Expressions in Power Automate

 🚀 Expressions in Power Automate

Here's a breakdown of Expressions in Power Automate: their purpose, common functions, and examples:

❓ What Are Expressions?

• Expressions are formulas or functions used in Power Automate to 🛠️ manipulate data, perform calculations, or add logic to your workflows.
• They allow you to dynamically transform data from triggers or actions without writing code.
• Example: ✂️ Extracting a substring from text, ⏰ converting time zones, or 📅 calculating a date.

🔑 Key Concepts

• Syntax:
  • Expressions start with @ and use functions like formatDateTime(), concat(), or addDays().
  • Example:

    @formatDateTime(triggerBody()?['Date'], 'yyyy-MM-dd')
    

• Dynamic Content vs. Expressions:
  • Dynamic Content: 📦 Predefined data from previous steps (e.g., email subject).
  • Expressions: ⚙️ Custom logic to modify that data (e.g., formatting the subject into lowercase).

🧰 Common Expression Categories & Examples

• 1. String Manipulation
  • concat(): 🔗 Combine strings.
    • Example:

      @concat('Hello ', triggerBody()?['SenderName'], '! Your ID: ', outputs('GenerateID'))
      

  • substring(): ✂️ Extract part of a string.
    • Example:

      @substring(triggerBody()?['EmailSubject'], 0, 10) // First 10 characters
      

  • toLower() / toUpper(): 🔡 Change case.
    • Example:

      @toLower(triggerBody()?['CustomerName'])
      

• 2. Date/Time Functions
  • utcNow(): ⏰ Get current UTC time.
    • Example:

      @utcNow()
      

  • addDays() / addHours(): 📅 Adjust dates.
    • Example:

      @addDays(utcNow(), 7) // Adds 7 days to current time
      

  • formatDateTime(): 📅 Format a date.
    • Example:

      @formatDateTime(triggerBody()?['DueDate'], 'dd-MM-yyyy')
      

• 3. Math Functions
  • add() / mul(): ➕ Basic arithmetic.
    • Example:

      @add(triggerBody()?['Quantity'], 10)
      

  • rand(): 🎲 Generate a random number.
    • Example:

      @rand(1, 100) // Random number between 1-100
      

• 4. Logical Functions
  • if(): 🤔 Conditional logic.
    • Example:

      @if(triggerBody()?['Priority'] = 'High', 'Escalate', 'Normal')
      

  • equals() / greater(): ⚖️ Comparisons.
    • Example:

      @greater(triggerBody()?['Sales'], 1000)
      

• 5. Data Conversion
  • int() / float(): 🔢 Convert to numbers.
    • Example:

      @int(triggerBody()?['Age'])
      

  • string(): 🔤 Convert to text.
    • Example:

      @string(triggerBody()?['Total'])
      

💡 Example Flow Using Expressions

• Scenario: Send a reminder email 3 days before a project deadline (stored in SharePoint).
• Trigger:
  • 📅 Recurrence (scheduled daily).
• Get Project Data:
  • Use SharePoint – Get Items to fetch projects with deadlines.
• Apply to Each Project:
  • Calculate Reminder Date:

    @addDays(item()?['Deadline'], -3)
    

  • Check if Today Matches Reminder Date:

    @equals(formatDateTime(utcNow(), 'yyyy-MM-dd'), formatDateTime(item()?

  • ['ReminderDate'], 'yyyy-MM-dd'))
    

  • Send Email (if condition is true):

    Body: @concat('Reminder: Project ', item()?['Title'], ' is due on ', 

  • formatDateTime(item()?['Deadline'], 'dd MMM yyyy'))
    

🛠️ How to Use Expressions in Power Automate

• In any action field, click Add dynamic content > Expression.
• Type the formula (e.g., substring(triggerBody()?['text'], 0, 20)).
• Use the Expression Reference (e.g., length(), replace(), coalesce()).

🏆 Benefits of Expressions

• 🔄 Dynamic Data Handling: Transform data on the fly (e.g., format messy input).
• 🧠 Complex Logic: Build conditions, loops, or calculations.
• ✅ Error Reduction: Validate data before processing (e.g., check if a field is empty).

✨ Best Practices

• 🧪 Test expressions in small steps using the Compose action.
• 📝 Use comments in complex expressions (e.g., /* This checks the due date */).
• 🔗 Combine expressions with variables for reusability.

By mastering expressions, you can create more powerful, flexible, and intelligent workflows in Power Automate! 🚀