Power Apps – Persist Dropdown Selection Across Sessions Without API Save

Question

Hi Team,

I am working on a Power Apps application and need clarification regarding dropdown value persistence behavior.

Requirement:

I have a dropdown control in the app. If a user selects a value (for example, 40), and later logs in from another system or device, the same selected value (40) should be displayed automatically.

Important Note: This needs to work without saving the selected value to any external API or backend database.

Could you please confirm:

Is this achievable using built-in Power Apps functionality only?

What is the recommended approach to persist the dropdown selection across sessions and devices without API integration?

Kindly guide me with the best possible solution or reference documentation.

Thank you.

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Answer 1

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Answer 2

To achieve the persistence of a dropdown selection across sessions and devices in Power Apps without using an external API or backend database, you can utilize the built-in SaveData() and LoadData() functions. These functions allow you to save data locally on the device, which can then be loaded when the app is restarted.

Here’s a recommended approach:

1. Saving the Dropdown Value: Use the OnChange property of the dropdown control to save the selected value to a local collection. For example:

      SaveData({SelectedValue: Dropdown1.Selected.Value}, "DropdownSelection")
   

2. Loading the Dropdown Value: In the OnStart property of the app, load the saved value when the app starts:

      LoadData(LoadedData, "DropdownSelection", true)
      If(!IsBlank(LoadedData.SelectedValue), Set(Dropdown1.Selected, LoadedData.SelectedValue))
   

3. Setting the Default Value: Ensure that the dropdown control's Default property is set to the loaded value so that it displays the correct selection when the app is opened:

      If(!IsBlank(LoadedData.SelectedValue), LoadedData.SelectedValue, Blank())
   

This method allows the dropdown selection to persist across sessions and devices as long as the app is used on the same device where the data was saved. However, note that SaveData() and LoadData() functions work in Power Apps Mobile but not in Power Apps Studio or the web player.

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References:

• Enable consistent experience across sessions using LoadData and SaveData functions
• Understand variables in canvas apps
• Important upcoming changes (deprecations) in canvas apps
• Power Dropdown (zerotrust)