Lists and Views - OOTB Entity Lists

Overview

This guide covers creating and configuring Entity Lists in Power Pages to display Dataverse data to portal users. Entity Lists provide out-of-the-box (OOTB) functionality for showing filtered, searchable, and paginated data.

Prerequisites:

Complete Data Model Design - Tables and relationships created
Understand Dataverse views concept

Note: Table permissions will be configured as part of this guide. Basic table permission concepts are covered in the Data Model Design document.

What are Entity Lists?

Entity Lists are Power Pages components that display Dataverse data in a table format. They provide:

Automatic Filtering: Based on table permissions and Dataverse views
Search Functionality: Built-in search across displayed columns
Pagination: Automatic pagination for large datasets
Sorting: Click column headers to sort
Actions: View details, edit, delete (based on permissions)
Responsive Design: Mobile-friendly table layout

Step 1: Create Dataverse Views

Before creating an Entity List, you need Dataverse views that define what data to display. The PawsFirst portal uses three customer-facing views: My Pets, My Booking Requests, and My Appointments (with Active and History variants).

Note: Each Dataverse table has an active view OOTB (out-of-the-box). You can use the default active view or create custom views. Filters are automatically applied based on table permissions configured in the portal, so you don't need to add filters to the views themselves.

View for Pets

Navigate to Power Apps → Dataverse → Tables → Pet (pa911_pet)
Go to Views tab
Click New view → Public view
Configure view:

Columns

Column	Width	Sort
Pet Name (pa911_name)	150	Ascending
Species (pa911_species)	100	-
Breed (pa911_breed)	120	-
Date of Birth (pa911_dateofbirth)	120	-
Weight (pa911_weight)	100	-

Save the view as: My Pets

View for Booking Requests

Navigate to Power Apps → Dataverse → Tables → Booking Request (pa911_bookingrequest)
Go to Views tab
Click New view → Public view
Configure view:

Columns

Column	Width	Sort
Request Number (pa911_name)	150	Ascending
Pet Name (pa911_petname)	120	-
Service (pa911_service)	150	-
Preferred Slot (pa911_appointmentslot)	200	-
Request Status (pa911_requeststatus)	120	-
Created On (createdon)	120	Descending

Save the view as: My Booking Requests

Note: Table permissions will automatically filter records to show only the current user's booking requests (via the pa911_contact lookup field set by Power Automate after invitation).

View for Active Appointments

Navigate to Power Apps → Dataverse → Tables → Appointment (appointment)
Go to Views tab
Click New view → Public view
Configure view:

Columns

Column	Width	Sort
Subject (subject)	200	-
Scheduled Start (scheduledstart)	150	Ascending
Scheduled End (scheduledend)	150	-
Pet (pa911_pet)	120	-
Service (pa911_service)	150	-
Service Status (pa911_servicestatus)	120	-

Save the view as: My Active Appointments

Note: Table permissions will automatically filter records to show only appointments for the current user's pets. You can optionally filter by service status in the view if you want to separate active and completed appointments.

View for Appointment History (Optional)

Navigate to Power Apps → Dataverse → Tables → Appointment (appointment)
Go to Views tab
Click New view → Public view
Configure view with the same columns as My Active Appointments
Save the view as: My Appointment History

Note: Table permissions will automatically filter records to show only appointments for the current user's pets. You can optionally filter by service status in the view to show completed (144400002), cancelled (144400003), or no-show (144400004) appointments.

Note: You can create a single "All Appointments" view if you prefer to let users filter by status in the Entity List interface, or create separate views for different statuses.

Step 2: Configure Table Permissions

Entity Lists respect table permissions. Ensure permissions are configured correctly for the three customer-facing tables. See the Data Model Design for complete table permission details.

Pet Permissions

Navigate to Power Pages → Your Site → Security → Table Permissions
Create or verify permission:

Setting	Value
Name	Pet - User Read Own
Table	Pet (`pa911_pet`)
Web Role	Authenticated Users
Scope	Contact
Privileges	Read, Write
Contact Scope	Current user's Contact (via `pa911_petowner` field)

This allows users to read and manage pets where they are the owner.

