Combobox Control's Item property losing connection to Choices() SharePoint column

[PhilD]

The last few weeks I started noticing that when opening an app to make some minor change (not related to data or controls), and republishing it, many of the combo boxes that rely on Choices(SP_ListName.ChoiceField) for their Items stop working. If I temporarily remove the formula or change the formula to be incorrect, like Choices(SP_ListName.ChoiceFieldz), in the Items property and then immediately fix it (taking away the z), it works again but this is tedious and I don't know which ones are affected without checking every single one.

This a huge problem however because I have many complex apps that have many forms and other combo boxes used to filter lists, etc. and they randomly stop working. On some occasions it is like I'm playing whack-a-mole, fixing one then finding out others don't work. It's at the point now where I'm afraid to edit any of my apps. 

What can be done to prevent this from happening?

[v-yutliu-msft]

Hi @PhilD ,

I've made a similar test but not met the problem like your description.

Firstly, I suggest you recreate the connection.

Secondly, acoording to your description, the problem exists after you republish the app.

Please try to restore the app to the original verision to see whether the problem exists.

If the problem disappears, could you tell me what changes do you make to the later version?

Best regards,

Community Support Team _ Phoebe Liu

[PhilD]

Thanks.

Keep in mind this is affecting multiple apps (at least three that I can confirm) and I certainly can't "restore the original version" as these have been developed over many months and have dozens of versions as changes are made and new features added. This started creeping up on me so that at first I didn't take notice and just thought that I had inadvertantly messed something up but now I'm positive that this is happening sometimes when nothing related to the control in question was modified.

An example from the other day, I opened an app to change the wording on a tracking board screen I have, without even looking at the main form, and after I published the app, I immediately started getting calls that both controls used to select a location had no choices when searched and also the people control for "submitted by" (Office 365 connection) also return nothing when search text was entered, effectively disabling the form (and thus the whole process supported by it that involves scores of users). The behavior I expect is that I could open and app, change the text of a label, publish the app, without having to do an entire integrated functionality test on the app to ensure everything still works.

This has happened on SharePoint choice field controls that are out of the box with no configuration and also on controls that use another list as a lookup (i.e. location control points to the location SharePoint list). When this happens, I have also noticed that people fields loose their searching ability as well. In all cases, making a small change, then changing it back, seems to correct the problem. It is not hard to correct, it is just problematic because if there are many forms and controls in the app, it is hard to know when it will happen as it is intermittent, not occurring in a reliable, repeatable manner.

I can delete the connection and recreate it which will of course erase all of the items in these controls until I reset the items properties. To confirm if it helped, I will then have to make small changes and see if this happens. Becuase it does not always happen, this method is not very conclusive though. I was hoping that perhaps my description would ring a bell with someone else and a known cause could be established.

[PhilD]

This just happened again.

Made changes to another screen and the controls on a form (on a screen that was not touched) stop working without warning (until my phone rang off the hook). Choice fields not populating from SharePoint choice columns.

Going in and putting a z in the formula to like this 'Choices(Tasks.StartLocz)', then changing it back to the correct 'Choices(Tasks.StartLoc)' made it work again.

While this is not terribly difficult to fix, my apps are very complex with many forms and screens so it is a real pain to have be afraid to open and edit an app for fear it will fail. There are hundreds of users processing thousands of tasks each day so it is a big deal when it just stops working. Publishing the fix is not the end because users don't understand how to ensure they have the latest version.

Please someone look into this, I'm not making it up and no, I can't just revert back to the "original version" (I'm on version 103 now).

[1804]

Hi, I've been struggling with the same issue for a few months now. Even when I create a brand new app after a couple of saves and publishes it just randomly loses connection to Sharepoint form data on all my Choice fields.

[phildetwei]

This occurred again just now. I changed the filter formula on a gallery and the choice field dropdowns in a totally unrelated form (not same data source as the gallery, different screen, etc.) became blank for all users.

[NigelP]

Hi @phildetwei @v-yutliu-msft 

I am in the United Kingdom and I experience the same problem.  Choice fields need modifying with the same contents.

THis is an example of problem :- 

Choices(NewProjectApplication.Project_x0020_Manager)

I have to retype the ".Project_x0020_Manager" part in again when the application is loaded into the PowerApps Studio.  Once I have done this the swiggly red line goes.

Regards

Nigel

[phildetwei]

Logged in automatically under work account (another of my favorite "features") 😕

Will repost as PhilD

[PhilD]

Now that there are others that are reporting the same problem, is there anyone on the support team willing to offer assistance?

I just opened an app used by many people in our organization each day. Immediately upon opening, controls with their items property defined by 'Choices(SharePointList.ColumnName)' were not working in web studio (even though they are working in the latest, published version. I checked these controls before making any changes or even viewing another screen. If I were to publish this without going through and fixing each one, it breaks the published version (making the controls also not work). This means every time I open an app to make any minor change that requires me to republish, I have to check every control whose items property uses the Choices() method to populate. Backspacing on character and putting it back in again "fixes" this (until the next time the app is opened).

Session ID: d5eaacea-3d33-47fe-a001-d2a7fcde4bce

PowerApps 3.19072.12

I don't have the resources to do a bunch of experimenting on a live app to determine the root cause and have provided as detailed of information as I can. Can someone please help?

[PhilD]

Please, I'm begging anyone that can help to lend some insight into this. I have been a huge fan of PowerApps and have leveraged apps in major ways here in my 50K+ member organization , with hundreds and hundreds of active app users. I'm not sure why I can't get any help more than just "Revert the app back to it's original version" (as if this is a real option for complex apps developed over many months).

This is also now happening on SharePoint list forms customized with PowerApps as well as canvas apps that use SharePoint lists as a datasource. Imagine how great it is to add a few additional columns to a SharePoint list form and find out that all of the comboboxes now don't work.

Session ID: 82689455-a1f0-404f-8a2f-df59d8f284fb
PowerApps 3.19092.12

Yesterday I experienced this same issue while using a component in a canvas app. The same, exact issue! 

I can't open and edit any of my apps without ferreting out every single combobox that uses 'Choices' and "fixing" them before I dare publish it. Of course there is no way to easily find them all in complex apps, with many screens and hidden elements, etc. so often the publish will still break something.

Can anyone offer anything?