Create A Record Without A Form In Power Apps Using PATCH

In Power Apps, forms are great to use to submit data to be recorded in your data source.  They do not take long to set up and the functions used to submit the data are fairly simple.  This simplicity, however, can come at a cost.  The cost of using a form is you don’t have a lot of design control in terms of layout and design.  If you don’t like the rigid structure of forms and want more freedom, then I’ve got the fix for you.  You need to become acquainted with the Patch function.

The Patch function allows you to update or create a new record in your data source.  The Patch function requires you to identify your data source, decide if you want to update or create a record, and then point to your controls on the app that contains the data you are submitting.  The coding is a little more involved compared to SubmitForm(FormName) that you use on forms.  The payoff, though, for learning a little more advanced code is you get complete design freedom for your data input controls.

Check out this video, for a simple walkthrough of how to use the Patch function and break free from the chains of rigid forms.

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