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If this was Powershell.... How to make a custom object and put it in an array

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Posted on by NorthernChuck

156

I am trying to create a new object based on three queries. If this was Powershell....
$a = invoke-restmethod -uri $query1 -method get
$b = invoke-restmethod -uri $query2 -method get

$c = invoke-restmethod -uri $query3 -method get

Each query will return a json payload such as:
==-- $a returns --==
{
"things": [

{
"thing": "Banana",
"Id": 001,
"Skin":"yes"
},
{
"thing":"Apple",
"Id": 002,
"Skin":"yes"
}
]
}

==-- $b returns --==
{
"stuff": [
{
"thing":"Banana",
"id":001,
"Color":"Yellow"
},
{
"thing":"Apple",
"Id": 002,
"Color":"Red"
}
]
}
==-- $c returns --==

{
"transpo": [
{
"thing":"Banana",
"id":001,
"ship":"Yes"
},
{
"thing":"Apple",
"Id": 002,
"ship":"No"
}
]
}
$myObject = new-object psobject
$myObject | add-member -membertype noteproperty -name fruit -value $a.thing
$myObject | add-member -membertype noteproperty -name id -value $a.id
$myObject | add-member -membertype noteproperty -name skin -value $a.skin
$myObject | add-member -membertype noteproperty -name color -value $b.color
$myObject | add-member -membertype noteproperty -name Shipped -value $c.ship
$arrFinal += $myObject

The UI keeps tossing me into endless "Apply to Each" loops and I figure I'm just shoving these rectangles in the wrong order....... I didn't paste screenshots on purpose, you have the payload very simplified, but the context is there. Each query will return results where the name and ID is shared between each. Matching up the rows for error checking is easy.... I know I need to use Select to map things... and this generally works well until I start smashing queries together 🙂

Thank you for your time and assistance.

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Building flows

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NorthernChuck 156 on at

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Ok ... so I've thumbed along and here I am.

The best way to actually merge things is using the Append String to Variable!!
This way I build a counter and if I am now at my max rows I add a comma at the end and if I am at my max rows I add a comma at the end, Brilliant!
Now in order to select from 2 different sources I will need to have 2 foreach loops or in this case 2 Apply to each conditions. The end output is easy
{
"blah":"items('Apply_to_each_2')?['blah']",
"foo":"items(Apply_to_each_3')?['foo']",
"bar":"items(Apply_to_each_2)?['bar']",
} <---(no comma cause I'm matching the max, if I wasn't it would look like }, )

The Problem: As you can see in the Apply to each 2 && Apply to each 3 I am using the dynamic var. The trouble is that the Dynamic var looks like this, body('My_Second_Query')?['body']?['fruits'] -and it spits back null.
I've run into this before and if I use a manual expression and type, body('My_Second_Query')?['fruits'] Unfortunately, in the case of this Apply to each Power Automate is telling me that my manually typed line is not valid. "Correct to include a valid reference to 'My_Second_Query' for the input paramter(s) of action 'Apply_to_each_2'.

Thanks again everyone for taking the time to read and provide any advice, assistance, theories and/or superstitions. 😄

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NorthernChuck 156 on at

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...and now I'm further along. THe problem I had on the last post was just Power Automate a-la-msft douchiness; for whatever reason if I deleted the Expression text, typed only the first part expression() and then clicked to insert inside the (), then all was fine..... meh..

Now I am into a logic trouble! Below you can see where it's happening, when I am inside the first "apply to each" it is going to run the second apply to each foreach row in the first. <- not what I want!
Inside the second apply to each, I have an Append Variable (string) and Append Variable (array). This is working amazingly well! { "object<dynamic counter>" : [ { "thing": "<dyn value>", "blah":"<dyn value>"}]}, <cntnd>
So I end up with a formatted array of objects (or however I want it to be, I'm formatted the variable myself.

What's causing this double foreach (apply to each) is that I'm merging the results of two GET queries. When I do that, the Flow Editor automagically inserts me into these loops.... argh.. so close but yet so far.....

Anyhow help, ideas, alien distress calls, coffee recommendations -> any of those would be greatly appreciated peeps! 😄

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Paulie78 8,422 Moderator on at

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That is a seriously complicated flow. I will show you an easier way.

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Paulie78 8,422 Moderator on at

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Try this instead, done in a single action:

https://ibb.co/BTy44W2

Output is:

[ { "Id": "001", "thing": "Banana", "Skin": "yes", "Color": "Yellow", "Ship": "Yes" }, { "Id": "002", "thing": "Apple", "Skin": "yes", "Color": "Red", "Ship": "No" } ]

Expressions in the select are:

From: range(0, length(outputs('ComposeThings')['things'])) Map... Id : outputs('ComposeThings')['things'][item()]['Id'] thing : outputs('ComposeThings')['things'][item()]['thing'] Skin : outputs('ComposeThings')['things'][item()]['Skin'] Color : outputs('ComposeStuff')['stuff'][item()]['Color'] Ship : outputs('ComposeTranspo')['transpo'][item()]['ship']

If you want to try out my method, simply copy this code:

