Exercise - Build a flow accepts user input when run

  • 3 minutes

You can customize instant flows by letting the user provide specific details to use when the flow runs.

You can create an instant flow either on the Power Automate website or in the mobile app for Power Automate. For this unit, you use the website.

In this exercise, our objective is to search for a template available to create a new Outlook task and modify it to match our needs.

Prerequisites

  • Access to Power Automate.

  • A basic understanding of Power Automate and experience with creating a flow is recommended.

  • A smartphone or tablet with the Power Automate app.

Open the template

  1. From your desktop browser, navigate to the Power Automate maker portal and sign in using your organizational account.

  2. Select Templates and search send myself a reminder in 10 minutes.

    Screenshot of the Create a New Outlook Task tile as it appears in the search results.

  3. Sign in if you're prompted to do so and select Create Flow.

Customize the user input

Let's add a custom input for the amount of time of the reminder.

  1. Select the trigger card and then select + Add an input.

    Screenshot of the add an input instant.

  2. Select Number and then change the text Number to Time and Please enter a number to Enter time.

    Screenshot of the Manually trigger a flow card with the Add an input instant highlighted.

Customize the task

  1. On the Delay action, select it to expand the card.

  2. For the Count field, choose the Time option for the dynamic content.

    Screenshot of the Create a task card with the Due Date field highlighted.

  3. Select Save.

Run the flow

You now use the mobile app for Power Automate to run the instant flow that you created. You provide the user input needed to create a reminder to happen after the specified amount of time.

  1. Sign in to Power Automate mobile app.

    Note

    If you don't see any flows listed when you login, it's possible you need to select the environment first.

    Screenshot of how to select the environment.

  2. Select the three dots next to the flow's name and select Run Flow.

  3. Enter the requested time and select Run Flow.

    Note

    If you don't get the notification, but the flow successfully ran, make sure that notifications are enabled on your device for Power Automate.

Now you can not only run instant flows with information that is already available, but also request inputs from the user.