Set default text of gallery text input field using a button

[Digital]

I have set the default text of a text input within a gallery using several buttons - each button posts a different message. Clicking a button populates collection which then extract in the Default property of  the text input. That part works fine, but it appears in every row of the gallery. I want it to only appear in the row where I'm clicking the button. Is there a way to add another column with my button data to the Gallery data source (a collection populated with SharePoint list). Then I could use ThisItem.MyText.Value in the default value of the text input.

Apologies if this all sounds like complete gobbledegook.

[RusselThomas]

Hi @Digital ,

It does sound a little confusing, perhaps a screenshot would help?

I'll try take a stab anyway - to have only controls or elements of the current row visible, set their Visible: property to;

ThisItem.IsSelected

If the row isn't selected, it won't show - as soon as you click anything in the row (including a button), then the element will become visible.

Hope this helps,

RT

[yashag2255]

Hey @Digital 

To achieve this, set the configuration as:

Button -> OnSelect -> Select(Parent)      Make sure you have this expression along with all the other expressions.

Gallery -> TextInput -> Default -> If(ThisItem.IsSelected = true, DefaultValue)

Here, DefaultValue needs to be replaced with the expression to extract value from collection.

Hope this helps!

If this reply has answered your question or solved your issue, please mark this question as answered. Answered questions helps users in the future who may have the same issue or question quickly find a resolution via search. If you liked my response, please consider giving it a thumbs up. THANKS!

[v-xida-msft]

Hi @Digital ,

Do you add a button within your Gallery?

Do you want to set a Default value within the Text Input box in your Gallery via pressing the corresponding button?

Could you please share more details about the Button formula you used in your app?

Based on the needs that you mentioned, I afraid that there is no direct way to achieve your needs in PowerApps currently. As an alternative solution, you could consider add a additional Text column (e.g. called ButtonMessage) in your SP list to store the message you want to set as Default value in the Text Input box within your Gallery (different message for each item).

Then within your app, set the OnStart property of the App cnotrol to following:

ClearCollect(                               /* <-- Populate your SP list records into a Collection */
                     RecordsCollection,
                     AddColumns('YourSPList', "DefaultValue", Blank())
)

Set the Items property of the Gallery to following:

RecordsCollection

Then within your Gallery, add a Button (click it to set default value), set the OnSelect property to following:

Patch(
          RecordsCollection,
          ThisItem,
           {
                DefaultValue: ThisItem.ButtonMessage
           }
)

Set the Default property of the Text Input box within your Gallery to following:

ThisItem.DefaultValue

Please consider take a try with above solution, then re-load your app (fire the OnStart property of the App), check if the issue is solved.

Best regards,

[Digital]

Thank you for all your helpful replies. I will try to explain what I'm trying to achieve a little more clearly.

I have two galleries. Gallery 2 displays replies to a Yammer post in gallery 1. The icons in gallery 1 when clicked populate a variable with text that is used in the default field of the MyComment text box - I initially used a collection but thought it might be easier with a variable. The user can also add their own text alongside the text from the icons.

MyComment -> Default 

If(
    ThisItem.IsSelected,
    varIconText
)

IconButton -> OnSelect

UpdateContext({varIconText: Gallery1.Selected.MyComment.Text & "#Honesty", varReset:true}); 
UpdateContext({varReset:false});

varReset is in the Reset property of MyComment

The text populates fine, but when I click on a different gallery1 item the text then appears in the corresponding MyComment box. I would like for the user to be able to make another comment without their previously entered text appearing.

[yashag2255]

Hi @Digital 

For that, you need to add the below expression on the OnSelect property of the gallery1 control:

UpdateContext({varIconText:""})

Hope this Helps!

If this reply has answered your question or solved your issue, please mark this question as answered. Answered questions helps users in the future who may have the same issue or question quickly find a resolution via search. If you liked my response, please consider giving it a thumbs up. THANKS!

[Digital]

Thanks for the suggestions. Whilst this works if I click on the gallery control it doesn't stop the text appearing if the user clicks straight in to a comment box in another gallery item - which they are likely to do.

This is because of the formulae in the default of the comment box

If(
    ThisItem.IsSelected,
    varRnzValues,
    ""
)

Another problem is if the user adds some free text in addition to the text populated by the button, and they click the mouse again, the text they just wrote disappears.

Requirements:

• Let users write free text, click on some of the buttons to insert text then add more text if they wish in the comment box
• Have a blank comment field if they click straight into another comment box

On app load Yammer messages are brought into a collection which populates Gallery1 items. Is it possible to insert an extra collumn into this collection and use this new column to store the text from the buttons? That way the default comment value could be ThisItem.ButtonValues.value.

[yashag2255 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Digital 

In that case, can you remove the expression from the OnSelect property of the gallery and instead, pleace the below expression on OnSelect property of text input:

Select(Parent);If(lastselected <> ThisItem.SampleHeading,UpdateContext({varIconText:""}))

The Highlighted part need to be replaced with a column as per your gallery items that is unique for each row.

Also, update the expression on OnSelect property of button as:

Set(lastselected, ThisItem.SampleHeading);Select(Parent);UpdateContext({varIconText: Gallery1.Selected.TextInput1.Text & "#Honesty", varReset:true});
UpdateContext({varReset:false});

Here, you again need to replace SampleHeading with the name of column that is unique for each row.

Hope this helps!

If this reply has answered your question or solved your issue, please mark this question as answered. Answered questions helps users in the future who may have the same issue or question quickly find a resolution via search. If you liked my response, please consider giving it a thumbs up. THANKS!

[Digital]

Hi @Yash ,

Thank you for generously giving your time to help. Your solution has resolved the problem of the text appearing in the text input in other gallery items. I will mark your post as answered.

I do have one remaining issue. When I click the buttons that insert text into the text box, then type additional free text, if I then click the mouse (e.g. to move the cursor) the free text I just typed disappears.

The Default property of the text box has the following formulae. It is obviously printing the contents of the context variable without the free typed text.

If( ThisItem.IsSelected, varIconText, "" )

I put a formulae on the OnChange property of the text box to try and update the variable, but it seems clicking inside the textbox doesn't trigger this action. If I click outside the text box then click back in, the variable is updated, but this doesn't solve the problem of cases when a user clicks within the text box after typing.

OnChange of text box

UpdateContext({varIconText: Gallery1.Selected.MyComment.Text})

If anyone has any suggestions on the typed text disappearing problem it would be much appreciated!

Cheers, Dean

[yashag2255]

Hey @Digital 

Just so, we are on same page, I carried out a test on my side and this setup works:

Button -> OnSelect -> Set(lastselected, ThisItem.SampleHeading);Select(Parent);UpdateContext({varIconText: Concatenate(Gallery1.Selected.TextInput1.Text,"#Honesty"), varReset:true});UpdateContext({varReset:false});

TextInput:

Default-> If( ThisItem.IsSelected, varIconText, "" )

OnChange -> UpdateContext({varIconText: Gallery1.Selected.TextInput1.Text})

OnSelect -> Select(Parent);If(lastselected <> ThisItem.SampleHeading,UpdateContext({varIconText:""}))

Reset -> varReset

Hope this Helps!

If this reply has answered your question or solved your issue, please mark this question as answered. Answered questions helps users in the future who may have the same issue or question quickly find a resolution via search. If you liked my response, please consider giving it a thumbs up. THANKS!