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Creating an app that saves like an InfoPath Form

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Posted on by mikesmeltz

In InfoPath, the data fields are created within the form and the form can be saved to a SP document library. The user can then click on the form and depending on how the Infopath form is save (Web or Filler) the form opens with all the data present. It can even be printed out if needed.

Can a power app do the same?

I have experimented with doing such but run into the problem of where the data fields should be. It seems that power app wants an external data source.

Power apps allow you to put a dropdown input field onto a screen and i can tie it to an Excel datasource to pull data into the dropdown control. But I cannot submit the saved form (that contains controls on it) to a SP document library.

Am i missing something? Thank you

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Building Power Apps

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poweractivate 11,078 Most Valuable Professional on at

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@mikesmeltz

Check if this starting point helps:

What you can do is go to your SharePoint List, then click on Power Apps dropdown, and then, click on "Create an app"

this should generate a starter three screen app with much of the functionality you are talking about already in place!

This of course just a starting point - for your use case you might want to customize this app. You can do this anywhere from just a little bit to quite extensively. However, you may find this default three screen app might already do some of what you are asking for, and it takes only few clicks to do it. it also may help as a starting point for you to learn how to make something like this from scratch or from blank as well, in case you were asking more along those lines.

Check if it helps @mikesmeltz

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Drrickryp Super User 2024 Season 1 on at

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@mikesmeltz

Take a look at Shane Young (@Shanescows ) has a 3 part video starting with this one on how to set up a gallery so that it works like an editable data table like InfoPath. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgznk4XlPCo

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mikesmeltz 82 on at

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A SP document library does not have the link (Create an app) available. Only See all apps and Customize forms as options.
In Power apps, any data fields i create in the SP doc library do show up to choose from, however submitting them back to the library triggers an error - SPFileCollection.Add() is what it says i need. I tried that in a formula and receive error message of it being an unknow function.

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poweractivate 11,078 Most Valuable Professional on at

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@mikesmeltz

Ah so it is not SharePoint List. In this case we would have to check it further, which we cannot do at this time so we recommend if someone else from this forum knows how to do it please chime in with a possible solution. In case we check it further at a later time, please provide the screenshots of the setup and the error you get in case we check it further later, this further detail may also end up helping someone else who is checking it to assist you further.

@Drrickryp suggestion may also be helpful. We took a quick glance at the linked video and we think it may have exactly the same pitfalls as our original response in that both our response and the video(s) may be are focused on SP List not SP Doc Library, however please check in case in that YouTube link just in case the Doc Library is applicable anyway or please check if some other videos from that channel address it.

Also if you solve it later yourself, please update and let us know if you ever got a solution yourself in meantime.

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mikesmeltz 82 on at

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Attached is a screenshot of one of the InfoPath forms I created. It saves back to a SP document library (I am using an on-prem 2013 version of SP).
The user can add as many items as needed at the time they fill the form out, and all the entries are saved with the document in the document library.
This what i am hoping Power Apps is able to do, otherwise forms like this will have to go in Word or Excel.
Thank you for any assistance you can offer.

Adding More Rows ...

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