#PowerPlatformTip 14: 'Template Screens'

TL;DR: In Power Apps Studio select New screen on the command bar and pick a prebuilt screen: Welcome screen, Header and gallery, Header and form, Header and table or Approval request. They come with responsive containers and modern controls. Connect the gallery, form or table to your data and you have a working screen in minutes.

Building common app screens from scratch takes time you don’t need to spend. Power Apps ships prebuilt screens for frequent scenarios: add one, connect your data, and spend your time on the logic that is specific to your app.

💡 Challenge

Every app needs the same building blocks: a start page, a list of records, a form to create or edit a record. Building each one from a blank screen means placing a header, nesting containers so the layout stays responsive, and aligning controls, again and again.

✅ Solution

Start from a prebuilt screen. Each one is built from responsive containers with modern controls, so it adapts to phone, tablet and desktop. You only connect the data and adjust texts and fields.

Prebuilt screen	What you get	Typical use
Welcome screen	Header and tiles with image, title and description	Start page that guides users to other parts of the app
Header and gallery	Header and a gallery with image, title, description and button	Catalog or list of records
Header and form	Header, a form and two buttons (submit, cancel)	Full-screen form to create or edit a record
Header and table	Header and a table	Tabular overview of records
Approval request	Header, a form with a submit button and a gallery with predefined stages	Request form with a visible process, for example an approval

🔧 How It’s Done

1. Insert the screen.

🔸 Open your canvas app in Power Apps Studio, select New screen on the command bar and pick one of the layouts above, for example Header and gallery.

2. Connect your data.

🔸 In the tree view select the gallery (or the form or table) and connect it to a data source such as Dataverse or SharePoint.

🔸 Set the controls inside the gallery with ThisItem, for example the Text property of the title:

ThisItem.'Account Name'

🔸 For Header and form and Approval request the data source determines which fields the form shows.

3. Adapt texts and tiles.

🔸 On the Welcome screen select a tile to change its image (Edit), and change the button text in the Properties pane. To add a tile, copy and paste a container in the tree view. To remove one, right-click the container and select Delete.

4. Preview on different sizes.

🔸 Preview the app on different devices. To let the layout adapt to the device’s display, turn off Scale to fit in the app settings.

🎉 Result

You build common screens far faster by starting from a responsive, prebuilt layout instead of a blank screen, and the screens look consistent across your app.

🌟 Key Advantages

🔸 Responsive by default: the containers adapt to phone, tablet and desktop.

🔸 Modern controls: the screens use the current control set and theme.

🔸 Focus on what’s unique: spend your time on your app’s specific logic.

🛠️ FAQ

1. Where can I find template screens in Power Apps?

In Power Apps Studio, select New screen on the command bar. The prebuilt screens are listed there next to the layouts for custom screens.

2. Can I customise template screens after inserting them?

Yes. They are normal screens made of containers and controls. Change layouts, colors, texts and controls, and add your own formulas.

3. Do template screens work with different data sources?

Yes. Gallery, form and table connect to any supported data source, for example Dataverse or SharePoint. The gallery in Header and gallery is a classic control.

🔗 Related Tips

🔸 #PowerPlatformTip 86: ‘Free Power Apps Icons’ - dress up a template screen with free, customisable SVG icons.

🔸 #PowerPlatformTip 80: ‘Rapid Dynamic Forms with AI’ - another way to skip building a screen’s inputs by hand, this time with AI-generated JSON.