Share
ReportProblem Summary:
I need to automatically convert Word documents to PDF in Power Automate, but the Word documents contain field codes (e.g., {DOCPROPERTY "DocumentOwner"}) that reference SharePoint metadata. When the PDF is generated, these field codes are not refreshed, resulting in PDFs with outdated metadata values.
Environment:
- SharePoint Online document library
- Power Automate Cloud Flows
- Microsoft 365 E3 licenses
- Word documents with {DOCPROPERTY} field codes
Current Situation:
-
SharePoint Setup:
- Document library with custom columns (DocumentOwner, Location, Version, etc.)
- Word documents stored in this library
-
Word Documents:
- Contain field codes like {DOCPROPERTY "DocumentOwner"}
- These fields are linked to SharePoint document properties
- When opened in Word Desktop: Fields refresh automatically ✅
- When opened in Word Online: Fields do NOT refresh ❌
-
Power Automate Flow:
Trigger: When SharePoint metadata is modified
→ Get file properties
→ Get file content
→ Convert to PDF (various methods tried)
→ Save PDF
The Problem:
When a user updates SharePoint metadata (e.g., DocumentOwner changes from "John" to "Sarah"):
- The Word document is NOT opened
- The PDF conversion happens automatically via Power Automate
- Result: PDF shows old value "John" instead of "Sarah" ❌
The field codes only update when the document is manually opened in Word Desktop App.
What I've Tried:
- Standard "Convert Word to PDF" action: Field codes not refreshed
- Premium "Convert Word Document to PDF" action: Unclear if this refreshes field codes (evaluating)
- Word Online Connector "Populate a Word template": Requires Content Controls (would need to rebuild all templates)
- Third-party (Encodian): Testing, but want to explore native Microsoft solutions first
My Questions:
-
Does the Premium "Convert Word Document to PDF" action automatically refresh Word field codes before conversion?
-
Is there a native Power Automate action that can:
- Refresh/update Word field codes in a document?
- Or update Word document properties so field codes reflect current SharePoint values?
-
Alternative approach: Should I abandon {DOCPROPERTY} field codes and switch to Content Controls + Word Online Connector?
- If yes: Any way to bulk-convert existing documents?
-
Licensing: If using Premium actions:
- Who needs a Power Platform Premium license?
- Only the flow owner or every user who triggers the flow?
Ideal Solution:
A way to automatically refresh Word field codes (or update document properties) in Power Automate before PDF conversion, so that:
- PDFs always show current SharePoint metadata ✅
- Word documents retain field codes for manual editing ✅
- No manual document opening required ✅
Additional Context:
We have hundreds of existing documents with {DOCPROPERTY} field codes. Rebuilding all templates with Content Controls would be very time-consuming, so a solution that works with existing field codes would be preferred.
Any guidance on the best Microsoft-native approach would be greatly appreciated!
All responses (
Answers (
33,851
