Power Apps & Power Automate

Cookbook

Tips, Tricks, and Other Helpful Resources

Table of Contents

Power Apps
Page Title
3 How to Create an Auto-Height Text Input (7 Steps)
11 Create a Scrollable Screen
16 How to Speed Up your App - 5 Easy Ways - Part 1
23 How to Speed Up your App - 5 Easy Ways - Part 2
30 How to Hide the Navigation Bar
35 3 Functions() You Might Not be Using
40 Add a Filter by ALL Option
45 Master the Copy() Function
49 Master the Launch() Function
56 3 Troubleshooting Tips
62 3 FREE Resources to Pass the PL-900 Exam in 2025
66 5 Reasons you should STOP using Excel... And use Power Apps Instead
72 4 Coding Concepts Explained to Non-developers

Power Automate
Page Title
80 Power Automate Actions You Might Not be Using
86 Create a Reminder Flow
90 Get the Link to the Flow Run
POWER APPS
How to Create an
Auto-Height Text
Input (7 Steps)
Step 1
Add a “Text Input”
Add a “Text Input” control and set the “Mode” property
to “MultiLine”

Mode = SingleLine

Mode = MultiLine
Step 2
Add a “Label” Control
Here's where it gets cool…

The Text Input control does NOT have an

"Auto-height" property.

BUT, the label control DOES. So…

Set the auto height property of the label

control to "true"
Step 3
Match Properties
Make sure the font, font size, line height, width, and
PADDING of the Label control are the same as the Text
Input control as well.

This will be important later.

You might be seeing where I'm going with this…

Step 4
Set Text Property
Set the Text property of the Label control to the Text
property of the Text Input control.

Example: Label1 Text = TextInput1.Text

Because we matched the width, font, font size, padding

etc. in the previous step, the Label control is now
replicating the exact spacing as the Text Input control.
Step 5
Set Height Property
Almost there!

Set the Height property of the Text Input control to the

Height of the Label. You can add some “cushion” as
well.

Example: TextInput1 Height = Label1.Height +10

Step 6
“Hide” the Label
Send the Label control “To the Back” so the Text Input
control is “In Front” of the Label.

Also, set the Y and X properties of the Label to the Y and

X properties of the Text Input control.

This makes sure the Label is never seen.

IMPORTANT: You may think you can just set the

“Visible” property of the Label to “False”, but doing
that will make the whole thing not work :(
Step 7
Enjoy!
Test out your Auto-height Text Input control!

Bonus tip: Remember to set the “Delay Output”

property of the Text Input to “False” - this makes the
Label and Text Input height’s resize more quickly as
you type.
POWER APPS
QUICK TIP

Create a
Scrollable
Screen
Step 1
Copy Screen Template
The control that lets you create a
scrolling experience in a Canvas
app is called, “Canvas”

But, you CAN’T add it from the

insert tab...

You have to “add it” by adding the

screen template called,
“Scrolling”.

Once added, you’ll find the Canvas

control inside the screen.
Step 2
Customize Canvas
The Canvas control is honestly one of my favorites.

(I know, I say that about everything haha)

Here’s why I love it though:

It’s broken up into Data Cards - little containers
to help you organize what you want on your
scrollable screen.
Dynamic height - change the height of each
container based on what’s inside - for example
Data cards can be hidden - making them great
for forms that need to show/hide sections
dynamically
Example: Hide sections or Data Cards based
on the stage in an approval form.

Examples on next screen

Examples
Canvas Control

This canvas contains 3 visible Data Cards in this

example:
Routing (Top)
Instructions (Middle)
Approvers (Bottom)
Examples
Canvas Control

This is the SAME canvas as before, scrolled down :)

POWER APPS
How to Speed
Up your App

5 Easy Ways

Part 1
#1
Concurrent() Function
The Concurrent() function allows multiple formulas to
run at the SAME time.

This is very helpful, because it allows the app to tackle

multiple things at once, instead of one at a time.

Examples Next
#1
Examples
In the example below, the Collection, “colLegoTypes” is
created AFTER “colLegoSets”.

