{"posts":[{"id":"bd13dbdc-325f-4c03-935b-e94d7eddbd37","title":"Forget Canvas Apps: It's Time to Let Your Makers Write Code","slug":"forget-canvas-apps-it-s-time-to-let-your-makers-write-code","description":"AI has removed the skill barrier to writing code. It's time for organisations to let their Makers build Power Apps with Code Apps; not just developers.","content":"Microsoft just announced that Code Apps is now Generally Available, so I'm going to make an argument that might ruffle a few feathers in the Power Platform community: **your Makers should be using Code Apps, not just your developers.**\n\nI'm not talking about your developers picking up another tool. I'm talking about the same citizen developers who currently build Canvas Apps. The ones who aren't software engineers. The ones who've never written TypeScript in their lives.\n\nLet me explain why.\n\n## AI changed everything\n\nIf you'd asked me two years ago whether a non-developer could build a production-quality web app in React, I'd have said no. The learning curve was too steep. You needed to understand components, state management, build tooling, and a hundred other things that take years to internalise.\n\nThat's no longer true.\n\nWith modern AI assistants, anyone can build web applications using natural language. You describe what you want, AI writes the code. When you get stuck, you ask. When something breaks, you paste the error and ask for a fix. AI doesn't just write code - it explains, debugs, refactors, and teaches as you go.\n\nI've been vibe coding websites and web apps for a while now, and when Claude Opus 4.5 was released, I noticed a huge step change. Previously, working with AI felt like walking a dog on a lead; you had to guide it constantly or it would wander off. Now, it stays to heel. It builds excellent software without _needing_ technical instructions from me, although technical instructions can undoubtedly improve the output.\n\nThis isn't a small improvement. It's a fundamental shift in who can build software.\n\n## Canvas Apps are harder than they look\n\nHere's something the Power Platform community doesn't talk about enough: Canvas Apps are deceptively difficult.\n\nYes, they're easy to get started with. Drag a button onto a screen, connect to a data source, write a simple formula. You can build a basic app in an afternoon.\n\nBut try to build something more ambitious. Try to create a smooth, beautiful interface. Try to handle complex data operations. Try to refactor an app that's grown organically over six months. You'll quickly discover that the abstraction layer that made simple things easy makes difficult things incredibly difficult.\n\nCanvas Apps have a reputation for being slow and looking dated. That reputation exists for a reason.\n\nAnd here's the thing: if you push Canvas Apps far enough, you end up in pro-code territory anyway. You hit limitations that force you towards PCF components, Dataverse plug-ins, JavaScript web resources, etc. The ceiling is lower than it appears.\n\n## Code Apps massively raise the ceiling\n\nCode Apps let you build with React, Vue, or any other modern web framework while still benefiting from Power Platform's managed environment. You get:\n\n- Microsoft Entra authentication out of the box - no code required\n- Access to 1,500+ Power Platform connectors, callable directly from JavaScript\n- Hosting, deployment, and ALM handled for you\n- Your organisation's governance policies enforced automatically\n\nYou're writing real code, which means there's a really high ceiling. If you can describe what you want, AI can help you build it.\n\n## \"But what about the risks?\"\n\nI can already hear the objections. Let me address them.\n\n**\"Makers won't be able to maintain code they didn't write.\"**\n\nCanvas Apps are notoriously difficult to maintain. Refactoring is almost impossible. With Code Apps, maintenance becomes straightforward, because AI can read the code, understand it, and modify it. If a Maker built it with AI assistance, they can maintain it with AI assistance.\n\n**\"What about security?\"**\n\nAuthentication is included by default with Code Apps. No code needed. The apps are locked down with Content Security Policies, so Makers can't call external services unless explicitly permitted. Yes, they need to handle authorisation themselves, but that's true of Canvas Apps too.\n\n**\"Who's going to support these apps?\"**\n\nMakers should support their own creations. That's always been the model with citizen development, and it doesn't change here.\n\n**\"They'll need to install developer tools.\"**\n\nThey'll need VS Code (with extensions) and Node.js. That's it. Git isn't essential, and Microsoft is simplifying the CLI requirement. Compare that to learning Power Fx delegation rules and how to build responsive designs with Canvas App containers, and tell me which is the bigger barrier.\n\n## Code Apps are internal only, and that's the point\n\nOne detail worth highlighting: Code Apps are for internal line-of-business applications. They're not for external-facing apps.\n\nThis is precisely why it's safe to open them up to Makers. These are internal tools, built by people who understand the business problem, for colleagues they work with. The blast radius is contained. The governance is built in.\n\n## A note on licensing\n\nCode Apps require Power Apps Premium licences for end users. If your organisation isn't licensing users, I'd advise sticking to micro apps that aren't business-critical. You shouldn't be building anything important on Power Platform without Premium anyway, and if you're already paying for Premium, Code Apps are included.\n\n## What I'm suggesting\n\nI'm not suggesting you throw open the gates tomorrow, although I'm also not inherently against that. Here's what I'd recommend:\n\n1. **Start a pilot.** Identify your most technical Makers - the ones who've already pushed Canvas Apps to their limits.\n2. **Give them access to Code Apps.** Let them experiment. Let them build things. Don't overthink the use cases.\n3. **Watch what happens.** Analyse the results. See where they succeed, where they struggle, and what they produce.\n4. **Expand gradually.** As you see successes, and realise there's no harm in it, open access to more Makers.\n\nThe barrier to building software has collapsed. The question is whether your organisation will recognise that, or whether you'll keep your Makers confined to tools that were designed for a world that no longer exists.","contentHtml":"

