When Using Patch - is there an edit mode?

[sienna28]

I know when using forms there is a property which can be set to edit or new form.

Is there a way when not using forms and using the Patch command, of testing for a new or an edit record?

I am trying to use the same screen for both adding records or editing existing ones.

At the moment I am setting a variable to either 'New' or 'Edit' values and checking that when I enter the screen.

Wondered If there is a better way.

Thank you

[Pstork1]

There isn't a way to have Patch test to see if a record exists and create a new one if it doesn't.  But there are two different syntax forms for using patch for a new record versus an existing record.  The second parameter of the patch statement to create a new record is always defaults(datasourcename) and the second parameter of the patch statement to edit an existing record is some formula that will select a specific record to be updated.  This is usually a Lookup().  What you can do is embed both forms of the Patch in an IF() statement that checks your New/Edit variable to see which statement to execute.  Normally, even if you want to use the same screen and form you pre-populate the form with either default values (new) or existing values (edit).  So you still need to know whether its a new or exisiting record long before you get to patch.

[Drrickryp · Accepted solution]

Hi @sienna28 ,

The patch function is different if one is editing a record rather than adding a new one with respect to the second argument of the function.  In the case of adding a new record it is

Patch( Customers, Defaults( Customer ), { Name: “Contoso” } ).

  This syntax creates a new record.  In the case of patching an existing record, instead of Defaults(), you specify the record being patched ie. 

Patch( Customers, Lookup( Customers, Name = "Contoso" ) , { Phone: “1-212-555-1234” } ).

  To determine which one to use, test if the record exists and then which syntax to employ, you can use an If() function combined with an IsBlank().  Something like:

If(IsBlank(Lookup(Customers,Name="Contoso"),Patch( Customers, Defaults( Customer ), { Name: “Contoso” } ),Patch( Customers, Lookup( Customers, Name = "Contoso" ) , { Phone: “1-212-555-1234” } ))