Custom Form Design for SharePoint in PowerApps

Custom Form Design for SharePoint in PowerApps is a powerful approach to enhance the way users interact with SharePoint lists and libraries. By replacing default SharePoint forms with custom PowerApps forms, organizations gain the flexibility to control layout, behavior, business rules, and overall user experience. Whether you’re automating a business process or simply improving data entry, designing a custom form using PowerApps is essential for modern SharePoint applications.

This article explores the techniques, tools, and best practices for building an effective Custom Form Design for SharePoint in PowerApps, highlighting form structure, controls, validation, conditional formatting, integration tips, and performance considerations.

Table of Contents – Custom Form Design for SharePoint in PowerApps

1. What is Custom Form Design in PowerApps?
2. Why Use PowerApps for SharePoint Custom Forms?
3. Key Components of Custom Forms
4. Connecting SharePoint with PowerApps
5. Designing the Layout of a SharePoint Form
6. Using Controls in Custom Forms
7. Validating Inputs in SharePoint Forms
8. Conditional Formatting and Rules
9. Submitting and Patching Data
10. Versioning and Data Integrity
11. Advanced Techniques in Custom Form Design
12. Performance Optimization for SharePoint Forms
13. Security and Permissions
14. Best Practices
15. Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
16. Future of SharePoint Forms with Power Platform
17. Conclusion

What is Custom Form Design in PowerApps?

Custom Form Design for SharePoint in PowerApps refers to creating tailored user input forms that replace default SharePoint list forms. These forms are built using PowerApps Studio and can be embedded directly into SharePoint using integration settings.

Instead of using the standard “New”, “Edit”, or “Display” forms that come with a SharePoint list, users can design fully customized PowerApps forms with improved layout, logic, and interactivity.

Why Use PowerApps for SharePoint Custom Forms?

• Enhanced UI/UX: Control screen layout, group fields, add icons, tooltips, and rich visuals.
• Conditional Logic: Show/hide fields dynamically based on user roles or form state.
• Validation: Add client-side logic to ensure form correctness before submission.
• Integration: Seamlessly connect to other Microsoft 365 services (Dataverse, Outlook, Teams).
• Mobile Compatibility: PowerApps forms are responsive and work well on tablets and phones.
• Automation Ready: Easy integration with Power Automate for post-submission workflows.

Key Components of Custom Forms

Custom PowerApps forms for SharePoint consist of the following elements:

• Form Control (EditForm / DisplayForm): Core control for binding SharePoint list fields.
• DataCard: Represents each field in a SharePoint list.
• Controls: Text input, combo box, dropdowns, date pickers, toggle, etc.
• Submit Button: Triggers submission logic (SubmitForm or Patch).
• Gallery (optional): Used for preview or subform listings.

These elements make up the building blocks of Custom Form Design for SharePoint in PowerApps.

Connecting SharePoint with PowerApps

To start designing a custom SharePoint form:

1. Go to a SharePoint List → Click “Integrate” → PowerApps → Customize Forms.
2. PowerApps Studio will open with the list data source connected.
3. The form screen (usually named “FormScreen1”) is pre-populated with the fields from the list.
4. The form mode can be controlled using FormMode.New, FormMode.Edit, and FormMode.View.

This creates a tight integration for Custom Form Design for SharePoint in PowerApps.

Designing the Layout of a Custom Form Design for SharePoint in PowerApps

• Arrange fields in a multi-column layout using containers or flexible height screens.
• Group related fields using sections or labels.
• Add headers, dividers, and tooltips for guidance.
• Format the form for mobile-first or desktop-first experiences.
• Use components to replicate reusable sections (e.g., user profile area).

Effective layout enhances the efficiency and professionalism of your form.

Using Controls in Custom Form Design for SharePoint in PowerApps

• TextInput for names or titles
• DatePicker for dates
• ComboBox for choice fields
• Toggle for Yes/No
• Person Picker using the Office365Users connector
• Attachments Control to upload documents
• Button to control submission, navigation, or additional actions

You can also insert custom icons, labels, timers, and rich media to guide users.

Validating Inputs in Custom Form Design for SharePoint in PowerApps

• Field-level validation using If(IsBlank(...)), IsMatch(...), Len(...), etc.
• Displaying error messages with Visible property linked to condition.
• Marking required fields with red asterisks or borders.
• Preventing submission unless all validations pass:

If(
   IsBlank(DataCardValue1.Text),
   Notify("Title is required", NotificationType.Error),
   SubmitForm(EditForm1)
)

Proper validation ensures clean and reliable data entry.

Conditional Formatting and Rules

• Change the color of fields based on values (e.g., due dates).
• Show/hide sections depending on a selected department.
• Make fields required conditionally using Required or DisplayMode.
• Highlight missing fields before submission.

These techniques improve user experience and reduce errors.

Submitting and Patching Data

To save data back to SharePoint in your Custom Form Design for SharePoint in PowerApps, use:

• SubmitForm(FormName) for standard operations.
• Patch() function for advanced control:

Patch(
  'Project Tasks',
  Defaults('Project Tasks'),
  {
    Title: txtTitle.Text,
    Status: ddStatus.Selected.Value,
    DueDate: dpDueDate.SelectedDate
  }
)

Patch is useful when handling multiple data sources or conditional logic.

Versioning and Data Integrity

Maintaining version control and data integrity is important:

• Enable version history in SharePoint list settings.
• Use Power Automate to capture form changes.
• Log user activity or last modified info using:

'Modified By': User().FullName

Advanced Techniques in Custom Form Design

Advanced capabilities include:

• Tab-based navigation within one form.
• Form autosave with timers.
• Multi-step forms for complex inputs.
• Lookup fields to other lists.
• Dynamic dropdowns using cascading logic.

Performance Optimization for SharePoint Forms

Tips to ensure optimal performance:

• Reduce the number of controls on screen.
• Use delegation-friendly functions.
• Pre-load dropdowns using ClearCollect() on screen load.
• Avoid large datasets by filtering with indexed columns.
• Limit number of data sources per screen.

Optimized forms are faster, smoother, and mobile-friendly.

Security and Permissions

PowerApps inherits SharePoint permissions:

• User cannot submit data they don’t have permission for.
• Use User().Email to detect roles and apply UI restrictions.
• Hide fields for non-admins using:

If(
   User().Email = "admin@company.com",
   true,
   false
)

Best Practices in Custom Form Design for SharePoint in PowerApps

Follow these guidelines:

• Keep forms clean, focused, and user-friendly.
• Use descriptive labels and input hints.
• Always validate before submission.
• Organize fields logically (use sections).
• Avoid over-customizing unless needed.
• Use global variables (Set()) wisely for navigation and state.

These practices ensure your forms are effective and scalable.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Avoiding these helps in long-term maintainability.

Future of SharePoint Forms with Power Platform

Microsoft is pushing towards modern experiences. Custom PowerApps forms:

• Will become even more responsive with modern containers.
• Will integrate more tightly with Copilot and AI-based suggestions.
• Could benefit from direct integration with Dataverse.
• Are increasingly replacing InfoPath as the form standard.

Conclusion

Custom Form Design for SharePoint in PowerApps is a game-changer for organizations seeking tailored form experiences in Microsoft 365. It enhances interactivity, ensures data quality, automates business processes, and provides a modern interface that integrates seamlessly with SharePoint. By mastering layout design, control usage, validations, and performance optimization, you can build highly functional, responsive, and secure custom forms that meet real-world business needs.

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

PowerApps Full Course reference is here