Unanswered

Expression for getting dynamic content from one of two date questions?

(0) Share

Report

Posted on by Michael291

Hi there.

My form has two questions that ask for a date. Users will only ever answer one of the two questions. I want an expression that fetches the date entered on whichever question they answered. I have written some expressions, but I continue to get the same error:

Error details: Input parameter 'item/example question' is required to be of type 'String/date'. The runtime value '""' to be converted doesn't have the expected format 'String/date'.

Here are two expressions that I've tried:

if(empty([dynamic content for question 1]), [dynamic content for question 2], [dynamic content for question 1])

if(contains([dynamic content for question 1], '2'), [dynamic content for question 1], [dynamic content for question 2])

I understand that the second expression is messy, but I was just seeing if I could find a workaround since the first expression didn't work.

Categories:

General topics

I have the same question (0)

All responses (13)

Answers (1)

Michael E. Gernaey 53,335 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

Like (0)

Report

Hi can you please verify the following

both controls are text boxes or date selectors?

Can you validate the name of each
Lastly where does this valued go? S

Just want to write the expression correctly
Cheers
If you like my answer, please Mark it as Resolved, and give it a thumbs up, so it can help others
Thank You
Michael Gernaey MCT | MCSE | MCP | Self-Contractor| Ex-Microsoft
https://gernaeysoftware.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelgernaey

Was this reply helpful? Yes No
Nived_Nambiar 18,129 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

Like (1)

Report

Hi @Michael291

see whether this expression may helps you ?

if(equals([dynamic content for question 1],'"")', [dynamic content for question 2], [dynamic content for question 1])

Let me know

Was this reply helpful? Yes No
Michael291 23 on at

Like (0)

Report

Hi Nived,

No, it doesn't work. I continue to receive the same error when using that expression.

Was this reply helpful? Yes No
Michael291 23 on at

Like (0)

Report

Hi Michael,

Thank you for being willing to assist me.

Both questions are date selectors. Both questions are required; depending on how the branching leads the user through the form, one (and only ever one) of the two questions must be answered.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "validate the names." I thought "[question 1]" and "[question 2]" would be sufficient. I can always replace "[question 1]" and "[question 2]" with the questions' unique identifiers when I add the expression to my flow.

This flow captures data from form submissions and places it in a SharePoint list.

Was this reply helpful? Yes No
Michael E. Gernaey 53,335 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

Like (0)

Report

Hi,

I just wanted to make sure I knew for sure the names, so whatever expression I wrote worked, no worries.

1. Are you asking how to do this check IN Power Automate or the UI?
2. Are these "strings" (from the UI) or Choice values? Drop downs?
3. Please provide pictures of the Actions you are using and what you typed in the Expression

Cheers
If you like my answer, please Mark it as Resolved, and give it a thumbs up, so it can help others
Thank You
Michael Gernaey MCT | MCSE | MCP | Self-Contractor| Ex-Microsoft
https://gernaeysoftware.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelgernaey

Was this reply helpful? Yes No
Michael291 23 on at

Like (0)

Report

1. I'm asking how to do this in Power Automate. I want my SharePoint list to display the date entered on whichever of the two date-selector questions was answered.
2. The questions both look like this:
3. Below are the actions I'm using. The two unsuccessful expressions I've tried are in my original post. I also tried the expression that Nived provided.

Was this reply helpful? Yes No
Michael E. Gernaey 53,335 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

Like (0)

Report

Hi

Ah that adds so much more light to the situation, we both thought you were simply doing an expression, maybe in a Compose so our answers do not work for a Condition

And based on the Ask, using the condition doesn't make sense let me explain.

Originally it sounded like you wanted to "get back" the valid date based on a check like this
CurrentAnswer = If (first is blank, return second, return first).

To me, this meant you would place the Expression IN the Create Item (That I can now see), in the Column that needs the answer.

But now you are using the Condition as a way to check IF you should even create a Record, which seems wrong, but maybe you actually need both.

Question:
1. Do you have a single field for this to be written in or do you have two fields and you only want one populated in your Create Item

2. Do you also want to validate that at least one has an answer BEFORE you even attempt to save it.

2 different use cases for the data and each one needs a different answer.

hehe 🙂 I hope that makes sense.

Cheers
If you like my answer, please Mark it as Resolved, and give it a thumbs up, so it can help others
Thank You
Michael Gernaey MCT | MCSE | MCP | Self-Contractor| Ex-Microsoft
https://gernaeysoftware.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelgernaey

Was this reply helpful? Yes No
Michael291 23 on at

Like (0)

Report

The expression is going in the Create Item action.

The use of the Condition action is necessary. Based on answers to particular questions, there are form submissions that should not be tracked in the corresponding SharePoint list. I created the condition so that only form submissions adhering to the list's purpose result in items being created.

1. There is a single field on my SharePoint list. I need the corresponding column to display the date entered on question 1 or question 2.
2. No, there is no need to validate that at least one of the questions has been answered. Given how I've branched my form, it's not possible for users to avoid answering both of these questions. (They'll always avoid one but never both.)

Was this reply helpful? Yes No
Michael E. Gernaey 53,335 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

Like (0)

Report
Hi,

Thanks for that.

My expectation is that these come from the Action Get Details and or From the Body or the Trigger itself
Which means to access their values you would need to use the Dynamic Properties of Get Details or the Trigger and replace the outsputs(I have as an example) with the Trigger/Get Details dynamic properties.

// this checks if the column 1 is blank and if so it returns column 1. But we need to fill in the proper syntax of the

Coalesce(outputs('Get_Details')?['Column Name 1'], outputs('Get_Details')?['Column Name 2'], outputs('Get_Details')['Column Name']);

or

or something like // if(equals([dynamic content for question 1],'"")', [dynamic content for question 2], [dynamic content for question 1])

Which is what @Nived_Nambiar was saying and you needed to replace the dynamic content text he has with the Dynamic Property

What's important is to see they are dynamic properties and put them in the expression or if they are not in which case we need to leverage the proper Path Syntax to access their values.

1. Can you please share the output dynamic properties of Get Details

Cheers
If you like my answer, please Mark it as Resolved, and give it a thumbs up, so it can help others
Thank You
Michael Gernaey MCT | MCSE | MCP | Self-Contractor| Ex-Microsoft
https://gernaeysoftware.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelgernaey

Was this reply helpful? Yes No
Michael291 23 on at

Like (0)

Report

Michael,

I might be missing something, but I'm not sure why you refer to them as "columns." They are questions on a Microsoft Form. I am trying to get the answer to whichever form question was answered to populate in a particular column on a SharePoint list.

When I use your expression and Nived's expression (substituting in the dynamic content for the corresponding questions), I get the following error:
The runtime value '""' to be converted doesn't have the expected format 'String/date'.

Below are the two expressions I tried:
coalesce(outputs('Get_response_details')?['body/rea2282af55f34959854ceec89f061f21'],outputs('Get_response_details')?['body/r963229b6e952403cbfeee53c676a0b02'],outputs('Get_response_details')?['body/rea2282af55f34959854ceec89f061f21'])

if(equals(outputs('Get_response_details')?['body/rea2282af55f34959854ceec89f061f21'], '""'),outputs('Get_response_details')?['body/r963229b6e952403cbfeee53c676a0b02'],outputs('Get_response_details')?['body/rea2282af55f34959854ceec89f061f21'])

Was this reply helpful? Yes No