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Join values from a multi-select dropdown into a new single line text field

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Posted on by pandalove19

I have a dropdown field for users to select which states are impacted: "Impacted Jurisdiction(s)". The states selected will be used to help calculate the priority score of the work request. I understand that SharePoint cannot do the calculation on a multi-select field and the recommendation is to create a Power Automate flow that will take the values selected in the "Impacted Jurisdiction(s)" field, and rewrite them into a single line of text in a hidden field: "Jurisdiction Text". The SharePoint field populates with a ";#" (OR;#HI) between selections and I would like the Jurisdiction Text field to place a , and a space between each option (OR, HI). The Power Automate appears to be running but error #1 is that it is only pulling the first state selected in the Output. Error #2 is that the Jurisdiction Text field is not populating (I have it showing on a hidden tab in PowerApps right now to confirm it's working). Any suggestions on what needs to be changed or a different approach?

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Kalathiya 2,007 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hello @pandalove19,

If your SharePoint multiple choice column returns an array, you can handle it in Power Automate like this:

Add Select action

From Property:

triggerOutputs()?['body/Impacted_x0020_Jurisdiction_x002'] //Make sure update column name if it's wrong

Map Property:

item()?['Value']

Add Join Action

From Property: Select the body from Select action

Join With: ","

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

If the Impacted Jurisdiction(s) value is coming through as a string like:

"OR;#HI"

then you don’t need to loop or use Select/Join.. Just use a replace() expression to swap ";#" for a comma and a space.

replace(triggerOutputs()?['body/Impacted_x0020_Jurisdiction_x002'], ';#', ', ')

Just add compose action or variable and add this formula:

Output will be:

OR, HI

Note: Make sure you’re using the correct column name for Impacted Jurisdiction(s) in the formula. If the internal name is wrong, the expression will return blank.

📩 Need more help? Mention @Kalathiya anytime!
✔️ Don’t forget to Accept as Solution if this guidance worked for you.
💛 Your Like motivates me to keep helping!

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S-Venkadesh 1,214 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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Hi @pandalove19,

Are you sure your value contains ;#?

I tested this scenario by creating a multi-select Choice field and was able to achieve the expected output by designing the flow accordingly.
The steps are almost the same as demonstrated by @Kalathiya. Please refer to the flow design and output shown below.

Flow:

Expressions:

triggerBody()?['IssueType'] item()['Value']

Output:

I hope this information helps! If it does, please consider giving a 👍.
If this solved your issue, please mark it as ✅ Verified Answer
Best regards,
S-Venkadesh

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pandalove19 89 on at

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@Kalathiya - thank you for the response.

Issue #1: the results only returned the first Jurisdiction on the list. There were four selected but it only returned one.

Issue #2: where in the formula am I telling Power Automate to populate the Jurisdiction Text field? I want the results to show in that field.

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Kalathiya 2,007 Super User 2026 Season 1 on at

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@pandalove19, thanks for clarification.

Could you please send a screenshot of the output of the Select action?

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pandalove19 89 on at

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@Kalathiya - I figured it out :-) The "update" step was deleted from my flow in error and I didn't realize it when I ran the test. I added the Update action back in and the field populated correctly.

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