The Modern DFFS is finally here!

[Alexander Bautz]

The new version of DFFS is finally here! It is still in BETA so I would love to get some feedback from you on how it performs – and what features your are missing. Follow the instructions on https://spjsworks.com to set it up and use this forum for any feedback.

Please note: This new version only work on SharePoint online.

Alexander

Known bugs in version 0.9.0.0:

• If you use managed metadata fields you must set a default value in the list settings – if not, the configurator will fail to load the form.

• This topic was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by Alexander Bautz.
• This topic was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by Alexander Bautz.

[Martin Čuchran]

Hi Alexander,

i am receiving following error after installation and app deploy on list view.

Can you help?

M.C

Attachments:

1. 

   modernDFFS.png
   

[Alexander Bautz]

Not sure what could cause these errors, but if possible you can try disabling the CDN feature (using PowerShell) and try again. If that works you can try reenabling the CDN feature and see if that fixes the issue.

I have tested installing it both in a site collection app catalog and in the tenant wide app catalog without any similar issues.

Alexander

[Steve]

Hi Alex,
when uploading the.sppkg to App Catalog, I am getting this error:
Sharepoint 2019.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 5 months ago by Steve.

Attachments:

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   error.png
   

[Alexander Bautz]

Sorry Steve, but this work with SharePoint online only. The SharePoint 2019 implementation uses SPfx version from 2017 and is not updated to support the new SPFx version that this solution is built on – and according to Microsoft it might not be updated at all.

I *might* be able to create a version for on-prem installation later on, but for the time being I must concentrate on SharePoint Online.

PS: I have updated the page over at SPJSWorks.com specifying that it is for SPO only – I forgot that initially.

Alexander

[Steve]

Thank you Alex for the explanation.
I have deployed the solution on the dev tenant and it works.
Looks very nice.
Steo

[Martin Čuchran]

Hi Alex,

you were right. Problem is in CDN. After disabling CDN DFFS works.

Thanks
M.C

[Tony]

Hi Alexander,

I am really excited to test the new version. I installed the solution in the app catalog and deployed it on all subsites. However I am not getting the DFFS icon in the list view. (See attachments)

Attachments:

1. 

   Screenshot-2022-07-14-084120.png
   

2. 

   Screenshot-2022-07-14-084147.png
   

[Steve]

Hi Tony, don’t you have to allow in the “Site collection features” / “site features”?
Steo

[Tony]

Hi Steve,
I assumed not as there is no such feature in both site and site collection features.

[Martin Čuchran]

Hi Tony,

check if you can see CDN errors in console on list view. I had similar problem. DFFS icon was not there after successful deployment. Problem was in CDN setup of tenant. I have disabled CDN for tenant, uploaded app again, made hard refresh of page and all is working now.

Martin

[Tony]

Hi Martin,

I gave no CDN configured.

[Steve]

Oh, I am sorry then. Do you use Modern DFFS on SharePoint 2019? It does not work for me unfortunately.

[Alexander Bautz]

Hi Tony,
In the “Do you trust Modern DFFS” screen you got when uploading the solution did you check the “Make this solution available to all sites in the organization”? – if not you must add it to each of your sites by going to Site content > New > App.

Alexander

[Tony]

Thank Alex,

I removed the solution and reinstalled it again with tenant admin. The DFFS icon is now showing.
I will proceed with my testing.

Tony

[Phil Grant]

Oh well no new DFFS for me, we are on-perm 🙁

[Kasey]

Unfortunately I don’t have O365 yet but really looking forward to testing this out soon. It would be very cool if those of you already testing could share screenshots of some of your newly created forms so folks can see what is possible compared to out of the box or very complicated PowerApps solutions. Thanks as always Alex!!

[Paul Lynch]

Great job Alexander!

No issues getting this to work on our O365 environment, and love how intuitive the UI is. Especially the new RULES layout.

