How to Populate SharePoint Columns from Selected File Trigger Inputs in Power Automate
Question details
The user wants to collect Reviewer and Approver manual inputs via a 'For a selected file' trigger in Power Automate and populate those values into the corresponding columns of a SharePoint document library.
- Product
- SharePoint / Power Automate
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Setting up a document approval flow in Power Automate where manual text inputs are collected upon triggering the flow and need to be written back to the SharePoint document's metadata.
- Observed behavior
- The flow correctly triggers and collects inputs, but requires a mapped action to push the collected text parameters into the specific document library columns.
Ensure that you have Owner or Edit permissions for the target SharePoint document library, and that your custom columns (e.g., Reviewer and Approver) are already created in SharePoint before editing the Power Automate flow.
Use the Update File Properties Action to Map Trigger Inputs
You can retrieve text inputs directly from the trigger's dynamic content and map them to your SharePoint library columns using the 'Update file properties' action.
When using the 'For a selected file' trigger, any custom inputs you define (such as Text fields for Reviewer and Approver) become available as Dynamic Content in Power Automate. By adding an action to update the file's properties immediately after the trigger, you can push these values back into SharePoint.
Navigate to your SharePoint document library. Click 'Add column' and create 'Single line of text' columns named 'Reviewer' and 'Approver' to match the inputs in your flow.
In your Power Automate flow, click 'New step' immediately after the 'For a selected file' trigger. Search for SharePoint and select the 'Update file properties' action.
Select your target SharePoint Site Address and Document Library name from the dropdown menus within the 'Update file properties' action.
Click into the 'Id' field. From the Dynamic Content menu, select the 'ID' token provided by the 'For a selected file' trigger to ensure the correct file is updated.
Scroll down to the 'Reviewer' and 'Approver' fields in the action card. Click inside each field and use the Dynamic Content menu to select the corresponding custom text inputs from your trigger. Save and test the flow.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why are my trigger inputs not appearing in the dynamic content?
If your custom inputs are missing from the dynamic content menu, ensure you have correctly defined the input types (like Text or Email) within the 'For a selected file' trigger block. Saving the flow, refreshing the page, and reopening the dynamic content menu usually resolves this caching issue.
Can I map trigger inputs to a SharePoint Person or Group column?
Yes, but mapping to a Person column is more complex than a text column. You must pass a valid Claims identifier or user email address. You may need to add an 'Office 365 Users - Search for users' action before the update step to resolve a typed name into an exact email format.
Does updating file properties trigger the flow to run endlessly?
No, because the 'For a selected file' trigger is a manual trigger. Infinite loops generally only happen with automated 'When a file is created or modified' triggers. Using manual triggers combined with the 'Update file properties' action is completely safe.
Can I use Dropdown options instead of free-text in the trigger?
Yes, Power Automate allows you to add Dropdown lists as manual inputs in the 'For a selected file' trigger. You can define specific choices for your Reviewers or Approvers, preventing typos, and map that selection directly to a SharePoint Choice column.
