(Power Automate) 如果您计划为台式机寻找IFTTT 替代方案， (IFTTT alternative)Power Automate （以前称为Microsoft Flow）是最好的自动化工具之一 。以下是如何在 Web 和桌面上设置Power Automate以充分利用它。(Power Automate)
什么是电源自动化
Power Automate是(Power Automate)Windows 11中内置的自动化工具，可在 Web 和Windows 10上访问。当Zapier、IFTTT、Automate.io等与在线应用程序一起工作时，Power Automate与在线和离线应用程序一起工作。换句话说，您可以执行与 Internet 无关的各种任务，例如创建文件夹、重命名文件、将内容复制到另一个位置等。
在访问Power Automate时，您会遇到一个名为 flow的术语，它表示您的任务模板的类型。例如，Power Automate中包含五种不同的流，它们是自动云流(Automated cloud flow)、即时云流(Instant cloud flow)、计划云流(Scheduled cloud flow)、桌面流(Desktop flow)和业务流程流(Business process flow)。
Power Automate 的工作原理
在自动化中创建任务主要有两部分：触发器(trigger)和动作(action)。 触发器 (Trigger )可让您选择何时执行任务，而 操作(Action)可帮助您决定要做什么。您将创建或已经创建的所有任务都在后台包含这两件事。完成任务设置后，Power Automate会在后台自动运行任务，直到或除非您手动停止它。
换句话说，它与IFTTT、Zapier和Automate.io具有相同的工作流程。所有这些都允许用户相应地选择触发器和操作。但是，Power Automate有一个方便的选项，称为 On error。它允许您在触发器或操作中发生错误时选择不同的操作。所有其他工具都没有为用户提供此选项。
适用于Power Automate(Power Automate)的可用应用和服务
Power Automate具有广泛的兼容应用程序和服务，允许用户使用自动化工具执行更多操作。无论是网页版还是桌面版，您都可以在两个平台上获得相同的选项集。谈到具体的应用程序，你可以找到Outlook、Excel、Word等。另一方面，它根据变量、条件、文件等提供不同的任务。
Power Automate的最佳之处在于您可以创建嵌套任务。假设您想在收到超过 10MB 的电子邮件附件时在某个位置创建文件。如果您无法在一项任务中完成它，您可以创建一项任务来获取附件，另一项任务来创建文件夹。
如果您期待具有 Web 和桌面支持的应用程序，Power Automate可能是您的理想解决方案。考虑到这一点，您可以尝试使用此服务一次，以检查它是否满足您的所有要求。
如何在 Web 上使用Microsoft Power Automate
要在 Web 上使用Microsoft Power Automate ，请执行以下步骤：(Microsoft Power Automate)
- 访问 flow.microsoft.com 网站并登录您的帐户。
- 单击(Click)左侧的创建按钮。(Create)
- 单击(Click)自动(Automated)云流选项。
- 输入流或任务的名称并选择触发器。
- 单击创建按钮。
- 单击新建步骤按钮。
- 为操作选择一个应用程序。
- 选择一个动作。
- 单击保存按钮。
要了解有关这些步骤的更多信息，请继续阅读。
首先，您必须访问Power Automate的官方网站，即flow.microsoft.com并登录您的帐户。之后，单击 左侧可见 的创建 按钮，然后选择(Create )自动云流(Automated cloud flow) 选项。
在这里您可以根据您的要求选择其他选项：
- 即时云流： (Instant cloud flow: )您可以设置任务，但必须手动运行。
- 计划的云流： (Scheduled cloud flow: )您可以在预定义的时间安排任务。
- 桌面流： (Desktop flow: )主要面向桌面用户。
- 业务流程： (Business process flow: )适合喜欢创建嵌套任务的人。
您要做的第一件事是命名您的任务。然后，根据您的意愿选择一个触发器，然后单击“ 创建 (Create )”按钮。
根据您的触发器，您可能需要登录应用程序或服务。之后，单击 新建步骤 (New step )按钮。
在这里，您必须为触发器选择一个操作。为此，请单击您要在给定列表中执行的任务。
根据您的选择，您可能需要再次登录所选服务。完成后，您可以单击“ 保存 (Save )”按钮。
现在，您可以在您的帐户中运行任务或流程。
在开始之前，您应该知道Power Automate Desktop的工作方式与 Web 版本不同。在桌面版本中，您必须创建一个嵌套任务，因为没有选择触发器的选项。换句话说，您必须选择一个动作作为主要动作，其余动作作为子动作。主要操作用作触发器，其余操作用作操作。
如何在Windows 11/10Microsoft Power Automate
要在Windows 11中使用Power Automate，请执行以下步骤：
- 在任务栏(Taskbar)搜索框中搜索 Power Automate 应用并将其打开(Power Automate)。
- 单击 新建流程 (New flow )按钮。
- 输入任务的名称，然后单击 创建(Create) 按钮。
- (Choose)从左侧选择一个动作。
- 根据您选择的应用程序填写(Fill)给定的表格。
- 单击(Click)子流(Subflow)箭头并选择 新建子 (New subflow )流选项。
- 输入名称并单击 保存 (Save )按钮。
- (Choose)从左侧选择另一个动作。
- 单击 保存 (Save )按钮。
- 单击“ 播放” (Play )按钮运行任务。
让我们详细检查这些步骤。
首先，在任务栏(Taskbar)搜索框中搜索Power Automate应用程序，然后从搜索结果中打开它。打开后，单击“ 新建流程” (New flow )按钮。
