Dynamic form configured for each project

[GuillaumeL]

Hello,

I have to develop an application for managing projects between the teams. I want to associate to each project a list of tests that have to be passed and filled. The first step is to configure the tests that have to be passed by choosing them in a list of tests. And in a second step, the goal is to check and pass each tests that are required and fill some values if needed.

I am now trying to build this on PowerApps but I would need your advices. First, I thought about a gallery (the list of the tests) with checkboxes where at each OnSelect I will add the item into a collection. The issue is that each project is different with different required tests and I don't know if it is worth it to create a collection per project.

My other solution would be to create a file "Formular" with a column for each test of the global list and a line for each project . During the configuration I would put a value "0" to each column/test required and during the second step, the idea is to put visible only the tests with a value "0" in order to be filled by the user. It means that if the test is required, there is a value in the project line, if not, the cell is blank. And everything would be stored on Excel file on OneDrive. But this means that if I want to add a new test in the future, I will have to add a column in my formular file.

Do you think the second idea is the best ? Do you have better idea ? Using maybe other tools from the Power Suite ?

Thank you for your help and have a good day

Guillaume

[tommyly]

There are always many ways to approach the same solution, but I will provide some basic ideas of what I would do. It's really up to you to design this project, but I hope what I provide will give you some syntax ideas and a starting point.

Create the following tables to be used as a datasource (whether via Excel, SharePoint, or AzureSQL)

• DataSource: Project
  • Columns: UniqueID, Team, ProjectName, DateOpened, DateClosed, etc...
• DataSource: Test
  • Columns: UniqueID, ProjectID (foreign key pointing to Project.UniqueID), TestName, TestDescription, DateOpened, DateComplete, etc
• DataSource: Comment
  • TestID, CommentDate, Comment, PersonSubmitting

You can have cascading columns for filtering:

• ComboBoxTeam

  .Items = Sort(Distinct(Project, Team), Ascending)

• ComboBoxProject (this doodad adds a dynamic column that checks the DateClosed field of related tests. If the a DateClosed field is blank, the test is not complete; if a list of related (completed) tests is not empty, then the project is open; otherwise the project is closed.

  .Items =
    Filter(
      ShowColumns(
        AddColumns(  
          Filter(Project, Team=ComboBoxTeam.Selected.Result),
          "ProjectOpened", Not(IsEmpty(Filter(Test, IsBlank(DateClosed))))
        "UniqueID, ProjectName", ProjectOpened
      ),
      ProjectOpened
    )

• GalleryTest

  .Items = Filter(Test, ProjectID=ComboBoxProject.UniqueID)

To add a new project

• You would have a button of sorts on the form, e.g. "Add Project"
• Once they click on it, execute Navigate(screenNewProject, ScreenTransition.Fade)
• Create a new screen called screenNewProject
  • On the screen's OnVisible event form, add syntax to create a UniqueID hash. For example, something like this: 

    Set(varUID,
      Text(Now(), "yyyymmddhhmmssnn" & Left(Substitute(User().FullName, " ", "") & "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx", 20)
    )

    • (e.g. 20181017090923johnsmithxxxxxxxxxxx)
• Drop a form on it and associate it with Project
  • Set its DefaultMode to Add
  • For dataCard UniqueID, set the textbox's default value to varUID
• Add a button for saving the data SubmitForm(formProject)

[GuillaumeL · Accepted solution]

Hi Tommyly, thank you for your answer. 

Maybe to explain you more, I will describe my current architecture. 

These are my datasources in light version : 

• DataSource: Project
  • Columns: UniqueID (defined on another tool), ProjectName, ConfigurationPhase, TestPhase, ValidationPhase. 
  • For the last 3 columns, the idea is to have a boolean related to each phase to highlights if the phase is done or not. Is the list of tests required is configured ? Is the tests are passed ? Is the project is validated and closed ? 
• DataSource: Test
  • Columns: TestCategory, TestName, TestDescription
  • It can be useful to add an Id like TestNumber : Test1, Test2, ...
• DataSource: Formular (This is my idea, to have one column for the Project Number and then one column for each Test, like Test1, Test2, ... with the same name as the Test Datasource)
  • Columns: ProjectID, Test1, Test2, ...

In screens, I have a Project Gallery as a main screen with a research bar, and then I can create a project by filling the global information in a Edit Screen and display the data in a ProjectDetail Screen. For now this is working but to add the first step of configuration, that was harder. The list of the tests is fixed but the user has to choose which tests he wants for the project and be able to access the Test phase with the good configuration at any time even if he closes the app and another user come later for the test phase

In your explanation, are you talking about having a Test DataSource which will contain all the tests for all the projects one by one ? Like a Collection recolting the tests required and during the TestPhase the user will just fill the Value column of the collection ? Is it not too heavy if we manage like 100 projects with 25 tests in average ? It would mean that on my Configuration Screen I need a Gallery displaying the list of the tests and for the OnCheck I should add item (test) to the collection and delete it for the OnUncheck ? And then on the TestsFilling Phase Screen I should have another gallery displaying the collection but filtered for the Selected project with a Text label where the user should put the value ? Or a form ? 

Thank you already for your solution and thank you more if you take again time to explain it

[tommyly]

So it sounds like the question is, if you were to go this approach, how do you add or delete tests for each Project during its creation.

If you are using a checkbox, you can use a ForAll command to loop through all the selected items. For example:

ForAll(Filter(gallery.SelectedItems, checkBox1.Value=true),
  Patch(tests, Defaults(tests),
    {
      ...
    }
  )
)

This will create all the selected orderItems (if you look at it from a shopping cart perspective). If you put this sort of code in a button's OnSelect event, then you don't have to mess around with the OnCheck and OnUncheck events, unless you prefer the dynamic live feel.

It's hard to give you much more information without knowing the full scope of the project, but I hope that gives you a way forward.

[GuillaumeL]

Hello, 

Yes that is hard to explain everything but let imagine that I need to create an application which will manage the tests done on a product. Each product will be different. When a product is ready to be sold, we need to do some tests before sending it to the customer. There are different scenarios of group of tests required. 

The idea is to share the application in 3 steps :

- Create the product by defining the main infos (Already done) : Will be done by user A

- Define which tests have to be done for this product by choosing them in a list of tests : Will be done by one user B later

- Start all the tests selected and give a result for each one (passed/failed, number value, ...) : Will be done by one user C later

My question was about how to select the tests required in a list of tests, store this selection somewhere in order to be able to fill the selected tests during the last phase. 

For doing that, I imagined an architecture but maybe it is not the right one at all. That's why I am asking the community