How to Bind Power Apps Text Input Values to a Dropdown Control?

In this article, I will explain how to bind Power Apps text input values to a dropdown control. Additionally, I will show you how to bind multi-text values into a Power Apps dropdown control with some valuable examples.

Bind Power Apps Text Input Values to a Dropdown Control

In this section, I will show you how to bind text input values to a dropdown control in Power Apps with two different examples:

Bind Power Apps single-line text value to dropdown

I have a Power Apps Text input control, a Button control, and a Dropdown control.

When the user provides the values in a text input control and clicks on the button, those values will be added to a Power Apps dropdown control as shown below:

Let me show you how to achieve this:

• On the Power Apps screen, insert a Text input control as shown below:

• Now, insert the Button control -> Set its OnSelect property to:

Collect(
    DepartmentCollection,
    Split(
        txt_Department.Text,
        Char(10)
    )
);
Reset(txt_Department);

Where,

1. DepartmentCollection = Provide the collection name
2. txt_Department = The text input control name

• On the Screen OnVisible property, provide the code as:

ClearCollect(DepartmentCollection, [])

Where,

1. DepartmentCollection = Provide the collection name.

• To add the values to the dropdown, insert a Dropdown control -> Set its Items property to:

DepartmentCollection.Value

Where,

1. DepartmentCollection = Collection name

• Once your app is ready, save, publish, and preview it. When the user provides a value in the text-input control and clicks on a button control. Those values will be kept on adding to a dropdown control as shown below:

As per the above image, we can see that the dropdown contains duplicate values.

After a user enters a text-input value and clicks on a button control, the dropdown should avoid adding any identical values to its existing items, as shown below:

So to remove those duplicate values and the dropdown should avoid taking similar values, then follow the below step:

• Select the Power Apps dropdown control -> Set its Items property to:

Distinct(DepartmentCollection,Value)

• Save, Publish, and Preview the app. When the user provides the same value in the text-input control and clicks on a button control. The values will not be taken to a dropdown items as shown below:

This is how to bind a single line text input values to a dropdown in Power Apps.

Bind Power Apps multi-line text value to dropdown

Let us see how to add multiline text input values to a dropdown control in Power Apps.

Let’s say when the user provides the values in a text-input control (multi-text) and clicks on the button control, those values will be added to a Power Apps dropdown control as shown below:

Follow the below steps to achieve this:

• On the Power Apps screen, insert a Text-input control. In the text-input control’s properties pane, change the mode to Multiline.

• Insert a Button control -> Set its OnSelect property to:

UpdateContext(
    {
        Status: Split(
            txt_Status.Text,
            Char(10)
        )
    }
)

Where,

1. Status = Variable name
2. txt_Status = Text input control name

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

Status

Where,

1. Status = Variable name

• Save, Publish, and Preview the app when the user provides a value in the text-input control and clicks on a button control. The values will be populated in a dropdown control as shown below:

This is how to add multiline text input values to dropdown items in Power Apps.

Conclusion

I hope this article helped you to implement how to bind text input values into a Power Apps dropdown control with various scenarios.

Also, you may like the following tutorials:

• Set Dropdown Value On Button Click in Power Apps
• Power Apps Combo Box Vs Dropdown
• PDF Viewer Control in Power Apps
• Power Apps Toggle Control
• Convert Text to Date in Power Apps

Preeti Sahu

Preeti Sahu is an expert in Power Apps and has over six years of experience working with SharePoint Online and the Power Platform. She is the co-author of Microsoft Power Platform: A Deep Dive book. As a Power Platform developer, she has worked on developing various tools using Power Apps and Power Automate. She also makes Microsoft 365 videos and shares them on YouTube.