Bug When Using DataCard.Height property in Formulas?

[csteig1230]

Here is my scenario:

I have an edit form with various data cards on it.  The Visible property of some of those cards is dependent (using an IF function) upon what the values of some of the other data cards in the form are.

So the overall height of the form is variable and dependent on which/how many of the data cards are currently visible.  I can use a series of IF functions in the Height property of the form to check if each data card is visible, and if it is, add its height.  But when I try to do that using some like this:

EditForm1.Height = If(DataCard1.Visible, DataCard1.Height, 0) + If(DataCard2.Visible, DataCard2.Height, 0)

If doesn't work reliably.  The first time a screen loads with this form on it it's as if the expression doesn't evaluate.  If I leave the screen and immediately come back to it, it usually then updates and the form has the proper height.

The only way I have been able to get it to reliably adjust the form height is by adding up the heights of the invididual controls in the data cards like this:

EditForm1.Height = If(DataCard1.Visible, DataCard1Value.Height + DataCard1Key.Height + DataCard1Error.Height, 0) + If(DataCard2.Visible, DataCard2Value.Height + DataCard2Key.Height + DataCard2Error.Height.Height, 0)

Is this a bug?

[v-yutliu-msft]

Hi @csteig1230 ,

I've made a similar test and found that you are right.

I suggest you modify your formula like this:

If(DataCard1.Visible, DataCardValue1.Height + DataCardKey1.Height + ErrorMessage1.Height+StarVisible1.Height, 0) + 
If(DataCard2.Visible, DataCardValue2.Height + DataCardKey2.Height + ErrorMessage2.Height+StarVisible2.Height, 0)

Actally, one datacard is composed of 4 parts : DataCardValue+ DataCardKey + ErrorMessage+StarVisible .

The reason why you met this problem is that usually ErrorMessage and StarVisible are invisible, so just using  Datacard.Height can not represent the whole datacard's height.

Anyway, thanks for your sharing!

Best regards,

[csteig1230]

@v-yutliu-msft  Thank you for the response, but it doesn't really address my problem for several reasons:

1. Adding the DataCard height AND the heights of all the controls within the datacard as you suggest will result in a form twice the height than it should be.
2. Adding in the Height of the StarVisible control doesn't help me.  I left that out on purpose as it shares the same vertical space as the DataCardKey control, so adding the StarVisible control's height to the mix will also make the overall form height larger than it should be.
3. My issue is that when ONLY using the DataCard.Height property in the IF statements (as it should represent the total height of the controls plus the space between those controls within the datacard), after changing the condition that switches the datacards from being Visible=false to Visible=true even when the controls AND the datacard are both visible and the datacard has the correct height, the expressions within the IF statements within the Form.Height property are not evaluating (Form.Height still thinks the height is 0) until I leave the screen with the form on it and come back.  Then the expressions seem to evaluate and the Form updates with the proper height.
4. Even my original work around is an imperfect solution as it doesn't take into account the possible spacing between controls within the cards.  A more appropriate workaround may be:
   • If(DataCard1.Visible, ErrorMessage1.Y + ErrorMessage1.Height, 0) + If(DataCard2.Visible, ErrorMessage2.Y + ErrorMessage2.Height, 0)
5. If I have, for example, 10 data cards on a form, this workaround starts to become cumbersome.  I should just be able to reference the height of each data card when adding up the potential heights to reach a final height for the form as a whole.  Which is why I was wondering if it is a bug that needs to be fixed.

[james_hathaway]

I am experiencing exactly the same problem, and I too believe that it is a bug in PowerApps.

When in the "Edit App" studio, the Height property of the DataCard1 is actually set to 60, however, when I reference this property in another formula (like the Form.Height forumula), the DataCard1.Height value is evaluating to 80.

From reading the other replies to this issue, I can only summise that the DataCard1.Height that is being evaluated in the formula is NOT the DataCard1.Height property, but is in fact some sort of calculated value - and in my case, it seems to be adding the heights of all controls within the datacard, (DataCardValue1.Height + ErrorMessage1.Height), even when the ErrorMessage control does not contain any text (and therefore appears to be only 10px tall).

There is good news, however, as it seems that the DataCard1.Height Calculated Value is only adding up the heights of the VISIBLE Controls in the DataCard. I found that if I made the ErrorMessage1.Visible=!isblank(ErrorMessage1.Text), then the DataCard1.Height calculated value is in fact what I would expect it to be.

So my tip - amend the "Visible" property of the extra controls in your DataCard, and the calculated DataCard Height value will then not include these controls.

James.