Category Archives: Preview

PowerApps and SharePoint – Filtering the List View

*Disclaimer* – This post based on Preview version of PowerApps. I’ll make every effort to update with any changes and verify when PowerApps is released. 

One of the powerful features in PowerApps for SharePoint users is the ability to create an app from a SharePoint list. When using this feature, PowerApps creates three screens for us to start with: A Browse screen, a View screen, and a New/Edit Item screen.  

The Browse screen contains a Gallery control – which displays the contents of a list. By default it shows ALL items in a list. This might be fine for some business needs – especially with the inclusion of the search functionality also built into the default screen. Some use cases however may look for a filtered view of a list. 

The Short Version

The browse screen is set up to show all items, as well as take input from the search box. I’m going to change the list to display all items where the Request Type is a certain value.

  1. Select the Gallery on the browse page 
    image
  2. Change the Items formula from search-based to filter-based:
    From:
    image
    SortByColumns(Search(‘Service Requests‘, TextSearchBox1_1.Text, “Comments”, “Notes”, “Title”, “Title”), “Comments”, If(SortDescending1, Descending, Ascending))
    To:
    SortByColumns(Filter(‘Service Requests’, ReqType.Value=”PEBKaC”), “Comments”, If(SortDescending1, Descending, Ascending))
  3. Items displayed on the screen should now be filtered by the Request Type.

Notes

  • Similar to other methods in SharePoint (like CSR with JSLink) the field names seem to be using the internal name of the field. Above, when accessing the Request Type we needed to use ‘ReqType’.

References

Getting Started with PowerApps (Preview) for SharePoint Users

Notes and Setting Context

PowerApps is a new product/service offering from Microsoft for building business solutions that connect data from a variety of services and locations – including SharePoint Online. It is targeted at ‘power users’ – which is a somewhat broad and undefined group of users. It’s safe to say that not all SharePoint users will be able to build solutions in PowerApps intuitively as it does require a different skill set – but it is not coding.

  • PowerApps are available through an Office 365 account for users within your organization. Apps are not public-facing. You’re not creating a stand-alone app that anyone can download and run. It will only work for your tenant. The app owner determines who has access to the app: it could be a list of individuals or the whole organization.
  • PowerApps is not a replacement for InfoPath… yet. It certainly has potential. Yes, it has forms – but it’s not going to be on par with what InfoPath had to offer in terms of complexity for now.
  • PowerApps was not developed exclusively for SharePoint – so don’t expect a SharePoint-only kind of focus from the product. It integrates with a LOT more platforms and services. SharePoint is one of them and it already does do some cool stuff for the SharePoint platform.
  • PowerApps is targeted at the mobile platform – specifically phone and tablet devices, but it will be surfaced in the browser as well. The mobile client lists out apps that the user has access to. Apps can also be pinned to the desktop of your device rather than having to open the PowerApps app first.
  • Within SharePoint, PowerApps will soon have a presence within the new ‘modern’ SharePoint lists and libraries – more to come on that soon.
  • PowerApps is built on Azure. So it’s cloud-based. PowerApps Studio is a local tool, but connects to PowerApps Portal – which is a cloud service and relies on the cloud for Connections.
  • Connections’ and ‘Gateways’ are how you get access to services and data. Which ones are available will be determined by licensing… which is still TBD. While currently in Preview mode, we have access to all available connectors.
  • PowerApps is part of a broader effort targeting power users – so check out the other tools and capabilities as well.
    Start here: https://businessplatform.microsoft.com
    And here: https://powerusers.microsoft.com/
  • If you are or were an Excel or Access ‘guru’ building complex formulas, spreadsheets, and/or Access solutions, you’ll probably be pretty confortable digging into PowerApps (and Flow).
  • The documentation is fantastic for this point in a new product release. Seriously I can’t give enough kudos to the team putting this stuff together.
    https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/tutorials

Where To Start

  1. Check out the tutorial found here:
    https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/tutorials/getting-started/ 
  2. Go to https://powerapps.microsoft.com and log in with an account you use with Office 365.

Where To Go Next

Honestly, just dig in. It’s pretty easy. There definitely is a learning curve the deeper you get. But you’ll see a bunch of cool capabilities just by clicking around. You can have a mobile powerapp running on a SharePoint Online list going in minutes.

I’m putting my links and resources here: http://www.idubbs.com/blog/powerapps-and-flows/
So, without repeating all those links in this post, just check it out. Smile

PowerApps Preview – SharePoint Field Workarounds

*Disclaimer* – This post based on Preview version of PowerApps. I’ll make every effort to update with any changes and verify when PowerApps is released.

The following is a discrepancy happening in the Preview mode that will likely be resolved in the release version. Until then, something to mention so others don’t get frustrated when working with PowerApps during the Preview stage.

When looking at the columns in my SharePoint list, I have the following:

Figure1
Figure 1

Now, I create a PowerApp based on the same list. BrowseScreen gives me four controls/fields on my card by default.

image.png
Figure 2

When using the dropdown values for the controls, I get the following:

image.png
Figure 3

Which is *not* the same as my list of fields. It looks like I’m missing:

  • ReqType (choice)
  • AssignedTo (Person)
  • CreatedBy (Person)
  • ModifiedBy (Person)
  • Status (choice)
  • Priority (choice)
  • Dept (Lookup)
  • Dept:ID (Lookup – additional field)

The missing fields are Choice, People, and Lookup fields. All of these fields are a bit more complicated behind the scenes. Thankfully we can still get to the data but we need to be a little more deliberate about it.

