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Tree view – Now even better with Expand all, Collapse all and more

Headshot of article author Anees Ansari

Based on feedback from our users we recently made some great updates to the Tree view in PowerApps Studio.

Better default state

Earlier the Tree view used to expand all screens and child nodes by default giving a very busy feel to the left pane. With this update it now expands only the first screen and only up to the first level providing a much better default state.

Before After
Default Tree view state before Default Tree view state now

Expand all / Collapse all

By popular demand the Tree view now provides the option to Expand all / Collapse all on screens and any other control that contains child controls. (Refer to PowerApps Idea 53791)

Expand all Collapse all

And before you ask, the option to Expand all / Collapse all for all screens is in progress and should be available soon. (Refer to PowerApps Idea 40859 and PowerApps Idea 123633)

Automatic scrolling of Tree view with control selection

The Tree view now automatically scrolls to bring the selected control in the viewing pane. No more hunting around to find the selected control in the Tree view.

Initial state

Initial state


Tree view automatically updates when gallery is selected

Tree view automatically updates when gallery is selected


Smart search states

Searching for controls now automatically expands the Tree view to show the full hierarchy for controls that match the search criteria. If you don’t find the control you are looking for you can simply close the search and the Tree view goes back to the state it was in before you started searching.

Initial state

Initial state


Searching for “right”

Searching for “right” but no control selected


Search closed without selection

Search closed without control selection returns to initial state

If you find the control you are looking for you can select it. Closing out search now preserves your selection and automatically expands the Tree view to show your selected control.

Initial state

Initial state


Searching for “right” and selecting a control

Searching for “right” and selecting a control


Search closed after selection

Search closed after control selection preserves selection


Performance improvements

We have also made a number of great performance updates to make the Tree View function more smoothly. No more lag in scrolling and control selection.

Richer keyboard accessibility and expanded menu options

The Tree view now provides an richer support for keyboard accessibility via shortcuts for common actions. Some of these are


Action Shortcut
Rename control F2
Exit renaming Esc
Group/ungroup controls (Toggling behavior) Ctrl + G
Bring forward Ctrl + ]
Send backward Ctrl + [
Bring to front Ctrl + Shift + ]
Send to back Ctrl + Shift + [

*Note: Focus needs to be in Tree view for these shortcuts.

The context menu has also been expanded to provide direct access to these common actions.

Expanded context menu

Both, the keyboard shortcuts and expanded context menus, are designed to help app authors avoid having to switch between the keyboard and mouse and be more productive for these common actions.

We hope you find these updates helpful when creating PowerApps. As always please keep the feedback coming and the Ideas board updated with requests and votes, we will continue to work hard on your suggestions and help enable your success.

Thanks

Anees