There’s a considerable amount of ground to cover when it comes to configuring pages, forms, and navigation within the Microsoft Power Platform context in preparation for the PL-200 exam.
Configuring Pages
As you interact with Microsoft Power Platform, you’ll find that the App Designer is your friend when it comes to configuring pages. These pages reflect the components you create, and insights are exhibited on elements termed as controls. For instance, a page could display data from a form through a label control or a chart control.
Modifying a Form
Access the App designer via Solutions -> yourAppName -> App Designer. Choose the form you wish to modify. Simply drag and drop fields to the form from the Field Explorer available on the right-hand side. Further, you can split your form into multiple sections or tabs for better organization of fields. Once you are satisfied with the changes, do not forget to save and publish your updates.
Configuring Forms
Forms are used to allow users to interact with data by entering or updating records. When you configure a form, you dictate the arrangement of fields, sections, and tabs that users will visualize and navigate as they work within it.
Methods to Configure Forms:
- Use the default form: Modify default entity forms presented by Power Platform
- Create a new form from scratch: Accessible through ‘New form’ button in the form’s control center
- Clone an existing form: The ‘Save As’ command allows you to make a copy of the form
Form designs can be optimized by determining the form type – ‘Main’, ‘Quick Create’, or ‘Quick View’, key factors to consider while designing a form. You can even add business rules and scripts for client-side logic. Remember, updates in form configuration need to be published before it’s reflected on the front-end UI.
Configuring Navigation
The Site Map Designer is the tool used for navigation configuration in Power Platform. Here, you can specify the visual structure of the app navigation using Areas, Groups, and Subareas.
- Areas refer to the highest level of navigation, usually evident as the leftmost tabs in the navigation bar. For instance, the ‘Sales’ or ‘Service’ tabs.
- Groups exist within Areas. These provide structure to a list of Subareas. For instance, a ‘Customers’ group inside the ‘Sales’ area.
- Subareas inside a Group refer to an actual entity, like an Accounts subarea inside the ‘Customers’ group.
To configure navigation using the Site Map Designer, access it via Settings -> Customizations -> Customize the System -> Client Extensions -> Site Map. Use Drag & Drop functionality to structure the sitemap based on your requirements, add icons for enhanced visuals, determine the titles and descriptions, and set the URL if you want to link to a webpage. Remember to save and publish the changes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, configuring pages, forms, and navigation in the Microsoft Power Platform can be an engaging process requiring an understanding of the data, how your users interact with the system, and their expectations. Always test your changes with a subset of users to get their feedback before pushing the changes to every user in your organization. With diligent practice and focus, you can efficiently configure your Power Platform application to meet your business requirements.
Practice Test
True or False: The Site Map Designer can be used to customize an app’s global navigation system on Power Platform.
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: The Site Map Designer is a drag-and-drop tool used to customize an app’s navigation.
In Microsoft Power Platform, you MUST use the custom controls framework to create a form.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: The custom controls framework allows developers to create custom controls, but it’s not required to create a form.
Multiple Select: Which of the following can be configured in a Power Platform form?
- Fields
- Tabs
- Views
- Associations
Answer: Fields, Tabs.
Explanation: In a Power Platform form, you can configure both fields and tabs. Views and associations are configured separately.
Single Select: Which tool is used to modify or create new views in Power Platform?
- Canvas App Designer
- Model-Driven App Designer
- View Designer
- Dashboard Designer
Answer: View Designer.
Explanation: The View Designer is used for modifying and creating new views in Power Platform.
True or False: In Microsoft Power Platform, a view is a grid that displays records of a specific entity type.
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: A view in Power Platform functions to show records of a specified entity.
True or False: You can create multiple forms for a single entity in Power Platform.
- True
- False
Answer: True.
Explanation: Power Platform allows users to create multiple forms for a single entity to accommodate different business needs.
Multiple Select: Which of the following can be added to the sitemap in Power Platform?
- Entities
- Dashboards
- Canvas Apps
- All of the above
Answer: All of the above.
Explanation: The sitemap in Power Platform can include entities, dashboards, and canvas apps.
True or False: In Microsoft Power Platform, you cannot control the visibility of tabs and sections based on form type or user roles.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: You can control the visibility of tabs and sections based on form type or user roles using script or business rules.