Microsoft just announced that Code Apps is now Generally Available, so I'm going to make an argument that might ruffle a few feathers in the Power Platform community: your Makers should be using Code Apps, not just your developers.

I'm not talking about your developers picking up another tool. I'm talking about the same citizen developers who currently build Canvas Apps. The ones who aren't software engineers. The ones who've never written TypeScript in their lives.

Let me explain why.

AI changed everything

If you'd asked me two years ago whether a non-developer could build a production-quality web app in React, I'd have said no. The learning curve was too steep. You needed to understand components, state management, build tooling, and a hundred other things that take years to internalise.

That's no longer true.

With modern AI assistants, anyone can build web applications using natural language. You describe what you want, AI writes the code. When you get stuck, you ask. When something breaks, you paste the error and ask for a fix. AI doesn't just write code - it explains, debugs, refactors, and teaches as you go.

I've been vibe coding websites and web apps for a while now, and when Claude Opus 4.5 was released, I noticed a huge step change. Previously, working with AI felt like walking a dog on a lead; you had to guide it constantly or it would wander off. Now, it stays to heel. It builds excellent software without needing technical instructions from me, although technical instructions can undoubtedly improve the output.

This isn't a small improvement. It's a fundamental shift in who can build software.

Canvas Apps are harder than they look

Here's something the Power Platform community doesn't talk about enough: Canvas Apps are deceptively difficult.

Yes, they're easy to get started with. Drag a button onto a screen, connect to a data source, write a simple formula. You can build a basic app in an afternoon.

But try to build something more ambitious. Try to create a smooth, beautiful interface. Try to handle complex data operations. Try to refactor an app that's grown organically over six months. You'll quickly discover that the abstraction layer that made simple things easy makes difficult things incredibly difficult.

Canvas Apps have a reputation for being slow and looking dated. That reputation exists for a reason.

And here's the thing: if you push Canvas Apps far enough, you end up in pro-code territory anyway. You hit limitations that force you towards PCF components, Dataverse plug-ins, JavaScript web resources, etc. The ceiling is lower than it appears.

Code Apps massively raise the ceiling

Code Apps let you build with React, Vue, or any other modern web framework while still benefiting from Power Platform's managed environment. You get:

Microsoft Entra authentication out of the box - no code required
Access to 1,500+ Power Platform connectors, callable directly from JavaScript
Hosting, deployment, and ALM handled for you
Your organisation's governance policies enforced automatically

You're writing real code, which means there's a really high ceiling. If you can describe what you want, AI can help you build it.

\"But what about the risks?\"

I can already hear the objections. Let me address them.

\"Makers won't be able to maintain code they didn't write.\"

Canvas Apps are notoriously difficult to maintain. Refactoring is almost impossible. With Code Apps, maintenance becomes straightforward, because AI can read the code, understand it, and modify it. If a Maker built it with AI assistance, they can maintain it with AI assistance.

\"What about security?\"

Authentication is included by default with Code Apps. No code needed. The apps are locked down with Content Security Policies, so Makers can't call external services unless explicitly permitted. Yes, they need to handle authorisation themselves, but that's true of Canvas Apps too.

