In Power Automate, we set up an approval process for our organization where team members review and approve documents or requests. While the standard approved or rejected status is helpful, sometimes the reason an item was approved or rejected is just as important.
For example, your marketing team submits a campaign proposal for approval. The proposal is rejected, but without any comment, they wouldn’t know if it was due to budget concerns, timing, or something else.
In this tutorial, I will explain how to get approval comments using Power Automate with an example.
Get Approval Comments Using Power Automate
For this example, I created a SharePoint list called Marketing Campaign Approvals with columns like:
| Columns | Data Types |
|---|---|
| Campaign ID | Single line of text |
| Campaign Title | Single line of text |
| Submitted By | Person or Group |
| Budget Request | Currency |
| Approval Status | Choice |
| Approval Comments | Multiple lines of text |
| Approver Name | Person or Group |
Now follow the below steps:
1. Create an automated cloud flow. Give the flow name and select the trigger When an item is created. Also, provide the Site Address and List Name.
2. Add the “Start and wait for an approval” action and provide the below parameters:
- Approval type: Select an approval type as “Approve/Reject – First to respond” from the drop-down.
- Title: Enter the title field value from the Dynamic content.
- Assigned to: Assign the email of the person who will approve/reject the request; in my case manager, I give the Approver Name Email from dynamic content.
- Details: Enter the details about the requested from the Dynamic content.
3. Now, we will add the Condition action to check whether the leave request is approved or Rejected.
In this Condition action, select the Outcome (from Start and wait for an approval action) value equal to Approve.
4. Next, add the update item action under the True condition and provide the below parameters:
- Site Address: Select a specific SharePoint site from drop-down.
- List Name: Choose a particular list.
- Id: Select Id from dynamic content under When an item is created.
Then, click Show all to display the advanced parameters.
- Approval Status Value: Select an Approved from the drop-down.
- Approval Comments: Select Responses comments from dynamic content under Start and wait for approval.
It will automatically add a for each loop.
5. Then add the update item action under the false condition and provide the below parameters:
- Site Address: Select a specific SharePoint site from drop-down.
- List Name: Choose a particular list.
- Id: Select Id from dynamic content under When an item is created.
Then, click Show all to display the advanced parameters.
- Approval Status Value: Select an Rejected from the drop-down.
- Approval Comments: Select Responses comments from dynamic content under Start and wait for an approval.
It will automatically add a for each loop.
Now, it’s time to save the flow. Click on Test -> Select Manually. Add an item to the SharePoint list, but do not add approval status or comment.
Then, the approver needs to approve the email with comments.
After the approver approves the request, go to the SharePoint list, and you’ll see the approval comment in the Approval Comment column.
This way, we can get approval comments in Power Automate. However, if your requirement is for a comment to be mandatory, Power Automate does not have a mandatory comments option.
Also, you may like:
- Send Approval Requests to Multiple Approvers Using Power Automate
- Send Approval Requests to Outlook and Teams Using Power Automate
- Send an Approval Request With an Attachment Using Power Automate
- Create Custom Response Options for Approval Flows in Power Automate
- Add Row to Excel Table Using Power Automate
- Create an HTML Table from an Array in Power Automate
After working for more than 18 years in Microsoft technologies like SharePoint, Microsoft 365, and Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI), I thought will share my SharePoint expertise knowledge with the world. Our audiences are from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, etc. For my expertise knowledge and SharePoint tutorials, Microsoft has been awarded a Microsoft SharePoint MVP (12 times). I have also worked in companies like HP, TCS, KPIT, etc.
