Loops in Power Automate Desktop

KT Sessions November 11, 2024

Loops in Power Automate Desktop

What Are Flow Loops in Power Automate Desktop?

In Power Automate Desktop, a loop is a way to repeat an action or set of actions multiple times. Think of it as giving your computer a set of instructions and saying, “Do this over and over until something happens” or “Repeat this for each item in a list.”

Loops are super helpful when you need to perform repetitive tasks, like:

  • Sending an email to each person in a list.
  • Checking each file in a folder.
  • Counting the number of items in a list.

A loop helps you save time and effort by automatically repeating actions instead of doing them manually.

Types of Flow Loops in Power Automate Desktop

Power Automate Desktop has three main types of loops: For Each, While, and For Each Loop with a Condition. Let’s take a closer look at each one and see how they differ.

1. For Each Loop

The For Each loop is used when you want to repeat an action for each item in a list or collection. It’s like going through a list of names and doing the same thing for each name.

How It Works:

The For Each loop will go through every item in a list and perform a set of actions for each one.

Real-Life Example:

Imagine you have a list of students who need to submit an assignment. You want to check if each student has submitted their work and send them a reminder email if they haven’t.

  • List of Students: ["John", "Emma", "Chris"]
  • Action: Check if each student has submitted the assignment and send a reminder if needed.

Here’s how the loop works:

  • The For Each loop will go through each student in the list (John, Emma, and Chris) and check if they’ve submitted the assignment.
  • If a student hasn’t submitted, you can send them an email reminder.

Example of the For Each loop:

  1. For Each student in the list.
  2. Check if the student has submitted the assignment.
  3. If not, send a reminder email.

2. While Loop

The While loop is used when you want to repeat an action as long as a certain condition is true. This loop keeps running until the condition becomes false.

How It Works:

You set a condition (something that is true or false). As long as the condition is true, the loop keeps running. Once the condition becomes false, the loop stops.

Real-Life Example:

Imagine you want to keep checking if a student has completed their homework and send a reminder every day until they do. You can use a While loop to keep checking if the homework is completed and send a reminder until the homework is done.

  • Condition: "Is the homework done?"
  • Action: If no, send a reminder email.

Here’s how the loop works:

  • The While loop will continue to check every day if the student has finished their homework.
  • If the homework isn’t done, the flow will send another reminder.
  • Once the student completes the homework (the condition is false), the loop will stop.

Example of the While loop:

  1. While the homework is not done:
  2. Send a reminder email.
  3. When the homework is done, stop sending reminders.

3. For Loop with a Condition

The For loop is similar to the For Each loop, but it’s a bit more flexible. It allows you to repeat a set of actions a specific number of times or until a certain condition is met.

How It Works:

The For loop runs for a specific number of iterations, or it can repeat actions until a certain condition is met (for example, until a counter reaches a certain value).

Real-Life Example:

Let’s say you want to send a reminder email every day for 5 days to a student who hasn’t submitted their assignment. You can use a For loop to repeat the reminder action 5 times.

  • Condition: Repeat 5 times (for 5 days).
  • Action: Send a reminder email every day.

Here’s how the loop works:

  • The For loop will repeat the reminder action for 5 days.
  • After 5 days, it stops, no matter if the homework is done or not.

Example of the For loop with a condition:

  1. For 5 days:
  2. Send a reminder email each day.
  3. After 5 days, stop.

Key Differences Between For Each, While, and For Loops

Let’s compare the three types of loops to see when to use each one:

Loop TypeWhen to UseHow It Works
For EachWhen you want to repeat an action for each item in a list.Loops through each item in a list and performs the same actions.
WhileWhen you want to repeat an action as long as a condition is true.Keeps repeating until a condition becomes false.
ForWhen you want to repeat an action for a specific number of times or until a condition is met.Loops a specific number of times or until a condition is satisfied.

Real-Life Example to Combine Loops

Let’s say you want to automate checking your school email and sending reminders for assignments. You have multiple students, and you need to send reminders until they submit their homework. Here’s how you could combine loops:

  1. Use a For Each loop to go through each student.
  2. Inside the For Each loop, use a While loop to keep sending reminders until the homework is submitted.

For example:

  • For Each student in the list.
    • While homework is not submitted:
      • Send a reminder email.
    • If homework is submitted, stop sending reminders.

Conclusion

To summarize, loops in Power Automate Desktop are powerful tools that help you repeat tasks without doing them manually. There are three main types of loops:

  1. For Each: Repeats actions for each item in a list.
  2. While: Repeats actions as long as a condition is true.
  3. For: Repeats actions a specific number of times or until a condition is met.

Loops make your automation flows smarter and more efficient. Whether you're checking homework, sending emails, or managing files, loops help you automate repetitive tasks easily.

Now that you know how loops work, you can start using them in your own flows to save time and get more done with less effort!

Happy automating! 😊

KT Sessions

Posted by KT Sessions