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Power Platform Community / Forums / Power Automate - Building Flows / Looking for xpath expr...
Power Automate - Building Flows
Unanswered

Looking for xpath expression to get specific data from JSON object

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Posted on by erofee 75

Hi Community!

 

I have a JSON payload that I want to get a specific piece of data from.

 

Here is the payload (with private information removed):

 

 

{
 "id": "114106571079",
 "recipient_id": "",
 "collection_mode": "default",
 "response_status": "completed",
 "custom_value": "",
 "first_name": "",
 "last_name": "",
 "email_address": "",
 "ip_address": "",
 "logic_path": {},
 "metadata": {
 "respondent": {
 "user_agent": {
 "type": "number",
 "value": 000
 },
 "language": {
 "type": "string",
 "value": "en"
 }
 },
 "contact": {}
 },
 "page_path": [],
 "collector_id": "422326501",
 "survey_id": "402862451",
 "custom_variables": {},
 "edit_url": "",
 "analyze_url": "",
 "total_time": 13,
 "date_modified": "2022-08-31T01:44:54+00:00",
 "date_created": "2022-08-31T01:44:41+00:00",
 "href": "",
 "questions": [
 {
 "id": "87023139",
 "answers": [
 {
 "choice_id": "682016455",
 "simple_text": "Integrated Assurance"
 }
 ],
 "family": "single_choice",
 "subtype": "menu",
 "heading": ""
 },
 {
 "id": "87019079",
 "answers": [
 {
 "choice_id": "682001918",
 "row_id": "681994084",
 "choice_metadata": {
 "weight": "-10"
 },
 "simple_text": ""
 },
 {
 "choice_id": "682001919",
 "row_id": "681994085",
 "choice_metadata": {
 "weight": "-5"
 },
 "simple_text": ""
 },
 {
 "choice_id": "682001921",
 "row_id": "681994086",
 "choice_metadata": {
 "weight": "5"
 },
 "simple_text": ""
 },
 {
 "choice_id": "682001920",
 "row_id": "681994087",
 "choice_metadata": {
 "weight": "0"
 },
 "simple_text": ""
 }
 ],
 "family": "matrix",
 "subtype": "rating",
 "heading": ""
 }
 ]
}

 

 

 

I am trying to get to the "answers/choice_id" of "questions/id"=87023139

 

How would I format this in xpath?

 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

  • DamoBird365 Profile Picture
    DamoBird365 8,942 Microsoft Employee on at
    Re: Looking for xpath expression to get specific data from JSON object

    Hi @Brendan1 

     

    This would allow you to query the JSON as XML:

     

    DamoBird365_0-1662061772321.png

     

    And using XPath online real-time tester, evaluator and generator for XML & HTML (xpather.com) I can search as follows:

     

    DamoBird365_1-1662062223098.png

     

    with query //questions[id=87019079]/answers/choice_id but I get nothing returned if I run that query in Power Automate as xpath(outputs('ComposeXML'),'//questions[id=87019079]/answers/choice_id').

     

    Based on your required output, presumably a CSV?  You could create that by extending the filter I created previously to give the following output:

    DamoBird365_2-1662062883261.png

     

    Here is the flow:

     

    DamoBird365_3-1662063096807.png

     

    Please let me know if that is what you are looking for and/or if you solve the Xpath route you were thinking of following.


    Cheers
    Damien

    Please take a look and subscribe to my YouTube Channel for more Power Platform ideas and concepts. Thanks

     

     

     

  • erofee Profile Picture
    erofee 75 on at
    Re: Looking for xpath expression to get specific data from JSON object

    Thanks @DamoBird365 ,

     

    The reason I was approaching with xpath is because I need to select siblings of a specific row_id.  I reasoned if someone could show me the basic xpath syntax I could work out the rest.  Conversion to XML I didn't think would be a problem as xml() can convert valid JSON to XML: Converting JSON to XML and XML to JSON in a Flow | Power Automate | D365 Demystified

     

    I am ultimately trying to get all of the data I need into a single line for insertion into an excel table.

     

    I.e. trying to get a line that looks like this:

    email_address  ip_address  row_id_681994084_choice_id  row_id_681994084_simple_text  row_id_681994086_choice_id  row_id_681994086_simple_text  etc....
    datadatadatadatadatadata 

     

    The "row ids" will always be the same, so I don't need to select them via index or anything fancy like that.  I just need to get the siblings of a specific row_id.

     

    Do you have a different way you would approach this?

     

     

     

    Thanks,

    Brendan

  • DamoBird365 Profile Picture
    DamoBird365 8,942 Microsoft Employee on at
    Re: Looking for xpath expression to get specific data from JSON object

    Hi @Brendan1 

     

    Is there any specific reason you want to use xpath?  You would have to convert the JSON [{}] into XML <tag></tag> and then feed it into XPATH but you can achieve what you are looking for with Filter and then selecting the first result as follows:

     

    DamoBird365_5-1661932807360.png


    Cheers
    Damien

    Please take a look and subscribe to my YouTube Channel for more Power Platform ideas and concepts. Thanks

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