Upload files to a website in a loop?

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Posted on 24 Sep 2021 12:24:27 by Australia

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Hi fellow Power Automate Desktop veterans,

Is there a way that I can use Power Automate Desktop to upload files to a website?

Here's the steps in writing:

1. All files to be uploaded are saved in a SharePoint Document Library. Or I can download them to my PC as local files, if required.

The library structure is as follows:

My Document Library (500+ files in total)

X1230.xls

X1231.xls

X1232.xls

...
>SubFolder X1233

X1233_1.xls

X1233_2.xls

...

>SubFolder X1234

X1234_1.xls

X1234_2.xls

...

X1235.xls

...

Each file name contains the unique file number e.g. X1233.xls

2. Go to the website where I want to upload the file(s) to an intranet

3. Search and open record using the unique file number X1233

4. Enter file name: '2020 Report' (this is a fixed value for all file)

5. Click File to upload (choose File X1233.xls)

6. Select type of File: Option 1 (this is a fixed option)

7. Click the 'Upload' button to upload file

8. Repeat the steps above for all other files in a loop until each file has been uploaded.

Many thanks.

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Identity47 8 on 26 Aug 2023 at 12:19:06

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Re: Upload files to a website in a loop?

Hi @Australia

I do not know if you ever got your PAD workflow to actually function as intended.
I tried to do something similar where I had to upload pictures from my desktop to a Facebook chat message.

Instead of using the press button in window function, I used the Send Mouse Click function, as I was unable to get the Press button in window function to actually press the button (it did navigate to the right location, but it just did not press the button in the Facebook chat window - might be due to the way the Facebook chat buttons work, and not the Press button function malfunctioning)

For the reiteration through all of the files, I used:
1) Get files in folder (inserted before the loop - so it creates an index of the relevant files)
2) For each loop (for each current item in the folder (the variable from the get files function))
a) insert the relevant Press button or Send Mouse click functions to get the dialog box where you need to input the file name
b) Use the Send Keys function and insert the %Currentitem% variable as the text to insert.

Then the workflow should insert a text consisting of:
Folder path\file name

----

Anyway, I just thought that I would share it in case you have not yet gotten your workflow to function properly or in case anybody else could use it for a workflow.
VJR 7,635 on 28 Sep 2021 at 05:12:51

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Re: Upload files to a website in a loop?

Hi @Australia

For No 1. Unable to select the desired file name and file in a loop - currently both are fixed value.

If you need the full path of the file there, then use %CurrentItem%
But if you need only the filename then use %CurrentItem.Name%

If you scroll to my posts above this is the part where I explained how to get each file in folder
Click the yellow button to select %CurrentItem%. You will find %CurrentItem.Name% under the same yellow button

(Below is just an example of Display Message)

For 2. Unable to upload a file due to a.) 'Choose File' button appears to be an image, b.) a pop up window and c.) a pop up message

Firstly don't forget to add Wait actions between all other actions
Use 2 to 3 seconds or depending upon the speed you are seeing.
We should give it some time to complete one action and to go onto the other.

If this is a web application right click on that image and click Inspect. See which html element does it show, image or button or something else.

For the Ok button and the Open button you will need to detect and add them as an UI element same as the other elements and click on them. It requires some playing around too with the selectors of the UI element. Ticking one and unticking the other and so forth.

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Australia 387 on 27 Sep 2021 at 14:08:16

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Re: Upload files to a website in a loop?

Hi @VJR,

I think I have finally completed the process and I feel I am almost there.
But issues I still encounter:
1. Unable to select the desired file name and file in a loop - currently both are fixed value.
See Step 7 and Step 17
2. Unable to upload a file due to a.) 'Choose File' button appears to be an image, b.) a pop up window and c.) a pop up message
See Steps 16-21

Could you please guide me to the end of the tunnel?

My flow:
Step 7 - how to open record by searching file name in a loop - X1230, X1231 ....

