PowerApps can be used to create richer and more functional views of SharePoint list data compared to traditional list views. PowerApps allows building mobile views of list data for free. It provides more options for user experience and layout compared to standard SharePoint views. Views built in PowerApps can include additional functionality like linking to associated data and integrating with Microsoft Flow for buttons that trigger workflows.

1. PowerApps: A New Approach to
the Traditional SharePoint List
View
Wes Preston

2. Abstract
PowerApps is an excellent tool for custom forms and facilitating
business processes (with Microsoft Flow). But did you know PowerApps
is also capable of building dramatically better list views?
It's no mere coincidence that PowerApps are surfaced in the SharePoint
interface via the View dropdown control. See how PowerApps can be
used to display richer and more functional views of your data.

3. Wes Preston – MVP, Consultant
3
@idubbs
idubbs.com/blog
trecstone.com

4. Expectations
• Not necessarily the “SharePointy” way of thinking
Keep in mind:
Do you see these ‘views’ being of value to your
users?

5. PowerApps
• The Business User tool for building solutions
• Part of the ‘Power Platform’
• Part of the Azure / Dynamics product group
• *Not* built (specifically) for SharePoint
• The replacement successor to InfoPath
• Forms, forms, forms…

6. PowerApps
• The SharePoint focus:
• Custom list forms
• Business apps based on lists
• Mobile access to data

7. SharePoint
Views
• Client-Side Rendering / JS Link
• Custom Dev
Classic
• Column Formatting (JSON)
• View Formatting (JSON)
• Field Customizers (Dev)
Modern

8. Modern
SharePoint
Views
• Still easy for end users to provide lots of value

9. Column
Formatting
View
Formatting
• Powerful, but ugh… JSON
• NOT end user friendly

10. SharePoint
Mobile App
• No additional work
• A new type of ‘view’
• Bonus:
Links to PowerApps

11. PowerApps
Mobile

12. PowerApps
Mobile App
• Default app close to
SharePoint mobile app
• Easy to customize:
• Fields
• Format
• Layout
• Additional functionality

13. Compare
Mobile Apps

14. PowerApps DataTable
Introducing the PowerApps (SharePoint) web part

15. PowerApps
web part

16. PowerApps
web part
• Available for Modern Pages
• Resizable on page
• Requires the App ID
• Replaces the iframe approach
• Apps likely created by starting in PowerApps
Studio rather than starting from SharePoint list
• Want to use the tablet layout
(Starting from list is limited to phone layout)

17. PowerApps:
DataTable
• Demo

18. PowerApps:
DataTable
• Which fields, and what order – Set in the
DataTable data settings
• Sort order and filtering – Set in the Items
formula
Formula examples:
SortByColumns(Requests,"Title",Ascending)
Filter(Requests, Priority.Value = "High")
SortByColumns(Filter(Requests, Priority.Value =
"High"),"Title",Descending)

19. PowerApps:
DataTable
• Pros:
• Quick to create
• Can manually configure the column headings
• Can build out additional functionality
• Info panel-like…
• This you *can* format
If(DataTable1.Selected.Priority.Value = "High",Red, Black)
• Cons:
• Simple, not as configurable (column formatting,
conditional formatting)

20. PowerApps:
DataTable
• Demo

21. PowerApps Gallery
Approach 1 – “Modern” cards and layouts

22. PowerApps:
Gallery
• By default a number of layouts available

23. PowerApps:
Gallery
• Different layouts:
• Horizontal, vertical, adjustable
• Similar to the Info Panel: Details right, details
bottom, etc.
• Conditional forms
• Show relational data from other lists/libraries
• Column formatting allows for buttons to kick off
Flows or other actions (via formulas)

24. PowerApps:
Gallery

25. PowerApps Gallery
Approach 2 – “Rows and Columns”

26. PowerApps:
Gallery
• Can build a gallery to look similar to a DataTable
but get the additional configurability, it just
takes a lot more manual effort

27. Wrap up and Notes

28. PowerApps:
Recap
• Gallery views vs. DataTable
• Get mobile for free
• More UX options
• Link to more forms as needed
• Seamless Flow buttons
• Graphing and Power BI
• Can bring in associated data from other sources
• Can also surface in Teams

29. PowerApps:
Sharing and
Security
• Views don’t have security in SharePoint, but
apps can be shared with specific people or
groups.
• Role-specific apps
• Note: This is ‘security’ by obscurity…

30. Feedback
• What do you think?
• Does this resonate?
• Do you see these ‘views’ being of value to your
users?

31. References,
Notes,
Resources
• PowerApps
https://powerapps.microsoft.com/
• My Blog
http://www.idubbs.com/blog/powerapps-and-flows/
• Column formatting
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/declarative-
customization/column-formatting
• Customize list form with PowerApps
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powerapps/customize-list-form