Forum Discussion
Inconsistent behaviour populating Word template from Microsoft List via Power Automate
I'm using a Premium Power Automate and using a series of flows to manage an approval process and populate a Word template from a Microsoft List using content controls at each stage of approval. Approval occurs at several stages in a workflow and, in most cases, works correctly.
However, I have two issues occurring at specific points in the process, despite the flows, mappings, list columns and content controls being configured identically to other stages that work correctly.
Issue 1 - Field not populating Word template
- Data entered into the Microsoft List is present and saved correctly.
- One specific field (Q1) fails to populate its corresponding content control in the Word template, leaving it blank.
- Other fields populate correctly.
- The same field and content control setup works correctly at other stages of the process.
Issue 2 - Field reverting to previous value
- A different field (Q2) behaves unexpectedly when an amendment is made in the Microsoft List.
- The user updates the field and saves the item successfully.
- The updated value is visible in the list.
- When the flow triggers, this specific field reverts back to its previous value and the Word template is populated with the old information.
- All other fields retain their updated values.
- This only occurs at one or two stages of the process. Elsewhere, the same setup works as expected.
Troubleshooting already completed
- Confirmed the data exists in the Microsoft List.
- Checked list column settings and data types.
- Checked Word template content controls.
- Deleted and recreated the affected actions.
- Copied actions from working flows and also rebuilt them from scratch.
- Reviewed dynamic content mappings.
- Exhausted all troubleshooting steps suggested by Copilot.
Has anyone experienced fields intermittently failing to populate Word content controls, or list column values reverting to a previous value when a flow runs? Any guidance on what else I should investigate would be appreciated.
1 Reply
Q1 coming out blank. "Populate a Microsoft Word template" maps to the internal ID of each content control, not its name. If the template was edited after the flow was built, or that control was copied from another one, the action can still point at an ID that no longer exists. Re-select the template file in the action so it reloads the controls, then re-map Q1. Also check the column type: a Choice, Lookup or Person column returns an object, so you need the Value (or DisplayName) property rather than the whole field.
Q2 reverting. This is almost always another flow, or an earlier stage of the same process, running "Update item" with values it read before the user's change. That writes the old Q2 back over the new one. To confirm, turn on version history for the list and look at who changed Q2 and when. It will usually show the flow's account straight after the user's edit. To fix it:
- In each "Update item", only map the fields that stage actually changes.
- Add a "Get item" just before you populate the template, and use its values rather than the trigger's, so you always have the latest data.
- Set the trigger's concurrency to 1 and add a trigger condition, so two runs can't overlap on the same item.
