Simplify Flow Settings With A Config File In Power Automate Desktop

A Power Automate Desktop config file holds configuration data used by a desktop flow. It allows the developer to store settings separately from the automation logic. Configuration data remains constant throughout all flow runs. If it becomes necessary to update the config file, a developer can do so without changing the automation itself.

Table of Contents
• Create A JSON File On The Machine
• Read The Config File In Power Automate Desktop
• Convert JSON Config File To A Custom Object
• Select A Value In The Config Custom Object

Create A JSON File On The Machine

The Power Automate desktop config file we will build is a JSON file that stores all of the necessary flow settings. Open Windows Explorer, make a new folder for the Sales Tax Report automation and create a text document file (txt) inside the folder. Rename the document and change the extension to SalesTaxReport-ConfigFile.json.

Open the config file in a text editor such as VSCode or Windows Notepad.

Then copy and paste this JSON object into the JSON file. A JSON object must be structured as a series of key-value pairs within curly brackets. The JSON below includes string, number and boolean values. We can also use objects, arrays and nulls as values though they are less common.

{
    "File Location": "C:\\Power Automate\\Sales Tax Report\\All Company Sales.xlsx",
    "Business Owner Email": "[email protected]",
    "Sales Tax Rate": 5.5,
    "Enable Notifications": true
}

Read The Config File In Power Automate Desktop

The first action a Power Automate Desktop flow performs should be to get the configuration data and stores the values in a custom object (variable). Open Power Automate Desktop and create a new flow.

Add a read text from file action and populate the file path with the JSON config file path. Store the content as a single text value. Change the variable produced to ConfigFileContents.

Convert JSON Config File To A Custom Object

To use values stored in the config file we need to convert the JSON string into a custom object variable. Insert the convert JSON to custom object action into the flow. Update the variable produced to ConfigValues.

Write this expression in the JSON field of the action to load the JSON string.

%ConfigFileValues%

When we run the desktop flow we can see the configuration data loaded into the ConfigValues variable.

Select A Value In The Config Custom Object

Now that the config file values are stored in a custom object we can use them in a desktop flow. For example, we could show the file location in a message box. Add a display message action to the flow with the title “Test Message.”

Write this expression in the Message To Display field to show the file location. The “key” written inside of the square brackets tells Power Automate Desktop which value retrieve.

%ConfigValues['File Location']%

Save the flow and press Play. A message box appears with the config file value for the file location.

Questions?

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