\"Who's going to support these apps?\"

Makers should support their own creations. That's always been the model with citizen development, and it doesn't change here.

\"They'll need to install developer tools.\"

They'll need VS Code (with extensions) and Node.js. That's it. Git isn't essential, and Microsoft is simplifying the CLI requirement. Compare that to learning Power Fx delegation rules and how to build responsive designs with Canvas App containers, and tell me which is the bigger barrier.

Code Apps are internal only, and that's the point

One detail worth highlighting: Code Apps are for internal line-of-business applications. They're not for external-facing apps.

This is precisely why it's safe to open them up to Makers. These are internal tools, built by people who understand the business problem, for colleagues they work with. The blast radius is contained. The governance is built in.

A note on licensing

Code Apps require Power Apps Premium licences for end users. If your organisation isn't licensing users, I'd advise sticking to micro apps that aren't business-critical. You shouldn't be building anything important on Power Platform without Premium anyway, and if you're already paying for Premium, Code Apps are included.

What I'm suggesting

I'm not suggesting you throw open the gates tomorrow, although I'm also not inherently against that. Here's what I'd recommend:

Start a pilot. Identify your most technical Makers - the ones who've already pushed Canvas Apps to their limits.
Give them access to Code Apps. Let them experiment. Let them build things. Don't overthink the use cases.
Watch what happens. Analyse the results. See where they succeed, where they struggle, and what they produce.
Expand gradually. As you see successes, and realise there's no harm in it, open access to more Makers.

The barrier to building software has collapsed. The question is whether your organisation will recognise that, or whether you'll keep your Makers confined to tools that were designed for a world that no longer exists.