Now with Concurrent(), BOTH collections are created at

the same time - reducing load times. :)

REMEMBER: If a formula depends on the outputs of

another, do NOT put those formulas inside of the
Concurrent() function.

They’ll both try to run at the same time and your formula
that depends on the other will run incorrectly.
#2
ShowColumns()
The ShowColumns() function specifies what
fields/columns to include when getting data.

So, rather than getting ALL the fields/columns from a

data source (making the app work harder as there’s
more data)...

You can simply specify ONLY the fields/columns that

you need.

Examples Next
#2
Examples
Instead of filtering our SharePoint list here like this:

Which will return fields like, Thumbnail,

OData_ColorTag, Attachments... Which we don’t need.

Let’s try this:

Much Better!
#3
Minimize Amount of
Controls
Of course, an app with LESS controls is probably going
to run SMOOTHER than an app with LOTS of controls.

Here are some ways to minimize the amount of controls

you’re using:
Replace “Repeated Controls” with a gallery that
dynamically displays information.
Grouping controls a lot? Instead, convert them into a
Component, as they are “seen” as ONE control. For
example...
A header or navigation component made up of
labels, icons, and buttons is treated as one single
control instance.
#4
Offload Functionality to
Power Automate
Power Apps and Power Automate really are BETTER
TOGETHER.

I think I use at least one Power Automate flow with

every solution I create.

Sometimes, trying to do EVERYTHING in the Power App

can just slow things down.

So, when it makes sense, use Power Automate

In a future post, I’ll share my favorite ways to use

Power Automate with Power Apps
POWER APPS
How to Speed
Up your App

5 Easy Ways

Part 2
#1
Limit Uses of Media
When I first started using Power Apps, I added
media everywhere.

Logos...

Custom Icons...

Background images...

And so on.

This can slow your app down A LOT if you’re not

careful.

Nowadays, I typically just have one logo image - that’s

it :)
#2
DON’T Reference
Controls on Another
Screen
Problem:
Referencing a control on ANOTHER screen makes
the app work harder
Example when displaying form data for a
selected item: Gallery1.Selected.Title

Solution:
Use a variable
Example: Set a variable when selecting an item
in a gallery. Then, reference that variable
Gallery1.Selected.Title vs varItem.Title
#3
Use the App Checker
I often use the app checker to see if there are any
errors in my app.

But, did you know it can also give you performance

tips as well?
#4
Split your app
Does your app feel like it’s doing TOO much?

Split it into multiple apps.

Let me explain...
#4
Example Solution
I built a Project/Document tracking solution inside
Power Apps.

But, instead of having one app to do EVERYTHING...

I have TWO apps - each with a specific purpose.

View Projects

Project Tracker Create Projects

Edit Projects

Add Documents

Project Home Track Tasks

Add Time
#4
How and Why?
How:
Inside the “Project Tracker” app, the user selects the
project they want to view.

The “Project Home” app is then opened, with

parameters about the selected project in the URL.

With the help of the Param() function, the app is able

to get the information about the selected project
from the URL.

This gives the “impression” that each project has it’s

own separate app. :)

Why:
Splitting the amount of screens, controls, and overall
functionality into two separate apps made the whole
process much smoother. :)
POWER APPS
How to Hide the
Navigation Bar
Hidenavbar
What is it?

The “Hidenavbar” is a
parameter in the URL
that we simply set to
“true”.
Doing this will tell the browser to hide the top
navigation bar.

Yep. That’s it. It’s that simple. :)

Example
In the URL, add this:
&Hidenavbar=true
Example:
https://apps.powerapps.com/play/e/12345678-1234-1234-
1234-123456789102/a/12345678-1234-1234-1234-
10978645321?tenantId=12345678-1234-1234-1234-
8675309&hidenavbar=true
Result
Navigation bar

NO navigation bar
Implement
Sending a link to a Power App using Power
Automate?
Add the “Hidenavbar=true“ to your link.

Use a list/table to store apps and the links to them.

Point to this list when you need to get the link to
another app for your Power App or Flow.
This keeps things standardized across all your
solutions

Set an app link with the “Hidenavbar=true” as an

environment variable.

