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Microsoft Teams Getting Started Guide

Getting Started

Welcome to the Microsoft Teams getting-started guide for integrating Teams with Build a Doc. Because Teams does not directly list or host custom connectors, this guide uses Power Automate (Microsoft Flow) to call Build a Doc.

This getting-started guide shows how to configure a Power Automate flow that is triggered by a Teams channel post. The flow retrieves files from SharePoint, runs the Build a Doc Convert Word Document action, uploads the resulting file back to SharePoint, and posts a message to the Teams channel when complete.

Prerequisites

  • A Build a Doc subscription and an API key.
  • An appropriate Power Automate account with permissions to create flows, and access to the connectors you will need (Teams, SharePoint).
  • A Word Template (Invoice) stored in a SharePoint document library. (see Word Template Syntax for template syntax). The Word Template used in this example can be found here.
  • An appropriate JSON Data source, which matches the template. The JSON Data source used in this example can be found here.
  • An appropriate Teams Channel to trigger the input & receive the output.

Flow Overview

  1. Trigger the flow (from a message in Teams Channel).
  2. Initialise Variables.
  3. Check whether the message should trigger document conversion.
  4. Get the Word template and JSON data from SharePoint.
  5. Set variables.
  6. Call the Build a Doc Convert Word Document action with a valid JSON data source.
  7. Create the resulting PDF file in SharePoint.
  8. Post a message to the Teams channel.
  9. Verify the Output.

Step by Step

1. Create a new flow

  • In Power Automate, click + New flow → Instant cloud flow (or choose the trigger type you need).
    New Flow
    Instant Cloud Flow

    • Name the flow (e.g., Build a Doc - Generate Invoice). Naming Your Flow

  • Choose the When a new channel message is added trigger. Select the Team and Channel to use as the trigger. Choosing your trigger

2. Initialise Variables

  • Create an Initialise Variable action. Name it varJSONContent, set the Type to String, and leave the value empty.
  • Create another Initialise Variable action. Name it varDocxContent, set the Type to Object, and leave the value empty.

Initialise Variables

3. Checking for the trigger message

  • Create a Condition action. This will be used to check whether the Teams message contains our trigger phrase 'Generate Invoice'.

    • Select the OR operator.
    • For the first input, insert: contains(toLower(coalesce(triggerOutputs()?['body/subject'], '')), 'generate invoice') is equal to true.
    • Add a new item and insert: contains(toLower(coalesce(triggerOutputs()?['body/body/content'], '')), 'generate invoice') is equal to true.

    Condition - If contains generate invoice

4. Get the template and data from SharePoint

  • Inside the control’s True branch, add two Send a HTTP request to SharePoint actions - one to get the JSON data and one to get the .docx template.

  • Site Address: enter your SharePoint site.

  • Method: GET.

  • URI: put the server-relative file path for the file using this pattern: _api/web/GetFileByServerRelativeUrl(serverRelativeFilePath)

    • Example (to retrieve Invoice.json): _api/web/GetFileByServerRelativeUrl('/sites/buildadoc/Shared%20Documents/Convert%20Word%20Document/Invoice.json')/$value

  • Replace the example with the correct URI for your SharePoint site and file path.

    Relative Path

  • Leave the advanced parameters ‘Headers’ and ‘Body’ empty.

  • Replicate the second Send a HTTP request to SharePoint action to retrieve the .docx file.

5. Set Variables

  • Immediately after the ‘Send a HTTP request to SharePoint - Get JSON Data’ action, insert a Set Variable action.

  • Name: varJSONContent.

  • Value: Insert the following expression: base64ToString(body('Send_an_HTTP_request_to_SharePoint_-_Get_JSON_Data')?['$content']).

  • Immediately after the ‘Send a HTTP request to SharePoint - Get docx Template’ action, insert another Set Variable action.

  • Name: varDocxContent.

  • Value: select the output of your ‘Get docx Template’ action: body('Send_an_HTTP_request_to_SharePoint_-_Get_docx_Template'). Set Variables Flow Set Variables Input

6. Call Build a doc Convert Word Document action, with a valid JSON data source.

  • Outside of the loop, in the Add an action search box, insert HappyWired PowerDocs, and select Convert Word Document.

