If possible, I want to perform this without use of 3rd party services.
I currently have an Excel template. It does not contain any tables, contains images, and users just edit free-form, and export the end result to PDF.
I want to automate data entry using PowerApps, and have Power Automate print out the PDF automatically instead, bypassing any interaction with Excel.
Current (untested) plan is to :
- convert Excel to HTML
- break up the HTML into sections
- In Power Automate, assign each section to string variables, append each section with user input, and consolidate everything in a single string variable that will form the HTML for entire document
- Create a HTML file using OneDrive action, using the previously consolidated HTML code
- Convert the result to PDF
Currently having trouble converting initial Excel file into HTML. Saving as HTML using Excel breaks everything up into multiples files. Using online converters, the HTML seems populated with strange characters (encoding?) instead. Not well versed in HTML, was just thinking I could 'insert' each user input item in between sections (eg. insert user name into <body>), but cannot locate any of the expected text/items (eg. Name) and see the strange characters instead.
Is what I describe above possible/feasible? Any other way to go about it? Any way for me to convert the Excel file into 'normal' HTML, to serve as the template?