{"id":"817779b0-1fe8-4af4-ae35-eff3-1ff14788","brandColor":"#8C3900","connectionReferences":{},"connectorDisplayName":"Control","icon":"data&colon;image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMzIiIGhlaWdodD0iMzIiIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgdmlld0JveD0iMCAwIDMyIDMyIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPg0KIDxwYXRoIGQ9Im0wIDBoMzJ2MzJoLTMyeiIgZmlsbD0iIzhDMzkwMCIvPg0KIDxwYXRoIGQ9Im04IDEwaDE2djEyaC0xNnptMTUgMTF2LTEwaC0xNHYxMHptLTItOHY2aC0xMHYtNnptLTEgNXYtNGgtOHY0eiIgZmlsbD0iI2ZmZiIvPg0KPC9zdmc+DQo=","isTrigger":false,"operationName":"CombineArrays","operationDefinition":{"type":"Scope","actions":{"Select":{"type":"Select","inputs":{"from":"@range(0, length(outputs('ComposeThings')['things']))","select":{"Id":"@outputs('ComposeThings')['things'][item()]['Id']","thing":"@outputs('ComposeThings')['things'][item()]['thing']","Skin":"@outputs('ComposeThings')['things'][item()]['Skin']","Color":"@outputs('ComposeStuff')['stuff'][item()]['Color']","Ship":"@outputs('ComposeTranspo')['transpo'][item()]['ship']"}},"runAfter":{"ComposeTranspo":["Succeeded"]}},"ComposeThings":{"type":"Compose","inputs":{"things":[{"thing":"Banana","Id":"001","Skin":"yes"},{"thing":"Apple","Id":"002","Skin":"yes"}]},"runAfter":{}},"ComposeTranspo":{"type":"Compose","inputs":{"transpo":[{"thing":"Banana","id":"001","ship":"Yes"},{"thing":"Apple","Id":"002","ship":"No"}]},"runAfter":{"ComposeStuff":["Succeeded"]}},"ComposeStuff":{"type":"Compose","inputs":{"stuff":[{"thing":"Banana","id":"001","Color":"Yellow"},{"thing":"Apple","Id":"002","Color":"Red"}]},"runAfter":{"ComposeThings":["Succeeded"]}}},"runAfter":{}}}

Add a new action in a flow, go to my clipboard, press CTRL-V, and you should see a new scope called "Combine Arrays".

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NorthernChuck 156 on at

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OOHhhhhh I wish I would have read this earlier 😄 That's an interesting take on things! I wish I would have thought of that! Thanks @Paulie78 🤓
Multiple uses of Compose() might actually be quicker.
I figured out what was causing the world's most painful inner and outer foreach loops, syntax!
If I click on the auto-fun-magic variable, it started spitting out the endless "Apply_to_each" loops. Not bad if you are cross-referencing two arrays, you get into some deep weeds positioning yourself - forget it if you add a third!
Keyboard mashing this insanity lead me to a more manual version of what you painted.
I've initialized a series of variables and because I had an army of counters and terminates I was perfectly setup to track myself inside of things.
side note
If you ever find yourself needing to quickly save a mash of painted JSON, mixing the preview COPY to clipboard and paste after a terminate is worth it's weight in gold !
/end side note

For the most part things are working now and I've shaved off a little over a minute of runtime. At the end I insert APPEND to ARRAY and when my counter reaches max I append the last one without a comma (see sample below - gives me an array of objects, kinda what you did with compose)
{
"Corp@{variables('intCounter')}": [
{
"Thing":"@{variables('strThing')}",
"SymbolID":"@{variables('intFilterSymID')}",
"Description":"@{variables('strBravoDescription')}",
"Color":"@{variables('intBravoColor')}",
"Ship":"@{variables('strBravoShip')}",
"SuperPower":"@{variables('strCharlieSuperPower')}"
}
]
},

I'm still struggling with the Select.
$2Array | ? {$_.ID -eq $1Array[$Counter].ID} | select color <- this is what I'm trying to replicate ATM.

...unless there's a way I can initialize a variable referencing the ID....
"Set Variable"
@{variables( @equals(body('2Array').....stuff..... ) )}
I need a way to dig out of 2Array a couple of bits of data. ID is common between 1Array and 2Array.
left and right of 'is equal to' spit out the same id number. When I run it, the input of the select is everything { blah blah blah } then I expect the output to be the chunk matching my ID, { blah }. Alas, the output shows the same as the input { blah blah blah }

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NorthernChuck 156 on at

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Oh!! snap, I wish I had read the def on Range() 😛 that's handy!
So how do you know you are selecting the right data? What if I want to make sure that
outputs('ComposeThings')['things'][item()]['Id'] is equal to outputs('ComposeThings')['stuff'][item()]['Id']
before I populate my final step ? That good ol' data integrity check 🙂 .........
would I do an initial SELECT, map ID1, ID2, ID3 to their respective sources, then run a condition IF ID1 is equal to ID2 -and IF ID1 is equal to ID3, YES -> then do the real select?

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NorthernChuck 156 on at

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@Paulie78 Range() has changed my life in a way that the Word paint brush change my copy/pastes 😄 This is also one of those perfect ones, a function right in front of your eyeballs [who knows for how long] and you just never used it! Anybody doing filters and selects, read this solution!!! Thanks again @Paulie78

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Paulie78 8,422 Moderator on at

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@NorthernChuck very honoured to have had a positive impact on your life 😅. I only started using range recently myself and can't get enough of it. Well done for sorting it 👍😘

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