powerapp-canvas-design

Plans screen layout, geometry, and z-order for Power Apps canvas apps.

Updated Jul 25, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/RorySullivan1/powerapp_taskmaster --skill powerapp-canvas-design-rorysullivan1
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent▼
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: powerapp-canvas-design
Source: https://github.com/RorySullivan1/powerapp_taskmaster/tree/main/.claude/skills/powerapp-canvas-design
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/RorySullivan1/powerapp_taskmaster --skill powerapp-canvas-design-rorysullivan1

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Canvas app authors work blind: the render happens on someone else's machine, so overlapping controls, dead click targets, and broken layouts only surface after hand-off. This Skill turns layout into arithmetic done at author time, catching collisions, z-order traps, and paste hazards before they ship. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Band planning and collision arithmetic: Plan screens in vertical bands with resolved pixel numbers in header comments, and run rectangle-overlap checks across every control pair before hand-off. - Z-order and hit-testing rules: Declare floating elements last, gate component instances with Visible flags, and place per-row icons after full-template overlay buttons so controls stay clickable. - Paste and direct-manipulation behavior: Explains when X/Y/Width/Height formulas survive a paste versus when dragging writes back constants, and why auto-layout children with no X survive screen-scope pastes. - Use Case: When a user reports "the dropdown covers the fields below" or "nothing on this screen is clickable", use this Skill to compute the overlap, fix the declaration order, and restructure the layout with auto-layout containers. ## Quick Start Lay out this canvas app form so the picker dropdowns no longer cover the search fields below them.

Frequently Asked Questions about powerapp-canvas-design

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I stop controls from overlapping in a Power Apps canvas app?▼

Run rectangle collision arithmetic at author time: two controls overlap when a.x < b.right && b.x < a.right && a.y < b.bottom && b.y < a.bottom. Check every pair on the screen before hand-off, and make any deliberate overlap one-directional, such as a dropdown covering what is beneath it.

Why are my canvas app controls not clickable?▼

Unclickable controls are usually a z-order problem: first child renders at the bottom, last on top, and there is no ZIndex property. A transparent full-template button or an ungated full-screen component instance intercepts every click inside its bounds, so declare floating elements last and gate instances with Visible.

Do X and Y formulas survive pasting in Power Apps Studio?▼

Control-scope pastes keep X, Y, Width, and Height formulas live, but screen-scope pastes have dropped X while preserving other properties. Dragging or resizing a control is what actually overwrites formulas with constants, so set layout formulas only through the formula bar.

When should I use auto-layout containers vs absolute positioning in canvas apps?▼

Use GroupContainer with the AutoLayout variant when you want the container to place children with no X/Y, which survives screen-scope pastes and re-flows siblings on insert. Use absolute positioning for fixed band layouts, and pin child sizes with FillPortions set to 0 plus LayoutMinWidth.

Why is my published canvas app black and squished while Studio looks fine?▼

A black, squished app with a missing app bar means the Theme named formula is resolving blank, coercing colors to black and positions to zero. Studio runs the latest saved version while players run the last published one, so republish first and verify App.Formulas committed.