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  • Pretty Power Apps Made Easy with Some HTML

    If you've ever felt limited by the default design options in Power Apps, you’re not alone. While the platform makes building functional apps easy, achieving truly stunning UI designs often requires creative use of advanced tools. Enter the HTML Text control . This often-overlooked feature unlocks a world of possibilities for styling and design, letting you create apps that are not just functional but visually engaging. In this post, we’ll explore three powerful HTML Text control tricks that can elevate your app designs: Glassmorphism , Dynamic Badges , and Gradient Backgrounds . Each of these techniques is easy to implement and delivers immediate visual impact, whether you’re designing an internal tool or a customer-facing app. Let’s dive in! If you want to see these concepts in action, check out our YouTube video on Use HTML Gradients and Styling to improve your Power Apps UI . Always a fun time, and of course if you need help with this or any Power Apps concept hit the Contact Us button, we are always happy to help. Glassmorphism: A Sleek, Modern Look What is Glassmorphism?  Glassmorphism is a design trend that creates a frosted-glass effect. You’ve likely seen it in modern user interfaces—semi-transparent backgrounds with a subtle blur and glow, as seen in the Severe Weather Alerts example below. Why Use It? Creates focus while maintaining context by blurring the content behind the element. Adds a polished, professional touch to your app. Makes overlays, modals, or navigation menus more engaging. How to Implement It in Power Apps   To achieve this effect, you’ll use the HTML Text control with inline CSS styling in the HTMLText property. Here’s the code ( Note:  make sure you begin and end with double quotes): "" Key Elements of the Code: background: rgba(7, 42, 200, 0.6 ): Sets the semi-transparency of the background. backdrop-filter: blur( 4px ): Applies the frosted blur effect. border-radius: 10px: Rounds the corners for a smooth, modern look. width:" & Self.Width-50 & "px; height: " & Self.Height-51 & "px:  sets the size of the to match the HTML Text control, adjusting for margins and ensuring the height is 1 pixel less to prevent a scrollbar. Pro Tip:  Use variables in PowerFX to dynamically adjust dimensions or colors based on user interactions or app state. Real-World Applications: Highlight key information with a frosted overlay. Create stylish modals or popups for alerts and confirmations. Design navigation menus that stand out without overwhelming the content. Power Apps Extreme Makeover is a live one day class that teaches all things Pretty Power Apps. Check it out here . Dynamic Badges: Highlight What Matters What Are Dynamic Badges?  Badges are small, attention-grabbing labels often used to display statuses, notifications, or other critical updates. They’re a simple but effective way to improve the usability of your app. Normally, badges with rounded edges are created using a container with a label inside. But it’s difficult to dynamically size such a badge if the label text is dynamic. Enter HTML Text. Using the method below, an HTML tag is used to create perfectly scaled dynamic badges using a single HTML Text control, reducing control count in your app and ensuring pixel-perfect scaling of your badge How to Implement It in Power Apps Here’s how you can create badges using the HTML Text control. Place the following code in the HTMLText property: "Severe Thunderstorm Warning Flood Watch" Key Elements of the Code: background-color: Defines the badge’s color, which can be dynamic based on data. padding and border-radius: Create a pill-shaped badge for a modern look. font-size: Ensures the text is legible even on smaller screens. Real-World Applications: Display task statuses like “Pending,” “In Progress,” or “Completed.” Highlight new notifications or updates. Use color-coded badges to indicate priority levels. If you enjoy learning from reading our blog posts, you will LOVE learning in on Training classes. We have Power Apps training available both on-demand and live. Classes for Power Apps, Power Automate, Power Pages, Power BI, and Copilot AI are all available. Gradient Backgrounds: Add Depth and Style What Are Gradient Backgrounds?  Gradients are smooth color transitions that can make your app visually appealing and professional. Whether used as section dividers or background elements, gradients add a touch of sophistication. Why Use Them? Breaks up monotony in the app design. Helps visually differentiate sections. Makes your app look modern and polished. How to Implement It in Power Apps To create a gradient background, use the HTML Text control with a linear-gradient style: " " Key Elements of the Code: linear-gradient(180deg, rgba(2,7,93,1) 0%, rgba(95,98,141,1) 100%): Creates a top-to-bottom gradient with two colors. width:" & Self.Width & "px; height: " & Self.Height-1 & "px: Fills the the HTML Text control, less the very bottom pixel when is necessary due to the odd behavior of the scrollbar showing up if the element exactly matches the height of the HTML Text control. Pro Tip:  Because this strategy leaves a white 1-pixel line at the bottom of the HTML Text control, set the Fill property of the HTML Text control to match the color at the bottom of the gradient (in the example, RGBA(95,98,141,1)). This will ensure a perfect background! Real-World Applications: Use gradients for section headers or banners. Highlight important data visualization areas. Add visual depth to dashboards and forms. Conclusion The HTML Text control is a powerful tool for transforming the look and feel of your Power Apps. By mastering techniques like Glassmorphism , Dynamic Badges , and Gradient Backgrounds , you can create apps that are not only functional but also visually stunning. These design tricks improve user experience, make your apps more engaging, and help you stand out as a Power Apps developer. Next Steps: Try these techniques in your own apps and see the difference they make. Explore more HTML and CSS tricks to expand your design capabilities. Watch the full video tutorial for a step-by-step guide to implementing these effects. Hit the Contact Us button to get support for this or any other Power Platform challenge you might be having.