现在您必须输入任务的名称，然后单击“ 创建 (Create )”按钮。完成此操作后，您可以在屏幕上找到标题中包含任务名称的另一个窗口。然后，从左侧选择主要操作。
您可以双击一个动作或使用拖放方法来选择它。根据您的选择，您必须在屏幕上填写表格并单击“ 保存 (Save )”按钮。
接下来，单击 Subflows 箭头并选择 New subflow 选项。您也可以输入子流的名称。
然后，您可以从左侧选择另一个操作并单击“ 保存 (Save )”按钮。
为了解释整个过程，第一个动作将作为触发器，子流程(Subflow)将作为一个动作。
最后，您可以单击“ 运行” (Run )按钮对其进行测试。
相关(Related)：如何使用 Microsoft Power Automate Desktop 创建 UI 工作流(use Microsoft Power Automate Desktop to create a UI workflow)。
桌面版 Power Automate 是免费的吗？
是的，适用于桌面的Power Automate对Windows 11和 10 用户免费。如果在您的计算机上找不到它，您可以从 flow.microsoft.com下载它。您必须使用您的Microsoft帐户，然后进行安装。
Microsoft/Office 365Power Automate是否免费？
是的，Power Automate包含在Microsoft 365订阅中。如果你有有效的Microsoft 365订阅，则可以免费或不收取额外费用在 Web 上使用Power Automate 。
Power Automate 的成本是多少？
用于 Web 的Power Automate成本约为 15 美元/月/用户。但是，如果您有Microsoft 365，则可以免费使用它。此外，Windows 11和Windows 10用户可以免费使用Power Automate Desktop 。
考虑到一切，Power Automate似乎是一种方便的自动化工具，旨在提高您的工作效率。希望本教程可以帮助您开始使用此工具。
阅读： (Read: )Zapier 是一款免费的自动化工具，也是 IFTTT 和 Microsoft Flow 的替代品。
Microsoft Power Automate Tutorial - How to get started
Power Automate (formerly Microsoft Flow) is one of the best automation tools if you are planning to find an IFTTT alternative for desktops. Here is how you can set up Power Automate on the web and desktop to get the most out of it.
What is Power Automate
Power Automate is an automation tool built into Windows 11 and accessible on the web as well as Windows 10. When Zapier, IFTTT, Automate.io, etc., work with online apps, Power Automate works with online and offline apps. In other words, you can perform various tasks that have no relation to the internet, such as creating a folder, renaming a file, copying content to another location, etc.
While accessing Power Automate, you would come across a term called flow, which denotes the type of template of your task. For instance, there are five different flows included in Power Automate, and they are Automated cloud flow, Instant cloud flow, Scheduled cloud flow, Desktop flow, and Business process flow.
How does Power Automate work
There are mainly two parts to create a task in automation: trigger and action. Trigger lets you choose when to perform a task, and Action helps you decide what to do. All the tasks you will create or are already created come with these two things in the background. Once you are done with the task setup, Power Automate runs the task automatically in the background until or unless you stop it manually.
In other words, it has the same workflow as IFTTT, Zapier, and Automate.io. All of them allow users to choose a trigger and an action accordingly. However, Power Automate has a handy option called On error. It lets you choose a different action when an error occurs in the trigger or action. All the other tools do not have this option for the users.
