PowerApps SharePoint Lookup Column + PowerApps Dropdown Example

In this PowerApps Tutorial, we will discuss how to use a PowerApps SharePoint Lookup column. By taking a simple example, I will show you how you can use this Powerapps SharePoint list lookup column in Powerapps. I will also explain how to use PowerApps dropdown with various examples.

Also, We will see these below things that are related to the PowerApps lookup SharePoint list:

• How to Set the Dropdown Default Value in Powerapps
• PowerApps SortByColumns in Dropdown Control
• Set the null value in Powerapps Dropdown
• Powerapps Dropdown Lookup

PowerApps Lookup SharePoint List

To create a PowerApps Lookup from the SharePoint List, First of all, we need to create two SharePoint Lists in the SharePoint Site.

Create SharePoint List in SharePoint Site

For this example, I have created two SharePoint Lists named as:

1. Project Details
2. Client Project Details

1. Project Details list is having these below columns with different data types as:

• Title (Single Line of Text)
• Employee First Name (Single Line of Text)
• Employee Last Name (Single Line of Text)
• Client (Choice/Dropdown)
• Client Project (Single Line of Text)

Also, this SharePoint List (Project Details) has some records as you can see in the below screenshot.

2. Similarly, This is the another SharePoint List (Client Project Details) having with only two columns as:

• Title (Single Line of Text)
• Manager (Single Line of Text)

Also, this SharePoint List (Client Project Details) has some records as shown in below.

You may like Lookup column in SharePoint Online.

PowerApps SharePoint List Lookup Column

Now to use the SharePoint List Lookup column in PowerApps, you need to create Customize forms from the SharePoint list itself.

You will create this PowerApp Customize forms in your Master list i.e. Project Details. Click Power Apps dropdown -> Select Customize forms as like below.

When you will click on the Customize forms, then the Powerapps form will appear with all the fields that you have created in the SharePoint List.

Also, you can remove the unwanted columns from the Edit fields section (Properties -> Edit fields -> Click on … (More actions) from one unwanted field -> Remove).

Here, Since the Client Project field is a Text data type and I want to make this field as a Lookup field by using another List column from Client Project Details list.

To make the field as Lookup field in PowerApps, follow these below things:

• Select the Client Project Data card and unlock it (Advanced -> Unlock) as below.
• Once it will unlock, just remove or delete that Data card value text box.

• Now insert a Dropdown control (Insert -> Input -> Dropdown) inside the Client Project data card.

• Just drag and resize the dropdown control as per your need. If you will select the dropdown control, then you can see its Items property as DropDownSample.
• Also, you can rename the Dropdown control. By default, the name will be Dropdown1.

• Now you need to add another SharePoint List i.e. Client Project Details. For that, again you need to add the Data source Connector to the Powerapps Customize form.
• Go to View -> Data sources -> Expand Connectors -> Click on SharePoint -> Add a new connection or existing connection as shown below.

• Choose the SharePoint list that you want to connect to. Select the Client Project Details list and hit on the Connect button to add the SharePoint List. Then the specific List will be connected to the Power apps customize form.

• Select the Client Project Dropdown control and apply the below formula on its Items property as:

Items = 'Client Project Details'.Title

Where,

• Client Project Details = SharePoint List Name
• Title = It is the column that is present in the Client Project Details list

• Preview or run (F5) the Powerapps Customize form and click on the Dropdown control (Client Project).
• In the dropdown control, you can see all the options that are present in the Title field (from Client Project Details list).

NOTE:

Sometimes what happens is, When you will preview the form for the first time, then nothing will appear in the dropdown control.
To resolve this one, just cut the formula from its Items property and again paste it over there. Then again do a preview, you can see all the choices in the dropdown control itself.

Now we will talk about the error those are appearing in the Dropdown control (Client Project) in the form.

The errors are appearing because of the Dropdown Data card value. As we have changed the data card value from text box to dropdown box, that’s why we need to pass the dropdown card value in its Update property and as well as Y property (Height property).

Select the Dropdown Data card and apply the below formula on its Update property as:

Update = Dropdown1.Selected.Title

Where,

Dropdown1 = Name of the Dropdown control

Similarly, Select the Dropdown Data card and apply the below formula on its Y property as:

Y = Dropdown1.Height

This is an example of SharePoint list lookup column in PowerApps.