Using the Launch() function in your Power App to

open another app?
Add the “Hidenavbar” parameter to your function
and set it to true.
Example: Launch([yourapplink],{hidenavbar=true})
POWER APPS

3 Functions()
you might not
be using...
Function #1
Coalesce()
The Coalesce() function evaluates each parameter and
returns the first one that’s is NOT blank.

Example: Coalesce(TextInput1.Text, “New Expense”)

If there’s nothing in the TextInput.Text, “New Expense”

will be displayed instead (see example below).

This can come in handy in LOTS of other ways too :)

Function #2
IsMatch()
The IsMatch() function checks/validates if a text value
matches a certain pattern (Example: Email Address or
Phone Number)

The IsMatch() function will return True or False.

Why use it?

To show error/validation messages (ex: “Please enter
a valid email address”)
Ensure data is entered a specific way (see next slide)
And more!

EXAMPLES ON THE NEXT SLIDE

...Continued
IsMatch() Examples
TextInput1

Formula: IsMatch( TextInput1.Text, “legos”, MatchOptions.Contains)

Result: FALSE
Explanation: Checks if the input text matches EXACTLY “Legos”

Formula: IsMatch( TextInput1.Text, Match.Email)

Result: FALSE
Explanation: Checks if the input text matches an email address

TextInput1
Formula: IsMatch( TextInput1.Text, Match.Digit & Match.Digit &
Match.Digit & Match.Hyphen & Match.Digit & Match.Digit &
Match.Digit & Match.Hyphen & Match.Digit & Match.Digit &
Match.Digit & Match.Digit )
Result: TRUE
Explanation: The phone number matches the format: ###-
###-#### EXACTLY

You can find more examples on learn.microsoft.com :)

Function #3
Notify()
The Notify() function sends notification messages to
the user at the top of the screen.

This simple addition to an app can go a long way to help

the user feel like they know what’s going on.

Notify(“Success”, NotificationType.Success, 2000)

Notification Message
Notification Type
OPTIONAL - Message Timeout
Length (in miliseconds)

NotificationType.Error

NotificationType.Warning

NotificationType.Informational
POWER APPS

Add a Filter by
ALL Option
Step 1
Configure Items
Let’s say we have a Status column in a SharePoint
list with the options: Draft, Pending, Approved.

To display those in our dropdown, we’d normally

set the Items property to:

Choices( SharePointListName.Status )

But, to add the All option, we can actually add “All”

as a separate item and then combine the “All”
option AND the Status options into ONE table - like
this:

Table( {Value: “All”}, Choices( SharePointListName.Status) )

This might look a little different depending on the

data source :)
Step 1
Configure Items
If we look at our items property of our drop down,
we should get a table that looks like:

BONUS TIP: You can sort the other options as much

as you’d like, as long as you put the “All” option as
the first parameter you give to the Table() function.

This ensures that the “All” option always stays on

top no matter how the rest of the items are sorted.
Step 2
Configure the Filter()
Here’s what we want to do:
Display ALL items when the selected status is
“All”
Filter the items by the selected status if
“Pending”, “Draft”, or “Approved” are selected.

To do that is actually very simple!

Filter( SharePointListName,
Or(
DropDownStatus.Selected.Value = “All”,
Status.Value = DropDownSelected.Value
)

I’ll explain this all in the next slide :)

Step 2
Configure the Filter()
Essentially, the OR() is the most important piece of
this.

Let’s break it down...

IF the selected status is “All”...

Then, DropDownStatus.Selected.Value = “All” will

be TRUE

Meaning ALL items will display.

(Message me if this doesn’t make sense because

it’s a strange concept :) )

IF the selected status is NOT “All”, then the items

will just be filtered as normal by the selected
status.
POWER APPS

Master the
Copy()
Formula
What is it?
The Copy() Function
does this amazing thing
you’ve never heard of...
(Just kidding)
If you couldn’t tell already - the Copy() Function
“Copies” text to your clipboard so you can paste
later!

I’ll cover:
How it works
Use case ideas
How it Works
Copy( Text )
The Copy() function is very easy - it only requires
one parameter!

Simply put in the text you want to have copied

inside the function.