  • Deep Dive in using Dataverse Lookup Columns

    Dataverse lookup columns are essential for managing relationships between tables in Power Apps. Whether you're building a Canvas App or integrating with Power Automate, understanding how lookups work can help you create more efficient and scalable applications. This post will walk you through everything you need to know about using lookup columns in Dataverse. If you're more of a visual learner, you can check out everything covered here (and more) in the YouTube video: Deep Dive in Using Dataverse Lookup Columns What Are Dataverse Lookup Columns? A lookup column in Dataverse creates a relationship between two tables. Instead of storing plain text or numbers, it stores a reference to a record in another table. This is useful when you need to maintain data integrity and avoid duplication. For example, in an Employees table, you might want to link each employee to a Region . Instead of storing region names as plain text, you can create a lookup column that connects to a Regions table. This ensures consistency and allows you to easily pull in related information such as a region code, manager, or goal. Tip: When creating the table, you'll look up against (like Regions in this example), take extra care when choosing your Primary Column . This text column will be the default in lookups and is often the only column you can display. Creating a Lookup Column in Dataverse To set up a lookup column: Navigate to Tables in Dataverse and open the table where you want to add the lookup. For our example, this is the Employees table. Click Add Column and choose Lookup as the data type. Select the related table (the Regions table in this example). Save the column and verify that the relationship has been created. Using Lookup Columns in a Canvas App Once you've created the lookup, you can use it inside a Power Apps Canvas App. Here are a few common scenarios: 1. Displaying Lookup Data in a Gallery If you add a Gallery control to show employees, you can display related region names using: ThisItem.WorkRegion.RegionName ThisItem.WorkRegion is the full record of the item you're looking up. This means that instead of just .RegionName , you could reference .RegionManager , .Goal , or any other column from the record. This is called a polymorphic lookup and is a great feature of Dataverse lookup columns. 2. Filtering by Lookup Column To filter employees by a specific region: Filter(Employees, WorkRegion.RegionCode = "EU") Since the lookup column stores an entire record, you must specify the field you want to filter on (for example, RegionCode ). 3. Saving Data with a Form If you use a Form Control , the lookup column will automatically show a dropdown with related records, making it easy to select values. Nothing special to do here. 4. Patching a Lookup Field If you prefer using Patch instead of forms, you need to provide a record when updating a lookup column: Patch(Employees, Defaults(Employees), { FirstName: "John", WorkRegion: LookUp(Regions, RegionName = "North America") }) In that example, we used RegionName as the text to look up. Often, you'll want to use something you know will always be unique (like the GUID primary ID column). It doesn't matter, as long as LookUp returns a matching record. Using Lookup Columns in Power Automate When working with lookup columns in Power Automate , you might need to use OData queries to filter or retrieve data. The lookup column’s system name often follows this format: _cr662workregion_value eq 'GUID' For example, to filter employees by region in a List Rows action: _cr662workregion_value eq '2a6ddb65-cfeb-ef11-be21-6045bdedb9f2' In the video, we went into detail about how to find these exact values for your tables. If you're struggling, check out the video for a walkthrough. You can also expand related data using the `$expand` parameter. Relationship Behaviors and Cascading Actions Dataverse lets you define how relationships behave when a parent record is deleted. The most common options include: Referential: Deleting a parent does not affect child records. Restrict Delete: Prevents deletion if related child records exist. Cascade Delete: Deleting a parent removes all related child records. Wrapping Up Dataverse lookup columns are a powerful tool for creating structured relationships between tables. Whether you're displaying data in Power Apps, filtering records, or integrating with Power Automate, understanding how lookups work will help you build more robust applications. If you have any questions or want to learn more, click the Contact button—we're happy to help! We have consulting and training options to assist you with this or any other challenges you might have.

  • Filtering SharePoint Data with oData Queries in Power Automate

    When working with SharePoint data in Power Automate, filtering your dataset efficiently is key to building optimized workflows. One of the most powerful ways to filter SharePoint data is by using oData filter queries  in the Get Items  action. This post will walk you through different examples of filtering various column types  and using logical operators  to refine your results. If you want to see all of the concepts from this blog post in action then check out the full length video where we go hand on with these and other examples of oData filtering. You can find the YouTube step-by-step video here: Filter SharePoint Data in Power Automate with oData Understanding oData Filter Queries in Power Automate oData (Open Data Protocol) is a standard query language that enables filtering and querying data efficiently from multiple data sources, including SharePoint, Dataverse, and SQL Server. When used in Power Automate, it allows you to retrieve specific records without pulling unnecessary data, improving performance and efficiency. For the examples in this post, we will be using the Power Automate Cloud Flow action "Get Items"  to filter SharePoint list data. However, it’s important to note that oData queries are widely applicable across various platforms, including Microsoft Dataverse, SQL Server, and even third-party services that support the oData standard. Learning how to construct and apply these queries will benefit you in multiple automation and data retrieval scenarios. An example of the Get Items action with an oData Filter Query for the Created by field in SharePoint Filtering Different SharePoint Column Types Each SharePoint column type has its unique characteristics and filtering them requires different approaches. Below are practical examples of how to filter single-line text, choice, lookup, number, and date columns  using oData. 1️⃣ Filtering a Single Line Text Column For a text-based column , you use the eq (equals) operator. The column name is case-sensitive and must match exactly as it appears in SharePoint. Example: Title eq 'Project X' This retrieves all SharePoint list items where the Title column is Project X . 2️⃣ Filtering a Choice Column Choice columns require the same syntax as text columns. Ensure you use single quotes around the value. Example: Department eq 'Sales' This filters all items where the Department  choice column is set to "Sales." 3️⃣ Filtering a Multi-Choice Column Multi-choice columns can contain multiple values, so filtering them requires an exact match. Example: Skills eq 'Power BI' This filters records where the Skills  column contains exactly "Power BI." For filtering multiple selections: Skills eq 'Power BI' or Skills eq 'Excel' This retrieves items where Skills  include either Power BI  or Excel. Pro Tip:  If you're unsure of a column’s internal name, check the List Settings  in SharePoint or inspect the raw JSON output from a Get Items  action. 4️⃣ Filtering a Lookup Column Lookup columns reference values from another list. The default way to filter is using the ID  of the lookup record. Example: DeptLookUp eq 3 This retrieves all records where the Department lookup field  has an ID of 3. If you prefer filtering by the title  of the lookup field: DeptLookUp/Title eq 'Marketing' This pulls items where the related department’s Title  is "Marketing." 5️⃣ Filtering by Number Values Number fields support operators such as eq, gt, lt, and le. Example: Age gt 30 This retrieves all items where the Age  column is greater than 30. To filter within a range: Age gt 30 and Age lt 50 This gets records where the age is between 31 and 49. 6️⃣ Filtering by Date Values Dates in SharePoint require a special format: YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss. Example: HireDate ge '2020-01-01T00:00:00' This retrieves employees hired on or after January 1, 2020. To find records within a year: HireDate ge '2022-01-01T00:00:00' and HireDate le '2022-12-31T23:59:59' This filters records where HireDate  falls within 2022. 7️⃣ Filtering by Created By (Author) Field The "Created By" field in SharePoint is internally referred to as Author. To filter based on this field, you need to use /Email or /Title depending on whether you want to match an email or a display name. Example: Author/Email eq 'user@example.com' This retrieves all records created by user@example.com . If filtering by display name: Author/Title eq 'John Doe' This pulls items where the Created By  field matches "John Doe." Be mindful that display names are not always unique. Using Logical Operators: and, or, Parentheses oData allows for complex filtering by combining multiple conditions using and, or, and parentheses. Make sure you use them all lower case. Combining Filters with AND Department eq 'HR' and Age gt 25 This retrieves employees from the HR department who are older than 25. Combining Filters with OR Skills eq 'Power Automate' or Skills eq 'SharePoint' This retrieves records where employees have either Power Automate  or SharePoint  skills. Grouping Filters with Parentheses (Department eq 'IT' or Department eq 'Finance') and Age lt 40 This retrieves all employees from IT or Finance  departments who are younger than 40. Conclusion oData filtering in Power Automate is a powerful way to query SharePoint data efficiently. Understanding how different column types work and applying the correct operators ensures that your workflows run faster and return the most relevant data. If you need help with this, remember we have support services where someone will hop on a screenshare with you for as little as 30 minutes to help. Just hist the Contact button and let us know how we can help.

