Enhancing UI in Dataverse: A Fresh Take on Modernizing Your App Experience

?? Want to elevate the UI in your Model-driven apps? ??

Here's a quick overview of the best options to take your UI from ordinary to extraordinary! ???Let’s start from the most common solutions to the most powerful ones:

?? Classic Theming

?? Make Your App Stand Out with Custom Themes! ??

Did you know you can easily craft a unique look and feel for your app by customizing the default colors and visual elements? ??

From adding your company's logo to assigning table-specific colors, you can create your own personal branding – no coding required! With the Themes feature, you can create, clone, modify, or even delete themes within your environment to reflect your brand's identity. ??

Take control of your app’s style, and make it truly your own! ?

?? Use Emojis

Yes, emojis can be used in various parts of your app:

• Field names
• Section names
• Tab names
• Option set values

However, keep in mind that emojis will appear in reports too, so use them wisely in formal scenarios! ??

?? Pastel Colors for Option Sets

Swap out those classic colors for pastel shades to create a softer, more modern feel. Pair this with custom PCF controls to enhance the overall user experience and visual appeal. ??

??Use Custom PCF controls

We all love the helpful resources on pcf.gallery, but here’s a word of caution:

• Always check the licensing agreements – some creators restrict commercial use.
• If it’s open-source, inspect the code. Free doesn’t always mean secure.
• Be prepared for minimal support or bugs in free controls.
• Use them as inspiration – many controls might not follow best practices like using React or Fluent UI. Quick wins may need long-term maintenance.

?? Out-of-the-Box (OOTB) PCF Controls

CanvasApps/Custom pages

Don’t forget that Dataverse already offers modern form controls like:

• Avatar (Preview), Badge, Button, Checkbox, ComboBox (Preview), Copilot Answer (Preview), and many more.

These controls bring a native and clean look to your apps, with built-in theming support!

?? Power Apps Grid Control

Looking for something exciting? Check out the Power Apps Grid Control:

• Infinite scroll, inline editing, nested grids, grouping, aggregation, and more!

• Colored option set value in the grid

• Customizable cell rendering gives you the flexibility to display anything in a grid cell. The possibilities are endless—even zebras ?????? ??

I hope this overview gives you some fresh ideas to upgrade your apps! Stay tuned for more tips. Enjoy coding, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! ??