Blog - Recent Posts

SharePoint - How to programmatically set and clear single select choice items in a combo box on a form

There is often the requirement to programmatically set and clear combo box values with formula, and the syntax to do this may not be entirely clear. This post walks through a use case scenario of how to set and clear combo box values depending on the value of another control.

SharePoint - How to clear datetime fields/set an empty datetime value on a form

A problem that some app builders encounter is that on edit forms, clearing the value of a datetime field doesn't work. This post describes this issue in more detail.

Formula - Difference between round, square, and curly brackets

For app builders who are relatively new, the syntax for writing formula can be confusing - perticularly with regards to the use of brackets. This post summarises the bracket types that are available in Power Apps.

Search - How to highlight search terms in search results

We can improve the appearance and clarity of search screens by highlighting the search terms in the search results. This post highlights a method to apply this feature to a gallery control.

Data - How to check if a value falls within a certain range or tolerance

When performing calculations, it can be very useful to determine if an input value falls within a certain range tolerance level. This post describes one way to carry out this task.

Data - How to build, edit, update records in nested child tables

When working with collections, we may want to model a data structure that contains child tables. This post summarises the syntax to to create, edit, and to update records in child collections.

Data - How to rename field names in a record

From time to time, it may be necessary to rename a field name in a record. This post describes the formula to carry out this task.

Dataverse - How to retrieve FetchXML or SQL for Dataverse views

With, Dataverse It's possible to define views. Dataverse stores view definitions in a system table called 'Views'. We can interrogate this table to retrieve the SQL or the FetchXML for a table and this post examines this setup in more detail.

Data - The most effective ways to get a random record or row from a data source

If you want to select a random row or record from a data source, this post summarises the syntax that we can use.

Data - How to hide duplicate rows in a gallery / show distinct multiple columns in a gallery

A common requirement to show multiple distinct columns, or to hide duplicate rows in a gallery control. This post highlights a technique to carry out this task.

Navigation - How to build dynamic data driven navigation, or to restrict access to screens based on data

An occasional question that I hear from app builders is - how do I build dynamic, or data driven navigation structures in Power Apps? This post describes a strategy that we can use.

SQL - How to configure case sensitive or case insensitve searches against SQL Server data sources

When we build search screens or filter data against a SQL Server data source, we may want to specify whether Power Apps carries out a case sensitive, or case insensitive search. This post describes the behaviour of case sensitivity when we search data from Power Apps.

Gallery - How to conditionally set the row background color in a gallery control

To help users more easily identify rows in gallery controls, we can conditionally highlight notable rows. This post describes how to carry out this task.

Data - Is the AddColumns function delegable?

A question that I hear on occasions is - is the AppColumns function delegable? This question often arises when app builders are unable to retrieve more than 2000 records. This post explores this behaviour in more detail.

Dates - How to get a numbered list of days or months, starting from a specified day or month

For date or scheduling diary type apps, it can be very useful to retrieve a list of days or months that begin on specific day or month. This post describes some formulas that we can use.