cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
Reply
Anonymous
Not applicable

Retrieve Email Messages action throwing error

I'm using the Retrieve Email Messages flow action in my PAD flow and it continuous to throw this error, "Failed to retrieve message with uid 1853". This is a similar issue to the one described in this post: https://powerusers.microsoft.com/t5/Power-Automate-Desktop/Retrieve-Email-Messages-returns-weird-err...

 

This is really frustrating. I'm not entirely sure why but this Flow is experiencing this issue in isolation. I have several carbon copies of this Flow with only minor changes to the actions, the most dramatic change being the "To" address the Retrieve Email Messages action looks for when performing - as well as changing the target folder path via a variable. Changing the folder path variable once changes the target folder throughout the flow.

 

Like I stated, I have other flows composed of the exact same actions with the primary difference being where the files are being placed and which email address is being used to filter the email messages with.

 

 

Here's the raw error information:

Index (zero based) must be greater than or equal to zero and less than the size of the argument list.: Microsoft.Flow.RPA.Desktop.Modules.SDK.ActionException: Failed to retrieve message with uid 1853. ---> System.FormatException: Index (zero based) must be greater than or equal to zero and less than the size of the argument list.
at System.Text.StringBuilder.AppendFormatHelper(IFormatProvider provider, String format, ParamsArray args)
at System.String.FormatHelper(IFormatProvider provider, String format, ParamsArray args)
at System.String.Format(String format, Object arg0)
at Microsoft.Flow.RPA.Desktop.Modules.Email.Actions.EmailActions.RetrieveEmails(Variant imapServer, Variant username, Variant varPassword, Variant mailFolder, Variant fromContains, Variant toContains, Variant subjectContains, Variant bodyContains, Variant sentSince, Variant sentUpTo, Variant saveAttachmentsInto, Variant& retrievedEmails, Int32 serverPort, Boolean enableSsl, Int32 retrieveOnlyUnread, Boolean saveAttachments, Boolean markAsRead, Boolean acceptUntrustedCertificates)
--- End of inner exception stack trace ---
at Microsoft.Flow.RPA.Desktop.Modules.Email.Actions.RetrieveEmails.Execute(ActionContext context)
at Microsoft.Flow.RPA.Desktop.Robin.Engine.Execution.ActionRunner.Run(IActionStatement statement, Dictionary`2 inputArguments, Dictionary`2 outputArguments)

 

I've tried the fixes @MichaelAnnis suggested in the attached post, but it's not making the Flow work anymore. I've also tried two full reboots, turn the computer all the way off, unplug, plug back in, turn on... nothing.

 

Some of my job is relying on this Flow's smooth operation. Arg.

 

Any suggestions as to what might be the cause?

 

****Edit:

 

I've built a much more condensed flow to test if PAD will throw the same or similar error for just the "To" string I supply.

 

It works, but now the Retrieve Email Messages behavior is way out of wack. I have it set to retrieve only read emails, and to only gather emails with a string in the "To" field. There's only 1 email that meets criteria of 9 total emails. Each run the Flow will wrongly grab EVERY email, not just the 1 qualifying email. If I change only the "To" field string, it behaves as normal and retrieves only the correct email. If I change the "To" string back to my desired target, it retrieves EVERY email.

 

In my primary flow, the one throwing the uid 1853 error, I can change the "To" field to anything other than my target string and it will work correctly.

 

Arg!

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions
Anonymous
Not applicable

Troubleshooting guide:

 

If your Retrieve email messages Flow action is not retrieving anything at all and fails upon running there's something behind the scenes that's gone sour. PAD does not store all of its necessary tidbits on the machine running the PAD instance. PAD downloads the Flow from a server. If there's an issue with the stored PAD Flow you'll always pull out the same issue when running the Flow.

 

First try turning PAD on and off again.

Next try turning the machine on and off again, full reboot. Let it power down completely and then power back on after about 5 minutes of down-time.

If the issue persists, next try uninstalling/reinstalling PAD.

