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(PAD) I'm trying to populate an input field with text.

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Posted on by CU10030357-0

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I'm using a power automate desktop and I'm trying to populate an input field with a text using the action "populate text field on web page".

I attached an image of where I want to input text. There are 5 input text fields that I want to populate on. they have similar Selectors.

But The IDs are seems dynamic and fails every run.

The Selectors IDs:

・Account Attribute 1: input[Id="ctl03_rptSurvey_ctl15_survey_editControl_1681232594"]

・Account Attribute 2: input[Id="ctl03_rptSurvey_ctl16_survey_editControl_1681232594"]

・Account Attribute 3: input[Id="ctl03_rptSurvey_ctl17_survey_editControl_1681232594"]

・Account Attribute 4: input[Id="ctl03_rptSurvey_ctl18_survey_editControl_1681232594"]

・Account Attribute 5: input[Id="ctl03_rptSurvey_ctl19_survey_editControl_1681232594"]

I Tried:

・re-capturing UI element, but always the same

・input[Id="ctl03_rptSurvey_ctl15”] (I change only the last two numbers to →ctl16/ctl17/ctl18/ctl19

・input[id*="survey_editControl"]

・input[id*="survey_editControl"][type="text"]

・input[name*="survey"]

・input[class*="input"]

・div[id*="rptSurvey"] input[id*="survey_editControl"]

Still getting "UI element not found"

Please can someone help me? I would really appreciate it.

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frago 226 on at

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Hi @CU10030357-0

The issue you’re facing is because the input fields have dynamic, so Power Automate Desktop

What to

Avoid using the ID attribute altogether in your selectors.

Use a stable parent element combined with t

For example, use selectors like these:

div[id*="rptSurvey"] input[type="text"]:nth-of-type(1) div[id*="rptSurvey"] input[type="text"]:nth-of-type(2) div[id*="rptSurvey"] input[type="text"]:nth-of-type(3) div[id*="rptSurvey"] input[type="text"]:nth-of-type(4) div[id*="rptSurvey"] input[type="text"]:nth-of-type(5)

This way, you’re targeting the inputs by their order within a stable container, which won’t change.

------------------------------------------------------------

If this solved your issue, please mark it as ✅ Accepted Answer.
If it helped, feel free to give it a 🩷 Like!

Best regards,
Piotr

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CU10030357-0 106 on at

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@frago

Thank you for your suggestion, but I tried the selectors you recommended but it didn't work, it is still "not found".

But thank you for trying to help me and answer my question, I appreciate it.

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Haque 3,653 on at

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Hi @CU10030357-0,

Can you please narrow down the problem and keep strick on how you have tried? This will confirm if every ID is creating problem or not. I would suggest first do for 1 or 2 items and then increase incrementally.

Here is the reason:

Your current selectors rely on full IDs like ctl03_rptSurvey_ctl15_survey_editControl_1681232594, where the numeric parts (ctl15, 1681232594) are dynamic and change each run, causing the selectors to break.

Use Partial Attribute Matching or Wildcards
Instead of full IDs, use partial matches on stable parts of attributes (like name, class, or aria-label) with wildcards or regex in your selector. For example, match an ID pattern like input_* or use contains on attribute values.

Example:

input[id^='ctl03_rptSurvey_ctl'][id$='_survey_editControl_1681232594']

^= means "starts with"

$= means "ends with"

If the trailing number 1681232594 is also dynamic, you can omit it or replace it with a wildcard:

input[id^='ctl03_rptSurvey_ctl'][id*='survey_editControl']

Use Other Stable Attributes

Check if the input fields have other attributes that are stable, such as:

name

placeholder

aria-label

class

For example:

input[placeholder='Account Attribute 1']

input[aria-label='Account Attribute 1']

I am sure some clues I tried to give. If these clues help to resolve the issue brought you by here, please don't forget to check the box Does this answer your question? At the same time, I am pretty sure you have liked the response!

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