Variable Prefix Customization

Customize the naming conventions used in generated YAML code. Match your team's standards automatically.

What is This?

Every Power Apps control needs a unique name. PowerLibs generates names like lblTitle, btnSubmit, conSidebar with consistent prefixes. The Variable Prefix feature lets Ultra, Team and Lifetime accounts change these prefixes to match their own conventions.

Default prefixes:

lbl for Labels
btn for Buttons
con for Containers
ico for Icons
img for Images
gal for Galleries
txt for Inputs (text boxes)
var for local variables
gbl for global variables

Your custom prefixes might be:

_lbl, _btn, _con (underscore style)
label_, button_, container_ (descriptive)

Why Use Custom Prefixes?

Team Standards

Most development teams have naming conventions. If your team uses _ prefixes or Hungarian notation, you can match that.

Consistency

When everyone on the team uses the same prefixes, code reviews are easier and components work better together.

Personal Preference

Some people prefer txtName while others like input_Name. Now you can choose.

How to Set Up

1. Open Settings

Open your account menu in the header and click Settings.

2. Find Variable Naming Section

Scroll to the "Variable Naming" section in the settings panel.

3. Customize Prefixes

You'll see input fields for each prefix type:

Type	Default	Example Control Name
Label	`lbl`	lblTitle
Button	`btn`	btnSubmit
Container	`con`	conSidebar
Icon	`ico`	icoMenu
Image	`img`	imgLogo
Gallery	`gal`	galItems
Input	`txt`	txtName
Variable	`var`	varSelected
Global	`gbl`	gblDarkMode

4. Save Changes

Click "Save Changes" and the page will reload. All future YAML generations will use your custom prefixes.

A blank field falls back to the default prefix. To shorten names, use a short prefix rather than none.

Examples

Underscore Style

Set all prefixes to include an underscore:

Label: _lbl
Button: _btn

Result: _lblTitle, _btnSubmit

Descriptive Style

Use full words:

Label: label_
Button: button_
Container: container_

Result: label_Title, button_Submit, container_Sidebar

Common Team Standards

Different organizations use different conventions:

Microsoft Standard:

lbl, btn, txt, gal, con

Underscore Hungarian:

_lbl, _btn, _txt

Snake Case:

lbl_, btn_, txt_

Important Notes

Applies to New Generations Only

Changing prefixes affects future YAML generations. Already-generated code keeps its original names.

All Components Use Your Prefixes

Once set, every component in PowerLibs uses your custom prefixes. You don't need to configure per-component.

Stored With Your Account

Prefix settings sync across devices. Log in on a new computer and your settings are there.

Other Accounts See Defaults

Custom prefixes apply on Ultra, Team and Lifetime accounts. Every other account (free and Components) always gets the default prefixes in generated code, even if custom values were saved earlier. The Settings entry in the account menu only appears for accounts with that access; other accounts meet the prefix fields in the Edit Project dialog, where they are disabled and open the pricing popup. See pricing.

The Variable Prefix feature is designed for power users and teams with established coding standards. If you're working alone or just starting out, the defaults are perfectly fine.