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Collaborate by using Monitor

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Monitor supports three options for collaborating with others:

• Download/Upload - These options allow you to collaborate by saving a Monitor session to a local file that you can reload later or share with someone else to collaborate. For example, you can save the session locally and then upload and attach it to a work item that you could assign to another developer. Then, the assigned developer can reload the session into Monitor on their own schedule to view the events that occurred.

• Invite - With this option, you can collaborate in real time with another person to watch the Monitor event log as you run the application from Power Apps Studio. Because the app is run from Power Apps Studio, this option is intended for use during development of the app, not for supporting deployed apps. For example, this option might be helpful in a scenario where another colleague on your team created a custom connector and you're having problems using it. You could invite that colleague to view your application's use of the connector and monitor it by using the Invite feature.

• Connect user - This option allows you to use Monitor to connect to a remote user who is running a published canvas app from Power Apps. For example, a user might experience a problem that you are unable to reproduce in your development environment. By using the Connect user feature, you can invite them to run the application while you watch the event log in the Monitor tool.

Regardless of which option that you choose, collaboration can accelerate the resolution of app problems. In these scenarios, users whom you collaborate with will have access to the events and the data that was used in the app. The rest of this module will describe other factors to consider when you're using each option.

Use Download/Upload

Monitor includes a built-in feature that allows you to download the current session's events to a local file. You can reload the downloaded file into any Monitor session by using the Upload feature. This process won't have a negative effect on the contents of the current session's file; the feature only allows you to reload the events later. You can initiate these actions from any Monitor session by using the command bar buttons.

The simplest use of the downloaded file is to reload it later into your own Monitor session. For collaboration, you can share the file (email, OneDrive, GitHub Issues, or Microsoft Azure DevOps work items, and so on) with anyone who has Monitor access, and they can reload the file, even if they don't have edit access to the app that was monitored. This feature allows you to consult with a colleague that might be more familiar with some interactions of specific connectors.

Additionally, you can use this option to save a baseline of an app that you can use for future comparison. For example, if your queries were slow, it would be beneficial if you could identify those queries from the previous time when you were testing.

Using the download and upload process is best for collaborating when you don't need real-time collaboration. It can work well where the people who are involved are in different time zones.

Use the Invite feature

By selecting the Invite feature, you can invite another user in your organization to access Monitor and view the events that you are generating by previewing the app in Power Apps Studio. You can initiate the invite by selecting Invite from the command bar. When you provide the user information, the invite link will generate.

Make sure that you copy the link and provide it to the user so that they can launch Monitor and listen to your session. The link is only good for 60 minutes. If you need more time, remove and then reinvite the user. If you invite the wrong user, you can remove the invite; the person will not be notified of the invite.

The following diagram illustrates the process of using the Invite feature, where you are represented as User A and the other user is User B.

Each user receives their own copy of the events, meaning that you can browse, view, and inspect the app events independently, without interfering with each other or handing control back and forth to identify the problem. For example, if you select Clear data, it will only clear your event log, not the other users' event logs.

Keep in mind that, while the other user can view the Monitor events, they can't observe what you're doing in the application. Often, it can be helpful to also have a screen-sharing session where the user who is watching the Monitor events can also watch what you're doing in the app.

Because the user who has been invited to monitor your app session doesn't run the app, you are not required to share the app, or specific app permissions, with them.

Use the Connect user feature

The Connect user feature allows you to select a published app that is enabled for debug and to invite a user to run the app while you use Monitor to listen to the events that it generates.

To enable the app, turn on the Debug published app setting. After you have changed this setting, save and republish the app.

Because the Debug published app option adds debug information to the application, it can slow the implementation; therefore, you should only enable the option when necessary.

To use the Connect user feature, launch Monitor from the app list rather than from Power Apps Studio.

When Monitor launches, the Connect user button will be visible in the command bar.

Similar to the Invite feature, you will provide the user information, and then a link will be generated so that you can share with the user whom you want to run the app.

However, unlike the Invite feature, the user will run the application, so you will need to share the app and provide the necessary permissions for them to use it.

When the user selects the link to run the app, your Monitor session will show the events that are generated by the user who is running the app. In many cases, you might find it helpful to have a screen-sharing session so that you can view what they're doing in the app as you view the events in Monitor.

The collaboration features of Monitor allow you to work with others to troubleshoot problems in apps, even when you aren't located in the same place.

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