Sudden problem with Patch on Choice and Lookup fields in modification

[CharlesPP]

Hello everyone,

I'm experiencing a recent problem with the Patch function in Power Apps concerning the modification of Choice and Lookup fields. This problem didn't occur before and happens even if I restore a previous version of the application. The error only occurs when editing records, not when creating new ones. No changes have been made to the configuration of the corresponding SharePoint Online lists.

Here's the error encountered: Network error when using Patch function: The specified column is read-only and can't be modified

Here's an extract of the code that generates the error :

Patch(
    'Echeances List',
    currentEcheance,
    {
        // ...
        StatutApprobation: { Value: "En attente" },
        Tranche: { Id: cardTranche_1.Selected.ID, Value: cardTranche_1.Selected.Tranche }
        // ...
    }
);

Do you have any ideas on the possible cause of this sudden change in behavior, or on potential solutions?

Thank you very much for your help and advice.

Charles

[ColonelDXB1]

This has been a problem since the latest authoring version was released.

I am sure it will be fixed in the next release, as loads of people are having the exact same issue.

[CharlesPP]

Thank you for your reply ! Where can I find sources that indicate publication dates and future updates ?
My deeper question is also how did you get this information, about the fact that so many people are affected.
Thank you

[ColonelDXB1 · Accepted solution]

Hi!

I've been using PowerApps for a looooong time, on a daily basis, so it's a mixture of having an intimate knowledge of your own data and your own code, knowing what functionality you have worked on, and when you worked on it....... and then when there's an unexpected result or failure you can usually eliminate 99% of possible problems by just knowing that you haven't changed anything that can affect that particular part (including related data, and anything that affects it etc).

Eventually you will get a kind of 'second sight' when you just know that something has changed that is out of your control. Then it's a case of troubleshooting by rolling back versions, testing, changing authoring versions, testing, different browsers / devices, testing etc.

As for release information - open up one of your apps, go to Settings, and in the Support section there is a link to the latest release information, and you can get various information about schedules and stuff from there.

Hope this helps!

[ColonelDXB1]

As for knowing about how many other people are affected, that is simply from seeing if the same / similar fault is trending on various forums / support groups / other developers keeping in touch / grapevine etc etc.... 🙂

[ColonelDXB1]

Update - just had email from support team regarding another issue, but I did mention the patching, and I've been told that the PowerApps Development Team are aware of the issue, and that it is being worked on..... Keep an eye on Authoring Version numbers, and when it updates, you should be good!

[CharlesPP]

Thanks for your messages!

I also use Power Apps daily since a little more than 3 years, I suspect that it is (almost) every time the fault of Microsoft but each time I have a part of my head that tells me that it is not possible to make updating mistakes so regularly.

I'm going to try to go back to an earlier version to see if it works until Microsoft updates it!

[funny_house]

Authoring version 3.23105.18 still works fine.

[Yobeekster]

The Powerapps Team is awesome and the support is fantastic. These are just kinks that need to be worked out. 

I found that 3.23111.17 does NOT work with Patch. This caused data issues, and we had to go through our data base and update records manually. Yikes! There have been some issues with releases lately where I have had to revert to previous authoring versions. Powerapps needs to do a better job at this and ensure that versions that are released are thoroughly tested, and will not negatively impact developers. 

Powerapps needs to keep in mind that all the time that each individual company or developer that has to spend time in determining an issue and then fixing it, will cause a loss in confidence in the product itself. It must be stressed that we need to have confidence in Powerapps releases, as they are automated. 

If Powerapps were to have an option for us to not auto-update release versions, then that would be preferred, as we would definitely use that option. At this point, I am very nervous to publish to the recommended release of Powerapps, as I am unsure what will be the "new" issue that will be uncovered, especially for previously known features/ code that were previously mature, stable and reliable. 

Here are a couple suggestions to the Powerapps Team :

1. Have an option for developers to opt out of Automatic release updates. The developer would stay on the Powerapps Release version until they decide to update, except for updates that are critical, then it would be automated. 

For example, when the developer attempts to open an app for editing, a pop-up occurs indicating "A new Powerapps release version is available, would you like to edit the app with the latest version?"

Since we do have the ability to revert to previous versions already, there is no reason I can see why this can't be implemented or something similar. Bottom line, is to not automate the release versions and give the developer control over that. 

2. Space out the releases, so that they are less often, and thoroughly tested. 

Hope this helps!!

[CharlesPP]

I totally agree, I love Power Apps, and I've made it my business, but unfortunately these kinds of bugs (which don't just happen with Power Apps but also with other Power Platform tools) greatly reduce the confidence that my customers and I can have in these technologies, which is a major inconvenience.