\n","image":"https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/featured/1769907912866-ska6m.webp","ogimage":null,"datePublished":"2026-02-04T07:00:00+00:00","tags":["Power Apps"],"published":true,"readTimeMinutes":5,"authorId":"c2867773-6a1a-4b30-a003-cf813a4ac2a6","featured":false,"viewCount":0,"updatedAt":"2026-02-04T07:52:29.42778+00:00","deprecated":false,"showUpdated":false},{"id":"8f7b30a1-42be-4dd3-8a7b-11d1ad05a514","title":"Microsoft Learn Extractor Solution","slug":"microsoft-learn-extractor","description":"Have you ever wanted to be able to check your Makers knowledge? You can use this solution to automatically save users' completed modules, certifications and applied skills into Dataverse.","content":"\r\n## Table of contents\r\n\r\n## Why did I build this?\r\n\r\n1. **Governance**: You want to know that a Maker has learnt something before allowing them to use a tool or service, reducing risk to your organisation.\r\n2. **Skills database**: Tracking what your developers know.\r\n3. **Gamification**: Rewarding your Makers or Developers for learning. Everyone benefits.\r\n\r\n## How does someone use it?\r\n\r\nYou would go to [Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/) → **Profile** → **Transcript** and then copy your **Share link**. You would then go to the Learn Transcript Extractor App and paste in your share link, and then click on the **Send transcript** button. That's it!\r\n\r\n[![Microsoft Learn Extractor App form input](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/microsoft-learn-extractor/transcript-input.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/microsoft-learn-extractor/transcript-input.webp)\r\n\r\nThis triggers a flow that calls an undocumented API and extracts your Microsoft Learn Certifications, Completed Modules and Applied Skills and saves them to Dataverse.\r\n\r\n[![Microsoft Learn Extractor App results](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/microsoft-learn-extractor/learn-results.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/microsoft-learn-extractor/learn-results.webp)\r\n\r\n## Where can I get it?\r\n\r\nIt's open-source and available on GitHub: https://github.com/chumleesockson/Microsoft-Learn-Extractor-Solution\r\n\r\nYou can view more technical details there as well. If you just want the unmanaged solution, you can [download it using this link](https://github.com/chumleesockson/Microsoft-Learn-Extractor-Solution/blob/a7272aa812feb215724c1b2edab4b8bca31c2357/MicrosoftLearnExtractor_1_0_0_1_unmanaged.zip).\r\n\r\nYou will need to click on the 'Download raw file' button on that page.\r\n\r\n[![How to download a zip file from GitHub](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/microsoft-learn-extractor/download-from-github.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/microsoft-learn-extractor/download-from-github.webp)\r\n","image":"https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/microsoft-learn-extractor/microsoft-learn-extractor.webp","ogimage":"https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/microsoft-learn-extractor/microsoft-learn-extractor.webp","datePublished":"2025-11-26T00:00:00+00:00","tags":["Governance","Tools","Solutions"],"published":true,"readTimeMinutes":1,"authorId":null,"featured":false,"viewCount":0,"updatedAt":"2026-01-02T00:23:12.284073+00:00","deprecated":false,"showUpdated":false},{"id":"645e262c-c83c-43ab-a5cb-14204da22bce","title":"Environment variables in Canvas Apps","slug":"environment-variables-in-canvas-apps","description":"In this tutorial, we'll look at how you can use the values from Environment Variables in your Power Apps Canvas Apps.","content":"\r\n## Table of contents\r\n\r\n## What are Environment Variables?\r\n\r\nEnvironment variables are a way to store and manage configuration data that can be reused across apps, flows, and other components within a Dataverse environment. They help make your solutions more portable, maintainable, and scalable.\r\n\r\nAs an example, you might be storing your files in Azure Blob storage. You would want to have separate containers for development and production. You would then use an environment variable to tell the app which container to communicate with, depending on whether it's in development or production.\r\n\r\n## Licensing\r\n\r\nEnvironment variables are stored in Dataverse. There was talk about them potentially being available without needing to query Dataverse, but nothing has come to fruition from that. As such, directly accessing environment variables in your canvas app will force the designation to be **premium**.\r\n\r\nYou can use environment variables for your SharePoint sites and lists/libraries and maintain the standard license designation, as these are imported into your app with the Power Apps engine communicating on your behalf. When connecting to SharePoint choose **Advanced** to be able to use an environment variable.\r\n\r\n[![SharePoint environment variable](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/environment-variables-in-canvas-apps/sharepoint-environment-variable.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/environment-variables-in-canvas-apps/sharepoint-environment-variable.webp)\r\n\r\n## Creating an environment variable\r\n\r\nAs a best practice, always use solutions in Power Platform. From within your solution, you can create a new environment variable.\r\n\r\n[![Create environment variable from solution](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/environment-variables-in-canvas-apps/create-environment-variable.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/environment-variables-in-canvas-apps/create-environment-variable.webp)\r\n\r\nYou will be able to choose from multiple data types. What you choose will depend on what you want to achieve. If you're looking to connect to a SharePoint list or library, you'll want 2 environment variables. The first one will contain the SharePoint site, and the second one will contain the list or library.\r\n\r\n[![New environment variable form](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/environment-variables-in-canvas-apps/create-environment-variable-form.