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Add data to a SharePoint column without removing data just keep adding

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Posted on by Community Power Pla... Microsoft Employee

Hello -

I have a SharePoint list with a column titled "Comments" where users can add new and updated comments. I would like to allow the user to update that column by being able to see the existing data and add a new comment without deleting the previous/saved comment.

I have a Canvas App connected to this list serving as the UI for the users to add/edit records.

Here are two solutions I'm looking at:

First option:

Allow the users to edit the record by simply adding new a line then add the comments following the previous comment. My concern is if the user fat-fingers and deletes the previous comment.

Second option:

Create a new column, called updated comments. Only expose this field in the Canvas App when the user chooses to edit the record. When they hit save or submit I will instruct the app to save the data by adding to the comments column along with the previous data.

Is this possible?

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Building Power Apps

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BCLS776 8,994 Moderator on at

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If you're going with the model of adding comments, you'll need to change the Update property on the card to concatenate the existing comments with whatever new comments are typed in. It would look something like:

ThisItem.Comments & Char(10) & // this inserts a newline character inpUserComment.Text // this is the control/property reference for the newest comment

Now, here's the tricky part: columns have length limits. A short text column for a SharePoint List holds 255 characters. A multiple lines of text column can hold more, but users are good at exceeding limits. Plan ahead for how you intend to handle that.

Hope that helps,

Bryan
Community Power Pla... Microsoft Employee on at

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Hello -
Thank you for your prompt and thorough reply, very helpful. I was able to put a solution together by adding two Rich Text fields inside a data card. One for when the user is entering new comment and another that shows a thread of those comments below in the other rich text field. Works out great. I would share a screenshot but it's on my company laptop.