Power Apps in teams

[Mattw112IG]

Hi,

I'm doing more with Power Apps in teams lately.  Seems like it is very different and I'm having a lot of questions.

ok, so I want to/have added connections to Outlook and SharePoint through the app like I would normally in Power Apps but I don't see them in the app itself and it isn't acting like those are connected?

Is this by design when you use the internal tables/CDS?

It is weird though you click on SharePoint for example but unlike the regular editor it doesn't let me tell it what SP to connect to?

Thanks,

Terry

[GarethPrisk]

The Connections persist, even after they are no longer referenced by an app/Flow.

The first time you use a particular connector, a Connection will be created contextually to your user.

This connection is then able to be used (contextually to your user), in any Flow/app that utilizes the particular connector. If you run another Flow with Outlook, for example, it would use that connector.

You can remove those by clicking the ellipsis (...) and selecting Delete.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powerapps/maker/canvas-apps/add-manage-connections

If you ever prompted when running the Power App, and you know it has no connections in it, then you may have a lingering connection reference. This can be removed with specific steps.

[Mattw112IG]

Thanks,

I've created hundreds of apps in the traditional power apps builder.  But in Teams the way it is doing connections doesn't seem to work at all?  I click add data and select the other connection (SP/Outlook).. then it opens in a separate webpage where you add it.  but when I go back to the Power Apps Builder tool in Teams it doesn't appear there and when I'm writing a formula it isn't seeing that connection either?

Terry

[GarethPrisk]

Oh! I'm sorry I read your post backwards. Thought you didn't want to see them and wondered why they were still there. Long week...

You should be able to simply search for Connections like in the regular studio.

Selecting one will redirect you to a Connections page, that is specific to the environment/Dataverse for Teams backend for the Team you created the app in. You can add a connection, and/or view the ones already established in that environment/Team.

[Mattw112IG]

Yep, if you look at my first post with the screen captures you can see I've done that... but they are not showing up in the Teams Power App builder?  So even though they show up as connections I can't use them?

[GarethPrisk]

You have to explicitly select a Connector within the app to create a connection reference in the app, and then it will let you create (or pick an existing) connection.

Are you able to search/pick Outlook in the data/connection tree view from your original screenshot. That shows the absence of the Outlook connector in that app; hence it not being available for functions.

[Mattw112IG]

That is what I did... in the app and yes it does not then appear in the app... which is why I am posting here, go to data, select the connector...  but then it opens in another webpage...  also when adding SharePoint it never asked what site.

[GarethPrisk · Accepted solution]

You are correct. This seems like a bug.

I was able to get it to work, but it's a an awkward approach:

1. Click on Data area on left-nav
2. Navigate/Search for a Connector
3. Click on it (this will pop-up a window to create the connection reference)
4. Click on it, quickly over-and-over, multiple times (each time will open a new browser tab)
5. Eventually, a prompt was shown in studio indicating it would refresh when done
6. Click Done, then I was able to add that connection/any other existing connection without issue

Subsequent new connections required the same "click the connection quickly over-and-over and studio until prompt was shown" approach. Probably something isn't being correctly triggered on first click but that multiple clicks forces it.

[Mattw112IG]

So it took about a dozen tries but finally was able to add the outlook connection like you described above.

But no matter what I tried I could not add the SP, I tried maybe 20-30 times.

Finally I figured out how to open the teams built power app in the normal power apps builder website and edit it there.  From there I was able to add the SP connection, then I saved and closed.

Then I went back into the teams power apps editor and I could see the connections and use them.

Not sure why we need two power apps build programs, I really do not like the Teams one.

Thanks,

Terry

[sallyDBA]

Greetings!

we built a very simple Survey App with covid19 questions and i gave permissions to MS Teams channel and App itself within the same organization and yet... some people see my app and some people dont.

what is the issue if all users have Office365 license with PowerApps and all of us on the same network?
why some users can develop App but dont see each other Apps?! This is basic Canvas App from SharePoint list and all users have access to SharePoint and Teams and App and still dont see the App?!

Thank you so much for your support, Sally