Removed field keeps being deployed to Test and Live despite being removed

[Raven2024]

Hi,

I had a field (comments) in my form in the Dev environment which I removed and replaced with a similar comments field. Once published it is all fine in dev. However, once I export and import it to Test or Live the old comments field keeps getting added on at the bottom.

I've already checked the old comments field is definitely removed from my form and also the solution but still keeps coming back in Test/Live. And because I import the solution as Managed, I can't remove it.

Any ideas?
Thanks

[Amik]

@Raven2024 - most often the reason a component is not correctly updated in the target environment is because one or more of your components contain unmanaged layers inside the Managed Solution.

In your managed solution, please click on each component and select advanced > solution layers. If you have any unmanaged layers for any component, please delete the unmanaged layer and then try to run your export again.

[BCBuizer]

Hi @Raven2024 ,

The described behaviour is usually caused by an unmanaged layer in the target environments. Here you can find if that's the case and how to remove it: Solution layers - Power Apps | Microsoft Learn

Beware that unmanaged layers are created when customisations are made to managed components, so removal of the unamanged layer will also remove the customisations. 

[Raven2024]

Hi, thank you for your replies. I have looked through the target solution and also every other solution that is involved with that field, there is six managed solutions altogether and couldn't find any unmanaged layer in any component in either of the solutions.

I have also tried adding the deprecated field back into the form and setting it hidden, then publish, export and import to Test to see if it makes a difference, it doesn't.

So does it mean there is a component hiding somewhere as unmanaged and I need to comb through deeper?

Thanks,

[BCBuizer]

Hi @Raven2024 ,

The only other thing that comes to mind is to make sure all customisations are published before exporting the solution. 

If that doesn't make a difference, can you please share some screenshots to provide additional context to help and see what may cause this?

[Raven2024]

Here are some screenshot:

Dev:
Deprecated_additional Comments is the old field that used to be called Additional Comments which I renamed as deprecated_ because it was a single line.

I then created another Additional Comments field as multi line and tried to remove or hide the old one. For this testing purpose I have added old one back in to demo

Dev view

Test:

In Test, the import brings back the old field

if I go to the Solution in TEST, I see that the there are two columns there, old and new

If I open up the form, there is has not changed on the form but if I search in the treeview I can see additional comments three times. The new, the deprecated, and extra that is not supposed to be there anymore

Could it be the form is the problem then and not the column or both?

[BCBuizer]

Hi @Raven2024 ,

Can you confirm you published the form customisations before exporting the solution?

[Raven2024]

@BCBuizer 
Published all twice. Also might be worth adding that I added other new fields to the form like Pets Comments, Employed, Sheltered, that you can see from the screenshot and renamed the section label, all is fine. It's just the AdditionalComments Column problem. Could it be because the new field has the same label to what the old field had? Should I try and rename the new one to new_AdditionalComments and re deploy?

Update: I have removed both old and new AdditionalComments from the form, published, exported, imported, The original field (single line) still there with the original label

[msCustomization]

Hi,

If you have multiple Solution Layers, the form will be a merge of all Solutions that contain it.

In order to remove fields, you would have to do so in all Solutions that contain this Form.

Best practice with Forms, SiteMap, Model-driven apps, is to have only one layer whenever possible (much easier to manage).

The referred components, do not have a "top layer wins" behaviour. Instead, the layers merge.

Best regards