Maximize Productivity: Power Apps File Upload with Custom Prefix in Attachment Names 2025

Power Apps File Upload with Custom Prefix in Attachment Names

Power Apps provides an Attachment control that allows users to upload files directly from the app interface. These could be any kind of documents that is images, PDFs, certificates, invoices, or identification proofs. Once uploaded, these attachments can be saved to data sources like SharePoint and Dataverse.

By default, when users upload a file, Power Apps retains the original file name exactly as it is on the user’s device. This can become an issue in real-world applications where multiple users are uploading documents with similar or unclear names like image.jpg or file1.pdf.

Step 1: Add the Form and Attachment Control

Start by inserting a Form control into your app, and make sure the Attachment column from your SharePoint list is included. Now go into the attachment DataCard and place a Dropdown control inside it. This dropdown will help users select the type of document being uploaded.

Step 2: Create a Prefix Options Collection

On the App’s OnStart property, add the following code to create a list of prefix options:

ClearCollect(varattach,["Adhar","Pan","Passport"]);

This collection (varattach) stores the prefix types that will be used to label the attachments.

After that on the dropdown that we have added on the attachment datacard.

On the items property of the dropdown, give the collection name varattach.

varattach

Step 3: Set Up a Collection to Store Attachments

Still in the OnStart property of the app, add this line to initialize a collection to hold the uploaded files

On the Apps Onstart property,

ClearCollect(varattachfile,Defaults('Basic Information').Attachments);

‘Basic Information’ is the name of the sharepoint list.

Step 4: Add Logic to Rename Files with Prefix

In the OnAddFile property of the Attachment DataCardValue control, add the following formula:

ClearCollect(
    varattachfile,
    Self.Attachments
);
UpdateIf(
    varattachfile,
    !(First(
        Split(
            DisplayName,
            "-"
        )
    ).Value in varattach),
    {
        Name: Dropdown2.Selected.Value & "-" & Name,
        DisplayName: Dropdown2.Selected.Value & "-" & DisplayName
    }
)

This logic does two things:

Collects the newly added files into varattachfile.
If the file doesn’t already have a prefix (based on the dropdown), it adds one dynamically to both the DisplayName and Name properties.

Step 5: Display the Updated Attachment List

Now go to the Items property of the same attachment control and set it to:

varattachfile

This ensures that the attachment control displays the renamed files with the prefix applied.

Now its working the prefix is added to the attachment name.

Step 6: Clear Collection on New Form

To avoid showing previously uploaded files when creating a new form entry, clear the varattachfile collection on the “New Form” button’s OnSelect property:

Clear(varattachfile);

Step 7: Load Existing Attachments in Edit Mode

When editing a form entry, use the following code on the Edit icon’s OnSelect property to load the existing attachments into the collection:

ClearCollect(varattachfile,ThisItem.Attachments);

By following this step-by-step approach, you can streamline the process of uploading files in Power Apps while ensuring each attachment is labeled with a clear and meaningful prefix. This not only helps maintain consistency across your documents but also improves user experience by making file identification easier during review or approval processes.

Whether you’re building forms for identity verification, HR onboarding, or document management, this technique can be easily adapted to suit your app’s specific needs.

If you found this blog helpful, feel free to share it with others working with Power Apps. Stay tuned for more practical tips and solutions to enhance your app-building journey!’

Summery:

Renaming Power Apps attachments with a custom prefix isn’t straightforward out-of-the-box. The best approach involves combining Power Apps with Power Automate. You’ll use the standard attachment control in Power Apps to upload files, then trigger a Power Automate flow. This flow retrieves the original attachments, constructs new names with your desired prefix (e.g., item ID or a timestamp), creates new files with these prefixed names, and optionally deletes the originals. This method ensures your files are organized and easily identifiable in SharePoint or Dataverse, despite a slight delay for the automation to run.

✨ Thanks for reading! ✨

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