Booking Request Permissions

Navigate to Power Pages → Your Site → Security → Table Permissions
Create or verify permission:

Setting	Value
Name	Booking Request - User Read Own
Table	Booking Request (`pa911_bookingrequest`)
Web Role	Authenticated Users
Scope	Contact
Privileges	Read, Write
Contact Scope	Current user's Contact (via `pa911_contact` field)

This allows users to read and update their own booking requests (after the Contact is linked via Power Automate).

Note: You also need an anonymous permission for the booking form:

Web Role: Anonymous Users
Scope: Global
Privileges: Create only

Appointment Permissions

Navigate to Power Pages → Your Site → Security → Table Permissions
Create or verify permission:

Setting	Value
Name	Appointment - User Read Own Pets
Table	Appointment (`appointment`)
Web Role	Authenticated Users
Scope	Parent
Privileges	Read, Write
Parent Table	Pet (`pa911_pet`)
Contact Scope	Current user's Contact (via `pa911_pet.pa911_petowner`)

This allows users to read and manage appointments for their own pets.

Internal-Only Tables (Reference)

Service and Appointment Slot tables require read permissions for anonymous/authenticated users (for booking form dropdowns), but these are not exposed as customer-facing Entity Lists. Any views created for these tables are for staff use in model-driven apps, not for the customer portal.

Step 3: Create Entity Lists

Create Entity Lists for each of the three customer-facing tables. Each list will be used on dedicated portal pages.

My Pets List

Navigate to Power Pages → Your Site → Content → Entity Lists
Click New to create a new list
Configure basic settings:

Setting	Value
Name	My Pets
Table	Pet (`pa911_pet`)
View	My Pets (the view you created)

Configure display options:

Setting	Value	Notes
Enable Search	Yes	Allow users to search their pets
Records Per Page	10	Adjust based on data volume
Show View Selector	No	Hide view dropdown (using single view)
Show Bulk Actions	No	Disable bulk operations
Enable Sorting	Yes	Allow column sorting

Configure actions:
- View Details: Enable (opens pet detail page)
- Edit: Enable (users can edit their pets)
- Delete: Optional (typically disabled to prevent accidental deletion)
Click Save

My Booking Requests List

Navigate to Power Pages → Your Site → Content → Entity Lists
Click New to create a new list
Configure basic settings:

Setting	Value
Name	My Booking Requests
Table	Booking Request (`pa911_bookingrequest`)
View	My Booking Requests (the view you created)

Configure display options (same as My Pets list above)
Configure actions:
- View Details: Enable
- Edit: Enable (users can update their requests)
- Delete: Disable (use status changes instead)
Click Save

My Appointments List

Navigate to Power Pages → Your Site → Content → Entity Lists
Click New to create a new list
Configure basic settings:

Setting	Value
Name	My Appointments
Table	Appointment (`appointment`)
View	My Active Appointments (default view)

Configure display options (same as above)
If you created both Active and History views, enable Show View Selector so users can switch between them
Configure actions:
- View Details: Enable
- Edit: Enable (users can update/cancel appointments)
- Delete: Disable (use cancellation status instead)
Click Save

Step 4: Create Detail Pages (Optional)

For "View Details" actions, create detail pages for each entity type. These pages will display Entity Forms in read-only or edit mode.

Pet Detail Page

Navigate to Power Pages → Your Site → Content → Web Pages
Create new page:
- Name: Pet Details
- Partial URL: pet-details
- Parent Page: My Pets (or appropriate parent)

Add Entity Form:

{% entityform name:"Pet View Form" mode:"readonly" %}

Configure Entity Form:
- Table: Pet (pa911_pet)
- Mode: Read-only or Edit (based on requirements)
- Fields: Display pet fields (name, species, breed, date of birth, weight, notes)

Booking Request Detail Page

Create new page:
- Name: Booking Request Details
- Partial URL: booking-request-details
- Parent Page: My Booking Requests

Add Entity Form:

{% entityform name:"Booking Request View Form" mode:"readonly" %}

Configure Entity Form:
- Table: Booking Request (pa911_bookingrequest)
- Mode: Read-only or Edit
- Fields: Display booking request fields

Appointment Detail Page

Create new page:
- Name: Appointment Details
- Partial URL: appointment-details
- Parent Page: My Appointments

Add Entity Form:

{% entityform name:"Appointment View Form" mode:"readonly" %}

Configure Entity Form:
- Table: Appointment (appointment)
- Mode: Read-only or Edit
- Fields: Display appointment fields (subject, scheduled start/end, pet, service, status)

Step 5: Create Portal Pages and Add Lists

Create dedicated pages for each Entity List. These pages will be part of the authenticated customer portal area.

