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Trouble using an expression to avoid looping

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Posted on by 37

I have a Microsoft Form that returns a FirstName LastName value for one of the responses. My flow uses the "Search for Users V2" operation on this FirstName LastName to get the UserPrincipalName. 

bigfella_0-1653064271616.png

 

I want to use this UPN as the input for the next action, Get Manager (V2). The problem is that I guess the flow assumes there could be more than one user that matches in the Search User action and automatically tries to do a "For Each" if I use the UPN as dynamic content. 

bigfella_0-1653065040716.png

 

Since I know there will only ever be a single user returned in Search for User, I want to avoid the loop. I am trying to do this with an expression. For the input to Get Manager (V2), I use outputs('Search_for_users_(V2)')?['UserPrincipalName'], but this gives me an error: The 'inputs.parameters' of workflow operation 'Get_manager_(V2)' of type 'OpenApiConnection' is not valid. Error details: The resolved string values for the following parameters are invalid, they may not be null or empty: 'id'

I've also tried it formatted outputs('Search_for_users_(V2)')?'body/value/UserPrincipalName'] and outputs('Search_for_users_(V2)')?['value/UserPrincipalName']

 

Here is the raw output to Search for Users:

bigfella_1-1653064885840.png

 

Thanks in advance!!

 

  • bigfella Profile Picture
    bigfella 37 on at
    Re: Trouble using an expression to avoid looping

    Thank you so much, that did the trick!

  • Verified answer
    Pstork1 Profile Picture
    Pstork1 64,767 on at
    Re: Trouble using an expression to avoid looping

    Search for users will always return an array of users, even if there is only one.  You can use first() around the array to get the first record, then append ?['fieldname'] to the end of that in the expressions tab to get the UPN.  Something like this

    first(outputs('Search_for_users_(V2)')?['body/value'])?['UserPrincipalName']

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