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Power Platform Community / Forums / Power Apps - Power Query / How to Upload attachme...
Power Apps - Power Query
Suggested answer

How to Upload attachment behind the scenes(without user actually uploading it) from the canvas app

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Posted on by ramakrishnachim 35
So I am working on Canvas app, where my end goal is to upload the generated pdf to SharePoint List Attachment Column (without using Power automate)
 
The PDF is generated by the app itself by :  Set(myPDF, JSON(PDF('Test Screen',{ExpandContainers: true}),JSONFormat.IncludeBinaryData));
 
I don't see patch function supporting directly uploading pdf to SharePoint list, hence using Form Control for the SPO list - removed all the columns except the Attachments
 
made below changes to Attachments data card:
DisplayMode - DisplayMode.View
visible - false, I don't want user see the attachments at all
Items - [{Name:"test.pdf",Value:Substitute(myPDF,"""","")}]
 
And then Used the Patch function, on a button:
 
Patch(
    SurveyForm,
    LookUp(SurveyFormSurveyForm,ID=User.ID),
   Form.Updates
);
 
and this is throwing error "Field Id is Required" (Not sure where)
 
 
Note: I just tested, where user has manually uploaded the attachment, patch function as expected -  the attachment is visible in the Sharepoint List.
 
What changes i have to made, where generated pdf should auto upload to the attachments control. ?
 
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General Comment
  • WarrenBelz Profile Picture
    WarrenBelz 148,294 Most Valuable Professional on at
    How to Upload attachment behind the scenes(without user actually uploading it) from the canvas app
    An attachment control stores its content in BLOB (Binary Large Object) format and you cannot convert the PDF output to this with anything in Power Apps. The attachment control itself does all the conversion when saving to the destination and the attachment needs to be loaded by it initially.  It is unfortunate you cannot use the quite simple Flow solution and I am not aware of a way to covert this to BLOB and return it with a Flow.
    You might think about patching it to an Image type field in SharePoint.
  • Suggested answer
    ramakrishnachim Profile Picture
    ramakrishnachim 35 on at
    How to Upload attachment behind the scenes(without user actually uploading it) from the canvas app
     
    The catch is I cannot use a power automate flow (Due to an internal connection issue), hence looking for alternate answer.
     
    Is there any way I can use automate for only conversion, but not attachment - (i cannot use the sharepoint connection)
  • WarrenBelz Profile Picture
    WarrenBelz 148,294 Most Valuable Professional on at
    How to Upload attachment behind the scenes(without user actually uploading it) from the canvas app
    The issue is that the output from the PDF function is not compatible with that expected in an attachment control. So unfortunately, you need to use Power Automate for this - the run code would be something like this (with your Flow name) 
    With(
   {
      _File: 
      PDF(
         'Test Screen',
         {ExpandContainers: true}
      )
   },
   AddAttachPDF.Run(
      User.ID,
      {
         file: 
         {
            contentBytes: _File,
            name: "test.pdf"
         }
      }
   )
)
    and the Flow

     
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