Note: ID comes as a bonus and IS available for selection. While ID is not shown in SharePoint’s List Settings we know we can get access to it in views. It’s a column that’s just behind the scenes sometimes in SharePoint.

As shown in Figure 2 above, PowerApps provides an easy way to select a control on the card and select which field it should represent. You can also use the Text property directly – either in the top property control or on the Advanced panel (select the View tab, then click on ‘Advanced’).

image.png
Figure 4

In the formula box for the property, delete the field name (‘Comments’). With the cursor after the period, the dropdown suggestion should now show all available fields – including our missing fields.

Notes:

  • SharePoint’s CreatedBy is shown as ‘Author’.
  • SharePoint’s ModifiedBy is shown as ‘Editor’.

Note:

‘ThisItem’ is not needed in this example. You can type the field name directly. However, if you want to see a list of the fields available, you can use ‘ThisItem.’ in the formula.

Select ‘Editor’. Your formula now shows ‘ThisItem.Editor’, but the field is showing an error.

image.png
Figure 5 – ‘Attention needed’ in the Advanced panel

image.png
Figure 6 – ‘Attention needed’ in the form designer

As the message indicates, we need a text value to display, rather than what is essentially a person object. After ‘ThisItem.Editor’ add another period to see additional options – and select DisplayName. This provides what we’re likely looking for.

image.png
Figure 7

DispName
Figure 8

Choice fields work with:
ThisItem.[fieldname].Value

Lookup fields work with:
ThisItem.[fieldname].Value

If additional fields are selected for display (a field setting in SharePoint), they may show up as:
ThisItem.[fieldname]:[columnname].Value
Ex. ThisItem.Dept:ID.Value

Note:
Currently seeing what should be Dept:ID showing up as:
Dept_x003a_ID – I’m guessing this will be updated before release as well.

People fields have a list of values available:

  • Department
  • DisplayName
  • Email
  • JobTitle
  • Picture

All in all, this issue doesn’t stop us from building what we’re trying to build, but it is an inconsistency in the UX and can be confusing or frustrating to folks during the learning curve.

Please – Let me know if you see something different so we can keep this info current.

Enjoy!

MNSPUG July 2016 – PowerApps and Flow

Raymond and I did a presentation at the July 13th Minnesota SharePoint User Group a few weeks ago: Microsoft PowerApps and Flow: Overview and Integration Points with SharePoint. We had a nice crowd of 70-80 folks between the people in the room and folks that participated online.

Links to the presentation slides and recording (TBD) can be found on the MNSPUG site.

NOTE: In our slides we mention the connector for Office 365 Video. Right now there is an issue with that connector working with the current version of PowerApps. This is a known issue and Microsoft is working to resolve it.

Microsoft is generating a LOT of interest in these two new technologies – both still in Preview (now, and when the presentation was given). With the Ignite conference coming up this Fall, I’d be surprised if there isn’t more to see by conference time – between polishing the release version, adding new features, and potentially releasing one or both of the products. Stay tuned.

*Disclaimer* – This post based on Preview version of PowerApps. I’ll make every effort to update with any changes and verify when PowerApps is released.

PowerApps – Conditional Formatting

*Disclaimer* – This post based on Preview version of PowerApps. I’ll make every effort to update with any changes and verify when PowerApps is released. 

So far, I’m LOVING the potential that PowerApps brings to the table for power users. Coming from the SharePoint side of the world, lots of folks are going to be interested in how conditional formatting works within PowerApps. Here is one example – I’m sure there will be more.

The formatting is implemented using a formula on the Color property of the control.
If the value being checked is ‘High’, then make the Color red. If not, then make the color Black.

I have a Display form.
The ‘Priority’ field that I’m checking the value of is on card: DataCard6

With this information, I can change any of the Color properties for other controls to:
If(DataCard6.Default.Value=”High”, Red, Black)

Note: for the card of the Priority field, I can alternatively use the following:
If(Parent.Default.Value=”High”, Red, Black)

On the Browse screen, we access the data a little differently, so it looks like this:
If(Priority.Value=”High”, Red, Black)

Regarding multiple values, like typical KPI (key performance indicator) examples – Red, Yellow, Green for example – you need to nest the formula logic like this:
If(ReqType.Value=”Type1″, Red, If(ReqType.Value=”Type2″, Yellow, If(ReqType.Value=”Type3″, Green, Black)))

PACondFormat
(Yellow, by the way, looks terrible on a white background. 🙂 )

Think of it as an ElseIf kind of construct by filling in the ElseResult (as mentioned in the IF reference below).

It’s a bit of a learning curve for PowerApps with all the new terms, different ways of referencing data, etc. but Microsoft has done a great job with initial documentation, examples, etc. Some of the links below will get you started poking around.

References:
Getting started with formulas (PowerApps Reference)
If function in PowerApps (PowerApps Reference)
Understand data forms (PowerApps Reference)

7/22/16 – Updated to include example for multiple values in the If logic.