Note I do not have central admin access, so I requested the company I am working with (IT) enable the site collection app catalog for the specific site collectionn by getting them to run the below SP Powershell command:

Add-SPOSiteCollectionAppCatalog -Site https://jnj.sharepoint.com/teams/SITECOLLECTIONNAME

This only needs to be done if you do not see Apps for SharePoint in your Site Contents.

Then in Site Contents upload the file to the “Apps for SharePoint”
The back in Site Contents click NEW and click App
Then you should see the APP in top left (if sorted by newest) Click Add
Then you will see Modern DFFS in Site Contents
Now you can create a list, modern view and should see the DFFS icon at top of list.

Attachments:

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   pic2.png
   

3. 

   pic3.png
   

[Alexander Bautz]

Thank you for the feedback and for specifying how to set up the site collection app catalog.

Alexander

[SteveE]

This is really cool and interesting. I’ll keep digging around into it. Here are some quick initial thoughts.

Love/Like:
– The drag and drop attachments built in!
– Default of hiding the left navigation menu
– Dragging fields to move them is easy and seeing the “grid” type of layout helps for designing
– Preview form
– Simple and clean

Missing:
– Something that I miss is the copying of the form from New to Edit to Disp. Usually when I build something I start with one form and go from there if something is different in the next form.
– Along these lines – backing up the configuration and using development mode are super important.
– I like being able to quickly switch from the various forms with your buttons at the top in the old version
– I really like the field list in the old version so I can make sure I’m using the correct Field Name for various things like custom JS. Not completely necessary but it’s nice
– vLookup config
– Searching rules for fields or text. Very helpful when I have so many rules
– Grouping things for rules. I like being able to tag all of the fields with one group and then, for example, require everything based on that group

Bugs:
– You can type the created and modified by fields in NewForm but it doesn’t actually work
– In NewForm it shows the ID field but it hasn’t been created yet

The biggest problem of all has nothing directly to do with DFFS and is the default modern SharePoint list view. The Details Pane ignores everything in DFFS and allows users to view and edit fields. I’ve never been able to figure out how to get rid of it so it forces me to use classic views for most of my lists to prohibit someone from editing or viewing an item and not following any rules or ordering or anything else I have put in place using DFFS. This will be a major reason I can’t use this version for many of my lists…yet.

I love your work and this is quite an undertaking. Great job!

[Alexander Bautz]

Thank you so much for your feedback. This is only the first version and I will be adding functionality to it continuously.

I have already fixed the two bugs you mentioned (not published yet) and will be adding the copy of the config between forms as well as the backup and dev mode options soon.

I have also added functionality to disable editing of records in the details pane (if DFFS is applied to the EditForm) and changed the “Edit all” button to open the DFFS form. You can still view a single record in the detail pane.

vLookup functionality is also in the pipeline.

Best regards,
Alexander

[SteveE]

That’s great news!

Regarding the details pane: is there some code you can share to use that with the older dffs? Also one thing that is kind of important is if you are hiding something in dffs, it’d be great for the details pane to also hide it. The ordering and tabs are understandable to not be able to do it. But if I have sensitive information I’m hiding based on a rule, I need to be able to hide it from the details pane. OR can we just disable the details pane completely? Honestly that would solve a lot! Or maybe severely limit the fields and information that shows.

I know this is an early version, so I wasn’t expecting all the functionality from your years of developing the older version. I was just giving you the feedback you requested for what I see as important features that I saw missing.

This is really great work. It will take some getting used to and I’m happy to test it when I have time. It’ll be interesting how you plan on pushing out updates.

[Alexander Bautz]

The code for overriding the details pane must be deployed as an app and cannot be installed directly in a list view so I don’t think it will be available as a standalone solution for now.

I think you are right about the details pane – hiding it entirely is most likely the best.

Alexander

[Tanya Edgar]

Hi,

If I’m already running the older version of DFFS on a site, can I install the new version too? If I can and do, is there a migration path?

