SharePoint is a complex (not quite complicated), document management solution. It's grown quite a bit over the years, so its architecture can be confusing to newer adoptees. However, understanding a few of the higher-level SharePoint concepts can help uncomplicate things for most people. For simplicity, imagine moving some local computer files to SharePoint. How could … Continue reading SharePoint: Understanding | Content Architecture
SharePoint Online: JSON Formatting | Hide ‘Add shortcut to OneDrive’ Button
SharePoint Online [SPO] is a modern, cloud-based service accessible from any modern browser. Emphasis on modern service and modern browser. Still, because of many legacy business processes, end-users flock to sync their SPO files the first chance they get. They ultimately achieve the same purpose, but there are actually two ways they can sync their … Continue reading SharePoint Online: JSON Formatting | Hide ‘Add shortcut to OneDrive’ Button
Power Fx: Unique Records w/ Duplicate Count
Scenario: I have a data source with thousands of addresses, and their street names need to be searchable in a canvas app. Problem: There are similar streets in other cities, so search results will contain duplicates. Workaround: Group similar addresses and display the NumberOf duplicates using the Power Fx's GroupBy function. Figure 1 - Canvas … Continue reading Power Fx: Unique Records w/ Duplicate Count
Office Scripts: Generate Custom GUID(s)
Office Scripts in Excel is an automation alternative to Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Macros are still recorded as a series of actions, but now, these steps are performed using TypeScript, which a superset language of JavaScript. Assuming everything is licensed and configured correctly, everyone should see an Automate tab along the top of their … Continue reading Office Scripts: Generate Custom GUID(s)
Power Automate: Ticketing System | Microsoft Teams + SharePoint Online [managed solution]
Some time ago, I architected a low-cost "service management"-esque app combining Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online (SPO), and Power Automate. As a Power Platform low-code solution, I could piece everything together and demo a working ticketing system in a few hours. However, I never packaged the deliverable as a Power Platform managed solution, adhering to proper … Continue reading Power Automate: Ticketing System | Microsoft Teams + SharePoint Online [managed solution]
Power Automate: Application Lifecycle Management | Housekeeping
Power Automate cloud flows are environment specific when they're created. Power Platform application lifecycle management controls the management of cloud flows as solution assets, and proper management guides the deployment and maintenance of these solutions. Whether the solutions are managed or unmanaged, flows are deployed from one environment to another. Typically, makers create and test … Continue reading Power Automate: Application Lifecycle Management | Housekeeping
Power Apps: Canvas App | Merging Data Sources w/ AddColumn()
Scenario: There is a canvas app with a text box, two radio choices, a vertical gallery, and two data sources. Toggling the radio button changes which data source is filtered and used to populate the gallery. Problem: The data sources don't have any data columns in common and Power Apps doesn't like that. Solution: Create … Continue reading Power Apps: Canvas App | Merging Data Sources w/ AddColumn()
Programming Concepts: Conditional Logic | If-Then vs Switch
High-code isn't the friendliest to new developers. Still, there are some high-code concepts that even low-code and no-code developers should be aware of. One such concept is conditional logic. Generalizing the idea, conditional logic helps the code determine its next steps based on data input. Conditional logic is universal enough that it's also leveraged in … Continue reading Programming Concepts: Conditional Logic | If-Then vs Switch
Merry New Year | 2024
Cheers to another year! As promised, there was more blogging, more learning, and more projects. Switching things up a bit, I gave mobile app development a try and there were a few speaking engagements. Also, I finally drafted my personal brand statement: "I am a sharer of knowledge, solver of puzzles, and developer of creative … Continue reading Merry New Year | 2024
Power Apps: Canvas Apps | Office365Users – Profile Errors
The Office365Users connector gets tricky when makers are working with incomplete user profiles. Especially when trying to display user profile photos. Does everyone have a picture? Even the contractors? Unfortunately, everyone isn't guaranteed to have an uploaded profile photo. Making the assumption that they do only invites future problems. To be proactive, default to the … Continue reading Power Apps: Canvas Apps | Office365Users – Profile Errors
Power Platform: Data Sources | SQL Tables or Dataverse Tables
The Power Platform is Microsoft's collective of no-code/ low-code solutions. To supplement this platform, Dataverse is Microsoft's secure, no-code/ low-code data storage solution. SQL Server is still a strong contender for data storage, but leveraging it requires some mastery of SQL. Dataverse, however, stores data in tables just like SQL, but doesn't require any proficiency … Continue reading Power Platform: Data Sources | SQL Tables or Dataverse Tables
SharePoint: Access Issues | Authentication vs. Authorization
SharePoint access issues are sometimes tricky. Simplifying things though, access issues ultimately fall into two categories: authentication or authorization. Authentication asks a very simple question. Are they permitted/ allowed to access the content? If yes, then they can open SharePoint. Otherwise, they get an access denied screen. Figure 1 - Account not authorized, but able … Continue reading SharePoint: Access Issues | Authentication vs. Authorization
SharePoint: Prevent Folder Move
SharePoint is a collaboration platform that also encourages self-governance. Sure, the IT department could deploy and manage all things SharePoint, but that isn't always best. In an ideal, balanced partnership, IT would just handle the administrative tasks and empowered users would provision their own site collections, manage their own site access, and create their own … Continue reading SharePoint: Prevent Folder Move
Power Apps: SharePoint | Delegation + AddColumn()
So yeah, this won't work for everyone, but it was a creative delegation workaround for me. In my scenario, I used several SharePoint Online (SPO) lists as data sources and needed to filter on a multi-line column of employee Names, separated by a semi-colon: Figure 1 - SharePoint Online new item form. This example SPO … Continue reading Power Apps: SharePoint | Delegation + AddColumn()
Power Automate: Understanding | mod()
Modulus (or modulo) is another of the math expression available in Power Automate. Similar to the add(), sub(), mul(), and div() expressions, mod() accepts two parameters, but instead only returns whole numbers, so no decimals. Likely an over-simplified explanation, but in computing, modulo is essentially the calculated remainder of a division calculation. Figure 1 - … Continue reading Power Automate: Understanding | mod()
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