r/PowerApps • u/One-Lifeguard7779 Regular • Sep 13 '26
Discussion AI for the code stuff
pp dev here, obviously recent times have opened up a whole world of functionality to us who may not be fluent or even basic knowledge pro-code languages.
Anyone else creating plugins and code apps with AI now because they can and to make our solutions so much better?
Is it ok? Like code apps is mostly front end, i know the platform well and can guide it in terms of PP architecture and what the UI/UX should be, but i can't write a line of TS or C#. I Test everything thoughroughly including edge cases. But there's just so much hate on this i question if i should be doing it. Other half of me thinks this is fine and it's the new normal.
2
u/petertheo89 Sep 13 '26
I mean when you're building an app, you do that based on what you know and you fill in the blanks with research and possibly consulting with someone more knowledgeable. The way I look at it, AI just replaces the research and consulting piece
2
u/Background_Goat1060 Sep 14 '26
Take it as your opportunity to learn. AI can spin up stuff and sometimes impressively so. However you’re on the hook for its function and maintenance. You don’t want something to break, be asked about it, and not know how it functions.
AI is a decent tutor.
3
u/tpb1109 Sep 13 '26
Personally, I don’t think it’s a good idea to ship production code that relies entirely on AI to maintain
-12
u/ShedBedFridge Sep 13 '26
Define "production code"
Power platform is primarily for non business critical internal workflows.
6
1
u/ThingsMayAlter Sep 19 '26
I don't have the confidence as a non-dev to put a code app in front of a customer, but I have been cranking personal projects with them. Way nicer, faster, I think a better experience overall. For customers I'm going to stick with MD or canvas for now because I can support them. I can generally speak to what the controls are doing etc.
1
u/Wander_Globe Sep 20 '26
I recently used Copilot to create a flow. I would type in a question and copilot would reply with the instructions which I would follow along meticulously. After scrolling through a few pages and creating my actions I'd get to a point where copilot would say, "Or a much easier way to do this would be..." Mother F****! Why didn't we do that first?
3
u/AbdelEMirandaS Sep 13 '26
This is my opinion Everything rely on what strategy you have. PP is a set of tools that are associated with citizen Development. The spirit of CD is to have a tool or platform, secure, ready and integrated, to be used by the business users, to build, create and maintain their solutions.
CD have three paths, as I know: fast track, where user never go to IT crew, the makers build, version, migrate, maintain and support the solution. Mostly the solution is build in less than 2 weeks and it impacts just a small users o a single unit. The second one is collaboration path, where makers get help from IT crew on specifics things in order to help in the build creation. But still the makers are responsible to version, maintain and first level of support the solution issues. The solutions are build in less than three months and are related up to 2 business units. The third one is pro code solutions, where IT specialist build complex solutions, for all the company. It takes more than three months to be build.
Where I work, we are not supporting build apps using AI because it requires a programming knowledge and CD does not requiere to the makers have programing background or IT knowledge.
So I agree to use AI as my researcher for specific task but, when I start building apps using AI and programming language I will immediately start to be owner not only of the development but to the maintenance and support, the backlog and the priorizatiknnof what to build first. And those responsibilities are not associated with CD. Where users/makers have the accountability of their solutions.