[Alexander Bautz]

Hi,
You can use both the old and new in the same site, but not in the same form.

I haven’t created – and will most likely not create a migration tool as the old and the new config for both form and rules is completely different.

This means you must recreate the forms using the new version.

Please note that this is currently an early version and it has bugs and is missing vital functionality you will need to replace your old version. You can use it to test the functionality, but it is not production ready just yet.

Alexander

[Jonathan Stamper]

So far Modern DFFS is awesome! I’ve been able to load it successfully and play around with it a good bit. The only thing I’m noticing, and not sure if it can be updated, is compatibility of fonts to dark themes. You can see in the image, I’m using the dark blue theme with white text which looks to “hide” the field labels in DFFS.

Other than that, I love it and I can’t wait to see how it all shapes out. Especially when using stuff like vLookup.

Attachments:

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   Labels-Background-same-color.jpg
   

[Alexander Bautz]

Thanks for the feedback – I’ll fix this in the next release. I have made some more progress and added functionality to import configs from other forms in the same list, making restore points and using development mode to work on a new config for an existing “live” from without interfering. The switch form buttons are also added.

I’ll work on vLookup next and hope to release a new version later this week.

Best regards,
Alexander

[Jonathan Stamper]

That’s awesome! I look forward to seeing more.

[Jonathan Stamper]

You know what would be really cool, if possible, is having the dffs functions available within the autocomplete of Custom JS.

[Alexander Bautz]

The internal functions will not be directly accessible in the new version because it is written in react, but you can interact with the dataobject (for getting and setting values) from the custom js function you call from a rule (using the call a function action). The function can be added to the Custom JS like this to write to the title field:

function yourCustomFunction(rule, match, dataObj){
  // console.log("rule", rule);
  // console.log("match", match);
  // console.log("dataObj", dataObj);
  dataObj.Title = "Rule matching: " + match;
}

Alexander

[Jeff Lynch]

I seem to be having some issues. I see “Setup DFFS” in the ribbon but never after installing on all forms do I see configure dffs. I get some errors I’m not familiar with in the console (see attachment) but even on a new site, I have to run the fix script to get it to even render.

I’ve installed the latest version 4.4.5.45. I’ve disabled CDN, On the new site I also had to set DenyAddAndCustomizePages 0 to get it to install on the test list.

Certainly I’ve missed some basic thing but can’t figure it out.

Attachments:

1. 

   dffserrors.png
   

[Jeff Lynch]

Never Mind, I added an item and now it shows up…

[Alexander Bautz]

Hi,
I think you might have misunderstood. You are not supposed to add the old v4.4.5.45 DFFS version – and you don’t need to use DenyAddAndCustomizePages. The new modern DFFS version is only installed and activated in the app catalog in your tenant (or your site collection if that has been set up) – see instructions in the link in the first post in this thread.

Alexander

[Travis Goodman]

Hi Alexander, I’m working on getting a sandbox site collection stood up for testing this out for you. You can look up my existing license to see the corporation I work for, I’m going to put this thing through the wringer for you and do as exhaustive testing as I possibly can.

You have no idea how much your work is appreciated, and you continue to deliver. Keep up the great work!

[Alexander Bautz]

Thanks!

Please note that this only works on Office 365.

Best regards,
Alexander

[Travis Goodman]

Yep, we just fully migrated to M365 across the board in October 2021.

[Travis Goodman]

Hi Alexander, I’m behind on my testing. Always something that pops up. Here’s my status and thoughts so far:

Got the modern forms package added and installed. Note, I ran into this, so you’ll want to add it to your instructions, if you have classic DFFS installed, you need to go to your DFFS Installer page and have it uninstall classic DFFS from the list you want to use modern on.

The user interface in the limited time I’ve gotten to mess with it is fantastic. I am loving the grid system for responsiveness, and if you recall my assistance with the classic DFFS responsive code, this is always what I was trying to accomplish.

