How to Set Default Value in Power Apps Dropdown Control from SharePoint list?

Did you know how to set a default value to the Power Apps dropdown control [from SharePoint list]? No worries!

In this Power Apps tutorial, we will go through how to set the default value in Power Apps Dropdown control from a SharePoint list and reset the Power Apps dropdown to its default value.

Moreover, I will show you:

1. Set a default value as null or blank in a Power Apps dropdown list
2. How to add custom values to a dropdown control and set its default value
3. Add a text label as “Please Select” to the Power Apps dropdown control

How to Set Default Value in Power Apps Dropdown Control from SharePoint list

I will show how to set a default value in the Power Apps dropdown control from a SharePoint list.

Example,

I have a SharePoint list [Netflix User Details], which has different columns like:

Column Name	Data Type
Client ID	Title
Gender	Choice [Male, Female, Others]
Subscription Type	Choice [Basic, Standard, Premium]
Netflix Join Date	Date and time
Netflix Offer	Single line of text

1. In Power Apps, there is a Dropdown control and a Gallery control. The dropdown control contains all the values from a SharePoint list choice column [Subscription Type].
2. When a user opens or loads an app, the Power Apps dropdown control will automatically display the default value.
3. At the same time, the gallery will filter and display all the records based on the dropdown default value.

Follow the below steps to achieve it:

• On the Power Apps screen, insert the dropdown control -> Set the below dropdown properties as:

Items = Distinct('Netflix User Details','Subscription Type'.Value)

Default = "Premium"

Where,

1. Netflix User Details = SharePoint list name
2. Subscription Type = SharePoint choice column name
3. Premium = SharePoint list choice column value [Setting a default value]

• Insert a gallery control -> Set its Items property to:

Items = Filter(
    'Netflix User Details',
    'Subscription Type'.Value = drp_DefaultValue.Selected.Value
)

Where,

1. Netflix User Details = SharePoint list name
2. Subscription Type = SharePoint choice column name
3. drp_DefaultValue = Dropdown control name

• Save, Publish, and close the app. Then, reopen and preview the app. The dropdown control value will be selected as “Premium” by default.

This is how to set a default value to a Power Apps dropdown control.

How to Reset Power Apps Dropdown Value to Default Value

This section will demonstrate how to reset a Power Apps dropdown value to the default value.

Example,

• In Power Apps, there is an Edit form and a Reset icon. The Power Apps form is connected to the above SharePoint list [Netflix User Details].
• The Edit form contains a dropdown control [Subscription Type], and we will set a default value.
• Whenever the user selects a different value from the dropdown control and clicks on the reset icon, the dropdown will reset to its default value, i.e., Premium.

Let’s see how to achieve it:

• On the Power Apps screen, insert an Edit form -> Connect the form with the above SharePoint list.

• To set a default value, click on the Dropdown control -> Set its DefaultSelectedItems property to:

DefaultSelectedItems = If(
    Form1.Mode = FormMode.New,
    {Value: "Premium"},
    Parent.Default
)

Where,

1. Form1 = Edit form name
2. Premium = SharePoint list choice column value

• Insert a Reset icon -> Set its OnSelect property to:

Reset(DataCardValue2)

Where,

• DataCardValue2 = Dropdown control name

• Save, Publish, and Preview the app. Select a different dropdown control value and click the reset icon. Then, the dropdown will reset to its default value.

This is how to reset a Power Apps dropdown value to its default value.

Power Apps Set Dropdown Default Value to Blank

Here, I will explain an effective way to set a default value as null or blank in a Power Apps dropdown control.

Example,

• In Power Apps, there is a dropdown control and a Data table. The dropdown control contains the values from the above SharePoint list choice column [Subscription Type].
• The dropdown value should be selected as a blank value whenever the user opens the app.
• At the same time, the data table should filter and display all the records.
• Later, when a user selects a different value from a dropdown control, the data table dynamically displays the relevant records based on the selected value of the dropdown.

To achieve it, follow the below steps:

• Create a Power Apps collection on the App’s OnStart property:

OnStart = ClearCollect(
    colBlank,
    {Value: " "}
);
Collect(
    colBlank,
    Choices('Netflix User Details'.SubscriptionType)
)

Where,

1. colBlank = Collection name
2. Netflix User Details = SharePoint list name
3. Subscription Type = SharePoint choice column name

• Insert a dropdown control -> Set the below dropdown properties as:

Items = colBlank.Value

AllowEmptySelection = true

Where,

• colBlank = Collection name

• Insert a Data table -> Set its Items property to:

 Items = If(
    drp_SubscriptionType.Selected.Value = " ",
    'Netflix User Details',
    Filter(
        'Netflix User Details',
        'Subscription Type'.Value = drp_SubscriptionType.Selected.Value
    )
)

Where,

1. drp_SubscriptionType = Dropdown control name
2. Netflix User Details = SharePoint list name
3. Subscription Type = SharePoint choice column name

• Save, Publish, and Preview the app. By default, the dropdown will be selected as an empty value, and the data table will be filtered and display all the records.

We can achieve this by setting a default value as null or blank in a Power Apps dropdown list.

Power Apps Dropdown Custom Default Value

In this section, I will show you how to set a custom default value for a Power Apps dropdown control.

Example – 1:

• In Power Apps, there is a dropdown control. We will add custom values (“Laptop”, “Speaker”, “Keyboard”, “Mouse”, “All”) to display a list of products.
• When a user opens or loads an app, the Power Apps dropdown control should automatically display the default value (All).

Let’s see how to achieve it:

• Insert a dropdown control -> Set the below dropdown properties as:

Items = ["Laptop","Speaker","Keyboard","Mouse","All"]

Default = "All"

• Now, we can see that custom dropdown values are added to a dropdown control as shown below:

• Save, Publish, and Preview the app. By default, the dropdown value will be selected as “All”

This is how to add custom values to a dropdown control and set its default value.

Example – 2:

I will explain how to add a text label as “Please Select” to the Power Apps dropdown control here.

Example,

• In Power Apps, there is a dropdown control containing all the values from a SharePoint list choice column [Subscription Type].
• When a user doesn’t select an item or the dropdown selection field is empty, the text label should display the text as “Please Select“.

To achieve it, follow the below steps:

• Insert a dropdown control -> Set the below dropdown properties as:

Items = Choices('Netflix User Details'.'Subscription Type')

Fill = Color.Transparent

• Insert Text label on the Power Apps dropdown control -> Set the below text label properties as:

Text = "–Please Select–"

Visible = IsBlank(drp_SubscriptionType.SelectedText.Value)

Where,

• drp_SubscriptionType = Dropdown control name

• Save, Publish, load, and preview the app. When we don’t select an item or the dropdown selection field is empty, the text label will display as “Please Select” as shown below:

This is how to add a text label as “Please Select” to a Power Apps dropdown control.

Conclusion

This Power Apps tutorial explained every step of How to set a default value for the Power Apps dropdown control and reset the Power Apps dropdown value to the default value.

Moreover, I have covered setting a default value as null or blank in a Power Apps dropdown list and also adding custom values to a dropdown control by setting its default value.

Lastly, I have shown you how to add a “Please Select” text label to the Power Apps dropdown control.

Additionally, you may like some more Power Apps tutorials:

• Convert Dropdown to Radio Button in Power Apps Form
• Set Power Apps Dropdown Values Based on Variable
• How to Display SharePoint Person Column in Power Apps Dropdown?
• Power Apps Dropdown Values Not Showing