My Pets Page

Navigate to Power Pages → Your Site → Content → Web Pages
Create new page:
- Name: My Pets
- Partial URL: my-pets
- Parent Page: Dashboard (or appropriate authenticated parent)

Add Entity List to page:

<div class="container mt-4">
    <h1>My Pets</h1>
    <p class="lead">Manage your pets' information and medical records.</p>
    
    {% entitylist name:"My Pets" %}
    
    <div class="mt-3">
        <a href="/pet-form" class="btn btn-primary">Add New Pet</a>
    </div>
</div>

Page Permissions:
- Allow Authenticated Users to view
- Require login to access

My Booking Requests Page

Create new page:
- Name: My Booking Requests
- Partial URL: my-booking-requests
- Parent Page: Dashboard

Add Entity List:

<div class="container mt-4">
    <h1>My Booking Requests</h1>
    <p class="lead">View and manage your appointment booking requests.</p>
    
    {% entitylist name:"My Booking Requests" %}
    
    <div class="mt-3">
        <a href="/book-appointment" class="btn btn-primary">Request New Appointment</a>
    </div>
</div>

Page Permissions:
- Allow Authenticated Users to view
- Require login to access

My Appointments Page

Create new page:
- Name: My Appointments
- Partial URL: my-appointments
- Parent Page: Dashboard

Add Entity List:

<div class="container mt-4">
    <h1>My Appointments</h1>
    <p class="lead">View your active appointments and appointment history.</p>
    
    {% entitylist name:"My Appointments" %}
</div>

Page Permissions:
- Allow Authenticated Users to view
- Require login to access

Dashboard Page with Summary Lists

The Dashboard is the default landing page for authenticated users. It displays summary sections for each entity type with "View all" links.

Create new page:
- Name: Dashboard
- Partial URL: dashboard
- Parent Page: Home (or root)

Add summary sections using Liquid and Entity Lists:

<div class="container mt-4">
    <h1>Welcome, {{ user.firstname }}!</h1>
    <p class="lead">Here's an overview of your account.</p>
    
    <!-- My Pets Summary -->
    <div class="card mb-4">
        <div class="card-header d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center">
            <h2>My Pets</h2>
            <a href="/my-pets" class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-primary">View All</a>
        </div>
        <div class="card-body">
            {% entitylist name:"My Pets" recordsperpage:5 %}
        </div>
    </div>
    
    <!-- My Active Appointments Summary -->
    <div class="card mb-4">
        <div class="card-header d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center">
            <h2>Active Appointments</h2>
            <a href="/my-appointments" class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-primary">View All</a>
        </div>
        <div class="card-body">
            {% entitylist name:"My Appointments" view:"My Active Appointments" recordsperpage:5 %}
        </div>
    </div>
    
    <!-- My Booking Requests Summary -->
    <div class="card mb-4">
        <div class="card-header d-flex justify-content-between align-items-center">
            <h2>Booking Requests</h2>
            <a href="/my-booking-requests" class="btn btn-sm btn-outline-primary">View All</a>
        </div>
        <div class="card-body">
            {% entitylist name:"My Booking Requests" recordsperpage:5 %}
        </div>
    </div>
</div>

Page Permissions:
- Allow Authenticated Users to view
- Require login to access
- Configure as default landing page for authenticated users (via site settings or login redirect)

Note: The recordsperpage:5 parameter limits the summary lists to 5 items. Users can click "View All" to see the full list on the dedicated page.

