microsoft Certified SharePoint Masters (MCSM) since 2013.
  • Big fan of Power Platform technologies and implemented many solutions.
  • Passionate #Programmer #SharePoint #SPFx #M365 #Power Platform| Microsoft MVP | SharePoint StackOverflow, Github, PnP contributor
  • Web site – https://kamdaryash.wordpress.com Youtube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM149rFkLNgerSvgDVeYTZQ/