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Update File Properties Person/Group field when there are multiple selection

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Posted on by lopezbec

I have a flow that pulls approvers from a List based upon a department title. I then create an approval request and send it to multiple people.

I then want to update a file property called "Approval Sent to" (people/group picker that allows multiple selections)

I have tried using the Approvers Email and Display name and both of them fail to update this. I have only had success with this update only when there is only one approver sent in my variable.

See the screen shots below.

To get the approvers, I do a select from the Get Items List and join it to a strVariable.

When I use that variable to update the file properties when it it only one person, it works.

the create approval will not use an object/array, so I created a string variable that uses the email to send the approval request.

How can I create something to update this file property ? I will not know if there are 1 or 10 people this approval goes to.

Hope someone can help with this.

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lopezbec 76 on at

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Let me add more details. If I send the Email for each user to this property, I get this error:

If I use the Approvers Display Name, I get this error:
Obviously, I know there is an issue with some of this syntax, but if the emails are valid users in the organization, why doesn't that work?

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Ellis Karim 11,681 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Try the following format for a multi-select person column.

One person:
[ { "Claims": "i:0#.f|membership|DiegoS@onmicrosoft.com" } ]

Multiple:
[ { "Claims": "i:0#.f|membership|DiegoS@onmicrosoft.com" }, { "Claims": "i:0#.f|membership|PradeepG@onmicrosoft.com" } ]

Ellis
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lopezbec 76 on at

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Thank you for your prompt input, I will try this when I return to the office on Monday.

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lopezbec 76 on at

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I just relooked at this. This will not work, this updates a list, I am trying to update File Properties.
Any other ideas?

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Ellis Karim 11,681 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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The same method will also work when updating file properties, for example:

Ellis
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lopezbec 76 on at

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I am still having an issue. Not sure what you are using as the source for the compose statement.

I did it after the create an approval, see output.

I then do an apply to each compose statement using the "Approvers Approver name" , It only is providing one name in the output even though there is an apply to each.

I also tried using in the apply to each with the others below:

1. "Approvers Item" with "Approvers All of the approvers" Get error:

  "status": 400,
  "message": "The specified user [{\"id\":\"5b4d5f1c-4c0d-4b28-8c28-f9e242e5d22e\",\"displayName\":\"Laurie xxxxxx\",\"email\":\"xxxxx@xxxxx.com\",\"tenantId\":\"56c62bbe-8598-4b85-9e51-1ca753fa50f2\",\"userPrincipalName\":\"xxxxxx2@xxxxx.com\"},{\"id\":\"701fffd6-231f-4785-a4dd-40e5666062e7\",\"displayName\":\"Becca xxxxxx\",\"email\":\"xxxxxxxx@xxxxx.com\",\"tenantId\":\"56c62bbe-8598-4b85-9e51-1ca753fa50f2\",\"userPrincipalName\":\"Rxxxxxxx8@xxxxxx.com\"}] could not be found.\r\nclientRequestId: 735b87d5-64ab-4c2c-8b6c-ec81ec84bfb5\r\nserviceRequestId: 735b87d5-64ab-4c2c-8b6c-ec81ec84bfb5"

2. Approvers body with "Approvers All of the Approvers" I get this error:

ExpressionEvaluationFailed. The execution of template action 'Apply_to_each_8' failed: the result of the evaluation of 'foreach' expression '@body('Create_an_approval')' is of type 'Object'. The result must be a valid array.

3. Approvers body with Approvers Approver user principal name" and I get this error.

ExpressionEvaluationFailed. The execution of template action 'Apply_to_each_8' failed: the result of the evaluation of 'foreach' expression '@body('Create_an_approval')' is of type 'Object'. The result must be a valid array.

Can you provide some more details on what I am missing?

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Ellis Karim 11,681 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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This is the demo flow that I created. It updates file with SharePoint ID = 3:
I have hard-coded the approvers in the Compose Multi action but you should be able to use the approvers' details in the flow. Please share your flow.

Ellis

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lopezbec 76 on at

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I get the approvers name from my list based upon the Department that is tied to my documents.

List:

I then get the Approver's email that is used for the "create an approval"
I then create an approval
After this Approval is created, it is after that step that I want to update the File Properties for my sharepoint document to include all of the approvers the create an approval was sent to.

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Ellis Karim 11,681 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Can you share your Get File(s) action, and where that fits into the flow:

Ellis

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lopezbec 76 on at

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Ignore the 10 that was placed, I removed that, it is now blank.
For the Get items for the Approvers email - this is used in the Create an Approval step.
I also get the display name because emails were not working for the file properties to update who the approvers were.

I was not able to use the variable to update the file properties and that is what initiated this original request.
Hopefully this makes sense.

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