  • Power Apps Modern vs Classic Controls Reference

    Covering Text Inputs, Number Inputs, Text Labels, and Buttons Modern Controls are all of the rage but as long-time builders we often find ourselves asking what is new and what is different. Below I have offered some overall thoughts and documented three of the most common controls in detail. Hopefully, this helps you quickly bridge the differences between the two. And yes, Input Controls have a lot of notes. They are drastically different, whereas labels and buttons are mostly visually different. If you want a more hands on look at these differences then be sure to check out my Youtube video Modern vs Classic Controls in Power Apps - Buttons, Text Inputs, and Text Labels Finally, if you are having a hard time with the different properties for these controls, you can download this guide with all of the properties mapped out using the fancy link below. It includes each Property name and description, what control it is applicable for, and if it was renamed from Classic to Modern what the new or old name was. Lots of little details to make your life easier. Example for the Inputs: Download the guide⬇️ General Notes of Differences for Modern and Classic Controls in Power Apps Below is a breakdown of just things to know going into using Modern Controls with Power Apps. Hopefully these little notes help you pull out your hair a bit less when you trip over things like OnSelect being gone for most controls. Styling : Modern Controls follow Fluent UI guidelines for styling, offering consistent themes and polished looks. At the expense of not being able to manually set a lot of the visual properties yourself. For example, properties like DisabledFill, HoverColor, and PressedBorderColor that were available in Classic Controls are currently not present in Modern Controls. This means you'll lose some of the fine-grained control over the appearance of your app in different interaction states. For example: I often would set the visual properties of disabled mode in a control to very specific colors to achieve a desired effect for one control in classic controls, this level of customization is no longer available. Font Sizing : Modern uses pixels while Classic uses points, often leading to inconsistent font sizes across controls. So basically, when you start adding Modern Controls be prepared for everything to be smaller, you will need to rethink what are your default font sizes and such. Themes : The Modern Controls use the new theme engine. It is kind of configurable but will add to your confusion in the short term. To view/configure what you can with themes look on the Left Rail and click … to find Themes. Then to manipulate per control click on the control and at the bottom of the Properties panel on the right you will see similar to below. Accessibility : Classic Controls include more traditional accessibility features such as Live and Role, while Modern Controls are progressively incorporating these features. One of the goals of Modern Controls is to be more accessible. OnSelect isn't as common : With Classic Controls just about every control had an OnSelect property, making them all "clickable". That is not the case with Modern Controls, if you want something to be clickable you are most likely going to need to use a Button, Icon, or Image control.  Reset property is gone : If you got used to using a variable to trigger mass resets, sorry that isn't possible. Back to Reset(ControlName)  being the only option. Avoid mixing and matching : Modern Controls and Classic Controls are so different, especially visually, it is basically impossible to combine them in the same app and have it look nice. So, commit to one or the other. Text and Number Input Control Differences Quick note. This one is a bit odd because the Classic Text Input has been replaced by two controls. Text Input and Number Input are separate controls that are similar but have nuance difference. Most of which is covered below.  Trigger Behavior : Classic uses DelayOutput; Modern replaces this with TriggerOutput offering options like FocusOut, Delayed, and Keypress. While this is a nice change, you will need to think about how your OnChange is triggered, each of those 3 options have their own quirks to meet specific scenarios and none exactly line up with how it worked in Classic Controls. Clear Button and Spell Check : Classic included a built-in clear button and the ability to enable Spell Check. Disabled vs. Enabled : With Classic Controls a Text Input in view mode looked exactly like a label, which made it easy to reuse the control for display-only purposes. Now a view mode Text Input looks exactly like an edit mode Text Input, which isn’t ideal and is confusing to users. You can't easily reuse the same control for editable and read-only scenarios without causing confusion. Which would change how I designed the look of a lot of apps over the year.  Number Input is Separate : In Classic, you often used a Text Input with formatting rules to handle numbers. In Modern, there's a dedicated Number Input control with its own properties like Min, Max, Step, and Precision. This makes numeric input more flexible, but also means managing a new set of behaviors and edge cases. Number Input : The control now has an up and down increment arrow you can use to adjust the value in the control. It is kind of hard to see. If you want to get rid of it set the Step property to 0. Not very obvious. Value vs. Text : Number Input uses a Value output property instead of Text. This can be helpful for calculations but may require some refactoring if you're used to string-based logic. This means to get the number out of a Modern Number Input Control you would use NumberInput1.Value where as with a Text Input you would use TextInput1.Text. Overall : Lots of change with Inputs plus the fact that number inputs are the same but different will probably cause you a bit of confusion for a while. But don’t worry, once it clicks, it will all make sense. Text Label Control Differences OnSelect : Worth repeating, it is gone, as that one really frustrated me. If you want to simulate an interactive label, one workaround is to overlay a transparent button on top of the label and use its OnSelect instead. Visual Everything:  The alignment, the size, the padding, everything is different. It is fine, just be ready to reconsider the look and feel as you add these new labels. If you are new to Power Apps then not a big deal, you will never know the difference.  Below they are both using default size and both are against the top of the screen. Font size and vertical align are easy to see differences, but there are plenty more. Overall : Functionally is very much the same, just visually different. Button Control Differences Icons : Modern Controls allow inline icons with Icon, IconRotation, IconStyle, and Layout; Classic does not. Hover and Pressed States : Classic includes HoverFill, PressedFill, DisabledFill, and more; these are currently missing in Modern. Overall : Good news, a button is basically still a button, just with different sizing and style.