If the issue still persists, next try reviewing your Data Connections in your Office 365 account controls. Office Portal -> Power Automate -> Data -> Connections -> Create connection to Outlook

 

If the problem persists follow the below steps:

 

Create a new Flow from the PAD window. Name your Flow something useful. In your new Flow, create the following actions:

 

1. Launch Outlook

2. Retrieve email messages

3. Close Outlook

4. Display message w/ %RetrievedEmails% in the body text.

 

Set up your Retrieve email messages action to dispense every email in your inbox folder. In the Retrieve email messages action email filters options: "Mail folder:" should read "Inbox" (no quotes) for just inbox messages. If this does not work, you'll need to contact Microsoft support for more help. If this works, continue reading. Narrow your target down towards your goal. Mine is to get into a subfolder and retrieve particular emails based on some criteria. Next either target a subfolder "Inbox/yoursubfolder" or modify the "to contains", "from contains", etc, fields one at a time. Continue to run your Flow after each modification. If your Flow fails to retrieve anything with your particular needs, you will likely need to contact Microsoft support. If your Flow succeeds and your message box displays all of your desired information you've successfully overcome whatever hang-up was in your previous problem-Flow.

 

Once your new Flow is working as intended you can now open your problem-Flow and copy/paste the other Flow actions into/around the new Retrieve email messages Flow actions. Keep in mind however that changes to directory paths or file structure will need to be reflected in the Flow actions.

 

Hope this helps anyone. I've been battling this issue about 3 times now, each time it's a little more particular.

View solution in original post

3 REPLIES 3
MichaelAnnis
Super User
Super User

This part should be an easy fix, if you see what is causing this error:

"Index (zero based) must be greater than or equal to zero and less than the size of the argument list."

 

I have also seen "TO" field fail if you are trying to search for a distribution list.  For instance:

Retrieve emails with the TO field Team_DistributionList@domain.com.

 

The problem with this is if you were to look at the .'[To]' property of this email, it is not as simple as "Team_DistributionList@domain.com".  It is some long, crappy text that is not very readable.  I have had to bypass these and use alternative methods to narrow them down.

----
If my post has answered your question, please thumbs up and mark this post as a solution.

I also offer paid consulting services. If you would like to discuss this option, please feel free to DM me and we can set up a time to join a Zoom call and fix any issues you are having.
Anonymous
Not applicable

These emails originally came from a Power Automate Web Flow. The email result is built by getting the User Profile email account string and turning that into a variable. That should just be a normally formatted string, tho, right?

 

Any suggestions for work arounds? This is really really frustrating me. LOL!

Anonymous
Not applicable

Troubleshooting guide:

 

If your Retrieve email messages Flow action is not retrieving anything at all and fails upon running there's something behind the scenes that's gone sour. PAD does not store all of its necessary tidbits on the machine running the PAD instance. PAD downloads the Flow from a server. If there's an issue with the stored PAD Flow you'll always pull out the same issue when running the Flow.

 

First try turning PAD on and off again.

Next try turning the machine on and off again, full reboot. Let it power down completely and then power back on after about 5 minutes of down-time.

If the issue persists, next try uninstalling/reinstalling PAD.

If the issue still persists, next try reviewing your Data Connections in your Office 365 account controls. Office Portal -> Power Automate -> Data -> Connections -> Create connection to Outlook

 

If the problem persists follow the below steps:

 

Create a new Flow from the PAD window. Name your Flow something useful. In your new Flow, create the following actions:

 

1. Launch Outlook

2. Retrieve email messages

3. Close Outlook

4. Display message w/ %RetrievedEmails% in the body text.

 

Set up your Retrieve email messages action to dispense every email in your inbox folder. In the Retrieve email messages action email filters options: "Mail folder:" should read "Inbox" (no quotes) for just inbox messages. If this does not work, you'll need to contact Microsoft support for more help. If this works, continue reading. Narrow your target down towards your goal. Mine is to get into a subfolder and retrieve particular emails based on some criteria. Next either target a subfolder "Inbox/yoursubfolder" or modify the "to contains", "from contains", etc, fields one at a time. Continue to run your Flow after each modification. If your Flow fails to retrieve anything with your particular needs, you will likely need to contact Microsoft support. If your Flow succeeds and your message box displays all of your desired information you've successfully overcome whatever hang-up was in your previous problem-Flow.

 

Once your new Flow is working as intended you can now open your problem-Flow and copy/paste the other Flow actions into/around the new Retrieve email messages Flow actions. Keep in mind however that changes to directory paths or file structure will need to be reflected in the Flow actions.

 

Hope this helps anyone. I've been battling this issue about 3 times now, each time it's a little more particular.

