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pcf-overview.instructions.md

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description Power Apps Component Framework overview and fundamentals
applyTo **/*.{ts,tsx,js,json,xml,pcfproj,csproj}

Power Apps Component Framework Overview

Power Apps component framework empowers professional developers and app makers to create code components for model-driven and canvas apps. These code components can be used to enhance the user experience for users working with data on forms, views, dashboards, and canvas app screens.

Key Capabilities

You can use PCF to:

  • Replace a column on a form that displays a numeric text value with a dial or slider code component
  • Transform a list into an entirely different visual experience bound to the dataset, like a Calendar or Map

Important Limitations

  • Power Apps component framework works only on Unified Interface and not on the legacy web client
  • Power Apps component framework is currently not supported for on-premises environments

How PCF Differs from Web Resources

Unlike HTML web resources, code components are:

  • Rendered as part of the same context
  • Loaded at the same time as any other components
  • Provide a seamless experience for the user

Code components can be:

  • Used across the full breadth of Power Apps capabilities
  • Reused many times across different tables and forms
  • Bundled with all HTML, CSS, and TypeScript files into a single solution package
  • Moved across environments
  • Made available via AppSource

Key Advantages

Rich Framework APIs

  • Component lifecycle management
  • Contextual data and metadata access
  • Seamless server access via Web API
  • Utility and data formatting methods
  • Device features: camera, location, microphone
  • User experience elements: dialogs, lookups, full-page rendering

Development Benefits

  • Support for modern web practices
  • Optimized for performance
  • High reusability
  • Bundle all files into a single solution file
  • Handle being destroyed and reloaded for performance reasons while preserving state

Licensing Requirements

Power Apps component framework licensing is based on the type of data and connections used:

Premium Code Components

Code components that connect to external services or data directly via the user's browser client (not through connectors):

  • Considered premium components
  • Apps using these become premium
  • End-users require Power Apps licenses

Declare as premium by adding to manifest:

<external-service-usage enabled="true">
  <domain>www.microsoft.com</domain>
</external-service-usage>

Standard Code Components

Code components that don't connect to external services or data:

  • Apps using these with standard features remain standard
  • End-users require minimum Office 365 license

Note: If using code components in model-driven apps connected to Microsoft Dataverse, end users will require Power Apps licenses.

Related Resources

Training Resources