DelayOutput For Text Input Controls

In Power Apps, the DelayOutput property of a TextInput control plays a crucial role in managing how quickly changes are detected after typing. Let’s dive into the details:

1. What is the DelayOutput Property?

   • The DelayOutput property determines whether changes to a TextInput control are detected immediately or with a slight delay.
   • By default, DelayOutput is set to false, meaning that any text input triggers immediate changes (useful for quick filtering or real-time updates).
   • When set to true, there is approximately a one-second delay before changes are detected. This delay allows you to finish typing before actions tied to the control are triggered.

2. Use Cases for DelayOutput:

   • Search Functionality: If you’re building a search bar connected to a gallery, setting DelayOutput to true ensures that the app only makes one request to the data source when typing stops. This improves performance by avoiding multiple requests during rapid typing.
   • TextInput.OnChange Property: When you have actions tied to changes (e.g., filtering a gallery), you may want to wait until the user finishes typing their entire query. DelayOutput helps achieve this behavior.

3. Customizing the Delay Duration:

   • Unfortunately, there’s no direct way to adjust the delay duration. However, you can work around this:
     • Use the TextInput.OnChange property to trigger a Timer control.
     • Set the Timer’s duration to your desired delay (e.g., 1 second).
     • Upon Timer completion, activate the intended actions (e.g., filtering the gallery).

Remember, the DelayOutput property provides flexibility, allowing you to balance responsiveness and performance based on your app’s specific requirements. Whether you need instant updates or a brief pause, Power Apps has you covered!

Search Bar for a gallery

DelayOutput – When set to true, user input is registered after half a second delay. Useful for delaying expensive operations until user completes inputting text (i.e. for filtering when input is used in other formulas).

By default it is set to false, we have to enable it to true.

This also help Power Apps Performance Optimization.

Summary: The DelayOutput property is a boolean value that determines whether the user input is registered immediately or after a certain delay. If the property is set to true, the user input is registered after half a second delay. This is useful for delaying expensive operations until the user completes inputting text (for example, for filtering when input is used in other formulas). If the property is set to false, the user input is registered as soon as the user types or changes the text. This is the default behavior of the text input control.