Populate List Options from another sharepoint list

[jackyoung1]

I keep coming up against issues with what I think should be something simple in powerapps, but I cant seem to get it workm no matter what I try!

I have sharepoint 2 lists, requests and teams. I have setup a text field in requests, "impactedteams", that I want to populate with details of any impacted teams for that particular request, using a list box control.

I want the actual items for the listbox to show the distinct values from the "teamnames" column in the teams table, and then populate the requests.impactedteams field with whatever is selected in the listbox.

Now I cant seem to get this working, it either gives me error mesages when I update the items property of the listbox, or it just doesnt update the field in the requests table when I submit (using submitform, not patch)

Am I missing something? I'm open to changing the column type from text, or even from a listbox to a combobox but nothing I have tried so far seems to have worked. I thought I could change the text field input type to a"allowed values", but this doesnt give me the option of multiple selections.

Any ideas?

[RandyHayes]

@jackyoung1 

Can you go a little deeper into a couple things?  If I understand you correctly, you have a ListBox in your app that will list the teams from your second SharePoint list.  

You want:

1) The list to show the team names from the second list

2) To be able to multi-select team names 

3) To update the text column in the originating list with the names of the teams selected - can you describe how this should be?  Comma, semicolons, etc separated?

4) When editing an existing record, you want the ListBox to have the items selected that were originally selected in the "New" record.

5) All of this is in a Form.  There is a DataCard for the Text column.  Where is the ListBox?

Please review the above, answer any questions, and let me know if this is correct or if there are changes so that we can nail down the solution quicker.

[v-yutliu-msft]

Hi @jackyoung1 ,

Do you want to update multiple selections of the listbox to a text field?

Could you tell me

1)what's the date type of teamnames?

2)whether you want to update mutiple selections to one column or multiple columns?

I've made a similar test for your reference:

1)If you update mutiple selections to one column

Patch(requests,Defaults(requests),{impactedteams:Concat(ListBox1.SelectedItems,teamnames&",")})

If you want to use submitform, set the datacard of impactedteams's Update:

Concat(ListBox1.SelectedItems,teamnames&",")

2)If you want to update to multiple columns:

Collect(requests,RenameColumns(ListBox1.SelectedItems.'teamnames',"teamnames","impactedteams"))

I'm afraid it's not supported to use submitform to update multiple records at the same time.

Best regards,

Community Support Team _ Phoebe Liu

[jackyoung1]

Hi Randy,

1) Correct

2) Correct

3) Correct, and I am not fussy about how the values are stored, if I need to change the format of the column in the originting list I am fine with that.

4) Correct

5) I tried putting the listbox into a custom card and mapping back to the originating text column, although this doesnt seem to have worked.

Thanks for your assistance

[jackyoung1]

@v-yutliu-msft 

Would the concat/sbumitform method then allow me to view the same items highighted in the listbox when I open an existing record in editform mode?

[v-yutliu-msft]

Hi @jackyoung1 ,

Using sbumitform/Patch function both can view an existing record in editform mode. Displaying record and updating record use diffrent formulas to set diffrent properties. 

You just need to set the form's Item to one specific item. Then, it will display.

For example, set the form's Item: ListBox1.Selected.

Please notice: the form's data source should be related to the form's item!

As submit the form, you need to insert a button and set the button's OnSelect to the formulas about updating record like subitform or patch.

So using different functions to update is not related to whether can display record.

Here's doc about form for your reference:

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powerapps/maker/canvas-apps/working-with-forms

Best regards,

Community Support Team _ Phoebe Liu

[RandyHayes]

@jackyoung1 

Very good.  Thanks for the clarity in your responses.

So, in this case, a Custom DataCard with the ListBox in it would be fine.  Here is where the rub comes in...

While you can select multiple items in a ListBox (as a user), you cannot default select items in a Listbox from your App.  There is an Idea in the Idea forum about this and it appears as still under review - Also, there is a pretty good posting covering exactly what you want to do, and ending with no resolution because of the ListBox issue.

So, this would be a slam-dunk if the ListBox supported it.  So, my question is (you seem a little open to alternate options) are you able/open to ditch the ListBox and use another workaround?

[jackyoung1]

@RandyHayes  Yes I would, I would be fine with a combobox, or any other method that would allow a user to select multiple items, do oyu know if it is possible via another method?

[RandyHayes]

@jackyoung1 

Yes, the choices are sort of open to you considering that it's going to be a bit of customization.  So, you could go with a ComboBox, or a Gallery or some hybrid-type component.

I guess the real question will be, how much screen real estate do you have to work with?  It seemed that you were trying to get this into a fairly small data card.  Is that what you're aiming for?

[jackyoung1]

@RandyHayes I can expand out, space isnt too much of a concern. So if I was to use a combobox, how would I set this up, as that was still giving me issues when I tried to do it that way