Single Select: Which of the following types of forms in Power Platform allows users to add custom controls?
- Main Form
- Quick Create Form
- Quick View Form
Answer: Main Form.
Explanation: Main forms are the only type out of these options that allow custom controls to be added.
True or False: In Power Platform, navigation links can only be added to the footer of a form.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: Navigation links can be added to both the header and footer of a form in Power Platform.
Multiple Select: When creating a new entity in Power Platform, which two forms are automatically created?
- Quick Create form
- Main form
- View form
- Card form
Answer: Quick Create form, Main form.
Explanation: When you create a new entity in Power Platform, system automatically creates a Main form and a Quick Create form.
Single Select: Which of these is a valid image file type to be uploaded as the logo of a Power Platform app?
- .jpg
- .gif
- .png
- .bmp
Answer: .png
Explanation: Only .png type images are supported for the app’s logo.
True or False: The sitemap cannot be downloaded and edited using an XML editor outside Power Platform.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: The sitemap can be downloaded and edited with an XML editor, which provides more flexibility.
Single Select: Which type of forms are not available in UCI (Unified Interface)?
- Card Form
- Main Form
- Quick View Form
- All are available
Answer: Card Form.
Explanation: Card Forms cannot be used with the Unified Interface. Other form types like Main Form and Quick View Form are supported.
True or False: A sub-grid on a form can display records from multiple entities.
- True
- False
Answer: False.
Explanation: A sub-grid on a form in Power Platform can only display records from a single entity.
Interview Questions
How can you configure the main form in PowerApps?
In PowerApps, you can configure the main form by selecting the entity and then select “Forms”. Then select the Main form and add, remove or edit the fields as per requirement.
What are the different types of form available in Dynamic 365?
There are several types of forms available in Microsoft Dynamics 365 including Main, Quick Create, Quick View, Card, and Entity Forms.
What is the purpose of a quick view form in Microsoft Dynamics 365?
Quick view forms are used to view form data such as entity data or related records on a form. They provide summarized details of a record in another entity.
What is a Site Map in Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Apps?
A Site Map is a component of Dynamics 365 and Power Apps that allows you to customize and configure the navigation of an app by defining areas, groups, and subareas.
How can you customize a Site Map in Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Apps?
You can customize a Site Map using the Power Apps site map designer. With the site map designer, you can add, edit, or delete areas, groups, subareas, and components.
What role do business rules play in form configuration in Power Apps?
Business rules in Power Apps allow you to apply form logic without the need for code. They can be used to set field values, show or hide fields, enable or disable fields, validate data and show error messages.
What is the purpose of the navigation pane in PowerApps?
The navigation pane in PowerApps helps in moving between various components of the App. It provides a hierarchical view of tables, views, forms, charts, dashboards, business process flows, and other components.
Where are the global and entity forms located in Power Apps?
Global and entity forms are located in the ‘Data’ section under ‘Tables’ in Power Apps.
How can users create a new navigation for their application in Power Apps?
Users can create new navigation for their application through the application designer. They can adjust the sitemap in the designer by dragging and dropping new areas, groups, and sub-areas onto the canvas.
What is page template in Power Apps?
A page template is a reusable design template used to create new pages more quickly. It can include predefined layouts and controls.
How does a card form differ from a main form in Dynamics 365?
A card form provides a way to display, view or edit fields from a reference panel and can be part of a main form. While a main form is used to display detailed entity records and can be customized with multiple tabs, sections, and fields.
How can you add an entity to the app navigation in Power Apps?
You can add an entity to the app navigation by editing the site map in Power Apps. In the site map designer, drag and drop the entity from the Components panel to the desired navigation area.
What are customized forms in Power Apps?
Customized forms in Power Apps are forms tailored to meet specific business requirements. They can have additional or fewer fields, sections, sub-grids, web resources, and iFrames than out-of-the-box forms.
What is the role of controlled navigation in Microsoft Power Platform?
Controlled navigation in Microsoft Power Platform enables configuring access to parts of the application UI based on user security roles. It helps in customization of navigation options that show up for users based on their roles.
How is a quick create form different from a usual form in Power Apps?
A quick create form in Power Apps is a streamlined form for entering data quickly, commonly used for associate entity records. It has fewer fields than a full form and can be accessed from anywhere in the application via a ‘+’ symbol.
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