Power Apps - Create dynamic filters with named formulas Tutorial

Unlock the power of dynamic filtering in your Power Apps with our tutorial on 'Create Dynamic Filters with Named Formulas.' Learn how to simplify your applications using named formulas for easy data management. You'll engage with practical techniques to filter stock data directly from Excel, ensuring a more professional and user-friendly experience. Don't miss out on enhancing your app's scalability and maintainability!

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Available in Microsoft365

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filtering and dynamically displaying data

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is a key feature for designing efficient professional applications.

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Thanks to name formulas,

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it becomes possible to centralize all processing logic

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to make the applications simpler,

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easier to maintain,

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and more scalable.

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In this tutorial,

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we will learn how to use a name formula

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to filter data coming from an Excel file

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and to dynamically display it based on the user's selections.

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For this exercise,

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we will work with a database dedicated to stock management.

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This database contains essential information about

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various products from a catalog.

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It is composed of several columns,

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notably the product name which indicates the commercial designation of the item.

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The category which specifies the product family to which it belongs,

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the stock which indicates the number of units available,

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and finally,

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the unit price,

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which corresponds to the sales price of each item.

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This database must be formatted as a structured table and named TBL product.

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And it is imperative to ensure that the stock and

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unit price fields are correctly set as number types.

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In Power App Studio,

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you must open your application,

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click on the data tab,

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then add a data source.

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You should choose OneDrive or any other appropriate cloud storage.

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Select your Excel file,

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and then connect the TBL product table.

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Your application will then be able to

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directly read the information contained in this table

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and use it through name formulas.

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To simplify your application's maintenance and

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centralize access to the data source,

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it is recommended to create a name formula

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that stores the reference to the table.

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To do this,

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select the app object,

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open the formula section,

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and write the following formula.

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Thus,

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all your formulas will rely on FX product,

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which will facilitate any future changes

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without having to manually modify every formula throughout the application.

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To allow the user to filter the displayed products based on availability,

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you need to insert a drop-down control and name it DRP stock filter.

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In the item's property of this control provide three options,

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all

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in stock and out of stock.

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This way,

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the user can choose to display all products,

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only those in stock,

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or only those that are out of stock.

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We will now add a name formula that

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dynamically filters the products based on the selected option

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in the dropdown menu.

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To do so,

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enter the following formula and formulas.

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This formula uses the switch function to dynamically evaluate

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the selected value in the DARPsto filter dropdown.

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If the user selects all,

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the entire product database is displayed.

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If the user chooses in stock,

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the formula applies a filter using the filter function

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to retain only the products whose stock is greater than 0.

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Finally,

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if the user selects out of stock,

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only the products with a stock exactly equal to zero

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will be displayed.

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Thanks to this approach,

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the gallery will be able to dynamically display the data

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without multiplying formulas directly within the control's properties.

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Centralizing this logic through a name formula

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significantly improves the application's readability,

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robustness,

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and maintainability.

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After preparing the filtering logic,

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you must insert a vertical gallery on your main screen.

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In the item's property of this gallery,

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simply enter the FX product filter formula.

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Then

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modify the labels inside the gallery to respectively display the product name,

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the category,

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and the stock.

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This way,

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the display will automatically adjust according to

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the filters selected by the user.

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In a professional application,

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it is necessary to allow the user to manually refresh the display data,

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especially when the source is an external Excel file.

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Indeed,

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although Power Apps synchronizes data automatically after a certain period,

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it is preferable to offer a refresh button for a better user experience.

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To do so,

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insert a button named button refresh and in its on select property,

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add the following formula.

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Thanks to this button,

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the user will be able to force the immediate

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update of the TBL product database within the application.

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