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/environment-variables-in-canvas-apps/create-environment-variable-form.webp)\r\n\r\n## Accessing environment variables from Power Apps\r\n\r\nIn order to directly call an environment variable, the first thing you will need to do is add the Dataverse tables to your app. They are called `Environment Variable Values` and `Environment Variable Definitions`. As you can probably gather, one table contains the definitions and the other contains the values.\r\n\r\n[![Environment variable Dataverse tables](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/environment-variables-in-canvas-apps/environment-variables-tables.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/environment-variables-in-canvas-apps/environment-variables-tables.webp)\r\n\r\nTo query your environment variable you will need to reference the **Schema Name**. You could reference it using the **Display Name**, but this might change, whereas the schema name will not.\r\n\r\n```js\r\nLookUp('Environment Variable Values', 'Environment Variable Definition'.'Schema Name' = \"csex_InDevelopment\").Value\r\n```\r\n\r\nYou can find the schema name by looking at the environment variable in your solution.\r\n\r\n[![Environment variable schema name](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/environment-variables-in-canvas-apps/environment-variable-schema-name.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/environment-variables-in-canvas-apps/environment-variable-schema-name.webp)\r\n\r\nThat's it! You're ready to start using Environment Variables in Canvas Apps. If you're regularly referencing an environment variable, I would recommend using a named formula for it, so that the Power Apps engine can decide when to call it and cache it.\r\n\r\n[![Environment variable called from a canvas app](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/environment-variables-in-canvas-apps/final-result.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/environment-variables-in-canvas-apps/final-result.webp)\r\n","image":"https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/environment-variables-in-canvas-apps/environment-variables-in-canvas-apps.webp","ogimage":"https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/environment-variables-in-canvas-apps/environment-variables-in-canvas-apps.webp","datePublished":"2025-09-17T00:00:00+00:00","tags":["PowerApps","EnvironmentVariables"],"published":true,"readTimeMinutes":3,"authorId":null,"featured":false,"viewCount":0,"updatedAt":"2026-01-02T00:23:09.592636+00:00","deprecated":false,"showUpdated":false},{"id":"583c5853-13b4-4454-b0cb-670979c67adb","title":"YAML Generation in Power Apps","slug":"yaml-generation-in-power-apps","description":"Did you know that you can generate your canvas app controls using YAML? Here's a free solution to show you how.","content":"\r\n## Table of contents\r\n\r\n## What is YAML?\r\n\r\nYAML (which stands for YAML Ain't Markup Language) is a human-readable computer language that's most commonly used for configuration files.\r\nYou might have seen it if you've ever had to work on Azure DevOps pipelines for your Power Platform projects.\r\n\r\nIn the context of Power Apps, in basic terms, it's tells a canvas app what properties a control has, and looks something like this:\r\n[![YAML code of a canvas app control](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/yaml-generation-in-power-apps/yaml-in-canvas-apps.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/yaml-generation-in-power-apps/yaml-in-canvas-apps.webp)\r\nIt might look a bit daunting, but this is just a text control with a font colour, some Power Fx to figure out what to display, and the X and Y properties.\r\n\r\n## Why is this useful?\r\n\r\nThere are a few reasons why it's useful to be able to view, copy and paste YAML code. One of the major reasons is that it gives us the ability to generate YAML code to paste directly into our apps. This means that, instead of copying and pasting controls and then manually changing things, we can set some criteria and then generate everything already changed. For example, we could automatically rename our controls instead of having to do it manually.\r\n\r\nThe app I've created will add the following screen to your clipboard, and all you have to do is paste it into your app. How cool is that? I'd love to see what you come up with, using the same concept.\r\n\r\n[![YAML Generated Screen](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/yaml-generation-in-power-apps/yaml-generated-screen.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/yaml-generation-in-power-apps/yaml-generated-screen.webp)\r\n\r\n## Download\r\n\r\n[YAML Generator Solution.zip](/posts/yaml-generation-in-power-apps/YAML%20Generator%20Solution.zip)\r\n\r\nJust import this solution in https://make.powerapps.com\r\n","image":"https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/yaml-generation-in-power-apps/yaml-generation-in-power-apps.webp","ogimage":"https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/yaml-generation-in-power-apps/yaml-generation-in-power-apps.webp","datePublished":"2025-03-02T00:00:00+00:00","tags":["PowerApps","YAML"],"published":true,"readTimeMinutes":2,"authorId":null,"featured":false,"viewCount":0,"updatedAt":"2026-01-02T00:23:19.174632+00:00","deprecated":false,"showUpdated":false},{"id":"89ddc781-6a8f-4269-b69f-e792092eb074","title":"Dataverse Automated Low-code Plug-in Tutorial","slug":"dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial","description":"In this short tutorial we will build an automated low-code plug-in to rename the primary name field synchronously.","content":"\r\n## Table of contents\r\n\r\n## What will this teach me?\r\n\r\nLow-code plug-ins provide a way to create synchronous (happening in close to real-time; it ensures the task completes before moving on to the next stage) logic that runs on the server level. This means that it can be processed by Microsoft's servers and is much quicker than using a tool like Power Automate for certain tasks.\r\n\r\nIf you want to send an email then Power Automate is great for that, as it's a background task; the user interface does not need to wait for the email to be sent in order to update. But if you want to validate the user's input in real time, and have the validation consistent across the Power Platform, that's where low-code plug-ins can shine, and Power Automate would be a bad use case.