Help with building a request calendar using sharepoint

[UC3378]

Hi,

I am trying to build a "request a car calendar" app using canvas and after some review I thought it was best to connect to a sharepoint calendar, that way I wouldn't need to store or pull any old data.  Additionally I have seen some of the calendar apps suggested online on powerapps that does not offer calendars that show multiple events on each square (day).   I am trying to gauge the community to see if I am going this the right way.  So we will have multiple cars that can be booked at any given time.  And the user would need to go in the app to first see if the car is available for that date, then book it if it is available, or change the date if necessary. 

Since sharepoint has calendars, would it just be simpler for users to access the sharepoint calendar instead?  However, it would require an admin to approve/deny.  Unless there is some auto logic that can be built into a sharepoint calendar?  In that sense, would it be a good idea to have the powerapp do the logic while connecting to sharepoint?  Thank You.    

[UC3378]

@Anonymous ,

Yes that makes sense.  I'm not sure if it's just me, but I find the powerapps community and documentation very limiting.  Not a whole ton of examples to look at.  I'm going to start using the outlook calendar for the time being, but would like to move onto SP.   Did you create your own SP calendar or did you have your admin create it for you?  If so, what is this "list" that I keep reading that PA requires to connect to it?  Is this something I have to ask my admin for?  

Also, going back to outlook for a sec, I see examples to only get all calendars through a dropdown control.  How would one just connect to one calendar only?  If you have reference websites would you mind sharing them?  Thank You

[Anonymous]

@UC3378 

The calendar I connected to already existed so yes, an admin had created it. If you have permission though you can create your own, checkout this video (it's a little old but still very helpful)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1rsyyYiI4sU

The "list" is your data source ie a SharePoint list in this case. Calendars use a list to hold the calendar events but display the list data as a calendar. Once again, if you have permission to create your own calendar you'll have permissions to create lists as well.

I mentioned previously that creating a gallery inside of another gallery sounded difficult, well I did it yesterday for the first time! It took a little messing about with the GroupBy function but I got it working. If you really want the calendar look in your app then this is something you will also have to create so you can display multiple events for one day.

Re finding what you need in PowerApps I find Google is my best friend ie "PowerApps [... my question here ...]". There are many great YouTube authors but I found Shane Young was really good when I was starting out.

Hope this helps

[UC3378]

@Anonymous ,

Thanks for the link. I checked it out and it helped me out greatly.  My initial issue was it could not find my SP calendar.  It finds the lists in SP but for some reason the calendars are of type 'event list' and not 'list'.  I simply had to just manually type in the calendar name and I was able to connect from powerapps.  

Here is another youtube video I found which someone converted from a outlook calendar to connect to a sharepoint calendar:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CI5q-o-R-s&list=WL&index=3&t=313s

This one shows the whole calendar, and it also has indicators of events in a particular date.  You'd just have to click on the date to show the event in the gallery.  I have yet to try out the gallery within a gallery as you have suggested.  That I think would be really neat and is more efficient in showing the events and calendar at once.  I will look up the GroupBy function as you have suggested. But can you show me a screenshot of the gallery within a gallery that you created?  I just wanted to make sure that is what I was picturing in my head.  Thanks.

[rebeccas]

I noticed this is already marked as resolved but I use the calendar feature in powerapps that pulls data from a sharepoint list on several of my apps. I did a quick video (been probably 6 mo ago but I think it still works the same) on how to do this if you want to check it out when you have time. Videos are not really my thing but you will get the idea:

https://youtu.be/3CI5q-o-R-s

[UC3378]

@rebeccas ,

Thanks for your reply.  I saw several of your videos prior to your response, so I am very thankful for your videos, it certainly got me going.  A couple of questions: 

Since the calendar is in sharepoint, and i believe you can set up the calendar to allow users to create events for booking rooms, meetings etc, I was wondering what would be the point in setting this up in powerapps?  I am trying to create a booking app as well and I was asking myself this.  I believe you can set up flows in sharepoint as well so if someone puts in a request, it can set up to be approved/denied.  My only answer is it might be easier to set up flow in powerapps?  Just curious in case i get asked this internally.  