  • Make a PDF from Image files

    Ever felt the frustration of trying to convert various image types into a PDF without shelling out for a "Premium" action in Power Automate? You're not alone! But guess what? We've cracked the code. Dive into our innovative technique that leverages an HtmlText control to generate HTML, enabling Power Automate to seamlessly create PDF documents. And the best part? This method effortlessly incorporates images from a SharePoint list image column. Ready to revolutionize your workflow? Let's get started! SharePoint list with image columns First, you’ll need a SharePoint list with some image columns. We can insert some images into the list, either JPEG or PNG. Then we connect this list as a data source for our app. Screen with HtmlText and Image controls Next create a blank app with Power Apps. Add some Image controls to the screen (corresponding with the number of images you want to use) and an HtmlText control. We’re going to add some code (that refers to the image controls) that runs OnVisible  property of the screen. The image controls are tied to the SharePoint list images, either through a variable or a LookUp  based on the ID or another “key” column (our example is the ParentID column). How we harness JSON and extract base64 The first thing we do is get the JSON string of the image via the JSON  function, then we determine the image format (PNG or JPEG), then we set a formatting variable for string manipulation to extract the base64 string from the JSON string, finally we assign the base64 string to a variable that we can use in our HTML. That’s the key this technique! Screen OnVisible code Let’s break down the code in the screen OnVisible , line-by-line. Then we’ll put it all together once we’ve explained it. In this section, our examples show the code as though we’re pulling two images into the HtmlText control, but the steps below just show you how to do it for a single image. (You can repeat this technique for multiple images in your HtmlText control.) First, we use a With  function pointing towards an Image  control. You could simply insert the JSON  formula into your variable calculation for varImage1, but you’d have to do it 2x. The With  function is more performant, as it’s similar to defining a context variable. With({jsonImage1: JSON(Image1.Image, JSONFormat.IncludeBinaryData)}, Next we use a series of Context variables . Why? Simply because we don’t have to reset them (since they don’t reside in memory beyond the active screen). Since the calculation of subsequent variables depends on the previous variable calculations, we need to use the UpdateContext formula several times, in a sequence. Our first Context variable is for the image format . It looks for “.png” and “.jp” in the image text string within the JSON data. How can you view this text? Just insert a Text  or Label  control onto your screen, and make your Image1.Image the Text  property, and you can see the complete text string. Within that text string, you’ll be able to see the image file suffix, but you must search for it. So, in the formula, we use the Find  formula to look for the image format. The Find formula will either return blank or an integer, so we use a greater than operator to see if the value is greater than 0 to determine what type of image it is (PNG, JPEG or “unknown”). Then we use this value in the next context variable. Additionally, this variable also goes into the HtmlText control in the HTML text string. This is our “Format” variable: UpdateContext({varImage1Format: If(Find(".png", Step1Image.Image) > 0,"png", If(Find(".jp", Step1Image.Image) > 0,"jpeg","unknown"))}) Our next variable helps us modify our text string to extract the base64. PNG files have base64 code beginning with “iVBOR” whereas JPEG base64 code begins with “/9j/”, so we need to feed different values into our Mid  function when we’re extracting the base64 code from the JSON string of the image control. We could have used a single If  function, but we wanted to have a way to confirm that the item is a JPEG. We use this variable as input into our next variable that extracts base64. This is our “String manipulation” variable. UpdateContext({varImage1Code: If(varImage1Format = "png", 24, If(varImage1Format = "jpeg", 25, 24))}), In our next variable, we slice off everything we don’t need to create the base64 code that our HtmlText control can recognize as an image. This is our “base64” variable. UpdateContext({varImage1: Mid(jsonImage1, varImage1Code, Max(Len(jsonImage1) - varImage1Code, 0))}) That’s it for the OnVisible coding, here’s the complete block of code (including some remarks): With({jsonImage1: JSON(Image1.Image, JSONFormat.IncludeBinaryData)},             //Image1Format looks for .png or .jp(eg) in the text string to determine the format for the HTML                 UpdateContext({varImage1Format: If(Find(".png", Step1Image .Image) > 0,"png", If(Find(".jp", Step1Image .Image) > 0,"jpeg","unknown"))}),             //Image1Code bases the position for the Mid function to check: 24 for png and 25 for jpeg             UpdateContext({varImage1Code: If(varImage1Format = "png", 24, If(varImage1Format = "jpeg", 25, 24))}),             UpdateContext({varImage1: Mid(jsonImage1, varImage1Code, Max(Len(jsonImage1) - varImage1Code, 0))}) Code for the HtmlText control We inserted an HtmlText control on our screen. Since we’re just using the text from this control in our Power Automate flow, it’s not necessary to make it visible, but we did, just so we could ensure that the images render properly before initiating the flow to turn it into a PDF. To make the image format dynamic, we used our varImage1Format  variable. The base64 text string from the image is in varImage1 . This is how we added the code inside of an HtmlText control to display the image: "" In our example above, the image on the left with the cat is a JPEG and the image on the right with the tank is a PNG. Both render properly in the HtmlText control. (Your HTML can include text, tables, and dynamic content other than your images, but this post focuses on the image piece.) Now you have HTML text that you can submit to Power Automate to build your PDF. Let’s look at how to build your PDF flow. Create the PDF flow When you build the flow, if you’re not already in a solution, you should initialize the flow from Power Apps to link it to the app. Else, if you create it straight from Power Automate, you’ll need to add both app and flow into a solution so that you can add the flow to your app. Once you’ve created the flow and it’s tied to your app, you can then enter the flow from Power Automate to continue editing. Let’s go through the flow. The trigger is “When Power Apps calls a flow (V2)”. Your input must include the text input including the HtmlText from your HtmlText control. Then use a OneDrive (for business) “Create file” action. This action will create a temporary HTML file in OneDrive that you can use for the next action. For the “File Name” you can use something like test.HTML. For the “File Content” use the dynamic content for the HTML text input from Power Apps. Next, we use a OneDrive (for business) “Convert file” action. The “File” input is the Id dynamic output from the “Create file” action. Ensure you select PDF  (default) as the “Target type”. This step does not create the file; it merely reformats the HTML into PDF. You must save the code next. To save the PDF code, use a “Create file” SharePoint action. This action adds your new PDF to a document library so you can refer to it from your app. You can use dynamic content for the File Name or simply create a name with a suffix of “.pdf”. If you don’t have a unique file name, each subsequent time your flow runs it will fail, because the SharePoint “Create file” action must patch a unique File Name . In the formula below, using the concat  function, utcNow()  provides a unique prefix, and then we add ‘.pdf’ to it to correctly identify the file: concat(utcNow(),’.pdf’) Optionally, you can include a “Respond to a Power App or flow” step that includes a link to your new document. You can title a text output as “Link” and add a formula using a concat  function, similar to this: concat(‘[your SharePoint document library]’, outputs(‘Create_file’)?[‘body/Path]) This formula adds your document library “https” address such as: https://shanescows.sharepoint.com/sites/DoeHillDrive                 …to the dynamic content Path from your “Create file” action. You'll simply replace the part of the formula ([your SharePoint document library]) with your own document library. This PdfLink value will be output to Power Apps during the flow run. You can save (and publish if it’s in a solution) and close your flow. Finish the app Return to your app, select the (…) button from the left side rail, and then Power Automate. Make sure that the flow is in your app. Note the schema name under the title, because that’s what you’ll use to call the flow:   Next, we add two button controls to our screen, one for initiating the flow, and the other for using the link that returns from the flow. We’ll name one PDF and the other Link. Because we used the Respond to a Power App or flow  action in Power Automate, we can harvest that link data by adding a Set  function to the button calling the flow in the OnSelect  property of the PDF  button. Here’s an example: Set( varPdfLink, CreatePDFfromHtmlText.Run (HtmlText1.HtmlText).pdflink); With the link saved to the global variable called varPdfLink , you can now use that with a Launch  function in Power Apps that opens the new PDF document in another browser tab. You can add this code to the OnSelect property of your Link  button. Launch(varPdfLink) If you run your app, you will be able to use any JPEG and PNG images in your PDF document. You can continue to add HTML code to your HtmlText control to add data to your PDF, but now you understand how to add different image types to the PDF. Here’s how ours looks: Please let us know what you think! For more on this topic, don't forget to check out Shane's video on creating a PDF: Create a PDF from SharePoint Data using Power Apps and Power Automate flow for free

