Sending Date and Time to SharePoint Column Type Date and Time

[paguirre]

New to PowerApps. I'm a high school teacher not a developer. This is my first question to this community. Thanks in advance.

I have a DateAndTime Input in a form. I have a button to insert Now() into the DateAndTime Input. However, we also want to capture entries that were collected hours earlier, even days earlier. I have validation to prevent invalid entries. I've been unsuccessful to find a way to send the data to SharePoint as Type Date and Time. I've been sending it as Single line of text,  but that is not sufficient. We cannot sort properly if it's in Type Single line of text. I've figured out how to send the Now() data using Patch() but that also isn't sufficient.

[Anonymous]

@paguirre 

If you setup your SharePoint column as Date & Time then created the Form in PowerApps the functionality should all be there for you. Is the Now() just to make things easier for users?

Can you share some code and screenshots of what you are trying to achieve?

Also, depending on how large your SP list will get (>2000 records) you may be better storing the date and time as a number? I can elaborate further if needed.

[paguirre]

Text Input: Default: If(IsBlank(DateNow1), ThisItem.DateAndTime, DateNow1)

Date and Time Button: OnSelect: UpdateContext({DateNow1: Now()})

Save Button: OnSelect: Patch(Attendance, Defaults(Attendance), {DateAndTime: Now())

All that gives me is the Date and Time at the moment I press the Save Button. It was pointless to put have the Date and Time Button. I want the Text Input field to be the Date and Time that the user wants it to be either Now() or an earlier Date and Time. We will probably have > 2000 records. We collected records in Attendance that nearly reached 8000 before we used a new SharePoint List.

There are only eight columns in the SharePoint List and two of them are generated by SharePoint. For a school getting the Date and Time as Type Date and Time is a big deal. Thanks for replying so quickly.

[paguirre]

Text Input: Default: If(IsBlank(DateNow1), ThisItem.DateAndTime, DateNow1)

Date and Time Button: OnSelect: UpdateContext({DateNow1: Now()}) & UpdateContext({varClock:false})

Save Button: OnSelect: Patch(Attendance, Defaults(Attendance), {DateAndTime: Now())

All that gives me is the Date and Time at the moment I press the Save Button. It was pointless to have the Date and Time Button. I want the Text Input field to be the Date and Time that the user wants it to be either Now() or an earlier Date and Time. We will probably have > 2000 records. We collected records in Attendance that nearly reached 8000 before we used a new SharePoint List. There are only eight columns in the SharePoint List and two of them are generated by SharePoint. For a school getting the Date and Time as Type Date and Time is a big deal.

The HintText: "M/D/YYYY H:MM ?M" is for validation. The code is correct that's just for the users to realize there's validation. It doesn't match PowerApps guidelines.

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

@paguirre 

Thanks for this, this is very helpful.

If you have validation in-place to ensure users enter data in the correct format then you can simply us the DateTimeValue() function to achieve what you want, eg

// On your Save Button
Patch(Attendance, Defaults(Attendance), {DateAndTime: DateTimeValue(DateandTime_TextInput.Text)})

// where DateandTime_TextInput is the name of your TextInput control

It maybe helpful to read the documentation related to the Date/Time functions here. 

Here is the above in action, Note: the label below the textinput is to demo what's happening in the background

You mention 'Single line of text' is that the column you are Patching to in SP? This needs to be a Date and Time column with Date and Time selected if you wish to store actual Dates with Times. Otherwise you are just storing Text. You may need to setup a new column rather than changing the one you have already.

I'd also recommend setting up another column called DateTimeNumber as a Number/Numeric column. Then adjust your Patch to this:

// adjusted Patch
Patch(Attendance, Defaults(Attendance), 
        {DateAndTime: DateTimeValue(DateandTime_TextInput.Text),
         DateTimeNumber: Value(Text(DateTimeValue(DateandTime_TextInput.Text),"yyyymmdd"))
        }
)

What this will do is add a number to SP that represents your Date. You will then be able to Filter your SP List (in PowerApps) based on this number. There is currently no way to Filter dates in SP by using > or < but this is a workaround. You can then filter by 'Date' by filtering the Number column, eg

To filter greater than or equal to 4/1/2020 you can use something like:

Filter(mySPList, DateTimeNumber >= 20200401)

You cannot do the above with a DateTime column. This filtering technique will help you with a large dataset >2000 records.

Let me know how you get on.

[paguirre]

Thank you so much. After reading your reply and going to the site you provided a link to, I came to the conclusion that in the Patch of the Save Button all I needed to change was the following.

Save Button: OnSelect: Patch(Attendance, Defaults(Attendance), {DateAndTime: DateTimeValue(Inp_DateAndTime.Text))

Now in SharePoint the DateAndTime column that is Type: Date and Time, not Text or Single line of text, records the Date and Time that was set by the Date and Time Button, or by what the user entered under the requirements of the validation. 

Yay!

Thank you very much. Stay safe and stay healthy.

[paguirre]

Something to keep in mind with the solution I ended up using. Once the user presses the Date and Time Button the variable that sets Date and Time is set to Now(). As I stated earlier the users were using the Date and Time placed by Now() as a template to satisfy the validation requirements. However, when the Save Button is pressed and the Patch runs the DateTimeValue(Inp_DateAndTime.Text) will be set to Now() not to what the user keyed in. That was frustrating. I developed a solution I do not believe is very elegant but does the job. I made it a two step process that informs the user they need to enter the earlier Date and Time without pressing the Date and Time Button. Those that want to use Now() will press the the Date and Time Button  basically twice. I used twice as a way to train them not to immediately press the Date and Time Button. As I said, it is not an elegant solution. I'm am hopeful that kind Eelman or some other worthy might share some insights. I'm at a lost how to do this efficiently and user friendly.

Thanks,

[Anonymous]

@paguirre 

I didn't comment on your flow of controls but I figured you may run into some issues. My suggestion would be to add a DatePicker and Dropdowns for Hrs & Mins like in this post https://powerusers.microsoft.com/t5/Building-Power-Apps/Is-there-a-TIME-PICKER/td-p/65252.

You would remove the TextInput field and add the DatePicker to that part of you app and put the Hrs & Min Dropdowns beside it.

This will take up a little more real estate in your app but will be well worth it. This setup will make validation of the data going to SP so much easier - or you can try to write some regular expression to validate your TextInput?

I would then remove the 'Set Date Time to Now()' button and just do a check inside your Patch, ie

Patch(..., {DateandTime: If( IsBlank(DatePickerDate1.SelectedDate), Now(),
            // this part is from the post link
            DatePickerDate1.SelectedDate + Time( Value(DropdownHour.Selected.Value),
            Value(DropdownMinute.Selected.Value), 0)
           }

What this is doing is checking if the DatePicker is Blank(), if it is then use Now() as the DateTime if not then use the selected DateTimes. 

I would also add Reset() functions to the OnVisible property of your screen and possibly give the users options to Reset when they want with a 'X' icon. Code for both of these would be:

Reset(DatePickerDate1); Reset(DropdownHour); Reset(DropdownMinute)

For the DatePicker, and the 2 Dropdowns also do the following:

- Set the 'AllowEmptySelection' Property = true, and

- Clear the 'DefaultDate' and 'Default' Properties, ie leave them blank

That should do it, I think.

Let me know if you get stuck on any of the above and I'll help out.