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Combinng Power Fx and Power Automate Desktop Actions Gives syntax error

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Posted on by Steve48

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I want to be able to enter a null value into an Airtable base using its API. There doesnt seem to be a way to set a variable to null directly in PAD ( I want to modify an existing PAD flow to use Power Fx)

I start (in a test flow with Power Fx enabled) by doing a set Variable varA=Blank() as a default. This works

if i then do a normal PAD set variable %varA% to 2, for example.

I get a syntax error when I enter %varA%. It seems that powerFx and PAD variables can't have the same name. Hope I'm being clear

It seems as if using PowerFx with existing PAD flows is not straightforward.

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Power Automate Desktop

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Deenuji_Loganathan_ 6,250 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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@Steve48
If you're working with the flow without enabling Power FX, you can set a blank or empty string into your variable by using the syntax like this: `%""%`.

To assign a numeric value to your variable using Power FX, please follow the syntax below:

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Steve48 431 on at

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@Deenuji Hi, I was aware that %""% is an empty string. However Airtable doesn't treat it as a null value. I confirmed this using Bing Copilot - see their response at the end. That's why I tried Power Fx, which was my first attempt at using it. One way of solving my problem is to different two different actions for posting to Airtable, one that includes my variable and one that doesn't. However it seems as if I am having a more basic problem. In my flow that has Power fx enabled, i can't even set a variable using the %var% notation. I get a syntax error. Now I am even more confused. I thought this notation was compatible with Power fx

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When posting data to Airtable using the API, representing a null value can be a bit tricky. Airtable’s behavior for empty fields or null values is specific, and it’s essential to understand how it handles them.
Empty Fields in Airtable API:
When you post data to Airtable via the API, fields that have never had a value stored into them are not conveyed as empty strings (""). Instead, they are dropped from the API response.
However, there’s an exception for linked table fields: they are present in the response, but their value is an empty array.
Representing Null Values:
To represent a null value in an Airtable field, you should not use an empty string ("").
Instead, you can leave the field out of your API request entirely, and Airtable will treat it as null.
Handling Missing Field Values:
When working with Airtable data, recognize that some records may not contain certain field entries.
Accommodate missing field values in your integration code.
If you want to dynamically learn about new fields and adjust your integration, consider creating a hidden record with every field populated. Query that record to enumerate all fields.
In summary, avoid sending empty strings for null values. Simply omit the field from your API request, and Airtable will handle it as expected.

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eetuRobo 4,204 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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However it seems as if I am having a more basic problem. In my flow that has Power fx enabled, i can't even set a variable using the %var% notation. I get a syntax error. Now I am even more confused. I thought this notation was compatible with Power fx

I don't think the %var% notation is campatible with Power Fx.
Power Fx doesn't use %%. It uses = -sign.

Just some ideas how to work with power fx not sure if you need these at all:
Blank in powerFx:
Or just leave out the = in the variable name.

Blank can be made in Power Fx with =Blank() or just =
In normal PAD syntax Blank value for variable:

In power fx empty string value can be created with syntax: =""

Empty array is just =[]

Cant really help you with the Airtable stuff since I haven't used that.

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