Power Platform Community Forum Thread Details

I have created a Power Automate flow that sends an email directly to the approver for approval(send an email with options) whenever an item is created in the list. Additionally, I have set up another flow triggered by the 'Send Reminder' button in Power Apps, which sends an email to the approver with 'Approve' or 'Reject' action buttons. My goal is for the flow to behave in such a way that, when the second flow is triggered, the first flow is automatically canceled to prevent the approver from receiving multiple emails with action buttons. How to achieve this.

Categories:

Building flows

Hi,

To ensure that your first flow is automatically canceled when the second flow is triggered, you can implement a mechanism to manage and terminate the first flow execution dynamically. Here’s how you can achieve this:

Step-by-Step Solution

1. Identify the Running Instance of the First Flow

When the first flow is triggered, store the Run ID or an identifier in a SharePoint list, Dataverse, or any other centralized store.
This identifier can be used later to terminate the flow.

Steps in the First Flow:

Add an action to retrieve the unique Run ID:
- Use the workflow() function in a Compose action to get metadata about the current flow, including the run ID.
- Example:
  
  workflow()['run']['name']
Save this Run ID along with a unique identifier for the list item (e.g., List Item ID) in a SharePoint list or Dataverse table.

2. Trigger the Second Flow

When the "Send Reminder" button in Power Apps is clicked, trigger the second flow.

Steps in the Second Flow:

Retrieve the saved Run ID from the centralized store for the corresponding list item.
Use the Terminate Flow action to cancel the first flow.

3. Use the Terminate Flow Action

Power Automate doesn’t have a direct built-in action to terminate other flows, but you can achieve this using the Power Automate Management connector.

Steps:

Add the "List Runs" action from the Power Automate Management connector:
- Filter by the specific flow name and status (e.g., "Running").
- Use the run ID retrieved earlier to identify the exact instance.
Add the "Cancel Flow Run" action from the same connector:
- Pass the Flow Name and Run ID to terminate the running instance of the first flow.

4. Design Logic to Prevent Overlap

After terminating the first flow, proceed with sending the email from the second flow.
Optionally, update the centralized store to mark the first flow as canceled.

Simplified Flow Logic

First Flow:

Trigger: When an item is created.
Save the current flow's Run ID in a centralized store.
Proceed with sending the email for approval.

Second Flow:

Trigger: Power Apps "Send Reminder" button.
Retrieve the Run ID of the first flow (if any) for the corresponding list item.
Use the "Cancel Flow Run" action to terminate the first flow.
Send a new approval email.

Additional Considerations

Concurrency Control: Use a flag or status in your list to indicate whether the first flow is already running, and prevent it from being triggered if the second flow has already run.
Timeouts: Set a timeout in the first flow to avoid long-running instances.
Error Handling: Ensure the second flow gracefully handles cases where no active run of the first flow exists.

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