From the Microsoft Power Platform blogs: Barcode scanning; Send emails with adaptive cards; Date only vs user local dates; Data-aware AI chat

In this review of the Power Platform blogs:

• Barcode scanning in Power Apps
• Sending emails with adaptive cards in Power Automate
• Date only vs user local dates
• Data-aware AI chat in Power Pages: Build an agent from a form (preview)

Barcode scanning in Power Apps

On the PowerApps911 blog, Shane Young wrote that barcode scanning in Power Apps is one of those powerful features that many people overlook, even though it can save a lot of time and effort with almost no setup. 

Young stated that it's useful for many everyday tasks, such as tracking equipment, managing stock, or cutting down on data entry mistakes. He noted that with barcode scanning, you can make data entry faster, easier, and more accurate, and you don't even need any special hardware to get started.

In his post, Young explained how to create barcode scanning experiences for mobile and desktop users. He pointed out that the two setups work differently: on a phone or tablet, you can scan directly with the camera, while on a PC you'll need a USB scanner. 

He also showed you how to connect your app to SharePoint or Dataverse for data lookups, and how to use third-party APIs to pull in extra details, such as product information.

Sending emails with adaptive cards in Power Automate

Writing on his blog, Tom Riha stated that HTML emails aren't the only way to create nice-looking messages in Power Automate flows.