Person and Group Fields Posted

This article explains how Person, Group, and Person or Group fields work in the Sintel Apps Designer, how to configure them, and when to use each type.

These fields allow you to select users or SharePoint groups directly from your Microsoft 365 environment.

When added to a form and saved, they create a corresponding SharePoint Person/Group column.

1. Person Field

What It Is: Allows selection of individual users only.

Best Used For

• Requestor
• Line Manager
• Approver
• Reviewer
• Assigned To

Key Characteristics

• Searches the Microsoft 365 directory
• Supports single or multiple users
• Can be used in Workflow audiences
• Can drive Logic conditions
• Allow Multiple

If the setting is enabled, users can select more than one person. Use this only when multiple individuals are genuinely required.

2. Group Field

What It Is: Allows selection of SharePoint groups only.

Best Used For

• Approval groups

• Department groups

• Functional teams

• Role-based assignments

Key Characteristics

• Selects from SharePoint groups

• Can be used in Workflow audience configuration

• Often used in structured approval processes

 

3. Person or Group Field

What It Is: Allows selection of either individual users or SharePoint groups.

Best Used For

• Flexible assignment scenarios

• Escalation processes

• Dynamic routing situations

Consideration

Use this type only when flexibility is required.
If the process should only allow individuals, use Person instead.

Important: Using SharePoint Groups Correctly

If you are using Group or Person or Group fields, you must ensure SharePoint groups are configured correctly.

As standard practice:

All SharePoint groups used in Sintel Apps must allow all users to view group membership. Read more

If this is not configured correctly:

• Workflows may fail

• Actions may not resolve properly

• Users may experience inconsistent behaviour

 

 

 

Field Properties Explained

When a Person/Group field is selected in the Layout tab, the following properties are available.

Title – The label displayed on the form.

Required – Makes the field mandatory.

Unique –  Prevents duplicate entries (rarely used for this field type).

Choose From (Search for Group) –  Allows searching for a person within a specific SharePoint group. This property is available only when the field type includes Person.

Allow Multiple – If enabled, more than one user or group can be selected.

Default Value – Choose from Custom, Current User or Set a Query Parameter

Placeholder – Text shown before selection (e.g. “Search and select”).

State – Controls whether the field is:  Mandatory, Read-Only or Optional or if the state setting of the field should  be Inherited from section properties.

Label Settings – You can configure: Label text, Label position and Tooltips. Tooltips are useful when users may not know who should be selected.

Using Person/Group Fields in Workflow

These fields are commonly used to:

• Dynamically assign approvers

• Control action audiences

• Route tasks

• Drive quorum logic

Example: If “Line Manager” is selected, the workflow can assign approval to that person

Best Practices

• Use Person when selecting individuals only. Use Group for role-based or team-based approvals. Use Person or Group only when flexibility is required.

• Always configure SharePoint group visibility correctly.

• Avoid Using Person or Group when only a single user should be selected

• Person/Group fields rely on SharePoint and Microsoft 365 directory permissions.

• Improperly configured groups are one of the most common causes of workflow issues.

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