Copy(“I love legos”)

Copy(locTextVariable)

It can only be used inside a “behavioral” property -

meaning a property that requires the user to take
action
Example: The “OnSelect” property of a button
Use Cases
3 Ideas
#1 - Copy a link to an item or a document to be
shared with your team mate.

#2 - Copy an address, email, long description, or

other form details so you can easily share the
information.

#3 - Copy standard response messages (service

reps etc.)
POWER APPS

Master the
Launch()
Formula
What is it?
The Launch() Function
Opens or “Launches” a
Web Page (or Canvas
App)
But there’s more to it than that...

Here’s how it works (next slide) ->

How it Works
Launch( Address,
Parameters, Target )
Address (Required): This is the URL or the webpage
of the canvas app you want to have open.

Parameters (Optional): Values that are passed in

the URL.

When opening a Canvas App, parameters can be

used or “read” with the Param() function.

Check out my post on using the “HideNavBar”

parameter :)

Target (Optional): Tells which browser TAB to open

when launched. Open in a NEW or EXISTING tab.
Parameters
HOW THEY WORK:
You can “give” parameters in TWO ways.

1 - Value Pairs: Launch( AppURL, “ID”, 1 ,”Name”,

“Ben”)

2 - “Record” field values: Launch( AppURL, {ID: 1,

Name: “Ben”} )

The SECOND method is much better as it’s more

clear.

It’s also the ONLY method that will let you

configure the “LaunchTarget”

USE CASE EXAMPLES:

To pass information from one app to the next
To include search queries (example: opening a
SharePoint list/library with search filters in the
URL)
LaunchTarget
New
Launch( AppURL, Parameters, LaunchTarget.New )

The page or canvas app is opened in a new

window/tab

Will be used by default

LaunchTarget
Replace
Launch( AppURL, Parameters, LaunchTarget.Replace )

The page or canvas app replaces the current

window/tab
LaunchTarget
Custom Name
Launch( AppURL, Parameters, “Custom Name” )

This “names” the tab you open.

Example: Launch(URL, Parameters, “Results”)

Putting “Results” would name the newly opened

tab, “Results”.

IF a tab with the same name already exists, it will

instead be replaced - if not, a new tab will be
opened with that name.
POWER APPS

3 Trouble-
shooting
Tips
#1
Add a Label
This is my favorite one and perhaps the FIRST thing
I do when troubleshooting.

WHY
Sometimes, we wrongly “assume” what various
functions and controls are doing in our app.

But to fix something, we need to be SURE what is

going on.

HOW
Not sure what a variable is being set to? Or need to
see if your Lookup() function is really grabbing the
item you think it is?

Add a label to the screen and set its text property

to the control property or formula you’re wanting
to examine.
#2
Simplify and Isolate
Sometimes, we know when an error occurs
(Example: the “OnSelect” property of a button)

But we don’t know exactly what part, what

formula, or even what part of the formula is
breaking our app.

This is where ISOLATING and SIMPLIFYING is

helpful.

Example next
#2
Simplify and Isolate
Example:
The “Submit” button of a form is causing an error,
but we don’t know what part of it is the problem.

Copy the “Submit” button

Remove or “comment out” various parts of the
OnSelect property
Keep testing various parts of the OnSelect
property at a time until you find the culprit

This example is a little “too” simple (haha) but you

get the idea! :)
#3
Live Monitor
Sometimes, we need a bit more power.

When I’m truly stumped...

Or when the user keeps getting an error I can’t

seem to replicate.

I go here. And it’s amazing.

It shows you what’s happening inside of a Power

Apps session and can show you errors and
messages you might have difficulty seeing
otherwise.

Here’s how to get there (next slide)

#3
Live Monitor
Go to your app “details” page
Select “Live Monitor” (see below)

You can invite another to view the monitoring

session too, and much more!

I’ll do a whole post on this feature soon! :)

POWER APPS

3 FREE
Resources to
Pass the PL-900
Exam in 2025
#1
Study Guide
Link Below and in post description above.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-
us/credentials/certifications/resources/study-
guides/pl-900

This is the official Microsoft Study Guide for the PL-

900 exam.

