In this video, Brian Knight from Pragmatic Works demonstrates how to improve user experience in Power Apps by using modern tab controls. He focuses on simplifying forms and reducing the intimidation factor for users faced with lengthy forms containing multiple fields.
Understanding the Challenge
Brian highlights that forms with more than seven or eight fields can overwhelm users. To address this, developers can break forms into multiple sections using tabs. Tabs make the form appear cleaner and guide users through a more structured workflow, similar to a wizard experience.
Activating Modern Controls
- Modern tab controls are initially a preview feature in Power Apps but are stable and expected to move to production.
- To enable them, navigate to Settings > Upcoming Features > Modern Controls and turn on the preview feature.
- Once enabled, a new set of controls appears under Insert > Modern Control, including the tab control.
Creating Tabs
- Tabs can be created from a table, collection, or a manually defined table.
- Brian demonstrates creating a manual table with tab names such as "General Info," "Approvals," and "Attachments."
- The tab control requires defining a tab name column and optionally a default tab for initial selection.
Designing the Form Layout
- Brian uses containers to visually group the tabs and forms, giving them a distinct background.
- Shadow effects and color adjustments are possible but currently limited due to the feature’s newness.
- Each tab contains a separate form that is toggled visible based on the selected tab, using the Visible property and referencing the selected tab name.
Organizing Fields Across Tabs
- Forms are split across multiple tabs to reduce clutter.
- Each tab displays only the relevant fields, improving usability.
- Fields can be hidden or removed as needed to maintain focus on essential information.
Submitting Data
- Brian demonstrates using the Patch function to submit multiple forms simultaneously to the database.
- The Patch function allows submitting entire forms without specifying individual columns.
- For more complex data structures involving child tables, the last submitted record can be referenced and used to insert data into related tables.
- A Save button is added to handle the submission of all tabbed forms in a single action.
Best Practices and Tips
- Keep forms in New Mode to avoid accidentally editing existing records.
- Use containers wisely to prevent nesting errors and simplify layout adjustments.
- Limit each tab to a manageable number of fields (ideally less than 8–10) to keep the user experience smooth and intuitive.
- Preview features in Power Apps are generally stable, but check for updates as new design options become available.
Conclusion
By implementing modern tab controls in Power Apps, developers can significantly improve form usability. Breaking a long form into multiple tabs not only makes the application look cleaner but also reduces user intimidation and enhances the overall experience. Brian Knight’s demonstration shows step-by-step how to enable modern controls, create tabs, organize fields, and submit data efficiently.
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