Ability to patch null values, any update?

[Meneghino]

Hello PowerApps programme team.

Is there any update as to when we will be able to patch null or blank values to a data source?

Currently it is not possible to set a numeric field value in a data source to null from PowerApps.

Many thanks.

[Meneghino]

Hi @v-micsh-msft

Is there any update on this topic?
Many thanks.

[v-micsh-msft]

Hi @Meneghino,

Nope, based on what I know.

I think if this has been added, there would be a blog posted.

Regards,

Michael

[Meneghino]

Hi @v-micsh-msft, thank you.

Any more insight on timing would be very much appreciated.

[Thuc]

I am also running into this situation today.

What bothered me is that I could not find any official information about this limitation until I found this post.

Is anyone from PowerApps team able to give an update on this so far?

Thanks.

[Meneghino]

Hi @Thuc

Please see here for other limitations.

https://baizini-it.com/blog/index.php/2017/09/28/powerapps-and-azure-sql-database-current-issues/

I was told by MS yesterday that it probably will not be solved until next year...

[kbirstein1]

I have a workaround that is OK, although not ideal. I am working on a sampleSQL Server database utilizing AdventureWorksLT There are Null values in the Products tables for the DiscontinuedDate and SellEndDate so on the icon I use for selecting the item to be displayed/edited from the Browse Gallery I set variables for the dates that might be null:

Navigate(scrnProductsDetail,ScreenTransition.None);Set(varProductItem, ThisItem); Set(varModelID, ThisItem.ProductModelID); Set(varCategoryID, ThisItem.ProductCategoryID);If(IsBlank(ThisItem.DiscontinuedDate),Set(varNullDiscDate,true));If(IsBlank(ThisItem.SellEndDate),Set(varNullSellEndDate,true))

Then on the Edit Form I have a formula in the DisplayMode for those cards. For instance, for the SellEndDate "DisplayMode" I have this formula:

If(varNullDiscDate,Disabled,Edit)

This turns the date field grey and disables it. Then in the card, right above the date control, I have an Edit icon (the pencil) which the user can click if they want to give a value for the field:

Set(varNullDiscDate,false)

and I have a little explanatory note explaining that the Pencil has to be clicked to provide a value for these NULL field. Then next to the Pencil icon I added the Cancel icon so if they decided to not add a value they can disable the Discontinued Date card again:

Set(varNullDiscDate,true)

The same method can be used with the New Form. Since the values for these two fields can be NULL and you don't want the default date to be input into the form so you have to disable them initially and have the user click the Pencil if they want to add a date. 

So not the solution we want, but it works until Microsoft fixes their NULL problem.

[Meneghino]

Hi @kbirstein1, the issue is that once you set a field to a value then there is no direct way from PowerApps to reset that field's value to null. I understand that you are addressing the issue of not setting the field in the first place, but that was always the case: if you didn't set a value for a field then it stayed null.

[OCV8]

I find it so surprising that there is still no way to do this.  Seems like a very basic function and a fair number of posts requesting it for well over a year.

[lesaltzm]

We just released a way to do this! Please take a look at this blog post and let us know what you think!

https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/new-feature-error-handling-and-writing-null-values-to-dat...

[tianaranjo]

I have a reporting app where users can submit the following:

• Ask a Question
• Report an Issue
• Make a Suggestion

When the admin changes the Status to 'Closed', they also select the date the item was closed from a datepicker.  That date is saved to SP.  My issue is, if the item is re-opened or Status changed back to 'In Progress' for some reason, I cannot get the SP list column to revert back to a null or blank value. Within the app, I clear the date in the datepicker to not show the Parent.Default date.  However, when I save the edited record, it keeps the date from the original DateClosed selection.  Is it possible to, upon change from 'Closed' to 'In Progress', have a blank or Null value saved back to SharePoint?