  • Workaround for Broken Power Apps Attachment Control

    Recently, a change in Microsoft Power Apps affected a common method for enabling file uploads. The attachment control, which users typically copied from a form into a standalone app, no longer functions correctly when used outside the form context. This disruption has affected many makers who relied on that approach since its emergence in 2019. If you've encountered this issue, you're not alone. Fortunately, there's a workaround that helps make it easier to keep file upload functionality in your app—without waiting for a product fix. Shane has documented this in his video: Power Apps Bug & Fix: Attachment Control. What Changed Previously, the process involved: Connecting your app to a SharePoint list. Inserting a Form  control connected to that list. Adding the Attachments  field to the form. Copying the Attachment  control from the form and pasting it elsewhere in your app. Now, when you try to copy and paste that control—even within the same form—it no longer functions properly. The paperclip icon that triggers the file picker disappears, and the control becomes unusable. The Workaround: Drag, Don’t Copy Here’s how to restore file upload functionality: Add a Form to your screen and connect it to a SharePoint list (any list with attachments enabled). Edit the fields in the form to include the Attachments  control. Instead of copying the control, click and drag the entire data card that contains the attachment control outside the form . You’ll see some formula errors. Clean those up by: Removing or correcting the Items property. Setting DisplayMode to Edit. Optionally adjusting styling (e.g., Color to Color.Black ). Once it works, delete the form. The dragged control will remain functional. Why This Works Dragging preserves internal bindings that are lost during copy-paste. This technique isn't documented, and Microsoft hasn't officially acknowledged it as supported behavior. However, it allows your app to continue supporting file uploads until an official fix is released. Known Bug Reference Microsoft has documented this issue as Bug 5096864 , noting that the control "is not designed to work outside of a form." This workaround sidesteps that limitation until the functionality is restored or officially restructured. Final Thoughts If you're building or maintaining apps that rely on file uploads, this drag-and-drop method  offers a workable path forward. We'll share this workaround with Microsoft to help drive resolution. In the meantime, you can keep your apps running smoothly using this approach. For a visual walkthrough, check out the linked video tutorial .

  • Power Apps Modern Combo box

    If you've ever felt a bit overwhelmed by the Combo Box control in Power Apps, you're definitely not alone. It's one of the most powerful (and sometimes puzzling) components out there. But don't worry, in this guide, we’re diving into the modern Combo Box, and by the end, you’ll have a solid grip on how to make it work for you. Now if you are more of a visual learner than a reader, there is a full-length video Deep Dive for the Modern Power Apps Combo Box . Me I prefer seeing that reading, so hopefully the video also helps you. Getting Started: Enabling the Modern Combo Box Before you can use the modern Combo Box, you need to turn on the feature in Power Apps: Go to Settings  > Updates  > Modern Controls and Themes  > Toggle ON Insert a Combo Box from Insert  > Input  > Combo Box Populating the Combo Box By default, the Combo Box comes with sample items (Item 1, 2, 3), but that's not what we want. Connect it to a real data source like a SharePoint list, Dataverse table, or SQL. In the video, a list called "Mega" with 10,000+ items is used. One key limitation: the Combo Box only loads the first 800 items . That might sound like a lot, but if your list is bigger, you’ll need to filter or search more effectively. Filtering Items To narrow down the results, you can use the Filter() function. For example: Filter(Mega, AnimalType = "Cow") This helps make large data sources manageable within the 800-item cap. Search Functionality Modern Combo Boxes only search the first 800 items. For a more robust, traditional search, use the Search() function like this: Search(Mega, Self.SearchText, "Title") This makes your Combo Box smarter, especially with large data sets, but keep in mind delegation warnings. Default Selected Items Setting default values can be tricky. The DefaultSelectedItems property expects either a record or a table. To default to a specific item: LookUp(Mega, Title = "Item Title 22") Or use a custom JSON record, but be careful it must be an exact Record match: {Title: "Item Title 22"} If you are struggling with setting the DefaultSelectedItems use this video Power Apps Combo Box DefaultSelectedItems . The video is old but the content has not changed. Multiple Selections Turn on Allow Multiple Selections  to enable checkboxes in the Combo Box. This makes it easy for users to select more than one value. To pull out selected data, use: Concat(ComboBox1.SelectedItems, Title, ", ") This gives you a nice, comma-separated string of all selected titles. Working with People Search Want to select users from Office 365? Add the Office365Users  connector, then set the Combo Box items like this: Office365Users.SearchUserV2({searchTerm: Self.SearchText}).value Use DisplayName for the field shown in the Combo Box, and pull email addresses using: Concat(ComboBox2.SelectedItems, Mail, ";") Bonus: Rounded Corners and Styling Finally, a small but delightful update, modern controls now support border radius ! That means rounded corners are just a click away. Style away to match your app’s vibe. Wrapping Up The modern Combo Box in Power Apps brings a lot of new features and a bit of a learning curve. But once you get the hang of filtering, searching, and managing selected items, it becomes a flexible and user-friendly control. Don’t forget to explore delegation limits and always test with your actual data. Got questions or need help? Hit us up with the Contact button and tell us how we can help.

