Power App canvas apps are "low-code" business apps. And because they're low-code, app makers don't need iOS or Android app development experience. Even so, creating any app from scratch can feel daunting. Why? Because makers often look to other published apps for inspiration. Inherently, this isn't bad, but keep in mind that these apps are … Continue reading Power Apps: Deconstructing… LinkedIn
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Graph API: SPO List Items + Batch Delete
As previously explored, batching is the preferred and more efficient approach to processing a large volume of API requests. For every request, there is a call to the Microsoft Graph API and the accompanying response. With that in mind, things add up quickly as dozens, if not hundreds, of API requests are made. Batching bundles … Continue reading Graph API: SPO List Items + Batch Delete
Power App: Consistent Screens (w/ Components)
Power App canvas apps aren't built like native mobile apps. Even so, these business apps can still be built to follow some common software engineering best practices. Likely one of the more popular development practices is reusability. Where possible, build with modularization in mind. Applying this approach to canvas apps, app makers can create consistent … Continue reading Power App: Consistent Screens (w/ Components)
Power Automate: Date Difference
There is a lot of power in automation. And as Microsoft works to empower citizen developers, they've introduced another Date and time function, dateDifference(). This expression accepts two date parameters and outputs a string value: Figure 1 - Power Automate Date and time expression. The expression's string result is a calculation measuring the number of … Continue reading Power Automate: Date Difference
Power Automate: Error Handling | Scope Controls [try/catch/finally]
Reiterating, "high-code" error handling isn't supported in Power Automate. However, flow creators can use Scope controls and mimic a try-catch-finally execution: Figure 1 - Power Automate list of controls. To recreate the "try-catch-finally"-esque experience, add three Scope blocks to the flow and rename each: Try, Catch, Finally. Next, add the necessary actions to each Scope, … Continue reading Power Automate: Error Handling | Scope Controls [try/catch/finally]
Power Apps: Design | Nested Galleries
Power App canvas apps are extremely customizable. As makers build their business apps, they can connect to data from dozens of sources and output data records dynamically. An easy way to list these records, bind the data source to a gallery control: "A control that contains other controls and shows a set of data… A … Continue reading Power Apps: Design | Nested Galleries
Power Automate: Outlook Emails w/ Item Lists
There are hundreds of connectors available in Power Automate. Each connector represents a different service, and services can be daisy-chained together to create automations called "flows". Often though, flows need to send emails with listed items, reporting on the executed actions. The easiest way to accomplish this, store the items in an array variable, then … Continue reading Power Automate: Outlook Emails w/ Item Lists
Power Automate: Error Handling | Mitigation
Power Automate is a no-code (/ low-code) workflow automation solution. Because the service isn't "high-code", developers can't create flows with traditional try-catch-finally blocks for robust error handling. But flows could be designed with "error mitigation" in mind. Otherwise, these flows will fail without recovery. To mitigate some anticipated issues, makers can use Power Automate expressions … Continue reading Power Automate: Error Handling | Mitigation
Graph API: Chunky Data + Recursion
Some results are best achieved via recursion, functions being able to "call themselves from within their own code." Using the Microsoft Graph API, recursion is necessary when querying large datasets because the API responses can only return so many records at a time. Whenever there are still more records to query, the response object includes … Continue reading Graph API: Chunky Data + Recursion
Graph API: SPO Move/ Copy Targets
Microsoft 365 has a large offering of services. To script and interact with many of them, the Microsoft Graph API utilizes a central endpoint, with dozens of REST APIs, to work with files, calendars, mail, etc. Although not currently as robust as some of the legacy on-prem PowerShell modules, the Graph resources and their APIs … Continue reading Graph API: SPO Move/ Copy Targets
Power Apps: Design | Hover Menu
Power App canvas app makers often need to build menus for their apps. To create a hover menu, without using a component, just add the necessary menu controls, then select and group them. Grouped elements have properties similar to every other screen control: Figure 1 - Power Apps screen with several controls. Figure 2 - … Continue reading Power Apps: Design | Hover Menu
MS Lists: Power Automate Connectors
Microsoft Lists are powerful. Especially when they're used to organize things like project tasks, support requests, product logs, etc. But regardless of the list's purpose, lists are created for either the individual or the group. If the individual, then the list is created in that person's [OneDrive for Business] site. Otherwise, the list is saved … Continue reading MS Lists: Power Automate Connectors
Power Apps: Build a Game… !JeOpArDy
The Power Apps platform is great for building business solutions. Even so, does it have to be all for work? Luckily, it doesn't. Just as business apps are created, developers could build simple games, too. For instance, designing a "Jeopardy"-esque game... Getting started, this example uses Microsoft Excel as it's data source. The Excel file … Continue reading Power Apps: Build a Game… !JeOpArDy
MS Forms: Bulk Copy/ Paste Options
For today's mission, a request came in to use a Microsoft Form to receive training log submissions. Every team member is responsible for submitting their logs and time is measured in quarter hour increments. The big ask? Can the dropdown values span from 0.25 to 40? Yes, but typing that many options is needlessly time … Continue reading MS Forms: Bulk Copy/ Paste Options
MS Lists: Mail Merge Data Source
Mail merge is still a thing. Why? Because after all these years, it continues to get the job done. But with more businesses using Microsoft Lists, can mail merge still do its job? The short answer, yes. However, Microsoft Word can't connect to Microsoft Lists directly. If we open the mail merge data source dropdown, … Continue reading MS Lists: Mail Merge Data Source
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