In this video, we’ll embark on a journey to create a comprehensive search experience within a canvas PowerApp, utilizing SharePoint as our data source. The challenge lies in accommodating various column types, including single line text, choice, lookup, and even user profiles, while ensuring optimal performance.
To achieve this, we’ll employ a combination of techniques, starting with leveraging SharePoint’s search functionality for text-based columns. Unfortunately, this approach falls short when working with other column types.
Fear not, as we have an ace up our sleeve: using variables to store search criteria before applying them as filters to our data. This strategy circumvents SharePoint’s delegation limitations, allowing our search to span across all relevant columns.
Let’s illustrate this concept with a specific example. For our choice column, we’ll use the “StartsWith” function to check if the column value begins with the user’s search text. Similarly, we’ll employ lookup functions to search within other columns, such as our lookup and user profile columns.
To bring our search vision to life, we’ll establish a variable upon button click, storing either an empty string if no search text is entered or the filtered result for our choice column. With this variable in place, we can dynamically update our gallery’s Items property, ensuring the display reflects the user’s search criteria.
Finally, we’ll add a finishing touch to our search experience: an automatic reset of search filters when the search text is cleared, providing a seamless user interface.
Join me as we dive into the intricacies of this search implementation, empowering you with the knowledge to build sophisticated search experiences within your own PowerApps.