Strange Glitch When Pressing Enter Key

[tommyly]

I have spent nearly 3 weeks working on an app. Everything was working fine until a moment ago. Here is a description of the problem:

When I type code into the function box, I usually use breaks (enter key) to format my code for readability. This has worked fine until just a moment ago (8/9/2018 around 1500 CT). Now, when I hit enter in the function box, it does not enter a break. Instead, a strange phenomenon:

Google Chrome produces a strange blue box around the function box. Microsoft Edge creates a dotted perimeter around the text box. Neither browser inputs a break into the code.

On Chrome, the blue box seems to emphasize the "Format text" tab. I've tried formatting and unformatting the function-text to see if that would reset some sort of switch, but to no avail.

I can use the keyboard (arrows) to select properties and hit enter to select the property. Enter key works fine in the application during preview (F5) (e.g. I can hit enter to affect changes in textboxes, comboboxes, etc. This is to prove that my enter key indeed works and that it works within the PowerApps interface.

I've closed my app and restarted but it continues to glitch.

I tempted to say this is a spontaneous bug, but I'm also thinking I could have done something silly like a Dell laptop keyboard function-lock or that PowerApps has an obscure feature to prevent breaks that I accidentally activated.

It seems that the function box will accept breaks via cut-and-paste. For the interim, I've had to type code into notepad and cut-and-paste it into the formula box--which is very clunky.

Has anyone else encountered this issue?

[Anonymous]

it has to do with the new formatting option. When i press 'Format text' it ads tabs very nicely, but when i Remove the formatting it removes the tabs and all my enters and adds some spaces and it got a real mess 😞

[Bahalzamon]

@Anonymous I feel like that is when it started happening, once I tried the autoformatting and from then on the enter just highlights. =(

[JimmyAinsley · Accepted solution]

I just received an official response from a Microsoft support employee after opening a ticket for this major issue, it is BAD news guys:

Thanks for your response.

The issue you are facing with the PowerApps is by design behavior of the product. We totally understand that it would be difficult for you to use SHIFT + ENTER every time when you want to go to the next line. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

But as this is by design there is nothing we can do form our side. But I will definitely post this idea in the Idea’s forum of PowerApps and hope it might get fixed in the future.

Please let us know if you need any further information.

[tommyly]

In other words, what was working conveniently one way, and no longer working the same way, was actually a fix--aka a feature. And there's no good reason to fix what's not broken. To be fair, I'm getting used to hitting [Shift] now. I'm so good at it, I sometimes do it when I'm typing Word documents. Well, that's as good of a solution as there will ever be. Thanks for sharing.

[Bahalzamon]

@JimmyAinsly What I wonder is, what is the reasoning behind this change, I would think that they are utilizing the "Enter" for something far more useful forcing you to use the Shift+Enter.

Im all for it if it is a useful addition/modification, I am just unsure what that is, because currently as I see it, highlighting the function area isn’t all that useful.

[tommyly]

I presume the reason behind it was to attach an event to the [Enter] keypress. My best guess is that they intend to automate formatting of formulas every time you hit enter--and that's only because everytime I hit enter (without [Shift]), blue phantom border lines appear and wrap themselves around the "Format text" label; but that could just be a coincidence.

It's really strange because in Excel, you press [Alt]+[Enter] to create a line break in your formula. So this sort of deviates from the standard.

[Anonymous]

exactly, but they used the Alt key to start your code without having to 'play' the app.

The thinking is good, but the execution is bad 🙂

[Anonymous]

Oh PLEASE NO AUTOMATIC FORMATTING OR COMPLETION OF FORMULAS in the code editor!

The recommendations and settings at the top are great and very useful.  But autocomplete will not only slow down the editor (its slow enough at times, depending on the time of day), but only cause further issues.  At least if this ability is added, PLEASE provide an option to TURN IT OFF (which will be the first change I would make).  🙂  

And honestly - let's please not try to follow the Excel example here - it doesn't work well when you have to edit large blocks of code (made even larger due to not having any way to create macros or functions, and no really good work around (Select() has issues).

In the code editor window - let's follow a MUCH better Microsoft example - the Visual Studio editor.  🙂  

[Anonymous]

FYI - if this is the attitude that the PowerApps team will be taking, I'll add this to the list of reasons to consider moving AWAY from PowerApps.  Definitely an environment that has a TON of potential, but frankly I've wasted so much time with the lack of the BASICS that I probably could have coded my entire app from the ground up in another environment ten times over by now.  Sure some things are easier in PowerApps, but that is more than taken up by the amount of time that you have to spend getting around things that SHOULD be easy that aren't (I have a LONG list).

And changing basic functionality like the ENTER key midstream really highlights DevOps done poorly.  

Come on guys, this is NOT Excel - don't try to make it into Excel...