Solutions stored in source control noise

[Andrew7]

Question for people who use source control (git etc) to store solution files: have you experienced any unnecessary noise when you export solution without any modifications and source control system detects changes you didn't make? For example, autogenerated names have changed, solution.xml have changed, ordering changes or anything else? 

[cchannon]

Just asking for a friend? 😉

[filcole]

Yes!  Particular paint points (with some fixes)

* AppModules - elements in the appmodule xml often changes order - see https://github.com/microsoft/coe-alm-accelerator-templates/pull/127

* AI Models - have an environment specific GUID embedded in them 

* Solution.xml - Missing dependencies are not stable (better than they were), but sometimes come out in different order

* Solution.xml - especially when dependent solutions are bumped - I built a powershell script to centralise this information - see https://github.com/filcole/SolutionRefs/

* Solution.xml - the metadata version number (first line of the file)

* Unpacking canvas apps - especially component libraries often produces different output

* Business Rules created the first time have zero GUIDS - see fix here: https://github.com/microsoft/coe-alm-accelerator-templates/pull/88 

* Classic workflows often have differences when imported from source control and exported again

[BetimBeja]

ConnectionReferences json content comes in different order most of the time in a Custom Page 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<CanvasApp xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
  <Name>new_custompage_e7176</Name>
  <AppVersion>2022-10-27T07:14:00Z</AppVersion>
  <Status>Ready</Status>
  <CreatedByClientVersion>3.22102.32.0</CreatedByClientVersion>
  <MinClientVersion>3.22102.32.0</MinClientVersion>
  <Tags>{"primaryDeviceWidth":"1366","primaryDeviceHeight":"768","supportsPortrait":"true","supportsLandscape":"true","primaryFormFactor":"Tablet","publisherVersion":"3.22102.32","minimumRequiredApiVersion":"2.2.0","hasComponent":"false","hasUnlockedComponent":"false","isUnifiedRootApp":"false","sienaVersion":"20221026T160951Z-3.22102.32.0"}</Tags>
  <IsCdsUpgraded>0</IsCdsUpgraded>
  <GalleryItemId xsi:nil="true"></GalleryItemId>
  <BackgroundColor>RGBA(0,176,240,1)</BackgroundColor>
  <DisplayName>Resolution Approval</DisplayName>
  <Description xsi:nil="true"></Description>
  <CommitMessage xsi:nil="true"></CommitMessage>
  <Publisher xsi:nil="true"></Publisher>
  <AuthorizationReferences>[]</AuthorizationReferences>
  <ConnectionReferences>{"15ed0f3d-a26f-4b34-92cb-3adae489bfe2":{"id":"/providers/microsoft.powerapps/apis/shared_logicflows","displayName":"Logic flows","iconUri":"https://connectoricons-prod.azureedge.net/releases/v1.0.1534/1.0.1534.2605/logicflows/icon.png","dataSources":["ApproveOrRejectCaseResolution"],"dependencies":["2e94e300-18cf-4d39-8e90-6338460756f1"],"dependents":[],"parameterHints":{"workflowName":{"value":"22e242a6-21b4-4deb-be2f-6af50a064c6c"},"workflowEntityId":{"value":"43b0e403-3225-ed11-b83d-000d3ab9a8a8"},"2e94e300-18cf-4d39-8e90-6338460756f1":{"value":"shared_commondataserviceforapps"}},"parameterHintsV2":{"workflowName":{"value":"22e242a6-21b4-4deb-be2f-6af50a064c6c"},"workflowEntityId":{"value":"43b0e403-3225-ed11-b83d-000d3ab9a8a8"},"shared_commondataserviceforapps":{"value":"2e94e300-18cf-4d39-8e90-6338460756f1"}},"isOnPremiseConnection":false,"bypassConsent":false,"dataSets":{},"apiTier":"Standard","actions":["Run"]},"2e94e300-18cf-4d39-8e90-6338460756f1":{"id":"/providers/microsoft.powerapps/apis/shared_commondataserviceforapps","displayName":"Microsoft Dataverse","iconUri":"https://connectoricons-prod.azureedge.net/releases/v1.0.1588/1.0.1588.2938/commondataserviceforapps/icon.png","dataSources":[],"dependencies":[],"dependents":["15ed0f3d-a26f-4b34-92cb-3adae489bfe2"],"parameterHints":{},"parameterHintsV2":{},"isOnPremiseConnection":false,"bypassConsent":false,"dataSets":{},"apiTier":"Premium"}}</ConnectionReferences>
  <DatabaseReferences>{"default.cds":{"databaseDetails":{"referenceType":"Environmental","environmentName":"default.cds","overrideValues":{"status":"NotSpecified"}},"dataSources":{"Cases":{"entitySetName":"incidents","logicalName":"incident"}}}}</DatabaseReferences>
  <AppComponents>[]</AppComponents>
  <AppComponentDependencies>[]</AppComponentDependencies>
  <CanConsumeAppPass>1</CanConsumeAppPass>
  <CanvasAppType>2</CanvasAppType>
  <BypassConsent>0</BypassConsent>
  <AdminControlBypassConsent>0</AdminControlBypassConsent>
  <EmbeddedApp xsi:nil="true"></EmbeddedApp>
  <IntroducedVersion>1.0</IntroducedVersion>
  <CdsDependencies>{"cdsdependencies":[{"logicalname":"incident","componenttype":1}]}</CdsDependencies>
  <IsCustomizable>1</IsCustomizable>
  <BackgroundImageUri>/CanvasApps/new_custompage_e7176_BackgroundImageUri</BackgroundImageUri>
  <DocumentUri>/CanvasApps/new_custompage_e7176_DocumentUri.msapp</DocumentUri>
</CanvasApp>