PowerApps Set Dropdown Default Value

In the Dropdown control text box, when you will check the default property, by default it will show “1” which should not be. In that case, you need to set the Powerapps set dropdown default value.

Select the Dropdown control text box and apply this below formula on its Default property as:

Default = ThisItem.'Client Project'

Where,

Client Project = SharePoint List Column name

This is how to set dropdown default value in PowerApps.

Read: Power Apps Button OnSelect

PowerApps SortByColumns in Dropdown Control

Many times you can think of how you can sort the Dropdown choices in a systematical order so that it will look good. Refer to the below example to know the details about the SortByColumns Dropdown in PowerApps.

Suppose in the Dropdown control, you want to sort the choices, then you can use the SortByColumns property.

Select the Dropdown control and apply this below formula on its Items property as:

Items = SortByColumns('Client Project Details'.Title,"Title")

Once preview the form. You can see the Dropdown choices will be sorted as like the below screenshot.

PowerApps null value Dropdown

Whenever you are creating a new item in the SharePoint List (Project Details), always you can see the Client Project Dropdown control is having the first choice option but it should not be.

In that case, you can use the PowerApps dropdown null value. This means, it should be either a blank choice-value or you can add a hyphen (-) value for the new user instead of any other value.

In the below screenshot, you can see when I am inserting a new item to the SharePoint list, then by default, the dropdown value is taking the first choice option i.e. Power BI.

Instead of this first choice value, I want to display a hyphen (-) over there. So when a new item will create, then by default, the dropdown value will display with a hyphen (-).

To display the Dropdown choice value with a Hyphen (-) for a new user, We need to do these below things:

• Go to the Client Project Details list and create a New item by using + New option. Enter the Title and Manager field value as Hyphen (-) and Save it as shown below.

• Now go to the Master SharePoint List (Project Details) and customize with Powerapps forms (Click on +New -> Click on …). Now the Powerapps customize form will open.
• Just preview the form and click on the dropdown control (Client Project). You can see a hyphen (-) will be added over there as like below.

• In the Powerapps form, Select the Dropdown control and apply this below formula on its Default property as:

Default = If(SharePointForm1.Mode=FormMode.New,"-",ThisItem.'Client Project')

This above formula specifies, If a user is in View mode or in Edit mode, then the specific Client Project choice will display to the specific user. But if the user is in New mode, then the first choice will appear with a hyphen (-).

• Click on the Back to SharePoint (from the top left corner of the page) link and hit the Publish to SharePoint button as shown below.

• It will come back to the SharePoint List (Project Details). Refresh the SharePoint List once and create a new item using + New option.
• By default, the dropdown choice will start with a hyphen (-) as you can see in the below screenshot.

PowerApps Dropdown Lookup

Here, We will see how to use the Powerapps dropdown items lookup in the Powerapps customization form.

In this example, I want to display the Manager name of a specific Client Project. That means, When the user will choose a Client Project, then at the same time, it will display the Manager name of that specific project.

This below screenshot represents the Client Project Details list which is having individual Managers for the individual projects.

Follow these below things to do so:

• Swipe down the Client Project Data card and add a Label (Insert -> Label) under the Client Project text box as shown below.

• Select the Label and apply this below formula on its Text property as:

Text = "Client Project Manager is " & LookUp('Client Project Details', Title=Dropdown1.Selected.Title, Manager)

This above formula specifies it does the lookup Title column with the Manager column from the SharePoint List (Client Project Details).

• Go back to the SharePoint from the Powerapps form itself and Save and Publish the form.
• Just refresh the SharePoint List (Project Details), Select and Edit one item from the list. You can see the specific Client Project Manager name under the Client Project Dropdown control.

Also, you may like these below PowerApps Tutorials as:

• PowerApps set field value based on another field
• Show hide fields based on dropdown selection PowerApps
• Embed PowerApps in SharePoint modern page
• PowerApps toggle control + How to use with example
• How to use date time picker in PowerApps
• PowerApps Search Function + How to use with example
• The function Search has some invalid arguments in PowerApps
• PowerApps Timer Control: How to use + start and reset with button
• PowerApps Pen input control

In this PowerApps Tutorial, We learned how a user can use the PowerApps SharePoint Lookup column.

Also, We saw these below things about the PowerApps lookup SharePoint list:

• How to Set the Dropdown Default Value in Powerapps
• PowerApps SortByColumns in Dropdown Control
• Set the null value in Powerapps Dropdown
• Powerapps Dropdown Lookup