Power Platform Community Forum Thread Details

I am trying to export a Word document with complex format (tables with dynamic number of rows and paragraphs) from a form in Power App with Power Automate and generated a SharePoint link for in app editing within the Power App.

I have tried two workaround method but both fail to achieve my goal

1. use Populate a Word Template

If i am using Populate a Word template, the documents generated cannot be edit within embedded Word Online Editor within the Power App

2. export it as a Microsoft Edge MHT file first with Compose HTML template and rename the file as doc

The embedded Word online editor force me to convert

After I convert the file, it will force me to leave the app so this wordaround also fail to achieve my goal of in-app editing. In addition, this workaround will have strange characters in the word document after the conversion.

Is there any better workaround to achieve in-app editing of a word document with Power Automate export?

Categories:

Building flows

General topics

Hi @KW-18110402-0,

First, let's deal known limitations of Populate a Word Template Action

The Word Online (Business) connector does not support Rich Text Content Controls, Building Block Gallery, Date Picker, Check Box, or Legacy form controls.
Nested repeating sections (tables within tables) are not supported; only one level of repeating sections is allowed.
Images inside repeating tables are not supported; images can only be added outside repeating sections.
The maximum file size for the input template is 10MB.
The Developer tab is only available in the desktop Word app, not Word Online.
Editing generated documents is recommended in the Word desktop client rather than Word Online due to limitations.

What we can do:

We can use a Word template with content controls (plain text, repeating sections) created in the desktop Word app with the Developer tab enabled.
Power Automate’s “Populate a Microsoft Word Template” action dynamically fills these controls based on your data.
Save the generated document to SharePoint or OneDrive and generate a link for in-app editing within Power Apps.
Limitations include support for only one level of repeating sections (no nested tables), no rich text formatting inside content controls, and the need for the template to be stored in OneDrive or SharePoint.
Workarounds like exporting as MHT files renamed as .doc cause forced conversion and poor editing experiences in the embedded Word Online editor.

References:

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