Helpful resources

Announcements

Exclusive LIVE Community Event: Power Apps Copilot Coffee Chat with Copilot Studio Product Team

It's time for the SECOND Power Apps Copilot Coffee Chat featuring the Copilot Studio product team, which will be held LIVE on April 3, 2024 at 9:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).     This is an incredible opportunity to connect with members of the Copilot Studio product team and ask them anything about Copilot Studio. We'll share our special guests with you shortly--but we want to encourage to mark your calendars now because you will not want to miss the conversation.   This live event will give you the unique opportunity to learn more about Copilot Studio plans, where we’ll focus, and get insight into upcoming features. We’re looking forward to hearing from the community, so bring your questions!   TO GET ACCESS TO THIS EXCLUSIVE AMA: Kudo this post to reserve your spot! Reserve your spot now by kudoing this post.  Reservations will be prioritized on when your kudo for the post comes through, so don't wait! Click that "kudo button" today.   Invitations will be sent on April 2nd.Users posting Kudos after April 2nd at 9AM PDT may not receive an invitation but will be able to view the session online after conclusion of the event. Give your "kudo" today and mark your calendars for April 3, 2024 at 9:30 AM PDT and join us for an engaging and informative session!

Tuesday Tip: Unlocking Community Achievements and Earning Badges

TUESDAY TIPS are our way of communicating helpful things we've learned or shared that have helped members of the Community. Whether you're just getting started or you're a seasoned pro, Tuesday Tips will help you know where to go, what to look for, and navigate your way through the ever-growing--and ever-changing--world of the Power Platform Community! We cover basics about the Community, provide a few "insider tips" to make your experience even better, and share best practices gleaned from our most active community members and Super Users.   With so many new Community members joining us each week, we'll also review a few of our "best practices" so you know just "how" the Community works, so make sure to watch the News & Announcements each week for the latest and greatest Tuesday Tips!     THIS WEEK'S TIP: Unlocking Achievements and Earning BadgesAcross the Communities, you'll see badges on users profile that recognize and reward their engagement and contributions. These badges each signify a different achievement--and all of those achievements are available to any Community member! If you're a seasoned pro or just getting started, you too can earn badges for the great work you do. Check out some details on Community badges below--and find out more in the detailed link at the end of the article!       A Diverse Range of Badges to Collect The badges you can earn in the Community cover a wide array of activities, including: Kudos Received: Acknowledges the number of times a user’s post has been appreciated with a “Kudo.”Kudos Given: Highlights the user’s generosity in recognizing others’ contributions.Topics Created: Tracks the number of discussions initiated by a user.Solutions Provided: Celebrates the instances where a user’s response is marked as the correct solution.Reply: Counts the number of times a user has engaged with community discussions.Blog Contributor: Honors those who contribute valuable content and are invited to write for the community blog.       A Community Evolving Together Badges are not only a great way to recognize outstanding contributions of our amazing Community members--they are also a way to continue fostering a collaborative and supportive environment. As you continue to share your knowledge and assist each other these badges serve as a visual representation of your valuable contributions.   Find out more about badges in these Community Support pages in each Community: All About Community Badges - Power Apps CommunityAll About Community Badges - Power Automate CommunityAll About Community Badges - Copilot Studio CommunityAll About Community Badges - Power Pages Community

Tuesday Tips: Powering Up Your Community Profile

TUESDAY TIPS are our way of communicating helpful things we've learned or shared that have helped members of the Community. Whether you're just getting started or you're a seasoned pro, Tuesday Tips will help you know where to go, what to look for, and navigate your way through the ever-growing--and ever-changing--world of the Power Platform Community! We cover basics about the Community, provide a few "insider tips" to make your experience even better, and share best practices gleaned from our most active community members and Super Users.   With so many new Community members joining us each week, we'll also review a few of our "best practices" so you know just "how" the Community works, so make sure to watch the News & Announcements each week for the latest and greatest Tuesday Tips!   This Week's Tip: Power Up Your Profile!  🚀 It's where every Community member gets their start, and it's essential that you keep it updated! Your Community User Profile is how you're able to get messages, post solutions, ask questions--and as you rank up, it's where your badges will appear and how you'll be known when you start blogging in the Community Blog. Your Community User Profile is how the Community knows you--so it's essential that it works the way you need it to! From changing your username to updating contact information, this Knowledge Base Article is your best resource for powering up your profile.     Password Puzzles? No Problem! Find out how to sync your Azure AD password with your community account, ensuring a seamless sign-in. No separate passwords to remember! Job Jumps & Email Swaps Changed jobs? Got a new email? Fear not! You'll find out how to link your shiny new email to your existing community account, keeping your contributions and connections intact. Username Uncertainties Unraveled Picking the perfect username is crucial--and sometimes the original choice you signed up with doesn't fit as well as you may have thought. There's a quick way to request an update here--but remember, your username is your community identity, so choose wisely. "Need Admin Approval" Warning Window? If you see this error message while using the community, don't worry. A simple process will help you get where you need to go. If you still need assistance, find out how to contact your Community Support team. Whatever you're looking for, when it comes to your profile, the Community Account Support Knowledge Base article is your treasure trove of tips as you navigate the nuances of your Community Profile. It’s the ultimate resource for keeping your digital identity in tip-top shape while engaging with the Power Platform Community. So, dive in and power up your profile today!  💪🚀   Community Account Support | Power Apps Community Account Support | Power AutomateCommunity Account Support | Copilot Studio  Community Account Support | Power Pages

