Reducing typos - populating text input from SharePoint list

[Rob_CTL]

Hi,

I am creating a form that user will complete, because we are all human typos are common and I am trying to figure out a way of reducing these within the form.  

Scenario

A company that deals with selling products, they have a list on SharePoint that contains all the products they sell.  One of the columns is called "Manufacturer".  When a new product is added to the list the user types in the product name along with the manufacturer, this means that the "Manufacturer" column can have the same name appearing on multiple items.  Normally the quick way around this would be to create a look up and either looks up a choice column or another list with just manufacturer's names.  However if I wanted the users to be able to add a new manufacturer name, this would mean having to update the choice or another list.  Is there a way within PowerApps that would allow me to provide a field on the form that when a user starts to type a manufacture name it searches the "Manufacturer" column for matches and if not found allows the user to add a new entry?

Or any thoughts on how I could achieve this within the current PowerApps function?

Thanks
Rob

[eka24]

Combobox is designed for what you are looking for. Insert a combobox and set it items to YourTableName.Manufacturer
This will give you all manufacturer names and enable them also search

[Rob_CTL]

Hi @eka24 

Thanks for the reply.  I had looked at the combo box as a solution, the issue I am hitting there is that the "Manufacturer" column is text based where as the Combo box is a table.  I couldn't work out a way of translating the text from the combo box and injecting it into the "Manufacturer" column.  I am sure there is a clever formula out there somewhere 🙂

Cheers

Rob

[eka24]

After setting the item property of the combobox to YourtableName.Manufacturer,
Try this: insert a textbox and set the default to: Combobox.selected.Manufacturer
After the user select, the name of the manufacturer will populate the textbox

[Rob_CTL]

Hi @eka24 

Combobox.selected.Manufacturer - works if the manufacturer is in the drop down list but if you type in a new one it isn't reflected in the text box.

Combobox.searchtext - will show the text entered in the combo box in the text box, but now if you select an existing manufacture from the drop down the text box isn't populated.

Fun eh! 🙂

[eka24]

If you type a new manufacturer who is not in your sharepoint list, you won't find it. But all existing manufacturer should populate the textbox.

[Phydax · Accepted solution]

Combobox have a searchtext attribute (what you type in) and a selected attribute (what you selected) . 

You can set the text box on something like If(!IsBlank(Combobox.searchtext), Combobox.searchtext, Combobox.selected.text) .
Not sure of the exact names but that's something like that.

Beware that if you use that solution on a mobile device, you'll see that the only way to 'validate' your newly entered manufacturer in the combobox is to click on the close icon of the combobox selection menu... (not really user friendly)

Another option you could make is that as long as nothing is selected in the combobox, you have another field below it called 'add a manufacturer' with, next to it, an 'add' button. Once you either select a manufacturer or click the add button, that field and the button disappear. If you clicked the add button, you patch your sharepoint list with the new manufacturer, refresh your list in powerapps and automatically select the item equal to the name entered in the 'add a manufacturer' field.

Not sure if that was clear enough, 

Have a nice day/evening/night depending on where you are ^^
 

[WarrenBelz]

Hi @Rob_CTL ,

@eka24 is correct in the functionality stated.

I will throw in a trick I use for a similar purpose.

I have a card with two input controls, a combo box ( which as @eka24 @pointed out allows searching) and a text input. Only one is viewable at a time with the text imput normally hidden. I have a button on the card Create New setting a Variable.

The fields toggle visible on this variable.

The update of the card depends on this Variable and is either the combo box or the text input. I also have a Lookup before the text box is submitted to ensure the record is not there already.

If this post helps, then please consider Accept it as the solution to help the other members find it more. It also closes the item.

[Rob_CTL]

Hi @WarrenBelz @Phydax @eka24 

Thanks for the help on this, so I've got a working solution now:

- The form now has two input boxes.

-- Existing Manufacturer - is a drop down populated from SharePoint column, "Manufacturers" using DISTINCT to filter out the duplicates.

-- New Manufacturer - is a text input box

- There is logic on the "New Manufacturer" control that will hide this box should the value of "Existing Manufacturer" be anything other than "Select...."

- If a user accidentally enters a name in "New Manufacturer" and then changes their mind I've added a "OnChange" action on the "Existing Manufacturer" control that'll reset the "New Manufacturer" box to blank.

- Finally I've added a IF statement to the "Save" button that will evaluate the if the "New Manufacturer" is blank (this is why I needed the reset on this field if the user inputs data in here and then selects an existing manufacturer).  It then performs a PATCH that either updates the "Manufacturer" column in SharePoint with either the value from "Existing Manufacturer" drop down or the "New Manufacturer" text input. 

Thanks

Rob

[WarrenBelz]

Thanks @Rob_CTL ,

Could you please accept the solution that helped most in your problem.