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Error handling - go to next action doesn't seem to work

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Posted on by Community Power Pla... Microsoft Employee

Hi - using PAD 2.22.263.22202, I'm frustrated with this action that attempts to close an Excel instance. I didn't bother to check if it exists because I figured I could just depend on error handling to continue to the next action, but you see it stops.

Is it a bug or a misunderstanding on my part?

Thanks!

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MichaelAnnis 5,727 Moderator on at

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The only acceptable errors for Close Excel are here, and these will be handled by the OnError parameter:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/power-automate/desktop-flows/actions-reference/excel#closeexcel

The error you have is a parameter error which means you need to change the parameter. Looks like a pre-run error. If it is an error that occurs during the run, try an OnError action item and put it inside.

Good luck!

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Community Power Pla... Microsoft Employee on at

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Hi Michael,
Thank you... What's happening is that the ExcelInstance hasn't been started yet because the error handler is being called before it's ever opened. I have this subflow as a general clean up anything that might exist.

So if I understand you well, the "All Errors" is not really any error that might happen with that row? Clearly it seems so. I suppose I can solve just checking if ExcelInstance isn't empty and close it if so. I was just frustrated with move next on all errors not really doing that.

This works:

Have a good one - thanks again!

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VJR 7,635 on at

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Your frustration is valid 🙂 as I have encountered many such Error Handlers that do not work as expected to trap the errors.

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ryule 929 Super User 2024 Season 1 on at

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Agreed; I have an Excel action where it's Error Handling absolutely does not work (below). It's supposed to go to a label upon a failure, but instead, it just fails the whole bot.

Luckily, I have a workaround to prevent the failure, using the conditional statement, but it'd be nice if the Error Handling just worked.

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MichaelAnnis 5,727 Moderator on at

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Correct...All Errors will (to my knowledge) only work if they are listed in the "Exceptions" section of the documentation of that action. This is seen as "bad flow design" (not putting you down), because the variable is attempted to be called before it is set. With that being said, I think an OnError action block would push it forward, but I could be wrong.

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wnzn 168 on at

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I would propose 'On block error' as well. It should catch all errors, not only the expected ones for the actions inside the block.

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Community Power Pla... Microsoft Employee on at

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Thanks all... Yeah, I know it looks like bad practice - and maybe it is - but in this case it's a subflow to clean up in any case where there was an error.. so in the main flow that is in an error block, I call this one first to close Excel processes that may exist etc. I will try to additionally put the actions in that ErrorCloseAll subflow in a block - I think it's the correct way.

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