I saw some of other videos and  you mention you've been in PA for a year and half.  The way you were customizing the calendar app, you looked like a pro.  What go to sources you found online that helped you with progressing in PA to this point you would say?  

Thanks

[rebeccas]

Thanks..I wish I had time to do more videos because I like doing them. I explain a little better there than I can here. I am going to work on that more this year.

I try not to duplicate actions. If you have a place and a way to do something already then I don't personally think an app for it is needed. I have used the calendar view for things that are not done in Outlook. I have one that is used for scheduling of employees. We have a "Test Booth" for equipment where they only have room for maybe three units max in there and we try not to put anything there if there is not a person to work on it so I have an app that schedules "spots" in the booth that is not easily done in Outlook and it has a calendar view. I also have some that look to SQL and/or SharePoint list for their information. Stuff like a units Estimated Completion Date. That is not something we would put in Outlook but need to view that date and they like the calendar view so if something is past the date and does not have a certain status is easily spotted. I don't know if this information helps. Basically I find lots of uses for the calendar view but I don't personally try and use it to replace Outlook...I use it for stuff that cannot be easily done in Outlook or that we don't want there for whatever reason.

My main sources of information is probably YouTube and here in the community. I have watched a ton of videos and still do when I am thinking through ideas. I keep a "Test App" and even when I see something I think could be useful but I don't need right now I create it in the Test one to refer back to later. Plus I am naturally curious so I try to push the limits wherever I can...lol. I did have previous background in Access which has helped me in regards to thinking through data set-up when creating an app. Data set-up is boring and tedious but 100% one of the most important aspects of creating an app to me. 

Best of luck! Just keep going...lot's of cool things that can be done in PowerApps and Flow!

[UC3378]

@rebeccas ,

Thanks I understand your point.  All your use cases makes sense for developing it out of SP.  I guess in my case for booking a company car, It can all be done within sharepoint, But i think the plus side of PA is that you can book something when you are even out of the office environment.   I'll be sure to suscribe to your channel and looking forward to more of your videos. 

[Anonymous]

@UC3378 

I've attached a pic below of the gallery inside a gallery.

Some context for my data:

- our users make a number of meals/day and record the temps of each

- for a particular site (CampName) users like to see ALL meals for a particular date.

- a record in my data set is 1 meal with relevant temps

- GroupBy is used to collect together meals & temps for each date

** Gallery inside gallery on LHS; I've shown a snip of my SP List to the right of this; Behind the SP List image is a basic form to enter data

Code to build collections for gallery 1 & 2:

// collects latest Meals for LoggedIn Camp, Sorts by date Desc
ClearCollect(colDeliveredMeals,Sort(Filter(DeliveredMeals,CampName=varLoggedInCamp),DateDel,Descending));

// Groups above collection by DateDel, column 'DelMeal Dates' holds the table of the grouped data for Gallery2
ClearCollect(colDelMealGroup,GroupBy(colDeliveredMeals,"DateDel","DelMeal Dates"))

Gallery 1 Items: SortByColumns(colDelMealGroup,"DateDel",Descending)

Gallery 2 Items: Filter('DelMeal Dates',DateDel=ThisItem.DateDel)

For your Calendar view you could just hide the value and make the gallery 2 fill the entire space to make it look like a calendar box/field, if that makes sense.

[UC3378]

@Anonymous ,

Thanks.  I will dissect this and get back to you.  My first thought was that It was going to show an actual calendar, and each square (day) would list another gallery of events for that day.  But I didnt have time to touch on it today but I will tomorrow.  Thanks.

[Anonymous]

@UC3378 

To make a gallery look like a calendar you can use the wrap count, a bit like the video link I posted above (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rsyyYiI4sU&app=desktop). You could also change the look by adding padding as shown in this video.

I guess, all the bit and pieces are here in this thread, you just have to pull them together how you want it to look 🙂