Galleries in PowerApps: A Comprehensive Guide

Galleries in PowerApps play a pivotal role in building dynamic, data-driven applications. They offer a flexible way to display multiple records from a data source in a visually organized layout. Whether you’re developing a project tracker, inventory app, or a customer list, galleries empower developers to customize how users interact with large sets of data.

This guide explores everything you need to know about galleries in PowerApps — from basic configurations to advanced customization, types of galleries, design practices, delegation considerations, and use cases. If you’re looking to master galleries in PowerApps, this 3000-word guide will equip you with the essential skills and insights to optimize app performance and enhance UI/UX using this powerful control.

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Table of Contents

1. What are Galleries?
2. Types of Galleries
3. Adding and Configuring Galleries
4. Connecting Galleries to Data Sources
5. Customizing Gallery Items
6. Nested Galleries
7. Handling User Interaction in Galleries
8. Search, Sort, and Filter with Galleries
9. Delegation Considerations in Gallery Data
10. Responsive Design with Galleries in PowerApps
11. Gallery Layout Tips and Best Practices
12. Real-world Use Cases of Galleries
13. Common Errors and Debugging Tips
14. Performance Optimization for Galleries
15. Final Thoughts on Using Galleries in PowerApps

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What are Galleries in PowerApps?

Galleries in PowerApps are controls used to display a set of data in a structured format, allowing you to scroll through and interact with records easily. A gallery control repeats a layout — such as a row or card — for each item in a data set.

Each gallery can contain other controls like labels, images, icons, or buttons, enabling users to edit or interact with specific data rows. Unlike forms that show one record at a time, galleries in PowerApps efficiently display many records simultaneously.

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Types of Galleries in PowerApps

PowerApps provides several gallery types to suit different user experiences and screen layouts:

1. Vertical Gallery in PowerApps

Vertical galleries stack records from top to bottom. They are ideal for phone layouts or when reading from top to bottom is most intuitive.

2. Horizontal Gallery in PowerApps

Horizontal galleries display items left to right and are perfect for image carousels or showcasing items in rows.

3. Flexible Height Gallery in PowerApps

When you expect variable-length text or expandable cards, flexible height galleries adjust the height dynamically for each item.

4. Blank Gallery

Blank galleries allow complete design freedom. You choose and place each control manually without pre-set formatting.

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Adding and Configuring Galleries in PowerApps

To insert a gallery:

1. Go to the “Insert” menu.
2. Select “Gallery.”
3. Choose the desired layout (vertical, horizontal, flexible height).
4. Set the Items property to bind the gallery to a data source like SharePoint, Dataverse, or Excel.

Items = '[YourDataSource]'

You can also set the gallery to a local collection:

Items = colProducts

Galleries in PowerApps allow immense control over layout through the gallery template — every element you add in the template is replicated for each record.

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Connecting Galleries to Data Sources in PowerApps

Galleries can be bound to:

• SharePoint lists
• Dataverse tables
• Excel files in OneDrive
• SQL databases
• PowerApps Collections

Example:

Items = Filter(Products, Quantity > 0)

You can use functions like Filter(), Sort(), and Search() directly in the Items property of galleries to refine your data set dynamically.

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Customizing Gallery Items in PowerApps

PowerApps lets you add multiple controls within each gallery item:

• Labels for text
• Icons for action buttons
• Images for visuals
• Checkboxes or toggles for selection

You can refer to the current record with ThisItem.

Example:

Text = ThisItem.ProductName

You can also use conditional formatting:

Color = If(ThisItem.Stock < 5, Red, Black)

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Nested Galleries in PowerApps

Nested galleries are galleries within galleries, used to display hierarchical or related data, like:

• Projects → Tasks
• Categories → Products

To use nested galleries, ensure both parent and child data sources are connected. Then use Gallery.Selected to bind the inner gallery.

