Edit

Share via

AsType and IsType functions

  • Article

Applies to: Canvas apps Model-driven apps Power Pages Power Platform CLI

Checks a record reference for a specific table type (IsType) and treats the reference as a specific type (AsType).

Note

PAC CLI pac power-fx commands do not support IsType.

Description

Read Understand record references and polymorphic lookups for a broader introduction and more details.

A lookup field usually refers to records in a particular table. Because the table type is well established, you can access the fields of the lookup by using a simple dot notation. For example, First( Accounts ).'Primary Contact'.'Full Name' walks from the Accounts table to the Primary Contact record in the Contacts table and extracts the Full Name field.

Microsoft Dataverse also supports polymorphic lookup fields, which can refer to records from a set of tables, as in these examples.

Lookup field Can refer to
Owner Users or Teams
Customer Accounts or Contacts
Regarding Accounts, Contacts, Knowledge Articles, etc.

In canvas-app formulas, use record references to work with polymorphic lookups. Because a record reference can refer to different tables, you don't know which fields will be available when you write a formula. The Record.Field notation isn't available. Those formulas must adapt to the records that the app encounters when it runs.

The IsType function tests whether a record reference refers to a specific table type. The function returns a Boolean TRUE or FALSE.

The AsType function treats a record reference as a specific table type, sometimes referred to as casting. You can use the result as if it were a record of the table and again use the Record.Field notation to access all of the fields of that record. An error occurs if the reference isn't of the specific type.

Use these functions together to first test the table type of a record and then treat it as a record of that type so that the fields are available:

If( IsType( First( Accounts ).Owner, Users ),
    AsType( First( Accounts ).Owner, Users ).'Full Name',
    AsType( First( Accounts ).Owner, Teams ).'Team Name'
)

You need these functions only if you're accessing the fields of a record reference. For example, you can use record references in the Filter function without IsType or AsType:

Filter( Accounts, Owner = First( Users ) )

Similarly, you can use record references with the Patch function:

Patch( Accounts, First( Accounts ), { Owner: First( Teams ) } )

If used in a record context, such as within a Gallery or Edit form control, you might need to use the global disambiguation operator to reference the table type. For example, this formula would be effective for a gallery that's displaying a list of contacts where Company Name is a Customer lookup:

If( IsType( ThisItem.'Company Name', Accounts ),
    AsType( ThisItem.'Company Name', Accounts ).'Account Name',
    AsType( ThisItem.'Company Name', Contacts ).'Full Name'
)

For both functions, you specify the type through the name of the data source that's connected to the table. For the formula to work, you must also add a data source to the app for any types that you want to test or cast. For example, you must add the Users table as a data source if you want to use IsType and AsType with an Owner lookup and records from that table. You can add only the data sources that you actually use in your app; you don't need to add all the tables that a lookup could reference.

If the record reference is blank, IsType returns FALSE, and AsType returns blank. All fields of a blank record will be blank.

Syntax

AsType( RecordReference, TableType )

  • RecordReference - Required. A record reference, often a lookup field that can refer to a record in any of multiple tables.
  • TableType - Required. The specific table to which the record should be cast.

IsType( RecordReference, TableType )

  • RecordReference - Required. A record reference, often a lookup field that can refer to a record in any of multiple tables.
  • TableType - Required. The specific table for which to test.

Example

Understand record references and polymorphic lookups contains extensive examples.

  1. Create a blank canvas app for tablets.

  2. On the left-pane, select Data > Add data. And then, add Accounts and Contacts tables.

    Blank app with two data sources: accounts and contacts.

  3. On the left-pane, select + (Insert) > Layout > Blank vertical gallery.

    Insert a gallery control with a blank vertical layout.

  4. Select Connect to data, and then select Contacts as the data source.

  5. Set the gallery's layout to Title and subtitle.

    Open the layout picker from the properties pane.

    Set layout to Title and subtitle.

  6. In the Data pane, open the Title1 list, and then select Full Name.

    Set title value.

  7. Select the Subtitle1 label control.

    Set subtitle value.

  8. Set the Text property of Subtitle1 to this formula:

    If( IsBlank( ThisItem.'Company Name' ), "--",
    IsType( ThisItem.'Company Name', Accounts ),
        "Account: " & AsType( ThisItem.'Company Name', Accounts ).'Account Name',
    "Contact: " & AsType( ThisItem.'Company Name', Contacts ).'Full Name'
)

    Screen is now complete showing accounts and contacts intermixed in the gallery.

    The subtitle in the gallery shows these values:

    • "--" if the 'Company Name' is blank.
    • "Account: " and then the Account Name field from the Accounts table if the Company Name field refers to an account.
    • "Contact: " and then the Full Name field from the Contacts table if the Company Name field refers to a contact.

    Your results might differ from those in this topic because it uses sample data that was modified to show additional types of results.