Form Builder

Build Power Apps forms visually and get generated YAML plus Patch formulas. No more manually creating dozens of input controls.

What is the Form Builder?

The Form Builder is a visual tool that lets you design forms by adding fields, then generates:

1. YAML code for all the form controls
2. Patch formula to save the data
3. Reset formula to clear the form

Instead of dragging 10 text inputs onto a screen and configuring each one, you define your fields once and copy the generated code.

Two Builder Types

Quick Form Builder

Single-page forms for straightforward data collection.

Best for:

• Contact forms
• Simple data entry
• Quick submissions

Features:

• Add fields with drag-and-drop
• Preview form layout
• Generate YAML + Patch formula
• Configure data source name

Multi-Step Form Builder

Wizard-style forms with multiple sections that guide users through a process.

Best for:

• Onboarding flows
• Complex applications
• Long forms split into digestible steps

Features:

• Multiple sections/steps
• Progress indicators
• Section headers
• Collapsible completed sections
• Edit previous sections

Getting Started

1. Go to Form Builder

Navigate to Form Builder and choose Quick Form or Multi-Step.

2. Add Fields

Click "Add Field" and choose from:

3. Configure Each Field

For each field, set:

• Label - What users see ("Email Address")
• Variable - The control name in Power Apps (txtEmail)
• Required - Show asterisk indicator
• Options - For dropdowns, the list of choices

4. Set Form Settings

In the Settings tab:

• Form Title - Heading displayed above the form
• Data Source - SharePoint list or Dataverse table name
• Columns - Layout (1 or 2 columns)

5. Copy Generated Code

Switch to the "Generated Code" tab and you'll see:

YAML Tab - The visual form controls

FormContainer:
  Control: Container
  Children:
    - txtTitle:
        Control: TextInput
        Properties:
          Default: ""
          ...

Patch Tab - Save formula

Patch(
    YourDataSource,
    Defaults(YourDataSource),
    {
        Title: txtTitle.Text,
        Status: drpStatus.Selected.Value,
        DueDate: datDueDate.SelectedDate
    }
)

Reset Tab - Clear form formula

Reset(txtTitle);
Reset(drpStatus);
Reset(datDueDate);

Multi-Step Form Builder

For wizard-style forms with sections:

Creating Sections

1. Click "Add Section"
2. Give it a name ("Personal Info", "Company Details")
3. Add fields to that section
4. Repeat for additional sections

Section Behavior

• Users see one section at a time
• Progress bar shows completion
• Completed sections collapse and show a summary
• Users can click "Edit" to go back

Generated Output

Multi-step forms generate:

• YAML - All sections and fields
• OnStart - Variables for state management
• Patch - Combined save formula
• Reset - Clear all sections
• Variables Reference - Documentation of what each variable does

Using Generated Code

Step 1: Paste YAML

Copy the YAML and paste into Power Apps (right-click → Paste code in Tree view).

Step 2: Add OnStart (Multi-Step only)

Copy the OnStart code to your App.OnStart property.

Step 3: Add Submit Button

Create a button and set OnSelect to the Patch formula:

// For Quick Form
Patch(
    SharePointList,
    Defaults(SharePointList),
    {
        Title: txtTitle.Text,
        Status: drpStatus.Selected.Value
    }
);
Notify("Saved!", NotificationType.Success)

Step 4: Add Reset (Optional)

Add a "Clear" button with the Reset formula.

Field Types Reference

Text Field

Standard single-line text input.

// Access value
txtFieldName.Text

Text Area

Multi-line text for longer content.

// Access value
txtDescription.Text

Number

Numeric input with optional validation.

// Access value
Value(numQuantity.Text)

Dropdown

Selection from predefined options.

// Access selected value
drpStatus.Selected.Value

Date

Date picker control.

// Access selected date
datDueDate.SelectedDate

Toggle

On/Off switch for boolean values.

// Access value (true/false)
tglActive.Value

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Use prefixes for clarity:

• txt - Text inputs
• drp - Dropdowns
• dat - Date pickers
• num - Number inputs
• tgl - Toggles

Validation

Add validation before Patch:

If(
    IsBlank(txtTitle.Text),
    Notify("Title is required", NotificationType.Error),
    Patch(...)
)

Error Handling

Wrap Patch in error handling:

If(
    !IsError(Patch(DataSource, Defaults(DataSource), {...})),
    Notify("Saved!", NotificationType.Success),
    Notify("Error saving", NotificationType.Error)
)

Form Reset After Save

Clear the form after successful submission:

Patch(...);
Reset(txtTitle);
Reset(drpStatus);
// ... reset all fields

Common Use Cases

Contact Form

• Name (text)
• Email (text)
• Message (text area)
• Submit button with Patch to SharePoint

Employee Onboarding (Multi-Step)

• Section 1: Personal Info
• Section 2: Emergency Contact
• Section 3: Equipment Requests
• Section 4: Document Upload

Support Ticket

• Title (text)
• Category (dropdown)
• Priority (dropdown)
• Description (text area)
• Due Date (date)

Troubleshooting

Form not appearing

Make sure you pasted the YAML correctly. The form should be inside a container.

Patch formula errors

Check that your Data Source name exactly matches your SharePoint list or Dataverse table name.

Fields not resetting

Make sure you're using Reset() on the correct control names.

Multi-step navigation broken

For multi-step forms, make sure you added the OnStart code and ran it (right-click App → Run OnStart).