\r\n\r\nIn this tutorial we're going to update a Dataverse primary name column so that the result is immediately shown to the user. This is something I've been excited to create since low-code plug-ins were first announced, so follow along and see how powerful this new tool can be.\r\n\r\n## Dataverse Accelerator\r\n\r\nAt the time of writing, low-code plug-ins must be created in [the Dataverse Accelerator app](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-apps/maker/data-platform/dataverse-accelerator/dataverse-accelerator?wt.mc_id=MVP_376117), which is a model-driven app that provides access to select preview features and tooling related to Dataverse development. Low-code plug-ins are still in preview, and I expect them to move to the native make.powerapps.com interface once they reach general availability (stable release).\r\n\r\nLet's make sure the Dataverse Accelerator is updated first, so that we know we've got the latest app to create our plug-in with. Go to the Power Platform Admin Center → Environments → Choose your environment → Resources (at the top) → Dynamics 365 apps\r\n\r\n[![Update the Dataverse Accelerator app](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial/update-dataverse-accelerator.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial/update-dataverse-accelerator.webp)\r\n\r\nOnce you've updated the app, open it by going to [make.powerapps.com](https://make.powerapps.com/) → Apps → All → Search for the app → Play\r\n\r\n[![Open the Dataverse Accelerator app](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial/open-dataverse-accelerator.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial/open-dataverse-accelerator.webp)\r\n\r\n## Make sure you have a Solution\r\n\r\nWhen creating low-code plug-ins, we want to ensure they are stored in a solution, so please create one before continuing. If you need to learn more about Solutions, please visit [Solutions Overview on Microsoft Learn](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-apps/maker/data-platform/solutions-overview?wt.mc_id=MVP_376117).\r\n\r\n## Automated plug-in - Created\r\n\r\nIn the Dataverse Accelerator, click on **Create automated plug-in**\r\n\r\n[![Create automated plug-in](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial/create-automated-plug-in.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial/create-automated-plug-in.webp)\r\n\r\nFor my example use case, I have Properties (buildings) and I want their primary name to contain both the first line of the address and the city, so the display name for my plug-in is going to be **Update property name (create)**.\r\n\r\nNext I need to choose the table, which is my **Property** table. At the moment, I have to choose the logical name for my table, which includes the publisher prefix. I want the plug-in to run when a record is created.\r\n\r\nNow let's look at the code. We don't use `Patch()` for this scenario, because the patch is already going to be handled by the system. Instead, we want to set one of the values that gets patched. In low-code plug-ins, we must always be explicit about which table a field belongs to, so we can't just say `Set(Name)`. We have a reference to the new record that is going to be created, so we can use that.\r\n\r\n```js\r\nSet(NewRecord.Name, NewRecord.'Address Line 1' & \" - \" & NewRecord.City)\r\n```\r\n\r\nWe choose _pre-operation_ for when our plug-in should run, because we want it to happen before the record has been created.\r\n\r\nFinally, we make sure that we choose our solution to save the plug-in into, so that we can maintain proper Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) for our plug-in.\r\n\r\n[![Automated plug-in create form](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial/automated-plug-in-create.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial/automated-plug-in-create.webp)\r\n\r\nNow save!\r\n\r\n## Automated plug-in - Updated\r\n\r\nThe plug-in to update a record is very similar. In an ideal World, the 2 plug-ins would be combined into one, so that we don't have any duplication. At the moment, this is not an option provided by Microsoft, but I would suspect it's on their list of things to do.\r\n\r\nAll of the options and code are identical, except that this time we want the plug-in to run when the row is _updated_, and of course the title contains _(update)_ instead of _(create)_.\r\n\r\nSave this one as well.\r\n\r\n## Testing the functionality\r\n\r\nI've quickly created a model-driven app to test the functionlity. I've gone to create a new property, and, as you can see, the name is empty.\r\n\r\n[![Before saving the record](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial/new-property.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial/new-property.webp)\r\n\r\nI click on save and, as soon as the property is saved to Dataverse, the user interface immediately reflects the created name.\r\n\r\n[![After saving the record](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial/property-added.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial/property-added.webp)\r\n\r\nAnd if I update the record it synchronises automatically. Perfect!\r\n\r\n[![After updating the record](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial/property-updated.webp)](https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial/property-updated.webp)\r\n\r\nHopefully this helps to get you excited about low-code plug-ins. They're bringing us functionality that wasn't previously possible with low code.\r\n","image":"https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial.webp","ogimage":"https://bbnqrewmvsuhiwkdzats.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/posts/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial/dataverse-automated-low-code-plug-in-tutorial.webp","datePublished":"2024-10-23T00:00:00+00:00","tags":["PowerApps","LowCodePlugins"],"published":true,"readTimeMinutes":4,"authorId":null,"featured":false,"viewCount":0,"updatedAt":"2026-01-02T00:23:07.417809+00:00","deprecated":false,"showUpdated":false}],"pagination":{"total_records":23,"current_page":1,"total_pages":5,"next_page":2,"prev_page":null}}