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How to Use the Power Fx Left  Function in Power Apps

What is the Power Fx Left Function?

The Power Fx Left function is a formula that allows you to extract a specified number of characters from the beginning of a text string. The syntax for the Power Fx Left function is as follows:


Left(Text, Num_Characters)


In this formula, ‘Text’ is the text string that you want to extract the characters from, and ‘Num_Characters’ is the number of characters that you want to extract. For example, if you want to extract the first three characters from the text string ‘Hello World’, you would use the following formula:


Left("Hello World", 3)


This would return the text string ‘Hel’.

How to Use the Power Fx Left Function

To use the Power Fx Left function in Power Apps, you first need to create a formula that includes the function. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open the Power Apps Studio and navigate to the screen where you want to use the formula.

2. Click on the control where you want to display the result of the formula.

3. In the formula bar at the top of the screen, type the formula that includes the Power Fx Left function.

4. Press Enter to apply the formula.

Let’s take a look at an example of how to use the Power Fx Left function in Power Apps. Suppose we have a text input control on our screen that contains the text string ‘Power Apps is awesome!’. We want to display the first five characters of this string in a label control. Here’s how we can do that:

1. Click on the label control where you want to display the result.

2. In the formula bar at the top of the screen, type the following formula:


Left(TextInput1.Text, 5)


In this formula, ‘TextInput1.Text’ is the name of the text input control that contains the text string we want to extract the characters from, and ‘5’ is the number of characters we want to extract.

3. Press Enter to apply the formula.

The label control will now display the text string ‘Power’.

Tips for Using the Power Fx Left Function

Here are some tips for using the Power Fx Left function in Power Apps:

1. Make sure you use the correct syntax for the function. The syntax is Left(Text, Num_Characters).

2. Make sure you specify the correct number of characters to extract.

3. If you want to extract all the characters up to a certain position, you can use the Mid function in combination with the Len function. For example, to extract all characters up to the 5th position, you can use the following formula:


Mid(Text, 1, Len(Text)-4)


In this formula, ‘Text’ is the text string you want to extract the characters from, and ‘4’ is the number of characters you want to exclude from the end of the string.

4. When using the Power Fx Left function with a text input control, make sure the control contains the text string you want to extract the characters from.

Using the Power Fx Left function in Power Apps can be a great way to manipulate text strings. With this function, you can easily extract a specified number of characters from the beginning of a text string. By following the tips outlined in this article, you can use the Power Fx Left function with confidence and take your Power Apps to the next level.

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