Step 16 - 'Choose File' appears to be an image because 'Press a button' was not found if I chose to use UI or Web Automation

Step 17-21 Pop up window occurs

Step 17 - To select the file for upload. (A pop up window after clicking the 'Choose File' image/button?)
Step 18 - to click the 'Open'

This is the Pop up window after selecting the file to upload (step 21)

Your help is greatly appreciated.
VJR 7,635 on 27 Sep 2021 at 08:03:56

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Re: Upload files to a website in a loop?

Hi @Australia

Use the sequence of steps in my post above.

1. Get Files from folder Video
2. Launch your website in a browser (explained in above video links)
Use "For each" action here to go through each file in that folder as shown in above post.

3. Perform below steps (explained in above video links)
Search and open record using the unique file number X1233 (file details from variable inside the loop)

Enter file name: '2020 Report' (this is a fixed value for all file)
Click File to upload (choose File X1233.xls)
Select type of File: Option 1 (this is a fixed option)
Click the 'Upload' button to upload file

4. Use "Go to Webpage" action to go back to the same url .
Since you are already inside the loop, the steps from 3 will automatically run one after another.

When the loop is complete all the files will have been uploaded.
Australia 387 on 27 Sep 2021 at 06:32:15

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Re: Upload files to a website in a loop?

Hi @VJR,

I've started working on my very first RAD project following the videos you gave me. 🙂
It has been quite fun. 🙂 Kindly see below where I am up to.
I unfortunately still don't quite get the Loop concept and please be patient with me.
Where would you recommend to insert the Loop function in my incidence and how do I search the file name in a loop?

Thanks again,
VJR 7,635 on 26 Sep 2021 at 08:59:25

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Re: Upload files to a website in a loop?

By loop I mean the "For each" to iterate through files in folder

I have used .txt. It will be .xls in your case
Also I have used Display Message just to show you the file name displayed. You can at first try this just to see how it is picking the names in the folder.

I have below files in a folder

Click the yellow button to select current item

This will display all files one after the another in a loop inside a message box.

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VJR 7,635 on 26 Sep 2021 at 03:56:31

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Re: Upload files to a website in a loop?

Hi @Australia

Until you provide an answer to the other post about the right tool you want to use, lets start from Step 2.

Whether you downloaded the files manually or automatically via Cloud Flow Sharepoint connector, in either case lets assume you have the files saved in one folder with valid names.

You can get started by placing 2-3 files manually in some folder having correct names.

Before you start the mentioned steps go through the below video links in sequence.
That will give full clarity on how and what needs to be done.
- Power Automate Desktop : Automation With UI Elements
- Extract data from web page | Web Data Extraction | Part 1
- Web Form Filling - Textbox, Dropdown, RadioButton, Checkbox Part 2

1. Get Files from folder Video
2. Launch your website in a browser (explained in above video links)
2. Use Loop action to go through each file in that folder
3. Perform below steps (explained in above video links)
Search and open record using the unique file number X1233 (file details from variable inside the loop)
Enter file name: '2020 Report' (this is a fixed value for all file)
Click File to upload (choose File X1233.xls)
Select type of File: Option 1 (this is a fixed option)
Click the 'Upload' button to upload file

4. Use "Go to Webpage" action to go back to the same url .
Since you are already inside the loop, the steps from 3 will automatically run one after another.

When the loop is complete all the files will have been uploaded.

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Australia 387 on 25 Sep 2021 at 12:48:59

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Re: Upload files to a website in a loop?

@VJR thanks for the reply.
I'd like to get some ideas from veterans like you, how would you start a project like this?
Would you download everything to my PC and manually fix the file names so they have the same naming convention?

How should I tackle step 2 and beyond? Do you use the Record button in PAD and use a .csv to start the loop like iMacro or Selenium?

Cheers,
VJR 7,635 on 25 Sep 2021 at 11:13:58

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Re: Upload files to a website in a loop?

HI @Australia

PAD does have the capability to do the steps you have described, so it appears doable.
Perhaps you can start and if stuck anywhere you can post with screenshots if faced with an issue.

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