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Download from Web Question

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Posted on by mgeertz

Hi - I'm attempting to build a flow in Power Automate Desktop that downloads a report from a website. The report itself has a direct link I can use outside of PAD such as https://site.com/export.aspx?export=xls%det=<report name> which downloads the report in Excel format. However when I try to use PAD to "Download from Web", it downloads the export.aspx or sometimes login.aspx if authentication is needed. I am able to automate opening a new Chrome session, going to the login page and logging in, and then telling it to "Download from Web", but even then it only downloads an aspx file instead of the report. It's almost like PAD isn't able to handle the values being passed after the .aspx?.

I've tried simulating logging into the site, going to the report page and telling it to click on the export report link itself, but that's been unpredictable as sometimes it doesn't keep the webpage in focus or doesn't find the UI element I made for the export button. Ideally I'd like to use these direct export links I have since I have a lot of reports I can download using them and I'm trying to avoid having to load up each report and hitting the export button.

Is there a better way of handling this kind of download flow?

Thanks!

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Highboy 1,187 Super User 2024 Season 1 on at

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What if you just open Chrome with the link to the report, and if asked to login, let PAD do so, then it should download the report.

I use that method, in some of my scripts.

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rolign on at

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You can try using Http connector via cloud and download file there:
Or use Invoke Web Service on PAD:

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mgeertz 2 on at

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That's what I tried to do at first. If I past the full export link into a browser, it downloads the file fine, no prompt for login since I'm already authenticated to the site in my browser session. However telling PAD to do the same thing redirects to login.aspx (and if I turn off redirect, it downloads export.aspx as a 1kb file with the contents of the login.aspx page). So I tried letting it do a login first and then downloading, but it did the same thing regardless...I feel like PAD is ignoring everything after the "/export.aspx?"

I just tried using the Invoke web service, but had the same result. Not sure if maybe I'm supposed to put something in the Request Body like the values being passed to the export function?

I think I'm going to try via cloud instead of PAD using HTTP connector as suggested and see if it makes a difference...

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Pavel_NaNoi 1,074 on at

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Any update on this? Can't bloody wrap my head around this, always get login.aspx no matter what.

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momlo 1,527 Super User 2024 Season 1 on at

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I also have a number of internal sites where this was the case.
As much as I would love PAD to handle those with a single action - Imaho this is not a PAD issue but the nature of the site.
Action such as "download from web" requires a "clean" link meaning there is no code executed in the browser or backend before the file is served - just the pure response is a file.
Also afaik this action works in IE/automation browsers only and not Chrome/Firefox/Edge.
In those, you need to go to the report URL, and automate the "save as" window"

If I past the full export link into a browser, it downloads the file fine, no prompt for login since I'm already authenticated to the site in my browser session.
The reason for that is your site is executing extra code in such as authentication/authorization validation that can not be executed while using "download from web or API"

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