Power Automate's Dynamic Content Picker Failing? Fix Missing Previous Step Content Here!

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This article is designed to assist you in understanding and resolving common issues encountered when dynamic content from preceding steps is not visible or accessible within a Power Automate flow. Dynamic content is a crucial feature in Power Automate, allowing you to use outputs from previous actions in subsequent steps, thus creating dynamic and automated workflows. However, users sometimes find themselves unable to locate this dynamic content, hindering the flow’s configuration.

Symptoms¶

When working with Power Automate flows, you might encounter situations where the dynamic content picker does not display the expected outputs from previous steps. This issue manifests in a couple of primary ways:

• Invisibility of Dynamic Content: You are unable to see any dynamic content options originating from the steps that precede the current action you are configuring. This means that when you open the dynamic content picker, the list of available options is either empty or lacks the expected variables from earlier actions in your flow.

• “No Dynamic Content Available” Message: The dynamic content picker explicitly displays the message “No Dynamic Content Available.” This message directly indicates that Power Automate cannot detect any dynamic outputs from the preceding steps that are compatible with the current action’s input requirements. This can be confusing when you are certain that previous steps should be generating usable outputs.

These symptoms can significantly impede your ability to build effective Power Automate flows, as dynamic content is often essential for passing data between actions and creating meaningful automation. Understanding the underlying causes is the first step towards resolving these issues and ensuring smooth flow operation.

Cause 1: “Split On” Option Enabled in Trigger¶

One prevalent cause for the dynamic content picker failing to display content from previous steps is related to the “Split On” feature in certain triggers. This issue specifically arises when you are utilizing a trigger that supports the “Split On” option, such as the ‘When a new response is submitted’ trigger for Microsoft Forms, and this option is actively enabled.

The “Split On” option is designed to automatically process each item in an array output from a trigger as a separate flow run. While this can be useful in specific scenarios, it alters how dynamic content is handled and made available to subsequent actions within the flow. When “Split On” is enabled, the immediate outputs of the trigger become scoped to each individual item being processed, rather than the entire array. This change in scope can lead to the dynamic content picker not recognizing the trigger’s output as readily available for use in later steps within the main flow execution context.

Essentially, with “Split On” active, Power Automate treats each item processed as part of a separate, almost independent flow run in terms of dynamic content visibility. Therefore, actions outside of the scope of processing each individual item might not “see” the initial trigger output in the way you might expect when “Split On” is disabled.

Resolution for “Split On” Issue¶

To rectify the issue of missing dynamic content when the “Split On” option is enabled, you need to disable this setting within the trigger configuration. Disabling “Split On” will revert the trigger’s output behavior, making the full array output readily available as dynamic content for subsequent actions in your Power Automate flow. Follow these steps to turn off the “Split On” option:

1. Access Trigger Settings: Begin by locating the trigger card within your Power Automate flow designer. On the top right corner of the trigger card, you will see an ellipsis icon (…). Click on this icon to reveal a dropdown menu of options related to the trigger.

   

2. Select “Settings”: From the dropdown menu that appears after clicking the ellipsis, choose the option labeled “Settings.” This action will open the settings panel specifically for the selected trigger, allowing you to modify its configuration parameters.

   

3. Toggle “Split On” Off: Within the trigger’s settings panel, find the “Split on” setting. It will likely be presented as a toggle switch. If it is currently turned ‘On’ (indicated by a colored or highlighted state), click or toggle it to turn it ‘Off.’ This action disables the “Split On” functionality for this trigger.

   

4. Confirm with “Done”: After toggling the “Split on” setting to the ‘Off’ position, look for and select the “Done” button, typically located at the bottom of the settings panel. Clicking “Done” saves the changes you have made to the trigger settings and closes the settings panel.

   

Once you have completed these steps to disable the “Split On” option, the dynamic content from the trigger should become readily accessible and visible in the dynamic content picker when configuring subsequent actions in your Power Automate flow. You should now be able to select and utilize the trigger outputs as expected.

Cause 2: Data Type Mismatch¶

Another significant reason why dynamic content might be missing from the picker is due to data type mismatches between the available dynamic content and the expected data type of the parameter you are trying to populate in an action. Power Automate’s dynamic content picker is designed to be intelligent and helpful, and part of this intelligence involves filtering the dynamic content options based on the data type that is required for the parameter you are currently working with.

