{"id":110845,"date":"2017-07-27T12:00:46","date_gmt":"2017-07-27T19:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/power-platform\/blog\/power-automate\/use-expressions-in-actions\/"},"modified":"2017-07-27T12:00:46","modified_gmt":"2017-07-27T19:00:46","slug":"use-expressions-in-actions","status":"publish","type":"power-automate","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/power-platform\/blog\/power-automate\/use-expressions-in-actions\/","title":{"rendered":"Use expressions in flow actions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Flow has a rich set of actions, but sometimes users just need to do basic operations like getting the current time, adding numbers together, or replacing a part of a string of text. Starting today, that\u2019s possible inline in any flow action. Microsoft Flow leverages the same Workflow Definition Language<\/a> used by Azure Logic apps. For new users who are unfamiliar with the expression language, there is an inline help experience that shows how to use each expression as they build out their flow. To use an expression in your flow, first open the\u00a0Add dynamic content<\/strong>\u00a0menu.<\/p>\n

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You will see a new\u00a0Expression<\/strong>\u00a0tab, select that. On the Expression tab there is a list of the common expressions that are used inside of flows. They are categorized by area, and you can see the full list by selecting\u00a0See more<\/strong>\u00a0on each category.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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When you select an expression, it will be added into the text box. You will need to fill in the parameters for each expression that you use. To include dynamic content from another action, select the\u00a0Dynamic content<\/strong>\u00a0tab and simply click the field you want to use — it will add it to the expression instead of directly onto the action. Once you’ve completed your expression \u00a0select OK and the expression will be added to the action. You can now click on the expressions inside of the action card and they will open up again for further editing.<\/p>\n

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Below are a few different scenarios for expressions. You can use the full list of functions available in the Azure Logic apps Workflow Definition Language, documented here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Working with dates<\/h2>\n

One of the simplest examples for expressions is to manipulate dates. For example, using the new Get Calendar View action to get your events for the next day:<\/p>\n