Power Fx Function Reference for Canvas Apps: Find the Right Function Fast

Power Fx ships with more than 200 functions, and the official list is alphabetical — great for lookup, terrible for learning. This hub flips the index around: it groups functions by the job makers hire them for, so when you think "I need to shape this table" or "I need to save this form," you land on the right function in seconds. For detail on any single function, open its page in this reference.

How to use this reference

Each section below covers one maker job: what the functions do, the names you will reach for first, and a small example you can adapt. Function names link to their pages in this reference, with what each one does and an example you can adapt. If you are new to the language itself, start with What Is Microsoft Power Fx? and come back here when you need a specific tool.

Functions that read and shape data

Most canvas app formulas start here: take a table or data source, keep the rows you want, and reshape the columns for display.

• Filter, LookUp, Search — find rows: many, one, or free-text matches.
• Sort and SortByColumns — order rows for galleries and tables.
• AddColumns, DropColumns, ShowColumns, RenameColumns — reshape which columns travel with the data.
• GroupBy and Distinct — summarize and de-duplicate.
• Choices — list the allowed values of a lookup or choice column for dropdowns.

Filter(Orders, Status = "Open")

Functions that change data

These are behavior functions: they do something rather than compute something, so they run on events like a button OnSelect, not in a label Text property.

• Collect and ClearCollect — add rows to a local collection, optionally clearing it first.
• Patch — create or edit records in a data source without a form; pair it with Defaults for new rows.
• Remove and RemoveIf — delete one record or every record meeting a condition.
• Update and UpdateIf — replace records already in a data source.
• SubmitForm, NewForm, EditForm — drive form controls through their create, edit, and save lifecycle.

Patch(Tasks, Defaults(Tasks), { Title: "Follow up", Due: Today() })

Logic, variables, and flow control

Branching, looping, and state — the glue between reading data and changing it.

• If and Switch — branch on conditions or match one value against many.
• ForAll — run an action or calculation for every row of a table.
• With — name an intermediate result once and reuse it inside one formula.
• Set and UpdateContext — store global and screen-scoped variables.
• Navigate and Back — move users between screens, optionally passing context.

ForAll(Cart, Collect(Receipt, ThisRecord))

Text, math, and dates

Everyday formatting and calculation. If you know the Excel equivalents, most of these work the way you expect.

• Concatenate, Len, Left, Mid, Right, Upper, Lower, Trim — build and clean strings.
• Split — turn delimited text into a table of rows.
• Text and Value — convert between display text and typed values.
• Sum, Average, Min, Max and CountRows, CountIf — roll up tables.
• DateAdd and DateDiff, plus Today and Now — date math against the current day.
• Sequence — generate numbered rows for paging, loops, and test data.

Errors and blanks: the functions that save you

Blank values and failed operations flow silently through formulas, which is why apps "almost work." These functions make the invisible visible.

• IsBlank, IsEmpty, and Coalesce — detect missing values and substitute safe defaults.
• IfError — catch an error inline and provide a fallback value or action.
• Notify — tell the user what happened in plain language.
• User — personalize and troubleshoot with the current user's identity.

"Hello, " & Coalesce(txtName.Text, "guest")

The dozen you will use every week

Learn these twelve first. Everything else in the reference is a specialist you can meet on the day you need it.

Complete A–Z index

Every function in the canvas-apps reference, grouped by letter. Each name links to its page in this reference with what it does and where it fits. Start with the task groups above when you are learning; use this index when you already know the name.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

U

V

W

Y

Keep this reference bookmarked

This hub answers "which function?" — and every function page answers "what does it do?" with what it does, the job makers hire it for, and an example you can adapt. Use them together: find the tool in the task groups above, open its page for the detail. And if the language itself is new to you, What Is Microsoft Power Fx? explains the spreadsheet thinking behind all of it.