Strange form submit behavior to SPO list

[kilaj1]

I've been working on a fairly complex PowerApp for some time.  I'm at the stage now where I'm making approvals, although there may be other ways to do it, I've opted to use a SPO list with PowerApps to control the approvals.

In my SPO list I have three columns per approval, One showing the actual Status of the approval (Approved/Not Approved), The Approver (Text field), and Approval Date (date field).

On my Approvals Page in PowerApps I have 4 stages to my approvals

On select of the "approval" button on each stage I have a UpdateContext and a submit form. This code snippet is stage 1

UpdateContext({FundApproval:"Approved"});
UpdateContext({FundApprovor:User().FullName});
UpdateContext({FundApprovalDate:Today()});

Set(glbStatus,"R Approval");//Next stage of approvals

SubmitForm(MasterForm);
Patch('Master List Form',LookUp('Master List Form',ID = MasterForm.LastSubmit.ID),{},AttachmentsForm.Updates);

the Form on this page is tied to a master list (MasterForm) and on submitting it updates SPO.  This has worked in all areas of the PowerApp including the Global Status I have in the screen shot. 

The problem is with the Approval status of each stage that use the Update Context.  When I click the button for teh first stage to approve it, the master form gets updated information, i.e. the three "UpdateContext" entries, BUT the data does not get updated in SPO UNTIL click on the approval button for the second stage.  I figured this was some kind of weird delay issue, where in because i have the updatecontext and the submit in the same button, the master form submit code executes before it captures the updatecontext information. And this proven true for the subsequent stages.

So I separated the code into another button with just:

SubmitForm(MasterForm);
Patch('Master List Form',LookUp('Master List Form',ID = MasterForm.LastSubmit.ID),{},AttachmentsForm.Updates);

and sure enough, I click the Approval button, which runs the UpdateContext info and then click the "Submit form" button, and then SPO updates accordingly. 

I've seen behavior like this in InfoPath days, and the solution was to add a delay, but I don't see a simple way to do that in Power Apps.  I'm hoping I can find a solution that wouldn't require me to have to buttons to click on for approval (one to approve, one to submit).

[RandyHayes]

@kilaj1 

In general your problem is coming from the fact that you are immediately in your action formula, patching another list with the results of the Submit.  The evaluation of your formula will not "Wait" at submitform until it is done, it will issue the submit form and then move directly to the Patch statement - meaning, how do you, first of all, know that the form submitted? and second, how do you know the last submit record is complete yet?

If the AttachmentsForm is writing the the same record that your MasterForm is, then you should consider moving this all into your form submit instead of making two data calls.  

If the Master List Form is a different datasource than the MasterForm datasource, then you should move the following into the OnSuccess of the MasterForm:

Patch('Master List Form',
   LookUp('Master List Form',ID = Self.LastSubmit.ID),
   AttachmentsForm.Updates
);

HOWEVER, based on your formula and that you are looking up into a list based on the last form submit ID, then I believe my first observation was correct, and you should really be submitting only 1 form and not trying to patch after.

I hope this is helpful for you.

[kilaj1]

Thanks for the reply, I tried moving the patch code to the master list and even tried removing the patch code completely but the behavior remains the same.

the strange and not sure if its connected thing is that the global variables don't have an issue with this, just the context ones.

[RandyHayes]

@kilaj1 

So let's dig a little more.  Your suspicion that you need some sort of delay is not an issue, so we'll skip that.

How are you using the context variables in your Form?  What formulas are utilizing them in the form?

[kilaj1]

hmm now that you ask that question, I'm seriously rethinking how I've actually used them.  but here it is:

A user would save the entire App in draft which I have a global variable for that status, when they get to the approval page they have to click this button to start the workflow approval process, which essentially puts all steps into "not approved" and kicks off a Flow to notify the first group of people.

this button has the following code

Set(glbStatus,"Fundraising Approval");

UpdateContext({FApproval:"Not Approved"});
UpdateContext({FApprovor:""});
UpdateContext({FApprovalDate:Blank()});

UpdateContext({RApproval:"Not Approved"});
UpdateContext({RApprovor:""});
UpdateContext({RApprovorDate:Blank()});

UpdateContext({GApproval:"Not Approved"});
UpdateContext({GApprovor:""});
UpdateContext({GApprovordate:Blank()});

UpdateContext({TApproval:"Not Approved"});
UpdateContext({TApprovor:""});
UpdateContext({TApprovordate:Blank()});

SubmitForm(MasterForm);
Patch('Master List Form',LookUp('Master List Form',ID = MasterForm.LastSubmit.ID),{},AttachmentsForm.Updates);

Notify("Approval Process started successfully", NotificationType.Success);

Below that I have a Form control that has 4 stages of approval, this Form is tied to a "Masterform" on a different page.

For F Approval, I added a the button and the Cancel button (circle with the X) to the data card.