6b. Creating the connection

  • On first use, you will be prompted to create the connection. You may name the connection anything you like.
  • Paste your API key, then select Create. Flow connection details

6c. Configuring The Action

  • Document: Set to the output of the Set variable - varDocxContent action.

  • Data Source: Add a data source named Invoice (or the name your template expects).

  • Format: JSON.

  • Data: use the output of the Set variable - varJSONContent action.

  • Output Format: Set to PDF.

    Convert Word Document Action

7. Create the resulting PDF file in SharePoint.

  • Add a SharePoint Create File action.

  • Site Address: where you wish the file to be uploaded.

  • Folder Path: your desired folder path.

  • File Name: Generated Invoice.pdf. Ensure you include the file extension.

  • File Content: the output of the Convert Word Document.

    Create File Action

8. Post a message to the Teams channel with a link to the file.

  • Add a Post message in a chat or channel Teams action.

  • Post as: Flow Bot.

  • Post In: Channel.

  • Team: Select your desired team.

  • Channel: Select your desired Channel.

  • Message: Input your desired message.

    Post Message

9. Verify the Output.

  • Save your flow and test it by posting in your chosen Teams channel a message that contains the trigger phrase ‘Generate Invoice’.
  • Once the flow finishes running, you should receive a message in your Teams channel stating the file is ready to view.
  • Open the file in your SharePoint site and verify it looks correct. If using the provided templates, it should look like the following: Output Invoice Document

Troubleshooting

Click to expand common errors and fixes

File Not Found / Permissions

Cause:
Wrong SharePoint site URL or file path, or the flow account lacks read access.

Fix:

  • Re-select the file with the picker to ensure the Site Address and File Identifier/File Path are correct.
  • Confirm the flow connector has read permission on the document library.

Blank or Missing Fields in PDF / Blank Placeholders

Cause:
JSON keys don’t match template placeholders or wrong data source name.

Fix:

  • Make JSON property names exactly match template placeholders (case-sensitive).
  • Use Compose or Parse JSON during a run to inspect the payload.

No File Extension

Cause:
Create File filename missing extension or wrong type.

Fix:

  • Include the correct file extension (e.g., .pdf) that matches the Build a Doc output.

Teams Agent Cannot Post to Channel

Cause:
Channel is private or connector lacks rights.

Fix:

  • Ensure the channel is public (not private) or pick a different channel.
  • Check Teams connector permissions.
  • If private, add the Agent to the channel.

Variable Initialisation Issues

Cause:
Variables not initialised before use (e.g., varJSONContent, varDocxContent).

Fix:

  • Initialise variables with valid values before they’re referenced.

SharePoint HTTP / Request Failures

Cause:
Bad URLs, incorrect file paths, or permission errors.

Fix:

  • Verify SharePoint URLs and file paths in HTTP actions.
  • Confirm the connector has the right permissions.

Condition Logic Not Matching

Cause:
Condition doesn’t detect the expected trigger phrase (e.g., “Generate Invoice”).

Fix:

  • Check the condition expression for exact text matching and trimming.
  • Consider case sensitivity or whitespace.

Document Conversion (Word → PDF) Fails

Cause:
Invalid input file content or malformed data source.

Fix:

  • Confirm Convert_Word_Document gets valid file content.
  • Validate JSON/data source format and required fields.

File Creation Problems

Cause:
Wrong folder path or duplicate filename.

Fix:

  • Use the folder picker for the destination path.
  • Include the extension and ensure the filename is unique.

Error Handling / Diagnosing

Fix:

  • Inspect the run history for the failing run.
  • Open the failing action’s outputs for step-level error messages.

Quick Checklist

  1. Confirm the Teams trigger fired and groupId / channelId are correct.
  2. Verify varJSONContent and varDocxContent are initialised and valid.
  3. Re-check SharePoint URLs, file paths, and connector permissions.
  4. Validate condition logic detects the exact trigger phrase.
  5. Ensure Convert_Word_Document receives correct content.
  6. Use the folder picker and correct extension when creating files.
  7. Confirm the Teams message posts after file creation and has valid permissions.
  8. Read run history for error details.