Super User of the Month | Chris Piasecki

In our 2nd installment of this new ongoing feature in the Community, we're thrilled to announce that Chris Piasecki is our Super User of the Month for March 2024. If you've been in the Community for a while, we're sure you've seen a comment or marked one of Chris' helpful tips as a solution--he's been a Super User for SEVEN consecutive seasons!   Since authoring his first reply in April 2020 to his most recent achievement organizing the Canadian Power Platform Summit this month, Chris has helped countless Community members with his insights and expertise. In addition to being a Super User, Chris is also a User Group leader, Microsoft MVP, and a featured speaker at the Microsoft Power Platform Conference. His contributions to the new SUIT program, along with his joyous personality and willingness to jump in and help so many members has made Chris a fixture in the Power Platform Community.   When Chris isn't authoring solutions or organizing events, he's actively leading Piasecki Consulting, specializing in solution architecture, integration, DevOps, and more--helping clients discover how to strategize and implement Microsoft's technology platforms. We are grateful for Chris' insightful help in the Community and look forward to even more amazing milestones as he continues to assist so many with his great tips, solutions--always with a smile and a great sense of humor.You can find Chris in the Community and on LinkedIn. Thanks for being such a SUPER user, Chris! 💪 🌠  

Find Out What Makes Super Users So Super

We know many of you visit the Power Platform Communities to ask questions and receive answers. But do you know that many of our best answers and solutions come from Community members who are super active, helping anyone who needs a little help getting unstuck with Business Applications products? We call these dedicated Community members Super Users because they are the real heroes in the Community, willing to jump in whenever they can to help! Maybe you've encountered them yourself and they've solved some of your biggest questions. Have you ever wondered, "Why?"We interviewed several of our Super Users to understand what drives them to help in the Community--and discover the difference it has made in their lives as well! Take a look in our gallery today: What Motivates a Super User? - Power Platform Community (microsoft.com)

March User Group Update: New Groups and Upcoming Events!

  Welcome to this month’s celebration of our Community User Groups and exciting User Group events. We’re thrilled to introduce some brand-new user groups that have recently joined our vibrant community. Plus, we’ve got a lineup of engaging events you won’t want to miss. Let’s jump right in: New User Groups   Sacramento Power Platform GroupANZ Power Platform COE User GroupPower Platform MongoliaPower Platform User Group OmanPower Platform User Group Delta StateMid Michigan Power Platform Upcoming Events  DUG4MFG - Quarterly Meetup - Microsoft Demand PlanningDate: 19 Mar 2024 | 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM Central America Standard TimeDescription: Dive into the world of manufacturing with a focus on Demand Planning. Learn from industry experts and share your insights. Dynamics User Group HoustonDate: 07 Mar 2024 | 11:00 AM to 01:00 PM Central America Standard TimeDescription: Houston, get ready for an immersive session on Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform. Connect with fellow professionals and expand your knowledge. Reading Dynamics 365 & Power Platform User Group (Q1)Date: 05 Mar 2024 | 06:00 PM to 09:00 PM GMT Standard TimeDescription: Join our virtual meetup for insightful discussions, demos, and community updates. Let’s kick off Q1 with a bang! Leaders, Create Your Events!  Leaders of existing User Groups, don’t forget to create your events within the Community platform. By doing so, you’ll enable us to share them in future posts and newsletters. Let’s spread the word and make these gatherings even more impactful! Stay tuned for more updates, inspiring stories, and collaborative opportunities from and for our Community User Groups.   P.S. Have an event or success story to share? Reach out to us – we’d love to feature you!

Users online (4,513)