Items = Filter(Tasks, ProjectID = GalleryProjects.Selected.ID)

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Handling User Interaction in Galleries in PowerApps

You can add actions using buttons or icons inside gallery items. Examples:

• Navigate to a detail screen:

OnSelect = Navigate(DetailScreen, { selectedItem: ThisItem })

• Toggle a status field:

OnSelect = Patch(Tasks, ThisItem, {Status: "Completed"})

You can also use Select() to trigger actions programmatically:

Select(IconCheck)

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Search, Sort, and Filter with Galleries in PowerApps

Filtering, sorting, and searching are core functions that make galleries in PowerApps dynamic and user-friendly.

Filter Example:

Filter(Products, Category = ddCategory.Selected.Value)

Sort Example:

Sort(Products, Price, Ascending)

Search Example:

Search(Products, txtSearch.Text, "ProductName")

Combine them:

Sort(
    Search(
        Filter(Products, Category = ddCategory.Selected.Value),
        txtSearch.Text,
        "ProductName"
    ),
    Price,
    Descending
)

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Delegation Considerations in PowerApps Galleries

When using large data sources (e.g., SharePoint or SQL), it’s crucial to avoid delegation issues.

Best Practices:

• Use delegable functions like Filter, Sort, Search.
• Avoid LookUp, CountRows, or ForAll with non-delegable conditions in the Items property.
• Limit data using the Top or FirstN function when needed.

Example:

FirstN(SortByColumns(Products, "CreatedDate", Descending), 100)

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Responsive Design with Galleries in PowerApps

To ensure galleries adapt to screen sizes:

• Use relative widths (Parent.TemplateWidth)
• Use WrapCount for horizontal galleries
• Set layout properties dynamically:

Gallery.Width = Parent.Width

Consider using container controls inside gallery templates for adaptive layouts.

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Gallery Layout Tips and Best Practices

1. Use templates wisely: Reduce the number of controls per template for performance.
2. Avoid nesting deeply: Nested galleries are powerful but can slow performance.
3. Use variables: Cache values from ThisItem into variables to avoid repeated formula evaluation.
4. Color coding: Use conditional formatting to highlight statuses (e.g., overdue, completed).

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Real-world Use Cases of Galleries in PowerApps

1. Project Management App

Display all projects in a vertical gallery with progress bars and status icons.

2. Product Catalog

Use a horizontal gallery to showcase images, prices, and descriptions.

3. Task Tracker

Combine a search box, dropdown filters, and gallery to show assigned tasks.

4. Expense Report

Nested galleries to show expenses by category or date.

5. Leave Management

List of leaves applied, approved, or pending in tabular-style galleries.

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Common Errors and Debugging Tips for Galleries

• Blank data: Check if the Items property is correctly bound and data source is loaded.
• Delegation warnings: Rework logic using delegable functions or indexed columns.
• Performance lag: Simplify templates, reduce nested controls, or use Concurrent() for multiple data calls.
• Incorrect references: Always use ThisItem, Gallery.Selected, or Parent appropriately.

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Performance Optimization for Galleries in PowerApps

Techniques:

• Use lightweight controls (avoid too many images/icons).
• Paginate large datasets manually using FirstN and Skip.
• Preload data into collections if feasible.
• Avoid UpdateContext inside galleries — use Set() for global variables.
• Limit nested controls inside gallery templates.

Example:

ClearCollect(colTop100, FirstN(SortByColumns(Orders, "OrderDate", Descending), 100))

Bind the gallery to colTop100 for faster rendering.

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Final Thoughts on Galleries in PowerApps

Galleries are essential for building highly functional and visually engaging apps. Whether you’re managing data-heavy screens, designing sleek interfaces, or integrating real-time filtering and sorting, galleries provide the versatility needed for modern app development.

By understanding gallery types, mastering customization, implementing search/sort features, and optimizing for performance, you’ll unlock the full potential of PowerApps galleries.

Keep exploring, experimenting, and enhancing — your gallery-driven apps can become powerful tools for your organization’s digital transformation journey.

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Here’s a comprehensive overview of PowerApps Gallery, organized for easy understanding and reference. You can also check the reference here

PowerApps Full Course reference is here