Step 6: Customize List Appearance

Using Liquid

Customize the list display with Liquid on each page. Examples are shown in Step 5 above. You can add:

Page headers and descriptions
Action buttons (e.g., "Add New Pet", "Request New Appointment")
Custom HTML structure around the Entity List
Conditional content based on user roles or data

Custom Styling

Add custom CSS to web files or page-specific CSS:

.entitylist-table {
    border-collapse: collapse;
    width: 100%;
}

.entitylist-table th {
    background-color: #f8f9fa;
    font-weight: bold;
    padding: 12px;
    text-align: left;
}

.entitylist-table td {
    padding: 10px;
    border-bottom: 1px solid #dee2e6;
}

.entitylist-table tr:hover {
    background-color: #f8f9fa;
}

Dashboard Summary Styling

For the Dashboard summary sections, you can use Bootstrap cards or custom styling:

.dashboard-summary-card {
    margin-bottom: 2rem;
    border: 1px solid #dee2e6;
    border-radius: 0.25rem;
}

.dashboard-summary-card .card-header {
    background-color: #f8f9fa;
    padding: 1rem;
    border-bottom: 1px solid #dee2e6;
}

Step 7: Filtering and Search

Built-in Search

Entity Lists automatically provide search functionality:

Users can type in search box
Searches across all displayed columns
Real-time filtering as user types

URL Parameters

Filter lists using URL parameters:

{% assign statusFilter = request.params['status'] %}

{% if statusFilter %}
    {% entitylist name:"My Booking Requests" view:"My Booking Requests - Filtered" %}
{% else %}
    {% entitylist name:"My Booking Requests" %}
{% endif %}

Step 8: Pagination

Default Pagination

Entity Lists automatically paginate:

Shows "Records Per Page" setting
Displays page numbers
Shows "Previous" and "Next" buttons

Custom Pagination

Override default pagination:

Set Records Per Page to desired number
Use JavaScript to customize pagination controls
Implement custom pagination with FetchXML and Liquid

Step 9: Actions and Workflows

Row Actions

Configure actions available for each row:

View: Opens detail page
Edit: Opens edit form (if permissions allow)
Delete: Deletes record (if permissions allow)
Custom Actions: Add custom buttons with JavaScript

Custom Action Example

Add "Cancel Request" button:

function cancelBookingRequest(requestId) {
    // Call Power Pages Web API to update status
    fetch('/_api/pa911_bookingrequests(' + requestId + ')', {
        method: 'PATCH',
        headers: {
            'Content-Type': 'application/json',
            'X-Requested-With': 'XMLHttpRequest'
        },
        body: JSON.stringify({
            'pa911_requeststatus': 144400002 // Rejected
        })
    })
    .then(response => {
        if (response.ok) {
            location.reload(); // Refresh list
        }
    });
}

Step 10: Performance Optimization

View Optimization

Limit Columns: Only include necessary columns in view
Add Indexes: Index columns used in table permission scopes (e.g., pa911_petowner, pa911_contact)
Limit Records: Set appropriate page size
Table Permissions: Ensure table permissions are properly scoped to reduce data volume automatically

Caching

Entity Lists use server-side caching:

Data is cached for performance
Cache refreshes periodically
Consider cache duration for real-time data needs

Advanced Scenarios

Multi-Table Lists

Display related data from multiple tables in views:

Use FetchXML in view with link-entity to join related tables
Include related table columns (e.g., pa911_pet.pa911_name for pet name in appointments)
Entity List will display joined data automatically

Example: In the Appointment view, include pa911_pet.pa911_name to show the pet's name directly in the list.

Conditional Display

Show different lists or content based on user role or data:

{% if user.roles contains 'Administrator' %}
    {% entitylist name:"All Booking Requests" %}
{% else %}
    {% entitylist name:"My Booking Requests" %}
{% endif %}

Dynamic Views

Switch views based on URL parameters:

{% assign viewName = request.params['view'] | default: 'My Active Appointments' %}
{% entitylist name:"My Appointments" view:viewName %}

This allows users to switch between "My Active Appointments" and "My Appointment History" views via URL parameters.

Empty State Messages

Display helpful messages when lists are empty:

{% entitylist name:"My Pets" %}
{% if entities.pa911_pet.total_record_count == 0 %}
    <div class="alert alert-info mt-3">
        <p>You haven't added any pets yet. <a href="/pet-form">Add your first pet</a> to get started!</p>
    </div>
{% endif %}

Internal-Only Views (Optional)

Service and Appointment Slot tables are not exposed as customer-facing Entity Lists. If you create views for these tables, they are for staff use in model-driven apps or Power Automate flows, not for the customer portal.

