have the possibility to have a shortcut directly to a flow on my desktop

[jvondermans2]

It would be great to have a shortcut on my desktop which point directly to a flow within Power Automate (especially for PAD). this way you don't have to open the application itself, but you can run the flow instantly. The same way you would open a document with a double click.

Regards,

Jordy

[GhitaFjorback]

@jvondermans2

This is already possible. 

Just create an "Instant cloud flow", and choose the trigger "When a HTTP request is received". Once you have created and saved your flow, you will get a URL from the trigger action. Copy that and crate a .bat file on your desktop with below code:

'

curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d "{\"messageSubject\": \"ShortcutTrigger\",\"messageBody\": \"Executing Flow from curl in Windows Command Line\"}" "InsertTheURLFromTheTriggerActionHere"

'

Once you have created the .bat file, you can double tab it, and your flow will start. If you want a different icon to your .bat file, you can save the file elsewhere and create a desktop shortcut for the file, and change the icon of that shortcut. (FYI - if the URL contains % signs, add an extra % sign every time. So if the URL has https://12fsdj%987%kl... correct to https://12fsdj%%987%%kl...

[jvondermans2]

Thanks for your help, this works indeed on a Cloud Flow. My question was if I could do this with a flow in Power Automate Desktop.

As many of you, I have a startup routine every morning. It would be great to capture this in a flow instead of powershell. 

But there are more examples why a desktop icon for automation would be quicker then opening the app and trigger the flow manually.

Jordy

[GhitaFjorback]

Well, in the Power Automate Flow, you just add the action "start Power Automate Desktop flow" 🙂

[jvondermans2]

Hi Ghita,

that is possible, but wouldn;t it be better and quicker doing this like the flow is some sort of file-extension. Especially when you're already working on the desktop.

[timconstan]

@GhitaFjorback -- sorry to ask but can you be more specific?  I don't see a way to trigger the desktop flow on the web-interface.

[GhitaFjorback]

@timconstan If you have the correct license! Per user plan with RPA, then it is possible with the action "Run a flow built with Power Automate Desktop" in flow. Choose the PAD flow you want to start, and choose whether to start it Attended or Unattened. Again, you will need the right license (unattended RPA) to start the PAD flow in Unattended mode.
Make sure you are on the right Environment and connections are set correctly

[GhitaFjorback]

@jvondermans2 Sure, but that would kind of ruin the whole "cloud" thought, so I do not believe this will ever be possible. ;o)

[jvondermans2]

@GhitaFjorback that would be a shame. Especially, because (in my humble opinion) this product is developed to fill in the gaps for applications that do not have API's or other connection possibilities.

The use of a gateway already indicates the necessity of this kind of product. working with a gateway does not work properly on a laptop, because it is not always on and the gateway goes down a lot. 

Now that PAD is also available for personal use, I can imagine that my request is getting more frequently asked.

[chotkos]

If not, then it would be nice idea to connect it somehow to Cortana. 

I've tried to batch it by myself but since WshShell.SendKeys is  not allowed in Windows 10, I am not able to extract flow as a shortcut or communicate with this desktop app in any other way.

However there is a very ugly solution for that, which i'll share with you @jvondermans2 and it can also help in your case.

I've created Power Automate Desktop flow which consists of loop checking content of text file. If this file has content - remove the content and run the rest of my flow which does stuff.

On the other side i've a batch file that overrides content to mentioned text file.

Now just create a shortcut to your batch file and push it under
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs 

as The ugly solution.lnk

"Cortana start the ugly solution" works like a charm. 

Please developers, do not force me to do such a things on my PC.

[chotkos]

So here goes the ugly solution:

Of course you also need the batch file that creates TheUglySolution.txt file in selected location. Mine is simple:

echo. 2>TheUglySolution.txt

Please remember this is not the best. It literally checks if file exists every 2 seconds, but it allows to create shortcut and even connect it to Cortana by adding this shortcut to

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs