User Access to SharePoint Online Using SharePoint Designer

I ran into an issue getting access to a SharePoint Online site page with SharePoint Designer: I had to create a workflow on that site, however I was constantly prompted for credentials. After some hours of troubleshooting with the Microsoft IT help team, we found teh following: we have been capable of pinpoint the basis cause.

Summary of Issue:

The purchaser supplied webweb page series administrator get admission to to my account the use of my paintings email. In different words, I became capable of get admission to the webweb page series as an administrator at the same time as being an outside person on their Azure Active Directory. Everything became best thru the web, however as soon as I attempted to connect with the equal webweb page with SharePoint Designer, I could get continuous (very annoying) prompting.are 

 

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The Office 365 login prompt kept coming back even though I was a site collection administrator

Steps to Consider When Troubleshooting SharePoint Designer

The below steps are helpful when you are encountering “weirdness” using SharePoint Designer. They did not work for my specific case (and you will see why shortly), but together they create a good troubleshooting checklist to use before you should consider more advanced support. You will likely be asked to do the following steps when you first connect with Microsoft IT support, so completing them and preparing your answers ahead of time could save you 20–30 minutes of discussion with a technician.

• Update SPD to the latest version, or uninstall/reinstall using the latest official link
• Install SharePoint Designer SP1 1
• Clear the SharePoint Designer cache from the following directories: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\WebsiteCache AND %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Web Server Extensions\Cache
• Log out of the Account tab on SharePoint Designer

Why Is This Happening?

First off, the site collection I was given access to was NOT the root site collection and that I had no access/privileges provided there. As you probably already guessed, this was the main cause of my issue. When you are connecting as an external user, SPD will try to authenticate you from the root site collection. Without access to the root site collection, you will fail the authentication request even though you are trying to get to another site collection.

Solution: 

Option 1. Request read access for the same external user account you are using, but this time do so from the root site collection. Depending on the organization’s policy, the data hosted, and the IT team you are working with, you may get that granted. Once you do gain access to the root site collection, you will be able to access the initial site (the one for which you are listed as site collection administrator) via SPD.

Option 2. Request a SharePoint license account (if the organization does not wish to pay for an additional Office 365 license) and set that new account as the site collection administrator of the desired site collection. With this option you will be able to access SPD at the non-root site collection without having access to the root site collection.

Best Extensions and Tools to assist PowerAutomate Development

 

Best Extensions and Tools for PowerAutomate Developers 

We frequently do not consider what equipment we've to be had as an Robotic Process Automation developer, specifically as they're frequently low code developers. Yet the usage of proper device could have computer virus influences for your productivity, take a look at out my suggestions below.

Pre-Build

Design
Primary: Visio, Secondary: Whimsical

Although similar these 2 actually exists in parallel in my work stream. The breadth of icons/templates in Viso is hard to beat, but whimsical is excellent for speed. When drafting I love how quickly I can create a flow of steps. The UI is modern and simple, there is a great free allowance, and key features like exporting and sharing are included.

Whimsical

https://www.microsoft.com/viso
https://whimsical.com/

Data

Primary: Power BI, Secondary:Flourish

Again those have barely extraordinary use instances for me so I use each. Power BI is all approximately the facts connections and stay dashboards, wherein Flourish is for one off visuals for a presentation. So while constructing a commercial enterprise case for an RPA undertaking I like to apply Flourish, however submit deployment monitoring I like Power BI. But they each can do either. Flourish has a terrific loose tier, with best decided on templates/chart patterns now no longer available.

Flourish

https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-gb/
https://flourish.studio/

API

Primary: Postman, Secondary: Hoppscotch

Postman has usually been the visit API tool, with environments and variables it has all of the features. Additionally quite a few structures be given postman exports. Hoppscotch is an nearly reflect of Postman however online (and sure I realize there may be now a Postman net model however its now no longer pretty there yet). The UI is extra current and in my view higher, and in a few instances I've had higher compatibility. If you want Postman, you want this too, simply with out the overhead of putting in it.

Hopscotch

https://www.postman.com/
https://hoppscotch.io/

Coding

Primary: Vs code, Secondary: Notepad++

There is not anything that surely comes near vs code, its breadth of addins, slick interface and cutting-edge UI make it difficult to beat. It even has a remarkable internet model too. But there may be an antique favourite, Notepad . Its simple (if now no longer dated UI) simply works, and its light-weight layout makes it perfect for short development.

https://vscode.dev/
https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

Emails

Primary: Vs code, Secondary: Topol

An regularly crucial a part of RPA is sending automated emails, and growing content material wealthy emails can regularly be a challenge. I presently fall again on vs code to write down my html e mail templates. But I even have simply began out the usage of Topol.io, its now no longer as brief as Vs code, however outstanding for without a doubt complicated templates, it has satisfactory WYSIWYG UI and the unfastened tier has the whole thing you need.

Topol

https://vscode.dev/
https://topol.io/

JSONs

Primary: JSON Crack, Secondary:JSON Formatter

Reading JSON outputs is not the easiest, however with JSON crack its easy. This webweb page now no longer simplest permits you to view JSONs in clean way, it has a completely unique node view that creates an interactive map (terrific for presentations). Though whilst operating withinside the browser (in particular Power Automate) then JSON Formatter is king. Its a chrome upload in (assume to be had for FireFox too), which vehiclemobile codecs JSONs. So whilst ever you open an api reaction or Power Automate Output Download you get the reaction in a clean, quite view.

JSON Crack

https://jsoncrack.com/
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/json-formatter

Regex's

Primary: regex101, recommend: Regoio

Regex101 is the maximum bendy and characteristic wealthy regex author that I preserve going lower back to. It has a remarkable UI that permits beginners to construct regex's, and the error/validator covers everything. If you need some thing easy with a great cheat sheet then my 2nd desire is Regoio.

Regex101

Regoio

https://regex101.com/
https://regoio.herokuapp.com/

Post Build

Documentation

Primary: Confluence, Secondary:Tettra

With terrific integration with Jira (Atlassian owns both) and superb seek indexing confluence is excellent for documenting your automations. Tettra is the brand new child at the block, with present day UI and plenty of recent features. Still now no longer as sturdy as Confluence however gives some thing different.

https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence
https://tettra.com/

Guides

Primary: Articulate 360, Secondary: Scribehow

Articulate is an all making a song all dancing LMS machine which can create in-intensity education guides. Very a good deal overkill for RPA however a outstanding tool. But I actually have these days found Scribehow, that's a very unique approach. Instead of complicated education files which can take a long term to create, Scribehow is a display screen recorder that car makes use of fundamental ai to create a guide. You can then edit the output to get precisely what you want. For technical files its outstanding. The loose tier is ok, with fundamental capabilities and the capacity to document an internet browser, aleven though for laptop and a few excellent capabilities you'll want to pay.

SharePointOnline Workflows: SharePoint Designer Workflows Send Email from 2013 and 2010 Platform Workflows

Some constraints to be aware of when sending emails from SPD WF’s:

1) SP2010 Platform can send email to outside domain recepients (e.g: @gmail.com)

2) SP2013 Workflows on SPO do not throw an error when sending email to outside domain recepient, while OnPrem does throw an error

Some rules to follow:

1) if email is to be sent outside domain recepient, use SP2010 Platform workflow, call that SP2010 WF from a 2013 WF.

2) Make Sure to use “As String” or “Email Address”, do NOT use “Email Address as Semi Colon Delim” unless all users are SP site users in the Email action.

In a SPD 2010 WF: