TL;DR: Use Matthew Devaney’s free PowerApps Collections Cookbook for copy-and-paste Power Fx recipes to handle advanced collection tasks.
Manipulating collections in advanced ways, numbering rows, counting distinct values, grouping, often goes beyond the built-in functions you reach for first. Matthew Devaney’s PowerApps Collections Cookbook is a free library of ready-to-use recipes for exactly these tasks.
💡 Challenge
You need advanced collection operations that aren’t obvious from the built-in functions, and writing them from scratch each time is slow.
✅ Solution
Use the PowerApps Collections Cookbook, a website full of copy-and-paste Power Fx recipes for common collection tasks.
🔧 How it’s done
1. Open the cookbook
🔸 Go to matthewdevaney.com/powerapps-collections-cookbook and browse the list of recipes.
2. Find your recipe
🔸 Look for the task you need, adding row numbers, counting distinct items, reversing a collection, and more.
3. Copy, paste and adapt
🔸 Paste the snippet into your app, test it in a safe screen, and adjust it to your data.
🎉 Result
You unlock advanced collection capabilities, row numbering, distinct counts and more, without writing the logic yourself.
🌟 Key Advantages
🔸 Ready-to-use snippets for complex collection tasks.
🔸 Higher productivity with proven recipes instead of trial and error.
🔸 More reliable apps thanks to tested examples.
🔗 Related Tips
- #PowerPlatformTip 93: Add RowNumbers, a specific cookbook-style recipe for numbering collection rows.
🛠️ FAQ
Q1: Are the cookbook examples compatible with all Power Apps versions?
Most work across versions, though some newer functions may require an up-to-date Power Apps authoring version.
Q2: Can I modify the examples for my use case?
Yes. The recipes are starting points you can customise and adapt to your business requirements.
Q3: How often is the cookbook updated?
It’s maintained and expanded over time as Power Apps evolves, with new recipes and improved patterns.
Marcel Lehmann
Microsoft MVP