This link leads to other great resources as well!

#2
Practice Test
Link Below and in post description above.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-
us/credentials/certifications/exams/pl-
900/practice/assessment?assessment-
type=practice&assessmentId=34

This is the official Microsoft Practice

assessment/test for the PL-900 exam.

It’s also my FAVORITE resource for taking exams.

It’s 50 questions and it will include information on

where you can learn about each question -
especially the ones you get wrong! :)
#3
Course
Link Below and in post description above.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-
us/training/paths/power-plat-fundamentals/

This is the Learning Path in Microsoft Learn that

covers essentially everything you’ll need to know
for the PL-900 exam.

It has 7 modules you can learn from at your own

pace. It’s AWESOME! :)
POWER APPS

5 Reasons you
should STOP
using Excel...

And use Power

Apps Instead
#1
Your Spreadsheets are
Becoming
Unmanageable
Excel Problem:
Endless rows and columns make it hard to locate and
organize data :(

Power Apps Solution:

Power Apps creates user-friendly interfaces and makes
viewing/editing data easier and more intuitive.

Not to mention you can add more complex data

validation and much, much more!
#2
Collaboration is a
Nightmare
Excel Problem:
Multiple people editing a file leads to version control
chaos and overwritten data :(

Power Apps Solution:

Power Apps integrates seamlessly with Microsoft
Dataverse, SharePoint, SQL, and other databases,
enabling real-time collaboration in a centralized
system :)
#3
You Need Automated
Workflows
Excel Problem:
Manually entering and updating data is a time-
consuming and error-prone process - especially when
it comes to workflows :(

Power Apps Solution:

Paired with Power Automate, Power Apps can
automate repetitive tasks, notifications, approval
processes, and more - saving time and reducing errors
:)
#4
You Need a ‘Mobile
Friendly’ Solution
Excel Problem:
Entering/viewing data in Excel on a mobile device is
difficult - have you tried it?

Power Apps Solution:

Power Apps offers fully responsive applications for
Mobile, Tablet, and Desktop - letting you access your
data on any device with ease.
#5
Difficulty Integrating
with Other Tools
Excel Problem:
Excel data can be complex and tricky to connect with
other apps (even apps from Microsoft).

This makes it hard to create the solutions your

company needs :(

Power Apps Solution:

Power Apps integrates effortlessly with third-party and
Microsoft tools alike.

Example: Connect your Power App to Teams, Outlook,

SharePoint, Adobe, and more :)
POWER APPS

4 “Coding”
Concepts
Explained
for Non-
Developers
When getting into Power Apps and
Power Automate...

I didn’t understand some BASIC

“coding” concepts.

This made learning HARD

So...

I thought I’d share some of these

concepts, in hopes it’ll help others on
their learning journey :)
#1
Data Types
What are they:
A Data “Type” tells Power Apps how to treat
information.

Think of it like categorizing a box: is it holding text,

numbers, or something else?

String: Text or words - Example: “I love Legos”

Integer: Whole Numbers - Example: 1, 2, 7
Float: Numbers with decimals - Example: 3.14
Boolean: True or False
Null: Empty, blank, or missing data.

More on next slide...

#1
Continued
Array: A table or list of items - Example: List of
Lego Sets with their Name, Price, and Description

Object: (Aka Row, Item, Record) is a singular item

consisting of data - Example: A Lego Set “Item”
consisting of the Name, Price, Description, etc.

Why It’s Confusing (Besides some strange names):

You might not realize that data types need to
“match” when working with inside Power Apps.

For example, you can’t add a number to a string,

unless you convert it.
#2
Variables
What are they:
Think of variables as containers that store information
you want to use or change later. They must be “set”.

First, you have to “set” the variable - tell the app

what goes in the “container”.
Just like a container has a label to tell what’s
inside, a variable has a name to tell what it holds.
Variables can hold ANY data type.
The data “inside” a variable can CHANGE (usually).

Examples:
A variable might hold the “total cost” of shopping
items, it’s value updating as new items are added.
A variable might track the user’s information.
Instead of using the User() function everywhere, a
variable containing the user’s information could
be used instead. :)
#3
The Mysterious Period
(Dot)
What it means:
A period helps you “dig into” something to find
specific data.

