Help with single form per user app

[TF52]

Hi, I'm fairly new to Power Apps and have been enjoying learning it so far, but I'm getting stuck on this app.

I'm trying to put together a simple one-form-per-user app where people can enter choices for an email signature system we are about to start using.

The form has three text entry fields, Credentials (like LCSW or PHD), Pronouns (he, she, etc), and Phone Number. All are optional. This is all backed by a SharePoint list.

When a user opens the app for the first time, they get a New entry screen where they can put in there preferences, then click Submit. So far this much works.

After submitting they should get a View screen showing their values, with an Edit button. This doesn't work yet, it just says something like "No data".

When they come back to the app at a later time, they should get the View screen and can edit and resubmit.

I'm trying to use the Created By column of the SharePoint list to determine if they already have a record. I've got it to at least determine that they don't have a record and start with the New screen, but when I come back a second time, I don't get my previous entry back, just the "no data" screen. I'm pretty sure I am not filtering the list correctly.

I am following some examples from the Covid 19 Survey app in the Samples gallery, but their app has more conditions within a single form than I need and I'm not understanding how to convert their code to what I need.

https://powerusers.microsoft.com/t5/Community-App-Samples/Covid-19-Vaccination-Survey-App/td-p/92363...

I also found Matthew Devaney's site and started working through the article about using different form modes. This helped some too but also follows a different structure so I'm not really getting where to put his functions into my controls to make it work.

https://www.matthewdevaney.com/power-apps-form-modes-newform-editform-and-viewform/

Also I got the Power Apps Source Tool installed and this has helped to understand where code goes in the different controls, but not helping me get it all put together.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and also pointers to articles and/or example apps that do some of what I'm looking for. Thanks!

Todd

[WarrenBelz]

Hi @TF52 ,

I will assume here you are using a Canvas App as this will not work on an Integrated App. If you want to create a record and then move to an edit form displaying the record you have just created, put this OnSuccess of both Forms

Set(
   gblRecord,
   Self.LastSubmit
)

then the Item of the Edit Form (you can do it on both, but a New form does not matter unless you want to display an existing record in it)

LookUp(
   SPListName,
   ID = gblRecord.ID
)

finally if you have a gallery in the app you use to select records OnSelect (before any Navigation)

Set(
   gblRecord,
   ThisItem
)

Please click Accept as solution if my post helped you solve your issue. This will help others find it more readily. It also closes the item. If the content was useful in other ways, please consider giving it Thumbs Up.

MVP (Business Applications)   Visit my blog Practical Power Apps

[TF52]

Hi @WarrenBelz , thank you for these tips. Yes it a canvas app from scratch.

These suggestions will help when I get there, but my initial filter to get the record for the current user data is not working right.

in Screen1.OnVisible:

Set(varUser, User());
ClearCollect(SPListCollection,'Signature Preferences Test List');
Set(varList, Filter(SPListCollection, 'Created By'.Email=varUser.Email));
Set(varFormMode,If(CountRows(varList)>0, "Edit","New"));
Set(varListItem, If(varFormMode = "Edit", First(varList)));

I'm following the settings from the Covid gallery in the example, modified to just filter the collection once.

I don't know if getting the list into a collection then filtering into another table is the best approach. I'm also not sure if I'm referencing the list item 'Created By' field correctly. Or would it be better to add my own User column to the SharePoint list?

The intention is to see if there's a record for the current user and if so set the form to Edit mode with the returned value. Otherwise set it to New mode. It worked the first time 😃 but not since!

Then varListItem is used to set the form item the first time in Form1.Item:

If(Not(IsBlankOrError(gblRecord)),
LookUp(
   SPListCollection,
   ID = gblRecord.ID
),
varListItem
)

Thanks for your help!

Todd

[WarrenBelz]

Hi @TF52 ,

On the last line try this

With(
   {_Record: gblRecord},
   Set(
      gblRecord,
      If(
         varFormMode = "Edit", 
         First(varList),
         _Record
      )
   )
);

It is much better to keep to one value in the Item of a Form.

Please click Accept as solution if my post helped you solve your issue. This will help others find it more readily. It also closes the item. If the content was useful in other ways, please consider giving it Thumbs Up.

MVP (Business Applications)   Visit my blog Practical Power Apps

[TF52]

Thanks @WarrenBelz for your suggestion, but it tells me "Behavior Function in a non-behavior property" when I try to add that to the Form1.Item property.

However the part I need more help with is my initial filtering of the SharePoint list in Screen1.OnVisible.

Set(varUser, User());
ClearCollect(SPListCollection,'Signature Preferences Test List');
Set(varList, Filter(SPListCollection, 'Created By'.Email=varUser.Email));
Set(varFormMode,If(CountRows(varList)>0, "Edit","New"));
Set(varListItem, If(varFormMode = "Edit", First(varList)));

Is it correct to get the list into a collection, then filter it into another table? It doesn't seem to work. It should return 3 records in SPListCollection, but it doesn't return anything.

Am I referencing the 'Created By'.Email field correctly?

When I look at these variables in the Global Variables section, they are all empty. How do I verify that this code is running?

[WarrenBelz · Accepted solution]

Hi @TF52 ,

I am not entirely clear on your process, but you can simplify it a lot - suggestion (going back to using your Variable)

Set(
   varListItem,
   LookUp(
      'Signature Preferences Test List',
      'Created By'.Email = User().Email
   )
);
Set(
   varFormmode,
   If(
      !IsBlank(varListItem),
      "Edit",
      "New"
   )
);

and your Form Item

LookUp(
   'Signature Preferences Test List',
   ID = varListItem.ID
)

OnSuccess of the Form

Set(
   varListItem,
   Self.LastSubmit
)

Please click Accept as solution if my post helped you solve your issue. This will help others find it more readily. It also closes the item. If the content was useful in other ways, please consider giving it Thumbs Up.

MVP (Business Applications)   Visit my blog Practical Power Apps

[TF52]

Excellent! That got the form pulling up my existing record.

I find I have to exit the app and come back in for the Screen1.OnVisible to activate.

But anyway this got me over my hump, thank you Warren!