Power Platform Community Forum Thread Details

I have a PowerAutomate flow that starts with a SharePoint action: "When an item is created or modified", there I can select the SharePoint site and the table via a dropdown list, which gives:

"inputs": { "parameters": { ... "table": "c76a8610-d1e......" ,…

but , my action after that is a SharePoint "Update item" action. Where I need to enter the table name manually, so no dropdown selection is possible. Which results in something like:

"inputs": { "parameters": { ... "table": "Travel Request",…

I haven't changed my flow in a while, but even though that is the case, it suddenly broke. (I had to change it from TravelRequest to Travel Request, but no one changed it's name)

I noticed the difference in how the table was being referenced. I worry this will happen again in the future. Is there a fix for this? Is it possible to always give the GUID instead of the "real" name?

To fix it, I had to re-enter my table name manually and as a result I had to reselect all fields, which would have been easier if I could just have edited the Code View tab, which is not possible since it is made read-only. Can you provide a fix for both issues. Thanks you in advance.

Kind regards.

Kato

Categories:

Power Automate Mobile App

Hi Kato! You've identified a real and frustrating inconsistency in how the SharePoint connector handles table references. Let me explain what's happening and what you can do.

Why this happens

The SharePoint "When an item is created or modified" trigger uses the list GUID internally (selected via a dropdown). However, the "Update item" action requires a manual text entry for the list name, which stores the display name. Display names can drift or be changed, causing the mismatch you experienced.

What you can do

Option 1: Use the list's internal URL name
SharePoint lists have a URL name (internal name) which is more stable than the display name. If your list URL contains /Lists/TravelRequest/, use TravelRequest (no space) rather than Travel Request. This is less likely to break if someone renames the display name.

Option 2: Use OData queries with internal column names
Per Filter and copy data – Microsoft Learn, using the column's internal name in OData queries is more reliable and less prone to drift than display names.

On the Code View being read-only
The Code View (JSON definition) in the standard flow designer is read-only by design — this prevents unvalidated edits. This is a known limitation of the current Power Automate designer.

References

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