Filtering forms by current user

Filtering forms by the current user in Power Pages is a useful feature that allows you to dynamically display records or data that are specific to the logged-in user. This can be done using different methods, including Liquid templates, JavaScript, or Power Automate, depending on the requirements of the portal and the type of form.

Here’s how to filter forms by the current user step by step:

1. Using Liquid Templates

Liquid is a powerful templating language in Power Pages that can be used to filter data on forms based on the current user.

Example Steps:

• Step 1: Add the user object to the Liquid template. This object provides information about the currently logged-in user, including the user’s ID, name, email, and more.
  {% assign current_user = user %}
• Step 2: Fetch records based on the current user’s ID. You can use Liquid filters to get data from the Dataverse (or whichever backend you are using) and filter it by the user’s ID.
  {% assign records = entities['your_entity_name'].where("ownerid eq '#{current_user.id}'") %}
• Step 3: Use the filtered records within the form or display logic. For example, you might only want to display records where the logged-in user is the owner.
  <ul> {% for record in records %} <li>{{ record.field_name }}</li> {% endfor %} </ul>

Benefits of Using Liquid:

• Dynamic content filtering based on user data.
• Direct integration with Power Pages content.
• No need for additional JavaScript or Power Automate logic.

2. Using JavaScript for Dynamic Form Filtering

You can use JavaScript to filter forms by the current user by dynamically fetching the user’s information and applying filters to the form fields or records.

Example Steps:

• Step 1: Use JavaScript to fetch the current user’s information. This can be done by accessing the logged-in user data through the Xrm.Page.context API.
  var currentUserId = Xrm.Utility.getGlobalContext().userSettings.userId;
• Step 2: Use this user ID to filter the form data dynamically. For example, you can modify the data query or set the visibility of fields depending on the user’s attributes.
  // Example: Filter data based on the current user's ID var fetchXml = "<fetch><entity name='your_entity'><filter><condition attribute='ownerid' operator='eq' value='" + currentUserId + "' /></filter></entity></fetch>";
• Step 3: Apply this filtering logic to the form or gallery in Power Pages. You can use this FetchXML query to populate a list, gallery, or form with only the records that belong to the current user.

Example Using FetchXML:

var fetchXml = "<fetch><entity name='your_entity'><filter><condition attribute='ownerid' operator='eq' value='" + currentUserId + "' /></filter></entity></fetch>";
Xrm.WebApi.retrieveMultipleRecords('your_entity', "?fetchXml=" + encodeURIComponent(fetchXml)).then(
    function success(result) {
        // Process the retrieved data and populate the form or list
        console.log(result);
    },
    function(error) {
        console.log(error.message);
    }
);

Benefits of Using JavaScript:

• Greater flexibility for complex filtering logic.
• Ability to dynamically manipulate form data.
• Integration with other business logic or API calls.

3. Using Power Automate (Flows)

Power Automate can be used to filter records by the current user. You can trigger a flow when a form is submitted or when a page is loaded, and then filter the records by the current user.

Example Steps:

• Step 1: Create a Power Automate flow triggered by an event, such as the submission of a form or page load.
• Step 2: In the flow, use the “Get User Profile (V2)” action to retrieve details about the current user, such as the user ID.
• Step 3: Use the “Filter Array” or a similar action to filter records based on the user ID obtained from the previous step. This step can be configured to match the owner of a record or other user-specific attributes.
• Step 4: Return the filtered results to Power Pages, either by using the Power Automate “Response” action or by storing the results in a SharePoint list or Dataverse table that is connected to Power Pages.

Benefits of Using Power Automate:

• Can handle complex logic and integrations with external systems.
• Provides a no-code approach to handling user-specific data filtering.
• Integrates well with other Microsoft services, such as SharePoint, Outlook, etc.

4. Using Table Permissions (For Security)

In addition to filtering data on the front end, ensure that proper table permissions are set up to restrict access to records based on the user. You can control which records a user can see based on security roles in Dataverse or SharePoint.

Example Steps:

• Step 1: Configure security roles in Dataverse to control access to records based on the owner of the record or the user’s attributes.
• Step 2: Use these security roles to enforce data access restrictions at the table level.

5. Example Use Case: Employee Self-Service Portal

In an employee self-service portal, you might want to show each employee only their personal information or requests. Using the above methods, you could filter forms to only display records related to the current logged-in employee.