  • Modern Text Input in Power Apps: What You Need to Know

    If you're building custom forms in Power Apps and want a cleaner, more flexible input experience, you can take advantage of the  Modern Text Input control. It's designed to be simpler, more accessible, and more in line with current design standards. While there are some great features to try, there are some buggy tradeoffs that make us not quite ready to completely give up the Classic Text Input. This post breaks down what matters most—especially for developers skipping the Form control and building a custom form. We'll look at some of the properties that have changed, what the new ones do, and how to handle validation. All in less than 5 minutes. Classic vs. Modern Property Mapping Here's a quick table to highlight what's changed: Modern Property Classic Equivalent Notes Value Default Holds a default input value of "". No need to replace "Text input". Placeholder HintText Shows hint text when empty. Mode Mode SingleLine or MultiLine only (no Password--see Type). Type (None) New. Choose "Text", "Password", or "Search"--see Type below. TriggerOutput DelayOutput New. More flexible—see TriggerOutput below. Required (None) New. Marks the input as required. ValidationState (Manual styling) New. Set to "Error" to show a red border. Note: Values like Type and Align properties are set using text strings (e.g. "Password", "Center")—not Enum syntax like Align.Center . Type property This property gives the text input a specific role: "Text" – Default. Accepts any text. "Password" – Masks input with dots. Shows a selectable view input toggle. "Search" – Meant for search bars. Currently, there's no difference from a "Text" type. (However, it may show a search icon or clear button in the future.) If you're asking for login info or PINs, use Type = "Password". Otherwise, stick with "Text" or "Search". TriggerOutput property This one's important if you're doing logic as you type. It controls when OnChange  fires and when the control's Value updates: "FocusOut" – Default. Fires when the user leaves the field. "Delayed" – About 500ms after typing stops. "WhileTyping" – Updates as the user types, but throttled. "KeyPress" – Fires on every keystroke  (use with caution). Pro tip : Use "WhileTyping" if you're building responsive custom forms. It's smoother than "KeyPress" and doesn’t trigger on every character. If you're tabbing through inputs, use the "FocusOut" . Required and ValidationState These two make field validation easier: Required   = true – Tags the control as required (mostly informational unless you're using forms). ValidationState = "Error" – Turns the border red. You control this manually. Here’s a quick example you can include in OnChange or OnSelect of a control: If(IsBlank(TextInputName.Value) UpdateContext({varNameError: true}), UpdateContext({varNameError: false}) ) Then bind the property: ValidationState = If(varNameError, "Error", "None") Boom—built-in red border. Bonus Tip: Use the Number Input control for Numbers If you're asking for a number, don’t use a text input . The new Number Input control: Opens the right keyboard on mobile Has increment/decrement buttons (with a customizable Step) Enforces numeric input by default It’s mostly better all around. Why We're Not Ready to Give Up the Classic Text Input While the Modern Text Input is sleek and evolving quickly, it’s not quite feature-complete yet. Here are a few frustrations: There is no " Clear button " (or " Enable spell check ") option. The AcceptsFocus  property isn’t available, so using SetFocus() can get wonky, especially when paired wit h TriggerOutput  = "WhileTyping" . Customizing tab navigation isn't an option. The FontSize  property (Size in the Classic Text Input) is too small when you first insert the control, prompting you to adjust it. The OnSelect  pr operty is missing, so if you need to do something when a user taps the field, you’ll need a workaround. Until these gaps are closed, the Classic Text Input still earns its spot in certain custom form scenarios. Wrap-Up As with other Modern controls, the Modern Text Input shows true promise, but it isn't quite what we're expecting, yet. They're stylish and clean and have a growing range of options. They can enhance the look and feel of your app, but some things they still can't do. There's still a place in our toolbox for the Classic Text Input.

  • New way to add the Attachment Control in Power Apps

    Ready to have your mind blown? That may be a little much, but we are pretty excited for this and think you will be as well. Let’s start with a quick look at how we used to add the Attachment control. Previously, adding the Attachment control involved multiple steps, such as adding a data source, inserting an Edit form, adding the Attachment field, and then manually copying the control outside the form to configure it. That worked for years, still does, and there’s nothing wrong with that approach. Maybe a little excessive on the steps, but hey, it works. But what if I told you there was an easier way to add the Attachment control (or any other control for that matter) in your Power Apps. Odds are if you’re reading this, you are at least somewhat interested ha. You can do this with any existing app or start with a blank app, it’s up to you.  For our example we will be using a blank app to keep things simple. From the Power Apps editor, click the Ellipses at the top and select Settings . On the Settings window, click Support . Make note of the Authoring version, it’s probably 3.25061.7 . We need to change that. Below Authoring version, click Edit . Then, under Authoring version, click the drop-down and select 3.25063.5 . (Your version may be different, but you just want to select the newest version.) Once selected, click Reload + apply version . Power Apps is then going to reload your app and reopen. It’s always a good idea to double-check that your changes were saved and your Authoring version was updated. So, take a moment to confirm your Authoring version now shows as 3.25063.5 or again the version you selected. It’s also important to note that, as a rule of thumb, we don’t recommend doing this in any other cases, as it can get people in trouble. BUT if you need the attachment control working again, you will need to update the Authoring version. And hey, Shane said it’s ok, so it must be alright 😊 Now that the version is updated, you can simply copy and paste the YAML code for the attachment control right into your app. If you’re thinking to yourself, What is YAML code? Let me assure you, it’s fine, you are not alone either 😊. We aren’t even going to get into it, just know that code is what allows you to paste these controls into your apps. Let’s check out how it works. So, from my text editor, you can see the YAML code and properties for the Attachment control. I’ve also included the YAML code below so you can copy and paste it into your app. - Attachment1: Control: Attachments Properties: BorderColor: =Color.Purple BorderThickness: =5 Fill: =RGBA(169,169,169,.5) Height: =268 MaxAttachments: =1 Size: =18 Width: =402 X: =60 Y: =111 All I have to do is copy the code , go into Power Apps, and paste it . Boom! You will see the attachment control is now there and configured with the properties specified in the code. Again, this will work with any of your controls. If you want to get the YAML code for a control, you can add it to your app, right-click on the control, and select View code. If you want to watch the video where Shane walks through these steps, check out the video below.   Whether you are new to Power Apps or an experienced builder, everyone runs into roadblocks. If it happens, just know we are here to help however we can. Just click here , send us a message, and we will be in touch soon.

