SharePoint Online - Check out files

Use the SharePoint Online - Check out files action A tool for building the processes, logic, and direction within workflows. Actions are the steps the workflow performs to complete a process. to check out files from a document library in SharePoint Online. Checking out an item or a file, prevents others from editing it.

The purpose of check out is to prevent conflicts that might occur with multiple people editing the same item at the same time.

This action can be used when the workflow needs to update items and the document library it belongs to requires items to be checked out before they can be updated.

Tip: You can use the SharePoint Online - Check in files action to check in items that have been checked out from a document library.

For more information about the SharePoint Online connector, go to SharePoint Online.

Before you begin:

Understand Variables
Learn about Handling files in your workflow

Jump to:

Configure the SharePoint Online - Check out items action
SharePoint Online - Check out files actions fields and settings

Configure the SharePoint Online - Check out items action

Important: Before inserting variables in the action configuration, you must manually type or select the values and populate other dependent fields in order to retrieve the output data. Once configured, you can insert variables to the required fields.

Open the action configuration panel. For more information, see Add an action to the workflow.

Select a Connection. If you do not have a connection, see Add a connection.

Note:

Only the connections created with the List and libraries authentication method are available in the drop-down list.

For more information about authentication methods for SharePoint Online connections, see Authentication methods for SharePoint Online connections.

Select the Document library you want to check out files from.
Specify the Maximum number of items to check out.

SharePoint Online - Check out files actions fields and settings

Section	Field	Description	Variable types
(unlabeled)	Connection Credentials and other settings that enables workflows to communicate with external systems, services, or applications. It's required to pass data between the workflow and the indicated service, which could be a cloud service, business application, or content store.	SharePoint Online connection to connect to the SharePoint Online site containing the document library you want to checkout items from. To refresh the available connections, click .	(n/a)
Source files	SharePoint site URL	The URL of the SharePoint Online site containing the document library you want to use. To retrieve the libraries for the SharePoint site URL, type the SharePoint site URL and click Retrieve libraries. Example: https://domain.sharepoint.com/sites/hr	Text, Decimal, Integer, Boolean, DateTime, Collection
	Document library	The document library that has the files you want to check out files. When you specify the SharePoint Online site URL, all the document libraries in the selected site will be available to select from in the drop-down list.	Text, Decimal, Integer, Boolean, DateTime, Collection
Conditions	Add conditions/Edit conditions	Add or edit conditions to specify the files to check out. Only the files that match the conditions set are checked out. For conditions involving columns with multiple values, you need to create conditions for each available value and select And or Or options accordingly. Displays the condition builder to define new conditions or edit existing conditions. Add conditions - Displayed when there are no existing conditions specified for the action. Edit conditions - Displayed when there are existing conditions set for the action. You can edit the conditions. The Condition builder supports nested conditions, enabling you to create conditions within another condition.	(n/a)
Condition builder	When	Displays the items from the Column field of the selected list. Note: The following columns are not supported in the Condition builder: Calculated Hyperlink Managed Metadata Multiple lines of text	Text, Decimal, Integer, Boolean, DateTime, Collection
	Operator	How the item from the When drop-down and Value are compared. Select from the drop-down. The operators available in the drop-down depend on the data type of the item selected from the When drop-down.	(n/a)
	Value	The value you are expecting in the column (field) specified for When. The data type of Value must match the data type of the item selected in the When drop-down.	(varies)
	Add	Adds a new condition. When adding a new condition you have to select the level of the condition. Select Nested condition to nest the new condition within the condition above it.	(n/a)
	And/Or	The connecting operator to use for the conditions. If you select: And: The workflow starts when the item that is added matches all the conditions. Or: The workflow starts when the item that is added matches any one of the conditions.	(n/a)
		Displays the following options menu for a condition. The following options are available: Promote: Promotes the condition to a higher level. Promote option is shown if the condition is nested within another condition and allows you to move it to a higher level. Demote: Demotes the condition to a lower level. If you demote a condition it is moved to a lower level making it nested within the condition immediately above it. Delete: Deletes the selected condition.	(n/a)
	Include files in sub folders	Select the check box to include files that are inside sub folders as well.	(n/a)
	Check out file limit	The maximum number of files to check out. Important: Maximum number of files that can be checked out at a time is 5000.	Integer
Output	Result	Stores the result of the action in an object with the following variables: Outcome: Boolean variable to store the outcome of the action. Returns Yes if all of the specified files are checked out successfully. Returns No, even if one file check out fails.	Object