Next to that, two fields (cards), one for the Approver and the other for the Approval Date.

Approver code:

Default:

FApprovor

Approval Date code:

Default:

FApprovalDate

For the Blue Button this, is the code

Text: 

FApproval

On Select:

UpdateContext({FApproval:"Approved"});
UpdateContext({FApprovor:User().FullName});
UpdateContext({FApprovalDate:Today()});

Set(glbStatus,"R Approval");



//SubmitForm(MasterForm);
//Patch('Master List Form',LookUp('Master List Form',ID = MasterForm.LastSubmit.ID),{},AttachmentsForm.Updates);

Display mode:

If( glbStatus= "F Approval"|| glbStatus = "F Approval Canceled",Edit,Disabled)

Visible:

If(glbStatus= "Draft",false,true)

The Cancel button has the following code:

On Select:

UpdateContext({FApproval:"Not Approved"});
UpdateContext({FApprovor:""});
UpdateContext({FApprovalDate:Blank()});

Set(glbStatus,"F Approval Canceled");

SubmitForm(MasterForm);
Patch('Master List Form',LookUp('Master List Form',ID = MasterForm.LastSubmit.ID),{},AttachmentsForm.Updates);

RC Approval is virtually the same, with some additional logic to enable the button after "Fapproval" is "approved"

Going back to the original issue, when I hit that Approved button for FApproval it doesn't update the SPO list BUT then i hit the Rapproval button, then it updates the FApproval information, BUT the RApproval information doesn't get updated, and it cascades from there.

[kilaj1]

So im doing some additional testing and it seems like the UpdateContext is not passing through and the first click.

I was still a bit stuck on the idea of a delay so i started playing around with the timer control.  I have a button that has the code.

UpdateContext({TimerGo: true});

in the timer.start I have  TimerGo

when I click the button the timer does not start.  after i submit the form and go back the second time around, the timer works.  this is similar behavior as above, only after the second submit does it take the updatecontext

[RandyHayes]

@kilaj1 

Yeah, the timer is not going to be of any value to you. 

But your formula for the SubmitForm still has the Patch immediately after it.  As I mentioned in message 2, this should be in your OnSuccess action. That is going to cause a problem.

The other problem I see is that you mention your form is on another page.  So, if the form is somehow trying to use context variables, that will not work.

The real key here is that you shouldn't need any of these variables and what you have should be centered around your form.  No other patches or anything are needed.  The formulas you have are pretty "code-y" and PowerApps is not a coding platform, so let's see what we can do to get you closer to working properly.

So let's start with this - I am not seeing the connection of all of these variables to your form.  How is the information you are gathering through the approval stages being stored?  What is the form about, and why do you have two forms?

I think if I can start to get to know your app a little better with these forms and variables, I will be able to give you a very specific solution rather than just some guesses.

So, let me know.  I have your post flagged in my system so I will stay on top of it with you.

I'm about 14 to 15 hours until next response, so feel free to respond and I will get back to you after that time.

[kilaj1]

Thanks again.  Yes I was mainly trying to see how the UpdateContext worked outside of my setup with the timer.  As for the patch in my testing I have it removed just forgot to take it out in my post.

The other problem I see is that you mention your form is on another page.  So, if the form is somehow trying to use context variables, that will not work.

I'm actually using your suggested method for managing multiple Form Controls in a PowerApp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E4FXNPLVXw&t

The real key here is that you shouldn't need any of these variables and what you have should be centered around your form.  No other patches or anything are needed.  The formulas you have are pretty "code-y" and PowerApps is not a coding platform, so let's see what we can do to get you closer to working properly.

The more I test and look at what I've done I'm inclined to agree, this is me coming from infopath thinking I guess

Using the diagram above, I've stripped the UI down to bare minimum.

In Form7 in my PowerApp, the Item is set to glbCurrentRecord which is on a master Form which has the fields from Form7.

Using FApproval stage as the example, the InputFields "Card: AP_Fapproval" has the Default set to FApproval, "Card: AP_FApprover" has the default set to FApprover, and then "Card: AP_FApprovalDate" is set to FApprovalDate. In hindsight this looks pretty wrong considering that it wont show the true value in SPO once you don'thave that variable loaded.

Once the initial button "Start Approval Process" is clicked, the cards in Form7 get set based on the Updatecontext mentioned before, basically setting all stages to "Not approved", No approver and no date of approval.

When you click on the Approval Button, it updates the fields in Form7

Set(glbStatus,"R Approval");
UpdateContext({FApproval:"Approved",FApprovor: User().FullName,FApprovalDate:Today()});
SubmitForm(MasterForm);

 and then it would submit the master form and change the global status to "R Approval" which is the next stage.

I'm almost thinking of breaking this down into a simple toggle for the approved/not approved.  The addition of the buttons to control the approved/not approved is what lead me down the UpdateContext path.