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Power Apps - Building Power Apps
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Rich Text editor grayed out even though "DisplayMode" = edit

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Posted on by 367

I built a Power App to be an all-in-one K-12 Physical Therapy documentation app. It's pretty spiffy.

jzcase_1-1645223946648.png

Now if you look at that red circled part, that's a Rich Text editor that absolutely refuses to let me use it. Every time I open app as a user, it's always grayed out (as if it were "Disabled"). However, I guarantee it has every reason to be "Edit".

 

Here's the details:

  • It resides inside of a card in a layout control:
    jzcase_2-1645224135917.png
  • It's "DisplayMode" settings are: "Edit"
  • The Card itself has a complex "DisplayMode" with a lot of conditionals, but I have tested and they all resolve to "True" and "Edit"
  • When I create another simple Text Input control inside the same card, it works.
  • When I create another Rich Text Input in the same card, it also does NOT work. There is something about rich text inputs inside this particular Card
  • I have another Rich Text input sitting in the card right below it ("Objective Notes Free Write") that has no problems at all, even though it's basically in the exact same situation.

Has anyone else experienced rogue Rich Text inputs going "disabled" for no reason?

  • Suggested answer
    LittleFjord Profile Picture
    11 on at
    Rich Text editor grayed out even though "DisplayMode" = edit
    Our users encountered this issue as well.
     
    We confirmed the Rich Text Editor's (RTE) Display Mode was in Edit with a text label - "Rich Text Editor DisplayMode: " & Relevant_RichTextEditor.DisplayMode. The label would show the RTE was in edit Display Mode, but the RTE control was disabled for users. To note, the control was editable from the Preview mode in the developer interface, so it had to be tested in the published app.
     
    We tested multiple variants.
     
    Updating the RTE's Display Mode from Parent.DisplayMode to either Relevant_DataCard.DisplayMode or Form1.DisplayMode did not work for us. However, this solution worked for JohnAla and OliverR-82 and is worth a shot.
     
    Our original RTE was housed in a container inside the DataCard. What ended up fixing it was deleting the RTE control and recreating it in the DataCard, but not in a container.
  • OliverR-82 Profile Picture
    615 on at
    Re: Rich Text editor grayed out even though "DisplayMode" = edit

    We bumped into the exact same problem with an app today. Looks like this is indeed a bug with PowerApps.

     

    Thanks @JohnAla , that did the trick. Such a simple workaround for this problem but I did not think to try it.

  • JohnAla Profile Picture
    15 on at
    Re: Rich Text editor grayed out even though "DisplayMode" = edit

    I'm sure by now you have worked around this issue. I had the exact same problem as you and I solved it by copying the DisplayMode formula for the card to the DisplayMode for the rich text control. So, the card and the control have the same formula for determining "edit" or "display".

    I could not get the control to respect Parent.DisplayMode. I thought of setting a variable somewhere but couldn't find a good spot for that so went with the duplicate formula.

  • WarrenBelz Profile Picture
    148,803 Most Valuable Professional on at
    Re: Rich Text editor grayed out even though "DisplayMode" = edit

    @jzcase ,

    Clearly it should not do this and I cannot replicate it here.  I suggest you lodge a Support Ticket with Microsoft

     

    Please click Accept as solution if my post helped you solve your issue. This will help others find it more readily. It also closes the item. If the content was useful in other ways, please consider giving it Thumbs Up.

    Visit my blog Practical Power Apps

  • jzimmermancase Profile Picture
    367 on at
    Re: Rich Text editor grayed out even though "DisplayMode" = edit

    Yep. 

    jzcase_0-1645286406487.png

     

    I will also add a strange behavior: See how the rich text editor is grayed out in the screenshot above?

    When I preview in Power Apps studio, the problem goes away and it works fine.

    jzcase_1-1645286523889.png

     

    That doesn't help for the published app though.

     

  • WarrenBelz Profile Picture
    148,803 Most Valuable Professional on at
    Re: Rich Text editor grayed out even though "DisplayMode" = edit

    Hi @jzcase ,

    There is nothing special about that control. Put a label in the card with 

    Parent.DisplayMode

    and see if it displays edit

     

    Please click Accept as solution if my post helped you solve your issue. This will help others find it more readily. It also closes the item. If the content was useful in other ways, please consider giving it Thumbs Up.

    Visit my blog Practical Power Apps

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