Designing Your First Microsoft Canvas Power App

TL;DR

Understanding Canvas App in Microsoft Power Apps

  • A Canvas App is an application type in Microsoft Power Apps that provides a blank slate for designing your app's UI.
  • It doesn't rely on underlying data models and default templates like Model-driven apps but instead allows granular customization.
  • Key advantages of Canvas Apps include:
    • Enables the creation of custom applications for specialized use cases.
    • Allows integration of data from various sources using Power Apps connectors.
    • Enables a more personalized user experience with a tailored user interface.

Steps for Creating a Simple Canvas App

  1. Open Microsoft Power Apps and click on 'Create'.
  2. Choose the 'Canvas app from blank' option.
  3. Name your app and pick your desired format, either Phone or Tablet.
  4. Go to the 'Insert' tab in the Canvas app workspace. Add a Text Input control (to collect user feedback) and a Button (to send the feedback).
  5. Incorporate a Label to display the feedback. Initially, configure its Text property as an empty string ("").
  6. To capture and display feedback when the button is clicked, use the formula:
Designing Your First Microsoft Canvas Power App

A beginner's tutorial on creating a simple Canvas app from scratch in Microsoft Power Apps.

What is a Canvas App in Microsoft Power Apps?

A Canvas App is one of the application types you can create using Microsoft Power Apps. Unlike Model-driven apps, which rely primarily on the underlying data model and come with a set UI, Canvas apps provide the flexibility to design your app's UI starting from a blank slate, much like drawing on an empty canvas. This customisation granularity enables developers and business users to build a distinct user interface tailored to specific business needs.

Why is it crucial in Power Apps development? With Canvas Apps, you can:

  • Design custom applications for niche use cases without being limited by default templates.
  • Seamlessly integrate data from a plethora of sources using Power Apps connectors.
  • Curate a more personalized user experience with a bespoke user interface.

Example: Creating a Simple Canvas App

Let's walk through the process of creating a fundamental Canvas app that collects and displays user feedback:

  1. Launch Microsoft Power Apps and opt for 'Create'.
  2. Select the 'Canvas app from blank' option.
  3. Assign a name to your app and choose your preferred format, either Phone or Tablet.
  4. Once you're in the Canvas app workspace, navigate to the 'Insert' tab. Add a Text Input control (to gather user feedback) and a Button (to submit the feedback).
  5. Next, introduce a Label to display the feedback. Initially, set its Text property to an empty string ("").

Here's a rudimentary formula to capture and present feedback when the button is clicked:

Button.OnSelect = Set(FeedbackValue, TextInput1.Text);
Label.Text = FeedbackValue;

Upon clicking the button, it fetches the text from the TextInput control, stores it in a variable named FeedbackValue, and then the Label control displays this value.

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What is NOT required to start designing a canvas app in Microsoft Power Apps?

Thank you for reading! Dive deeper into Microsoft Power Apps development with our subsequent posts.