Power Apps Formulas Quick Reference

Data: Create, Read, Update

Formula	What it does	Example
Patch	Create or update a record	Patch(Contacts, Defaults(Contacts), {FirstName: "Jane", Email: "jane@example.com"})
Patch (update)	Update existing record	Patch(Contacts, LookUp(Contacts, Id = varCurrentId), {Status: "Active"})
Collect	Add rows to a collection (or create one)	Collect(colItems, {Name: txtName.Text, Qty: 1})
Clear	Remove all rows from a collection	Clear(colItems)
Remove	Delete a record	Remove(Contacts, LookUp(Contacts, Id = ThisItem.Id))

Patch gotchas

• Create: Patch(Datasource, Defaults(Datasource), {...}) — Defaults gives you a blank record to fill.
• Update: Patch(Datasource, RecordToUpdate, {...}) — You need the record (often from LookUp or ThisItem).
• Primary key: For create, some sources need you to specify the key. Check the table's requirements.

Data: Lookup and Filter

Formula	What it does	Example
LookUp	Single record matching criteria	LookUp(Contacts, Email = txtEmail.Text)
First	First record from a table or filter	First(Filter(Contacts, Status = "Active"))
Filter	All records matching criteria	Filter(Contacts, Status = "Active" && Region = "West")
CountRows	Number of rows	CountRows(Filter(Contacts, Status = "Active"))
IsBlank	True if null/empty	IsBlank(txtName.Text)

LookUp vs First: LookUp returns one record or blank. Use when you expect 0 or 1 match. First returns one record from a set. Use with Filter when you want "first of many." If nothing matches, First returns blank (and can cause errors if you dot into it).

Text and Numbers

Formula	What it does	Example
Text	Convert to text	Text(Now(), "yyyy-mm-dd")
Value	Convert text to number	Value(txtQuantity.Text)
Concatenate	Join strings	"Hello, " & User().FullName
Trim	Remove leading/trailing spaces	Trim(txtInput.Text)
Round	Round a number	Round(12.456, 2) → 12.46

Conditions and Logic

Formula	What it does	Example
If	Branch on condition	If(toggleOn.Checked, "Yes", "No")
Switch	Multiple conditions	Switch(varStatus, "A", "Active", "P", "Pending", "Inactive")
Coalesce	First non-blank value	Coalesce(txtOverride.Text, lblDefault.Text)

Context and Variables

Formula	What it does	Example
ThisItem	Current item in gallery/list	ThisItem.Title
ThisRecord	Current record in form	ThisRecord.Status
Set	Store in variable	Set(varSelectedId, ThisItem.Id)
UpdateContext	Store in context variable	UpdateContext({varCount: varCount + 1})

Set vs UpdateContext: Set is global for the screen. UpdateContext is for local context. For most app logic, Set is enough.

Galleries and Collections

Formula	What it does	Example
Items	Data source for gallery	Items = Filter(Contacts, SearchTerm in Name)
Selected	Selected item in gallery	Selected = galContacts.Selected
Sort	Order rows	Sort(Contacts, CreatedDate, Descending)
AddColumns	Add calculated columns	AddColumns(Contacts, "FullName", FirstName & " " & LastName)

When Something Breaks

• "Expecting a number": You passed text where a number was needed. Use Value().
• "Invalid argument type": Wrong data shape. Check Filter/LookUp return types.
• Delegation warning: Filter/Sort can't run on the server for that data source. Use delegable functions or LoadData limits. See delegation overview.

Microsoft Sources