  • Add Microsoft Forms attachments to SharePoint list attachments via Power Automate

    This blog post is about a reliable technique to capture attachments from Forms and add them to a SharePoint list by using Microsoft Power Automate. We very often use Power Apps as a tool to capture SharePoint data including attachments, but you can also use Microsoft Forms and Power Automate to do it. In the process of figuring this technique out, I did a lot of things that caused the flow to fail. This technique will lead to success. What to know before you try it Why use Microsoft Forms? Microsoft Forms is a tool allowing you to capture data and files in a mobile or desktop experience. To take full advantage of the file upload   capability of Microsoft Forms this technique can only  be used within your organization. When you use a custom form from Microsoft Forms to allow attachments, Forms stores the attachment files in the form author's OneDrive . So that's where Power Automate must go to retrieve them. The OneDrive for business connection of the person who created the form absolutely must be part of the flow or you won't be able to grab these attachment files.   The other "BLL" (big lesson learned) is that using the 'Get file content using path' is nearly impossible to invoke when someone has a complex field name in the form, such as "1 Upload image relative to Performance complaint" (vs. a basic name like "Attachments"). We're talking some really strange encoding for the file path, and given Power Automate's finicky file path translator, you are in for a rough experience if you try to use this action with a hand-crafted file path. Recommendation, always use a 'Get file metadata' action using the ID from a 'Parse JSON' action to discern the exact path ...and I suppose you could use that to get the file content as well, but, in this proven solution I use the "Path" value from the 'Get file metadata' action. Works like a charm!    Flow Steps 1. Use the 'Get response details' action in your flow after a 'When a new response is submitted' flow trigger. Naturally, this step allows you to look at the action's outputs when looking at the Run history. You'll be able to discern which values are for your attachments, since the output only includes alpha-numeric strings . Your attachment will have a string of JSON to the right of the colon. See the image of the Outputs below: Outputs of the 'Get response details' 2. Use SharePoint 'Create item' action to create an entry for the new item related to the form fields (or a filtered 'Get items' to get the item you need to update).   3. Use a 'Compose' action invoking the json() formula on your attachment field: json() You can look up your field (represented in the code above as between the < and >) which may simply be called "Attachments" (or another more challenging name), and when you put that field into the json() formula, the alpha-numeric value should match the attachments field from the outputs of your 'Get response details'. Compose inputs as a json formula 4. Add a 'Condition' action to check that the Outputs from the 'Compose' action are "not equal to" null, so that you don't have an error in the flow when there is no attachment. (Use the formula value for null.) Condition: is not equal to null   5. In the "True" side of the condition, use a 'Parse JSON' step with 'Body' from the compose action as the Content, and the Schema as: {      "type" : "array" ,      "items" : {          "type" : "object" ,          "properties" : {              "name" : {                  "type" : "string"             },              "link" : {                  "type" : "string"             },              "id" : {                  "type" : "string"             },              "type" : {},              "size" : {                  "type" : "integer"             },              "referenceId" : {                  "type" : "string"             },              "driveId" : {                  "type" : "string"             },              "status" : {                  "type" : "integer"             },              "uploadSessionUrl" : {}         },          "required" : [              "name" ,              "link" ,              "id" ,              "type" ,              "size" ,              "referenceId" ,              "driveId" ,              "status" ,              "uploadSessionUrl"         ]     } }   6. Add a OneDrive 'Get file metadata' with the file value of 'Body id' (Power Automate will invoke an 'Apply to each' or 'For each' loop because of the array presented from the 'Parse JSON' action). IMPORTANT: ensure that before testing the flow that the person who created the form adds their connection to the OneDrive actions. If you do not do this, your flow will fail because it lacks permission to go into the OneDrive folder location to grab the attachment.   7. Use a 'Get file content using path' (OneDrive) with the Path value from the 'Get file metadata action' to capture the file content.   8. Still in the loop, add an 'Add attachment' (SharePoint) action. Id is from the 'Create item' (SharePoint), File Name is from the Parse JSON action, and File Content is from the 'Get file metadata' action. Add attachment settings Impossible? Never. Please let us know what you think about this technique!

  • Barcode Scanning in Power Apps

    Barcode scanning in Power Apps might just be one of the most underused features that delivers huge value with very little setup. Whether you’re tracking assets, managing inventory, or just trying to avoid user typos, Power Apps barcode scanning makes data entry faster and more reliable. And the best part? It does not require any fancy hardware. In this post, you’re going to learn how to build barcode scanning experiences for both mobile and desktop users. They are totally different since with a PC you have to use a USB Scanner. You’ll see how to connect them to SharePoint or Dataverse for lookups, and even how to integrate third-party APIs for things like product information. Since scanning barcodes is much more of a visual exercise, here is the full length YouTube video on Barcode Scanning in Power Apps . Why Use Barcode Scanning in Power Apps? Typing item IDs or serial numbers by hand? That’s just asking for mistakes. Scanning barcodes keeps your data clean and makes users faster. Common scenarios include: Asset management:  Tag office equipment or tools with barcodes to track location, quantity, and maintenance. Job tracking:  Have drivers or field techs scan a location barcode when they arrive or depart. Inventory or product lookup:  Scan UPC codes to show descriptions, pricing, or vendor info. Document management:  Use barcodes to tie physical paperwork to digital records in Dataverse or SharePoint. The Power Apps Barcode Scanning experience on mobile. Example 1: Mobile Barcode Scanning Let’s start with the built-in Power Apps barcode scanner that works on iOS and Android. Create a new Canvas App (phone layout). Go to Insert > Media > Barcode reader  and drop the control on your screen. Change the button text to “Scan.” When you tap the scan button on a phone, Power Apps uses the device’s native camera to detect barcodes. This control isn’t a Microsoft-built scanner; it’s using the same system the iPhone or Android uses. So, on a PC, it won’t work, but more on that later. You can check out the available barcode types by selecting the control and looking at its BarcodeType  property. Leave it on Auto  unless you know you need a specific format like Code128, QR code, or UPC. Understanding Scan Modes Power Apps offers a few ways to control the scanning behavior: Automatically Scan:  As soon as the camera detects a barcode, it instantly captures it (great for fast workflows). Select to Scan:  The user must confirm the scan with a checkmark before it’s processed. Scan Multiple:  Lets users capture several barcodes in one session. Scan Inline:  This one exists, but in my experience… it doesn’t work. You’ll see it listed, but I’ve never gotten it to actually do anything useful. Working with the Scanned Data When you scan something, the results come back as a table  of barcodes. Even if there’s only one, you still have to handle it as a table. For a single scan, use: First(BarcodeReader1.Barcodes).Value That returns the actual barcode number (the “value” field).If you also want the barcode type, use: First(BarcodeReader1.Barcodes).Type For testing, Power Apps provides a fake barcode value like 1231412  when you run it in the studio. That’s handy for building your logic without switching to your phone every time. If you’re doing multiple scans, you can load the entire table into a collection  and display it in a Gallery . For example: Items = BarcodeReader1.Barcodes That’ll show all your scanned codes in a list. Example 2: Launch a URL from a QR Code QR codes are just as easy. You can use the same control, but this time, trigger an action after scanning. In the OnScan  property of the barcode reader, use: Launch(Last(Self.Barcodes).Value) If the scanned code contains a URL, Power Apps will open it automatically in a new browser window. You could just as easily use OnScan to look up data in Dataverse, patch a record, or set a variable. The Power Apps Mobile Barcode Scanner viewing a QR code. Example 3: Barcode Scanning on a Desktop PC What about users who aren’t on mobile? Good news! You can still scan barcodes on a PC using a USB barcode scanner. The secret: your USB scanner acts like a keyboard . Every time you scan, it “types” the barcode value into whatever input box has focus. Here’s how to handle that in Power Apps: Add a Text input  control. In its OnChange  property, capture the scanned value: Set(varScan, Self.Text); Reset(Self) Display the result in a label: Text = varScan Now when you scan with your USB scanner, the barcode will appear in the text input, trigger the OnChange formula, and clear itself ready for the next scan. You could easily adapt this to add each scan to a collection for batch processing or logging. We see this a lot in manufacturing or assembly type scenarios. Tips and Tricks Barcode and QR stickers are super cheap. You can get custom ones with your logo and color scheme from Amazon for about $12 for a pack of 100. Power Apps can recognize most standard barcode types (Code128, QR, UPC, etc.). You can even generate your own barcodes using online tools or ask Copilot or ChatGPT to create an image for you. If you’re using SharePoint or Dataverse for lookups, match the barcode value  to a column in your table or list for an instant record lookup. Learn how: Power Apps Asset Management Video . Wrapping It Up Barcode scanning is one of those Power Apps features that delivers big value with minimal effort. Whether you’re tracking assets, scanning products, or just trying to make data entry painless, it’s worth adding to your toolkit. And the best part? You can build it today — no plugins, no custom code, just Power Apps. If you’d like help building your own barcode or QR-based apps, the PowerApps911 team builds these kinds of solutions for customers around the world every week. We’d love to help you bring your idea to life. Just hit that Contact button at the top of the page.

