Create exception handling blocks in cloud and desktop flows to handle system exceptions

In Microsoft Power Automate, both in cloud and desktop flows, it is important to handle system exceptions effectively to ensure the smooth execution of your automated processes. Exception handling blocks provide a way to catch and handle errors that may occur during the execution of your flows.

Exception handling blocks allow you to define how your flow should respond when a specific type of exception occurs. This can include actions such as sending an email notification, logging the exception details, or taking any other appropriate action.

Let’s look at how to create exception handling blocks in both cloud and desktop flows to handle system exceptions effectively.

Exception Handling in Cloud Flows

In cloud flows, you can use the “Scope” action to create an exception handling block. A scope action groups a set of actions within a flow and defines the boundary for exception handling.

To create an exception handling block in a cloud flow, follow these steps:

1. Open your cloud flow in the Power Automate designer.
2. From the sidebar, search for and add the “Scope” action to your flow.
3. Configure the inputs for the scope action as needed.
4. Add your desired actions within the scope of the scope action.
5. If you want to handle specific exceptions, you can use the “Run After” feature for each action to define the execution path based on the previous action’s outcome.

For example, if you have an action that may throw an exception, you can set the “Run After” configuration to specify the execution path for both “On Success” and “On Failure” outcomes. In the “On Failure” outcome, you can add actions to handle the exception.

To handle the exception, you can use actions such as sending an email, creating a task in a task management system, or logging the exception details to an external service. You can also use the built-in “Compose” action to compose a custom error message including the exception details.

Exception Handling in Desktop Flows

In desktop flows, you can handle exceptions using try-catch blocks, which are similar to standard exception handling blocks in programming languages.

To create an exception handling block in a desktop flow, follow these steps:

1. Open your desktop flow in the Power Automate Desktop Studio.
2. Identify the action(s) within your flow that may throw exceptions.
3. Add a “Try” action before the action(s) that may throw exceptions.
4. Add a “Catch” action after the action(s) where you want to handle the exceptions.
5. Within the “Catch” action, add the actions that should be executed when an exception occurs.

The “Catch” action accepts the exception type as an input parameter. You can choose to handle specific types of exceptions or catch all exceptions by leaving the exception type empty. You can also use the “Catch” action multiple times to handle different types of exceptions separately.

Inside the “Catch” action, you can add actions to handle the exception, such as sending an email, logging the exception details, or displaying an error message to the user using the “Show Message” action.

Example: Handling System Exceptions

Here’s an example of handling a system exception in a cloud flow and a desktop flow.

Cloud Flow Example:

1. Create a new cloud flow.
2. Add a “Scope” action to the flow.
3. Add an “Initialize variable” action inside the scope with a variable named “ExceptionMessage” of type String.
4. Add an action that may throw an exception inside the scope.
5. Configure the “Run After” settings for the previous action to define the execution path based on success or failure.
6. In the “On Failure” outcome, add actions to handle the exception, such as setting the value of “ExceptionMessage” to the error message.
7. You can then use the “Send an email” action to send an email notification with the exception details.

Desktop Flow Example:

1. Create a new desktop flow.
2. Add a “Try” action before the action that may throw an exception.
3. Add the action that may throw an exception inside the “Try” action.
4. Add a “Catch” action after the action.
5. Inside the “Catch” action, add actions to handle the exception, such as showing a message box with the exception details.

Conclusion

Effective exception handling is crucial for the robustness and reliability of your Microsoft Power Automate RPA Developer solutions. By creating exception handling blocks in both cloud and desktop flows, you can handle system exceptions gracefully and take appropriate actions to recover from errors. Remember to consider the specific needs of your processes and choose the appropriate actions to handle exceptions in your flows.