Flow / Power Automate - Excel: List Files from a Channel in an Excel Workbook with Power Automate Tutorial

Discover how to list files from a channel or library and store the list in an Excel file using Power Automate. This provides a comprehensive overview of your files, enabling better organization and management. Learn how to create an instant flow, add a SharePoint action, and generate a new worksheet with a unique name for each execution. With step-by-step guidance, this tutorial showcases the powerful combination of Power Automate and Excel for efficient file management.

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Available in Microsoft365

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we will discover together how you can add

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content to an Excel file via power automate.

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For example,

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you may want to list the files in a library or

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a team's channel and store this list in an Excel file.

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This will allow you to get an overview of the items present,

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providing a global view of the structure of your channel's

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files for the purpose of reorganizing or deleting some items.

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For instance

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to do this, choose an instant flow that can be executed as needed.

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Remember that instant flows can be triggered via the mobile

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app or directly in your list of power automate flows.

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The next step is to add a SharePoint action to list the files in a channel,

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a team's team or a SharePoint library.

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Here, select the get files action

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in the properties, define the site or the relevant team

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as well as the library

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to limit the flow to a specific folder or channel. Enable advanced options.

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Take this opportunity to exclude folders from the

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result and only keep file type items.

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In this example,

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we will limit the result to a specific folder named training

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folder corresponding to the team's channel of the same name.

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We will also choose to include the files present in the sub folders of this channel.

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Next choose an Excel file to host this listing.

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We will ensure that each execution creates a new worksheet.

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The create worksheet action is designed for this purpose.

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After specifying the location and name of the Excel file in question,

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which is here on your onedrive, define the sheet name using a power FX function.

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The name of this sheet will include the date and time of the export.

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Once the sheet is created, create a table in this same workbook and specify it again.

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The range of the table that is its

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location should be on the previously created sheet.

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Retrieve the name of your sheet via dynamic content.

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Note that the location within your workbook must follow the classic Excel syntax.

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The sheet name between apostrophes and exclamation mark

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followed by the range of your table.

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For example,

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if you want to populate three columns but are unsure of

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the number of rows depending on the number of files found,

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create a table of one row over three columns.

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A one C one

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in the advanced settings, customize the table name

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using power FX, use the conca

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function to name your table followed by the position number of your Excel sheet.

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Two for the second three, for the third et cetera.

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Each table will thus have a unique name,

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define the name of your three columns. Separated by commas.

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This table should be populated by generating a row for each file found.

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Therefore,

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generate an apply to each loop which will individually process

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each item related to the result of the get files.

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Action

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include the action of creating a row still from the actions dedicated to Excel.

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Once again, specify your target Excel file in the table.

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Property refer via dynamic content to the destination

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corresponding to the name of the table created previously

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to populate the columns,

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write a Jason syntax by opening a brace referring to the field name in quotes,

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followed by a colon

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for the name column, retrieve the full name of the file using dynamic content.

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Enter a comma and for the second field path, retrieve the storage folder.

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In the same way,

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the third column will contain the name of the last user who modified the file

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save and test this flow

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in the Excel file.

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A sheet has indeed been created with a table

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that hosts each file from your team's channel.

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The flow was successful

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to make this flow easily usable by your team members, share it via power automate.

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You can then add a workflows application tab

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in the team's team listing the shared flows.

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At this point, you will indeed find your flow,

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try a new execution and you will see that a second

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sheet is created in your workbook and your table is populated.

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This flow is a success and it allows you to measure

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a sample of the possibilities of power automate combined with Excel.

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