Generating PDF Documents in PowerApps

Overview

• Purpose: Learn to generate a PDF directly from PowerApps.
• Two scenarios:
  1. Email the PDF as an attachment.
  2. Provide an option to download the PDF directly from PowerApps.
• No flows involved.

PowerApp Setup

• Example: Issue tracking PowerApp.
• Homepage lists data from the data source using modern table control.
• User can select a record; actions available in the toolbar (e.g., View).

PDF Generation Process

• Form Screen Setup:
  • Built with a modern screen template (header and form).
  • Responsive experience using responsive container controls.

Steps to Create PDF

1. Insert a Horizontal Container:
   • Set a defined height of 50 and disable flexible height.
   • Add action buttons (e.g., "Email PDF" button with a mail icon).
2. Enable PDF Functionality:
   • Go to settings, search for PDF, and enable the PDF function.
3. Send Email with PDF Attachment:
   • Use the formula: Office365Outlook.SendEmailV2.
   • Parameters:
     • To: User.Email (current logged-in user's email)
     • Subject: Title of the issue from home screen's table.
     • Body: Provide additional details; can include HTML.
     • Attachments:
       • Name: Title of the issue + ".pdf"
       • Content Bytes: Use the PDF function targeting the form container (e.g., FormContainer1).
       • Expand containers option set to true.
4. Notify User:
   • Use Notify function to inform the user that the email was sent.

Testing the Email Functionality

• Click "Email PDF" button to send email.
• Check mailbox for email with PDF attachment: includes details from the form.
• Behavior on different devices:
  • Tablet experience: better layout for PDFs.
  • Mobile device: single column layout with back button included in the PDF.

Handling Visibility of Buttons

• Use a variable (varPDFGen) to manage visibility of the button container.
  • Set to true when generating PDF, then set back to false after notification.
  • This variable can also be used to style the generated PDF (e.g., changing background color).

Loading Screen Implementation

• Insert a vertical container for loading screen.
• Set visibility based on varPDFGen.
• Include a loading GIF for user feedback during PDF generation.

Direct PDF Download Option

• Use the same logic for generating PDF.
• Set a variable (PDFContent) to hold the generated PDF content and convert it to JSON.
• Use attachments control to allow users to download the PDF.
  • Utilize PowerApps feature to paste code for the attachments control.
  • Set visibility of the download button based on whether PDFContent is blank.

Conclusion

• Successfully demonstrated generating PDFs from PowerApps and sending them via email or providing download options.
• Encouraged viewers to engage with the video content.