Example:
You’ve set a variable to a selected “Lego Set” item.
The variable is named “varSelectedLegoSet”.
“Inside” the variable is:
Name = “Train”
Price = $100

Typing: varLegoSetItem.Price retrieves the 100. The

period is like saying, “Look inside this box and pull out
the price.”
#3
Continued
Another Example:
Using the User() function, we can get some
information about the logged in user, including their
name, email, and profile picture.

ONLY typing User() would retrieve an object (record,

item, etc.), which contains various fields about the
user (name, email, etc.)

BUT, by adding a period, we’re able to specify what

information we’d like to get about the user.

So, if we type: User().Email we’ll retrieve the email of

the user.
#4
Brackets
There are 2 types of brackets.

Square: [ ]
What they do: Used to “define” or create a table
Example: [”Apple”, “Orange”, “Banana”] - This
creates a table of data containing the items:
Apple, Orange, and Banana

Curly: { }
What they do: Used to “define” or create an object
Example: { Name: “Ben”, LovesLegos: True }

Since a table (square brackets) contains rows or

objects (curly brackets), it can (and often does) look
like this:
[ {Name: “Ben” LovesLegos: true},
{Name: “Jane”, LovesLegos: false} ]
POWER AUTOMATE

3 Power Automate
Actions you might
not be using...
#1
Populate a Word Template

I’ll do a more “in depth” post on this later, but this

action allows you to “fill” a word document with
data.

You can then use a “convert” to PDF action (there

are a few of these). to generate a PDF of the
document.

Some use case ideas are:

Basic reporting or form processes
Invoice creation (or other related documents)
Legal documents... more on this later :)
#2
Send Email with Options
This is one of my FAVORITE actions, though I don’t
use it as often as I’d like.

It allows you to send an email with “options”,

shown as buttons. (see below)
#2
Send Email with Options

You can configure what “options” or “buttons” are

available...

AND what the flow will do once the email recipient

clicks on the button. (see next slide)

There are SO many possibilities!

Simple approval processes or Document Review
Feedback Capture
Escalation Handling
#2
Send Email with Options

To configure what the flow will do based on the

selected button...

Use the Dynamic Content from the “Send email

with options” action, “SelectedOption” inside of a
switch. (see above)
#3
Approvals

There are MANY ways to do approvals with Power

Apps and Power Automate.

One of the ways are with the Power Automate

“Approvals”.

They are quite simple to setup and that they can

handle many types of approval processes!

Approve/Reject - Everyone must approve

Approve/Reject - First to Respond
Custom Responses - Wait for all responses
Custom Responses - Wait for one response
Sequential Approval
POWER AUTOMATE

Create a Reminder
Flow
2 Methods
Scheduled vs Automated
Essentially, there are TWO main methods when
creating a reminder notification flow.

(If you think of others, let me know in the

comments :) )

Method 1 - Automated Cloud Flow

Method 2 - Scheduled Cloud Flow

I’ll cover each method next :)

Automated
Do Until & Delay
Use the Do Until
and Delay actions
to periodically
check if an
approval item (for
example) is
“Approved”.

If not, send a
notification.

You can of course

change the time
between reminder
emails and other
details etc. :)
Scheduled
Recurrence
Use the Recurrence
trigger to schedule
your flow to run at a
certain time (example:
7 AM everyday)

Then, get all approval

items that are In
Progress.

For each of the “In

Progress” items, send
a reminder email. :)
POWER AUTOMATE

Get the Link to the

Flow Run
HOW
Get the Flow Link

Here’s the expression to get the link to your flow

run.

(I’ll put it in the comments/description as well)

USE CASES
Get the Flow Link
Flow Failures - When a flow fails, send an email
with the exact “link” to the flow run.

You could also save the link to the flow in an error

logging system. :)

Workflow item - Have a flow running on a

workflow/approval item somewhere?

After each run, save the “link” to the flow run in a

hyperlink field.

That way, whether the flow fails or succeeds, you

can easily see what happened. :)
Looking for more
Power Apps &
Power Automate
Training?
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