Building In-App Notifications with XrmToolBox for Model-Driven Apps

Exploring In-app Notifications for Model-Driven Applications with XrmToolBox

In this blog post, author Lewis Baybutt shares insights on how we can build in-app notifications using an XrmToolBox tool, namely the In-App Notification Builder, without writing any custom code. It is important to note that XrmToolBox needs to be installed before starting this process along with the In-App Notification Builder tool within it.

The author begins by discussing how to enable in-app notifications for an app of choice. After making the connection to your environment and opening the tool, options will become available. Among these, users can select the application they wish to develop using the dropdown menu next to "App" at the top of the page.

On selection of the app, users will find a red icon next to "notification status," which indicates that in-app notifications have not been enabled yet for this particular app. By clicking this icon users can enable notifications for the selected application, paving the way to start building useful, visually appealing in-app notifications.

Crafting the Notification: Design and Body

Baybutt proceeds to explain the process of building a notification that is compatible with a model-driven application. Beginning with the top part of the form (`data` section), users can modify various card information before adding any buttons or actions. The card can be given a title, a body text that appears beneath the title, and even hyperlinked text and images can be added as per requirement.

Users then have the option to set the "toast type," which regulates whether the notification will pop up immediately or stay hidden in the notification pane until the user clicks the notification bell. Further customization includes setting an expiration time for notifications and choosing an icon for the notification card.

In the case that your preferred icon isn't available, the author provides a solution: upload a web resource with the desired icon to the Dataverse, set the icon dropdown to "custom," and choose the newly uploaded icon. This feature allows users to achieve their unique notification design expectations.

Action Addition and Building Flows

Further customization includes adding actions. Users can construct the desired function by clicking `add` under the `actions` section. The dialogue can then be used to build out an action to add to the notification. This action allows for interactive buttons to be set up within notifications.

The author further explains how to build a flow that facilitates notification creation. To make a notification appear in an application, a record has to be created in the Notifications table in Dataverse. Users are guided to select 'get code' in XrmToolBox and then 'Power Automate', which will provide the necessary content for pasting into the cloud flow step for notification record creation.

Extra context can be added to the notification using dynamic content from a previous flow step such to populate the notification creation step. As described in the example by the author, this feature allows for the addition of specific details like the name of an account. Running the flow will then result in the activation of the notification in the model driven application.

Follow this link for more information on Model-Driven Apps with XrmToolBox

General Overview of Model-Driven Application Development

Model-driven applications are an innovative solution combining various components such as entities, dashboards, forms, and workflows into a unified interface, simplifying the complex task of application development. Such tools drastically reduce the time, effort, and coding knowledge needed to create custom business apps. By leveraging these tools, businesses can create bespoke applications tailored to their specific needs, efficient workflows, and interactive notifications to improve overall user experience and productivity.

Read the full article Using XrmToolBox to build in-app notifications for model-driven apps

Learn about Using XrmToolBox to build in-app notifications for model-driven apps

This tutorial explains how to use XrmToolBox to create in-app notifications for specific applications, without the need for any coding skills. This is achieved by using an in-built tool named the In-App Notification Builder.

Before diving into the process, ensure you have installed XrmToolBox. Additionally, the In-App Notification Builder tool should also be present.

[Keyword: Model-Driven App]

To start, the instructions guide through how to enable in-app notifications for your chosen software. After connecting to your environment and opening the tool, you can determine which software you're planning on working with. This is done by using the 'App' dropdown located at the top of the page.

[Keyword: Software Selected]

Once you specify a software, check if it's ready for in-app notifications. The notification status will show a red square; clicking this will enable in-app notifications for the specified app. This step signals the start of building in-app notifications.

[Keyword: Enable In-App Notifications]

Next, the task is to develop a notification for your software. The fun part begins with designing the notification and determining its body text. In the 'data' part of the form, you can tweak various aspects of the information appearing on your 'notification card'. Additions can include a card title, body text, hyperlinked text, and even images.

[Keyword: Designing Notification]

Further functionalities that aid in customization are setting the 'toast type' and deciding the life span of the notification. Also, you can choose the icon for your notification card.

[Keyword: Customization]

If you're looking to create a unique design and the given icons do not meet your requirements, don't worry! You can upload a web resource into Dataverse with your preferred icon and then choose it for your notification.

[Keyword: Web Resource]

To make the notification interactive, you can add certain actions to them. This is done by clicking 'add' under actions further down your screen. You can then use the dialog box to build an action to include in your notification. Finally, you can export the code and insert it in a Power Automate flow, replacing the hard-coded record GUID with dynamic content that makes more sense.

[Keyword: Adding Actions]

The final step ties in creating a cloud flow, that will generate the notification in your software. You need to create a record in the Notifications table in the dataverse. After selecting your flow, click the dropdown next to 'get code' in XrmToolBox and click Power Automate. The resultant dialog box will provide all the content needed to paste into the cloud flow step and create the notification's record.

[Keyword: Cloud Flow]

Lastly, you might want to add some context to your notification. You can do so by using dynamic content from a previous flow step such as 'get a row by ID' to populate the 'create a notification' step with the required contextual values.

[Keyword: Dynamic Content]

The user-friendly nature and detailed steps guide make navigating through the XrmToolBox a breeze, providing all the resources to get started on designing unique in-app notifications. By successfully following the steps, the in-app notifications are all set up to enhance the user experience of your applications.

[Keyword: User Experience]

More links on about Using XrmToolBox to build in-app notifications for model-driven apps

Using XrmToolBox to build in-app notifications for model- ...

Jan 3, 2023 — I'm going to show you how you can build in-app notifications for your model-driven apps without needing to know or write any code using ...

Create In-App Notifications for Model-Driven Apps the Low ...

Feb 22, 2022 — Elaiza will demonstrate how to create in-app notifications for model-driven apps using a tool from XrmToolBox and Power Automate. If you are not ...

Keywords

XrmToolBox, in-app notifications, model-driven apps, build notifications, Microsoft Dynamics 365, CRM tools, Customizing Dynamics 365, XrmToolBox tutorials, app development, Dynamics CRM toolkit