  • A New Way To Build Power Apps with Vibe Coding and AI

    If you’ve ever wished you could build a Power App just by describing what you want… well, now you can. Microsoft just introduced a brand-new way to build apps called Vibe Coding, available today at Vibe.PowerApps.com . This new experience blends natural language, Power Apps AI, Dataverse, and automatically generated React code to help you build full apps from scratch using nothing but your words. In this blog post, you are going to see exactly how Vibe Coding works, what you need to use it, and why it is absolutely not ready for production yet. But if you want to explore the future of Power Apps development, this new experience is going to give you a whole new way of thinking about app building. And a reminder, if you prefer the hands-on approach, check out my full video walk through on YouTube. New at Ignite: A new way to Power App with Vibe Coding What Is Power Apps Vibe? Vibe is a brand-new app type inside Power Apps. It joins the family alongside Canvas apps and Model-Driven apps, but it works very differently. Instead of starting with screens, data sources, or UI components, you start by simply describing what you want. You type in your own words a description of the app you want to build, and Power Apps AI generates: User requirements A full plan A Dataverse data model React-based app code A working version of your app you can interact with Think of it as building an app by brainstorming out loud. If you say, “ I need an incident reporting tool where users can log incidents, add witnesses, track severity, and see a dashboard... ” Vibe creates the tables, relationships, and screens automatically. Enhancing Your Prompt With AI Before your prompt is sent off to create the app, there is an “Enhance Prompt” option. This uses Power Apps AI to rewrite your description, tighten up your requirements, suggest additional details, and give you a sense of what a more complete request looks like. This is super helpful because it teaches you how detailed you should be when writing your prompts. Over time, you’ll get better at giving AI the right level of detail to generate stronger apps. Watching Vibe Build the App Once you click Go, Vibe shifts into Plan Designer mode. You actually watch it run through user requirements, data modeling, and then the app build phase. Instead of the step-by-step experience you might have seen in Canvas plan building, Vibe runs everything in one automated pass. Behind the scenes you’ll see it writing real React code. You never have to touch that code directly, but you can open it and peek if you're curious. I have never written React code, I am not a pro developer, and none of that matters. Like the Matrix, just don't look at the code and you don't even have to think about it being there. 🤣 Editing and Iterating With Vibe Coding This is the magic part. After your app is created, you can run it, test it, and if you see something wrong, simply tell Vibe what to fix. You don’t need to hunt down formulas or rewrite UI logic. You type plain language instructions like: “When viewing the list of incidents, I want to click an incident and see the full details including witness statements.” Hit Enter, and Vibe rewrites the affected code and updates the app. You can also use inline edit mode where you click on a specific UI element and leave AI-guided comments tied to that exact part of the app. This gives Vibe the perfect context so your fixes are more accurate. Understanding the Data Model Every Vibe app uses Dataverse today. When it builds your app, it also creates Dataverse tables in draft mode. These aren’t real yet, and nothing is saved until you publish. You can: View the tables Edit column names Remove tables Add existing Dataverse tables Add entirely new tables Later, when you publish, Vibe creates the real tables and connects your app to them. Publishing Your Vibe App Once you’re happy with your app, you can publish it. Publishing: Creates the actual Dataverse tables Pushes the React app into the Power Apps framework Finalizes the solution so the data becomes real After publishing you can share the app like any other Power App. Requirements To Use Power Apps Vibe Before you jump in, there are some important requirements from the video: You must run Vibe in a non-default Power Platform environment You must be using a US region environment You must be signed in from a US language browser You must have the System Customizer role (or higher) Vibe currently only publishes to Dataverse This is early preview, so expect slower load times and rough edges If you load Vibe.PowerApps.com and see an access error, it probably just means you are in the default environment. Switch environments using the prompt at the bottom of the screen. A Very Important Warning: Vibe Is Super Early Preview This is the part that every reader needs to hear clearly. Vibe coding is extremely early preview. You should not use this to build production apps right now. The generated apps are very cool for learning and experimentation, but they are not designed to replace your Canvas apps, Model-Driven apps, or existing Power Apps architecture. For example: Only Dataverse works today No support for multiple data sources No offline support No barcode readers or rich device features No custom controls No direct code edits No workflows or agents generated automatically Performance and stability will change as preview evolves Canvas apps and Model-Driven apps aren’t going anywhere. You still need their maturity, their flexibility, and their deep ecosystem integrations. Vibe simply adds another flavor of app building that will get more powerful over time. Want Help Learning More About AI in the Power Platform? If you’re trying to make sense of Power Apps AI, Vibe Coding, Copilot Studio, and all the new Ignite announcements, you’ll find live classes, on-demand training, and Power Platform coaching over at Training.PowerApps911.com . We also help companies plan, build, and deploy real AI solutions across the entire Power Platform. Agents, Apps, and Workflows! So reach out if your team wants to become a true AI-enabled organization.

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