Adding a single specific dropdown option to a table-column-based dropdown

[brucemZA]

Hi all - so I know I can achieve this by adding '<Please Select>' as an item to my table, but I'm trying to improve my Power Apps and it seems like an interesting problem to solve in a better way.

So let's say I have a table with: (i.e. with repeats of an item that need to be filtered with Distinct or similar)

Apple

Apple

Apple

Banana

Banana

Carrot

Without adding <Please Select> to my table, (which is a bit a hack because it doesn't belong in the table) how can I get a dropdown in my PowerApp with:

<Please Select>
Apple

Banana

Carrot

I tried Concatenate, but it expects a Table Column in and a dropdown works a bit different as it doesn't take a Table Column

[eka24]

I think you can use the InputTextPlaceholder property. Set it to "Please Select"

Also change the AllowEmptySelection to true.

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[brucemZA]

Oh wow. Sometimes I forget to think of the simplest possibility. That sounds perfect! I’ll test tomorrow and confirm your answer here tomorrow 😀

[eka24]

That's fine

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[v-yutliu-msft · Accepted solution]

Hi @brucemZA ,

Do you want to make the drop down display '<Please Select>'  by default?

Here are two solutions:

1)use combo box

(drop down does not have InputTextPlaceholder property)

set the combo box's InputTextPlaceholder:

"Please Select"

Then the combo box will display '<Please Select>'  by default.

Actually, the  '<Please Select>' does not be added into combo box's items. Because combo box's default selected items could be blank.

2)use drop down

Since drop down's default selected item could not be blank, so to make it display '<Please Select>'  by default, you need to add the item '<Please Select>' in its Items.

For example: I set the drop down's Items:

Distinct(
         Filter(
               Split(
                     Concatenate(
                                  Concat(deeplink,Title&","),
                                     // connect all the items of the original table
                                  "Please Select"&","
                                    //connect with "Please Select"
                                 ),","
                                   //split to a table
                       ),!IsBlank(Result)
                  ),
            Result
           )

Then  '<Please Select>'  will be added to the drop down items.

Set the drop down's Default:

"Please Select"

Then drop down will display   '<Please Select>' .

You could choose the solution based on your demands.

Best regards,

[brucemZA]

@eka24 There is no InputTextPlaceHolder propery for a dropdown....

[brucemZA]

@v-yutliu-msft wow, this solution bent my brain a bit, working through all the layers of that formula, but it's all working great now 🙂

[eka24]

I thought you were referring to a combobox

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