[cchannon]

New release in the Power Platform Developer Tools: recent updates have been made to ensure these solution components are being sorted during solution export to reduce this noise.
Power Platform Developers tool – October update   | Microsoft Power Apps

[filcole]

Hi @Andrew7 ,

I'm noticing (and have been for a while) that the GUID in the uniqueid attribute in FormXml differs in case.  See example below.   Should it be upper or lower case?

I've put together a fix/hack for the above issue here: https://github.com/filcole/SolutionFormUniqueId

[filcole]

Hi @Andrew7, 

Sometimes new elements are added to the exports when MS are introducing new capabilities.  Obviously this changes the output.  I have had comments asking why is there a 'diff' here?  While I actually quite like seeing the new capabilities arrive I wonder if it might be possible to only output an element when if it differs from the default, thus eliminating the diff.  Doing this assumes the default will never change though - so I guess it's a balance.

Some recent examples:

new <CascadeArchive> in Relationships

new <IsChildEntity> option in Entity.xml

templateName in flow JSON

Would love to know your thoughts on this.

[filcole]

* Unpacking canvas apps - especially component libraries often produces different output

Hi @Andrew7 

Unpacking canvas apps for new Power Fx command libraries (where a default PowerFx command library is created automatically) have the differing names.  I've reproduced and logged it here: https://github.com/microsoft/powerplatform-vscode/issues/386

There's a workaround/temporary fix here https://github.com/filcole/SolutionFixComponentLibraryFilename that renames the component library files in a determinate way manner.

[filcole]

Hi @Andrew7,

I'd noticed that some FormXml only had differences in a 'disabled' attribute on the 'Control' element, causing noisy diffs.

Here's an example.

I finally managed to reproduce:

1. Add a solution
2. Add a new table to the solution
3. Export and unpack the solution to source control
4. Note that the 'disabled' attribute is missing for the 'Control' element on the primary attribute (e.g. pgc_name) for the main form.
5. Go into the maker portal and edit the main form
6. tick 'Read-Only', Save
7. untick 'Read-Only', Save  - the form is now unchanged
8. Export and unpack the solution to source control

Notice that there's a diff because 'disabled="false"' has been added. 

I suggest that the disabled=false attribute should be automatically added when the form is automatically created at the time the table is created.  

There's similar instances for other attributes in FormXml

[Konst]

* When MS bought adx they build a nice custom exporter, as I heard.

* HTML templates is an example of a thing that should be improved -- it's a HTML escaped to fit into XML. All xml-escaped content should be put into dedicated files. There might be other instances