Service Views (Staff Only)

If needed for internal processes:

Active Services: All active services for staff reference
Service Catalog: Services with pricing and duration details

Appointment Slot Views (Staff Only)

If needed for internal processes:

Available Slots: Slots available for booking
Booked Slots: Slots that have been assigned to appointments
Upcoming Slots: Future slots by service type

These views are managed in Dataverse but are not used in Power Pages Entity Lists.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: List shows no records

Check: Table permissions are configured correctly (Contact scope for Pets, Booking Requests, Appointments)
Check: User has appropriate web role (Authenticated Users)
Check: For Booking Requests, verify pa911_contact is linked (set by Power Automate flow)
Check: For Appointments, verify the pet's owner matches the current user's Contact
Check: View is set as the active view or is properly selected in the Entity List configuration

Issue: Search not working

Check: "Enable Search" is enabled in Entity List settings
Check: Columns in view are searchable (text fields are searchable by default)
Check: Table permissions allow read access

Issue: Actions not appearing

Check: Table permissions include appropriate privileges (Read and Write for edit actions)
Check: Action settings are enabled in Entity List configuration
Check: Detail/edit pages exist and are accessible (if using "View Details" action)

Issue: Performance issues

Check: Table permissions are properly scoped (Contact/Account scope reduces data volume automatically)
Check: Number of columns is reasonable (limit to essential fields)
Check: Records per page is not too high (10-20 records is typical)
Check: Indexes are created on columns used in table permission scopes (especially pa911_petowner, pa911_contact)

Issue: Dashboard summary lists showing too many records

Check: Use recordsperpage:5 parameter in Entity List tag to limit summary display
Check: Verify "View All" links point to correct detail pages

Best Practices

View Design

Keep Views Focused: One view per use case
Limit Columns: Only show necessary information
Sort Appropriately: Default sort by most relevant field
Use OOTB Active Views: Consider using the default active view if it meets your needs, or create custom views for specific use cases

Permissions

Principle of Least Privilege: Grant minimum necessary access
Scope Correctly: Use Contact/Account scope for user-specific data
Test Permissions: Verify users see only their data

User Experience

Clear Labels: Use descriptive view and list names
Helpful Messages: Show messages when no records found
Quick Actions: Provide easy access to common actions
Responsive Design: Ensure lists work on mobile devices

References

Next Steps

Custom Web Templates - Build custom components for enhanced data display
Power Automate Integration - Add automation to list actions

FilesExpand file tree

lists-and-views.md

Latest commit

History

lists-and-views.md

File metadata and controls

Lists and Views - OOTB Entity Lists

Overview

What are Entity Lists?

Step 1: Create Dataverse Views

View for Pets

Columns

View for Booking Requests

Columns

View for Active Appointments

Columns

View for Appointment History (Optional)

Step 2: Configure Table Permissions

Pet Permissions

Booking Request Permissions

Appointment Permissions

Internal-Only Tables (Reference)

Step 3: Create Entity Lists

My Pets List

My Booking Requests List

My Appointments List

Step 4: Create Detail Pages (Optional)

Pet Detail Page

Booking Request Detail Page

Appointment Detail Page

Step 5: Create Portal Pages and Add Lists

My Pets Page

My Booking Requests Page

My Appointments Page

Dashboard Page with Summary Lists

Step 6: Customize List Appearance

Using Liquid

Custom Styling

Dashboard Summary Styling

Step 7: Filtering and Search

Built-in Search

URL Parameters

Step 8: Pagination

Default Pagination

Custom Pagination

Step 9: Actions and Workflows

Row Actions

Custom Action Example

Step 10: Performance Optimization

View Optimization

Caching

Advanced Scenarios

Multi-Table Lists

Conditional Display

Dynamic Views

Empty State Messages

Internal-Only Views (Optional)

Service Views (Staff Only)

Appointment Slot Views (Staff Only)

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Best Practices

View Design

Permissions

User Experience

References

Next Steps