Available apps and services for Power Automate
Power Automate has a wide range of compatible apps and services, allowing users to do more with an automation tool. Whether it is the web or desktop version, you could get the same set of options across both platforms. Talking about the specific apps, you can find Outlook, Excel, Word, etc. On the other hand, it offers different tasks based on variables, conditions, files, etc.
The best thing about Power Automate is that you can create a nested task. Let’s say you want to create a file in a certain location when you receive an email attachment, which is more than 10MB. If you cannot get it done in one task, you can create one task to fetch the attachment and another to create the folder.
If you are looking forward to an app with web and desktop support, Power Automate can be a good solution for you. Considering that, you can try using this service once to check if it fulfills all your demands or not.
How to use Microsoft Power Automate on the web
To use Microsoft Power Automate on the web, follow these steps:
- Visit the flow.microsoft.com website and sign in to your account.
- Click the Create button on the left side.
- Click on the Automated cloud flow option.
- Enter a name for the flow or task and select a trigger.
- Click on the Create button.
- Click the New step button.
- Choose an app for the action.
- Select an action.
- Click the Save button.
To learn more about these steps, continue reading.
At first, you have to visit the official website of Power Automate, which is flow.microsoft.com and sign in to your account. After that, click the Create button visible on the left side and select the Automated cloud flow option.
Here you can select other options according to your requirements:
- Instant cloud flow: You can set up a task, but you have to run it manually.
- Scheduled cloud flow: You can schedule a task at a predefined time.
- Desktop flow: It is mainly for desktop users.
- Business process flow: It is for those who like to create a nested task.
The first thing you have to do is to name your task. Then, select a trigger according to your wish, and click the Create button.
Depending upon your trigger, you may have to sign in to the app or service. Following that, click the New step button.
Here you have to select an action for your trigger. For that, click on a task you want to perform in the given list.
As per your selection, you might have to sign in to the selected service again. Once done, you can click the Save button.
Now, you can run the task or flow in your account.
Before getting started, you should know that Power Automate Desktop works differently from the web version. In the desktop version, you have to create a nested task since there is no option to choose a trigger. In other words, you have to select one action as the primary action and the rest of them as the sub-action. The primary action works as a trigger, and the rest of them work as actions.
How to use Microsoft Power Automate in Windows 11/10
To use Power Automate in Windows 11, follow these steps:
- Search for the Power Automate app in the Taskbar search box and open it.
- Click the New flow button.
- Enter a name for your task and click the Create button.
- Choose an action from the left side.
- Fill up the given form as per your selected app.
- Click the Subflow arrow and select the New subflow option.
- Enter a name and click the Save button.
- Choose another action from the left side.
- Click the Save button.
- Click on the Play button to run the task.
Let’s check out these steps in detail.
At first, search for the Power Automate app in the Taskbar search box and open it from the search result. After opening, click on the New flow button.
Now you have to enter the name of your task and click the Create button. Once you do that, you can find another window on your screen with the task name in the title. Then, select the primary action from the left side.
You can either double-click on an action or use the drag-&-drop method to select it. Depending upon your selection, you have to fill-up the form on your screen and click the Save button.
Next, click the Subflows arrow and choose the New subflow option. You can enter the name of your subflow as well.
Then, you can select another action from the left side and click the Save button.
To explain the entire process, the first action will work as a trigger, and the Subflow will work as an action.
At last, you can click the Run button to test it.
Related: How to use Microsoft Power Automate Desktop to create a UI workflow.
Is Power Automate for desktop free?
Yes, Power Automate for desktop is free for Windows 11 and 10 users. If you cannot find it on your computer, you can download it from flow.microsoft.com. You have to use your Microsoft account followed by the installation.
Is Power Automate free with Microsoft/Office 365?
Yes, Power Automate is included with Microsoft 365 subscription. If you have an active Microsoft 365 subscription, you can use Power Automate on the web for free or without additional charges.
How much does Power Automate cost?
Power Automate for web costs around $15/month/user. However, if you have Microsoft 365, you can use it for free. Also, Power Automate Desktop is available for free for Windows 11 and Windows 10 users.
Considering everything, Power Automate seems to be a handy automation tool made to make you more productive. Hope this tutorial helps you get started with this tool.
Read: Zapier is a free Automation tool and a IFTTT & Microsoft Flow alternative.