By default, the dynamic content picker applies a filtering mechanism. This mechanism ensures that only dynamic content that is compatible with the expected data type of the input parameter is displayed. For example, if an action parameter is expecting a string value (text), the dynamic content picker will primarily show you dynamic content options that are of the string data type. It will filter out or hide dynamic content that is of a different data type, such as numbers, booleans (true/false values), or objects, to prevent type-related errors in your flow.

Consider a scenario where an action parameter is specifically designed to accept a number as input. If the dynamic content you are expecting to use from a previous step is actually formatted as text (string) even if it represents a numerical value, it will likely be filtered out by the dynamic content picker. This filtering is intended to help users avoid accidentally introducing data type errors into their flows, which could lead to runtime failures or unexpected behavior.

In essence, while the dynamic content picker is designed to be comprehensive, it prioritizes showing you compatible dynamic content based on data types. If the data type of the dynamic content from a previous step does not align with the data type expected by the current parameter, the dynamic content picker will, by design, filter it out, leading to the perception that dynamic content is missing.

Workaround for Data Type Mismatch¶

When you encounter a situation where you suspect a data type mismatch is causing dynamic content to be hidden, there are effective workarounds you can employ to address this issue and still utilize the desired data in your Power Automate flow. These workarounds generally involve explicitly converting or manipulating the data type of the dynamic content to align with the expected parameter type. Here are some common and useful approaches:

1. Use the string() Expression for Text Parameters: If the parameter you are trying to populate expects a string (text) value, and you have dynamic content that might be of a different type (like a number or boolean), you can use the string() expression to explicitly convert that dynamic content into a string.

   • How to use: When you are in the dynamic content picker, instead of directly selecting the dynamic content, look for the “Expression” tab. Switch to the “Expression” tab and type string(. Then, navigate back to the “Dynamic content” tab, find and select the dynamic content item you want to use. Power Automate will automatically complete the expression to look something like string(dynamicContentItemName). Click “OK” to insert this expression.

   • Example: If you have a dynamic content item called Order ID which is technically a number but needs to be passed as text, you would use the expression string(outputs('PreviousStepName')?['body/OrderID']) (the exact expression might vary based on your step names and output structure).

   • Benefit: This ensures that even if the original dynamic content is not a string, it will be converted to a string before being passed to the parameter.

2. Use int() or float() Expressions for Number Parameters: Conversely, if a parameter expects a number (integer or float/decimal), and your dynamic content is in string format but represents a number (e.g., “123” as text), you can use the int() or float() expressions to convert it to a numerical type.

   • How to use: Similar to the string() expression, go to the “Expression” tab in the dynamic content picker. Type int( (for integers) or float( (for decimals). Then, switch back to the “Dynamic content” tab and select the dynamic content item that is the numerical string. Complete the expression, e.g., int(dynamicContentItemName) or float(dynamicContentItemName). Click “OK.”

   • Example: If you have dynamic content PriceString which is text like “19.99”, and you need to use it in a numerical calculation, use float(outputs('StepWithPrice')?['body/PriceString']).

   • Benefit: This allows you to use string representations of numbers as actual numbers for calculations or parameters requiring numerical input.

3. Other Data Type Conversion Expressions: Power Automate offers a range of other data type conversion expressions, such as bool() for converting to boolean (true/false), array() for arrays, object() for JSON objects, and more. You can explore these expressions depending on the specific data type conversion you need to perform.

   • Exploration: In the “Expression” tab of the dynamic content picker, you can browse the available functions and categories. Look under “Conversion” functions to find various data type conversion options.

   • Flexibility: These expressions provide you with significant flexibility to manipulate and transform data types within your Power Automate flows to ensure compatibility with different action parameters.

By strategically using these data type conversion expressions, you can effectively work around situations where the dynamic content picker filters out content due to data type mismatches. This empowers you to utilize a wider range of dynamic content in your flows, even when the initial data types are not directly compatible with the expected parameter types. Remember to carefully choose the appropriate conversion expression based on the target data type and the nature of your dynamic content.

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If you continue to experience issues with the dynamic content picker in Power Automate, consider reviewing the specific data types of your dynamic content outputs and the expected input types of the actions you are configuring. Utilizing data type conversion expressions can often resolve these challenges and ensure smooth flow operation.

Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any further questions or insights on troubleshooting dynamic content picker issues in Power Automate!