One thing I will suggest, you have the top bar frozen to the top which is great! I would recommend adding the “Preview form (rules are not evaluated) to that same frozen top. Right now on the Formbuilder tab, if I’m scrolled all the way at the bottom, I have to scroll all the way to the top to click that preview. Very minor, but a quality of life improvement in that regard.

Also, on formbuilder, loving the layout. Can it be configured so that as I’m building the form, I can collapse rows? That way if a row is set and I don’t want to mess with it and don’t need to see it, I can collapse it so that it doesn’t take up a ton of real estate?

For rules, I have not gotten this far yet to create my rules and test them. I’ll have some feedback for sure as I have some extremely complex rules in some lists I will try to replicate. I understand you won’t have full compatibility yet, and that’s totally understandable. One thing that stood out was that there’s no trigger that is for “on change” only. It’s either for “Form load” or “Form load AND form change”. Some things I want to trigger only on change.

I also saw in another comment that you are no longer doing auto-reversing of rules. I am actually ok with this, but I will have to un-learn it lol. I’m so used to it over the years, and it took me a long time to get used to it, but it’s probably for the best. With the “If Yes/If No” sections, it shouldn’t be a problem for most people going forward to do their own “reversing”.

[Alexander Bautz]

Thanks for the feedback! – I’ll go through them and try to get as much as possible in the next update. I hope to get it out in the beginning of next week.

Alexander

[Jonathan Stamper]

This is awesome!!! I love how it’s all coming together. So far, I’ve noticed two minor things. Because I’m testing using a dark SharePoint background, the Add New Item under the vLookup configuration appears to blend in with the white background and text (see image). Also, I needed to change my form settings to PowerApps to get the latest version of DFFS to respond.

Other than that, I love this. Excellent work Alex!!!

What’s next on the agenda of updates?

• This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Jonathan Stamper.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 3 months ago by Jonathan Stamper.

Attachments:

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   vlookup-dark-background-to-white.jpg
   

[Alexander Bautz]

Thanks for the feedback – I’ll change the font colors on the headers.

Not sure about the need to change to powerapps (as DFFS is not using powerapps), but it might be that you have the classic DFFS installed in the same list? – if you do, SharePoint will auto-detect that the form is modified and try to load the classic NewForm / DispForm / EditForm.

Alexander

[Frank Montalti]

Alexander,

Attached is the Modern DFFS error.

Thanks

Frank

Attachments:

1. 

   DFFS-Error.png
   

[Alexander Bautz]

It looks like you have installed the old “classic DFFS” installer and not the new modern DFFS version. Follow the instructions in this page to download and install the new version: spjsworks.com

Alexander

[Frank Montalti]

Alexander,

I had actually installed the package. See the attachment.
Did I install it incorrectly?

Thanks

Frank

Attachments:

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   Modern-DFFS-Apps-Install.png
   

[Alexander Bautz]

It looks right, but I suspect that you also have installed the “DFFS_Installer” app that was created for the classic DFFS version back in 2016.

You should uninstall this old app and remove it from your site / site collection. If you have used it for installing the classic DFFS I still recommend you remove it and use the “local installer” option for the classic DFFS instead.

Alexander

[Frank Montalti]

Alexander,

I was able to install on my development SharePoint site.

Thanks for all your help!

Frank

[Brett]

Hi Alexander,
We should be moving to 365 next year.
I won’t have access to the App Catalog and the gate-keepers here won’t allow this to be installed.

Can this be installed on a single Site Collection, just like classic DFFS?

[Alexander Bautz]

Yes it can be installed in a single site collection but you need the tenant admin to enable the site collection app catalog.

Read more here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/general-development/site-collection-app-catalog

Alexander

[Brett]

Thanks Alexander, The Admins gave me a Developer Site Collection for deploying apps which doesn’t work so I’ll ask for a Site Collection App catalog.

[Author]

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