Building Responsive Canvas Apps: A Container-First Approach

Purpose: Fix broken layouts (overlaps, misalignment, rework) by designing with containers first. What is a container? A Power Apps container is like a box that holds other controls (labels, forms, galleries, even other containers) so you can manage them as one unit. Why containers help No more “pixel pushing” Add a new field? The layout automatically shifts instead of you moving 20 controls by hand. Works on different screen sizes Containers can stretch/shrink so your app looks good on desktop, tablet, and mobile. Handles crowded screens Too many controls? Set the container to scroll and it adds a scrollbar automatically. Keeps spacing consistent Containers have Padding (space inside) and Gap (space between items), so everything looks clean without manual spacing. You can still layer things safely Use an auto layout container for the structure, and put a manual container inside it for layered elements (like a banner with text). That way you get both responsiveness and design freedom. T