Running multiple apps on a smartphone

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Posted on by tom.garvin

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I am building a system for a client which will involve at least six major sub-systems.

We will need a mobile app for data collection purposes.

I do not think it practical to build one very large app (fat-client style) as I don't know the limits on app complexity, nor do I want to incur large memory / bandwidth on the mobile device itself.

Assuming I build a mini-app for each data collection function, many users will need to run several. I don't see any way to activate more than one PowerApp at a time when using the Android or iPad player. Multiple browser-based instances, for sure, but this is not optimal for handheld devices.

In theory I could use the Launch function, but this seems to fail when targeting the player, and spawns too many independent tabs when targeting the browser.

Ideally I'd like one master control app, and via menu selections, activate one or more "sub-routine" apps.

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Building Power Apps

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dinusc Microsoft Employee on at

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I don't think it would be practical to build multiple apps and have users switch between them.
Please note that in many cases the inactive screens will use much less resources than active screens (a recent change that is being released now enhances resource management even more).
I would recommend considering building a single app. You can quickly build a prototype (test) app with controls and many screens and test it on some target devices in order to get an idea about the final performance.

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tom.garvin 200 on at

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I think the relevant point in your response is "recent change".

I have noticed that the extreme slowdowns with complex apps seem to have dissipated. I will have to live with that.

However, for larger apps, the fact that all named elements are "global" make it difficult to scale up.

I think I will suggest a multi-part naming convention, so that, for example, my "Product_Screen" containing "Back_Button" would be "Product_Screen.Back_Button" outside of the screen, but just "Back_Button" when referenced inside the container. Yes, like locals in a standard programming language "container".

Bear in mind, we're working with complex Azure SQL DB and not simple SharePoint or Excel lists. PowerApps might not be as scalable as C#, but it sure is easier to work with and much more productive on small & medium scale apps.

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tom.garvin 200 on at

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Tried to mark your reply as Answer, got this instead, multiple times:

Authentication failed for the action you are trying to do. This failure could be due to your browser not supporting JavaScript, JavaScript not being enabled, or trying to use the action URL directly in the browser address bar instead of clicking the link on the page.

Latest Edge / Windows 10 updates not so good, eh?

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dinusc Microsoft Employee on at

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Using more descriptive names, as you suggested, will definitely help. The disambiguation operator here may also help.
WHile rendering performance should be somewhat increase in the next release, there is another application setting that should help in large applications - "Delayed Load". It is enabled by default but decided to point it out.
I'm not sure why the authentication failed for you. My guess is the issue is an expired session.

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tom.garvin 200 on at

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Update on my inability to "Accept as Solution".

It is a recurring problem on all three Power Users forums, regardless of session duration.

What I find is that if my only input is clicking the "accept" button, the error always occurs, no option for recovery, no prompt for a login (since I'm already in a live session).

However, I did notice that if I provide previous input, as simple as clicking a "thumbs up" button, then I can proceed with the "solution" button. It does not have to be the same posting.

As a frequent visitor, I can tell you this is a NEW ERROR which seems to be correlated with the recent updates to Win 10 and Edge. I know this is not the place to report that kind of trouble, just be aware that this board and its users might be affected as well. Life on the leading edge: exciting, yet never a smooth ride!

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