Set function

Applies to: Canvas apps Cards Dataverse low-code plug-ins Power Platform CLI

Sets the value of a global variable.

Overview

Use the Set function to set the value of a global variable, which temporarily holds a piece of information, such as the number of times the user has selected a button or the result of a data operation.

Global variables are available throughout your app on all screens. These are the simplest kind of variables and fill the needs of most situations. There are also context variables which are scoped to a single screen and collections that allow row level modifications to tables. For more information about these other options, review Understand variables.

Power Apps are based on formulas that automatically recalculate as the user interacts with an app. Any formulas that depend on a variable will automatically update when it changes. However, the variable won't be automatically updated if the value of the formula used in the Set function changes. This requires the app maker to manually update the variable, which can be error prone and harder for others to understand. Before you use a variable, review Understand variables.

Description

Global variables are implicitly created by using the Set function. No explicit declaration is required. If you remove all the Set functions for a global variable, that global variable will cease to exist. To clear a variable, set its value to the result of the Blank function.

You can see your variables' values, definitions, and uses with the Variables view under the File menu in Power Apps Studio.

As the examples later in this topic show, global variables can hold several kinds of information, including these:

• a single value
• a record
• a table
• an object reference
• any result from a formula

A global variable holds its value until the app is closed. Once closed, the global variable's value will be lost and must be recreated when the app is loaded again.

Global variables cannot use the same name as an existing collection or control. It can use the same name as a context variable. To disambiguate between the two, use the disambiguation operator.

Set has no return value, and you can use it only within a behavior formula.

Syntax

Set( VariableName, Value )

• VariableName - Required. The name of a global variable to create or update.
• Value - Required. The value to assign to the context variable.

Examples

Formula	Description	Result
Set( Counter, 1 )	Creates or modifies the global variable Counter, setting its value to 1.	Counter has the value 1. You can reference that variable by using the name Counter in a formula on any screen.
Set( Counter, 2 )	Sets the value of the Counter global variable from the previous example to 2.	Counter has the value 2.
Set( Counter, Counter + 1 )	Increments the value of the Counter global variable from the previous example to 3.	Counter has the value 3.
Set( Name, "Lily" )	Creates or modifies the global variable Name setting its value to Lily.	Name has the value Lily.
Set( Person, { Name: "Milton", Address: "1 Main St" } )	Creates or modifies the global variable Person, setting its value to a record. The record contains two columns, named Name and Address. The value of the Name column is Milton, and the value of the Address column is 1 Main St.	Person has the value of record { Name: "Milton", Address: "1 Main St" }. Reference this record as a whole with the name Person, or reference an individual column of this record with Person.Name or Person.Address.
Set( Person, Patch( Person, {Address: "2 Main St" } ) )	Works with the Patch function to update the Person global variable by setting the value of the Address column to 2 Main St.	Person now has the value of record { Name: "Milton", Address: "2 Main St" }.