We are starting a new and exciting segment of our journey on the {low-code} highway and today we are going to build an app with no code at all. We will start with a template, like we did with Power Apps, and think about a simple problem. The problem may be simple, but this does not mean the gains are not big in terms of steps saved.
Listen to a recording of this post:
The problem I am looking at is finding an easy and efficient way to notify others that I will be out of the office. Today, the process involves several steps and different interfaces. I need to block time on my calendar, create an out of office message, and let other people in my organization know I will be out. If you are an Outlook user, you know this means opening your calendar, creating an appointment, inviting attendees. Then, in email Account Information, creating Automatic Replies, … tic toc, tic toc, time is going down the drain doing all of this. This can be even more frustrating if you forget to do it from your desktop and you have to do it on the go from your mobile device. 📱
Let’s see how a Power Apps app can help with this process. By growing your superpowers with Power Apps, you will become a Microsoft 365 Champion 
, and a hero in your department. 
Just like Power Automate, you can start Power Apps on the web or from within Microsoft Teams. While both ways can get you there, I find that the Make version is a richer space, and therefore better suited for beginning your journey. We will build our first app on the web. Here are the web links you will need:
The video below will give you an overview of the “Make” section. It is worth mentioning that as a standard user at the University you can only build Canvas Apps and Model-Driven apps. Portals are a premium feature not included in our subscription. For a helpful review of the Power Apps types and capabilities, please visit my previous post, Let’s talk about making an app with {low-code}.
Something else to note from the get-go is that you will be able to do a lot with templates, but once you get going, you will be using functions to elicit actions in apps. In other words, while you will not be using code like java or python, it is helpful to have an understanding of Microsoft Excel formulas and functions. Also, looking at things like navigation in websites and mobile apps should help you start imagining how to make your apps user-friendly.
Let’s build the app!
- Go to https://make.powerapps.com/.
- Find the “+Create” on the left side navigation and click it.
- Scroll down to the “Start from Template” section. In the “Search all templates” area, type “Out of Office.” This will narrow the list of templates to the ‘Out of Office’ Canvas app. Click on it.
- A pop-up window will be shown. The App name field has a default name. You can make it your own by renaming it. You need to choose a layout that best suits your needs. The “Tablet” option is suitable for an iPad-like device and a desktop application. Phone is, well, for your 📱. Note: I have created both. One to use on my phone and one to use on my iPad and desktop web browser.
- You will notice that the window also uses the icons for the services that will be authorized to interact with the app like Microsoft Outlook and the Microsoft 365 Users connector. We saw the same structure in Power Automate. The commonalities between all these services are part of Power Platform.
- Once you click Create, the system will go to work. You may be asked to authorize services if this is your first time connecting to them in Power Apps.
- Next, you will see a “Welcome to Power Apps Studio” to see the app that has been built for you. This is where apps are normally built and modified, but since this one was created via a template, you will see the completed app there. You can test the app in preview mode by either pressing F5 or clicking on the top right play (▶) icon. This will run the app in your browser, and you can use its full functionality there.
- To exit the app preview, press the (x) on the top corner.
- From here you can click File > Save. I recommend saving your app to the cloud and publishing it.
How do you access your app?
To access your app on your phone or tablet, go to the Apple AppStore or the Android GooglePlay store to download the Power Apps App. Once installed, sign into the app. All the apps you have created will be available in the Power Apps app and you can launch them from there.
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You can also run the app on a web browser. There are a couple of ways to do this:
- You can go to the https://make.powerapps.com/ site and select apps from the menu on the left. This will provide a list of all your apps. You can launch an app by clicking on it.
- You can bookmark the app and run it directly.
In this episode, you created your first (and second) app, used a template, and learned how to use the app on your phone on the web, and in teams. So far, you have not written a single line of code. In the next episode, we will learn how to customize the app in a few areas. This will allow you to become familiar with the studio interface and start using some simple functions.
Dr. Carlos Solís is Associate Vice President of the Technology Innovation Office.
