Power Apps: Ideas Feature For Canvas Apps No Formulas Required

In this Pragmatic Works training video, Matt Peterson introduces viewers to the Ideas feature in the Power Apps Canvas App design studio. He explains how this built-in capability helps users create formulas by using natural language instead of manually writing Power Apps expressions. For both beginners and experienced app builders, this feature can save time and make application design much more approachable.

Matt Peterson begins by explaining that the Ideas feature is part of Microsoft’s push toward a low-code to no-code experience. Instead of memorizing syntax or building formulas from scratch, users can describe what they want to happen in plain language. Power Apps then suggests the proper formula based on that request. This makes the feature especially useful for people who are new to Canvas apps and still learning the Power Fx formula language.

Why the Ideas Feature Matters

Matt highlights that the Ideas feature is not only helpful for beginners. Even experienced users can benefit from it because it can speed up common tasks and reduce manual effort. Rather than writing every formula from scratch, users can rely on Ideas to generate the expression and then review it. This also creates an opportunity to learn by example, since users can see how Power Apps translates natural language into actual formulas.

The value of this feature can be summarized in a few key ways:

• Supports beginners who do not yet know the Power Apps formula language.
• Saves time for experienced makers who want to build faster.
• Teaches formula structure by showing the generated expression.
• Simplifies data presentation without requiring advanced coding skills.

Sorting a Gallery with Natural Language

To demonstrate the feature, Matt uses a teacher tenure application. In this sample app, teachers can log achievements that allow them to accumulate points. The gallery in the app displays records from a tenure achievement log table, including the date submitted, the achievement type, the number of points earned, and the teacher associated with the achievement.

Matt first selects the gallery and opens the Ideas panel in the properties section. From there, Power Apps asks how the table or gallery should be sorted, filtered, or searched. He gives a simple instruction to sort the records by the achievement submission date. Power Apps immediately generates a possible solution. When he refines the request by specifying “newest first,” the Ideas feature correctly interprets that as descending order and creates the matching sort formula.

This example shows how easy it is to:

1. Select a control such as a gallery.
2. Open the Ideas panel.
3. Describe the desired result in natural language.
4. Review the generated expression.
5. Apply the formula directly to the app.

Matt notes that while he could have written the sorting expression himself, using Ideas made the process much quicker and more efficient.

Formatting Dates Without Writing Formulas

Next, Matt shows how the Ideas feature can improve the display of dates. In his gallery, the date field includes both the date and time, but he wants it displayed in a cleaner text format. Instead of manually building a text formatting function, he enters an example of how he wants the date to look, such as an abbreviated month followed by the day and year.

Power Apps analyzes that example and returns a formula using the Text function with the correct format string. Once applied, the gallery immediately reflects the new date display. This demonstrates that the Ideas feature is not limited to sorting or filtering. It can also be used to transform how data is presented to users in a more polished and readable way.

Training with Examples for Custom Output

Matt then moves on to one of the most practical parts of the demonstration: Train with examples. He selects a field showing the number of points earned, such as 75, and decides he wants that value displayed as “75.0 points earned.” Instead of trying to explain the transformation through natural language alone, he uses the training area to provide multiple examples of the desired output.

By entering several sample values, Power Apps identifies the pattern and generates a formula that reformats the original numbers into the new text output. Matt compares this to the “Column from Examples” feature in Power Query, where users provide examples and let the tool infer the transformation logic.

This part of the video shows how Train with examples can help with:

• Adding text labels to numeric values
• Controlling decimal formatting
• Transforming raw values into user-friendly output
• Reducing guesswork when natural language alone is not enough

Final Takeaway

Matt Peterson closes the video by emphasizing how useful the Ideas feature already is and notes that it continues to improve as Microsoft releases updates. His overall message is clear: Power Apps users should take advantage of this feature whether they are just getting started or already comfortable building Canvas apps. It offers a faster way to create formulas, format data, and explore how Power Apps expressions work behind the scenes.

For viewers looking to build apps more efficiently, this Pragmatic Works lesson provides a practical introduction to one of the most helpful productivity features in the Power Apps design experience.

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