Power Fx IsToday Function - Power Apps, PVA, Dataverse Guide

Understanding Power Applications: A Video Tutorial on IsToday Function

The video presents by "Joe Unwin [MVP] (FlowJoe)".

 

The video tutorial titled "IsToday Function | Power Fx - Power Apps - PVA - Dataverse" provides a detailed walkthrough on how to effectively use the 'ISTODAY' function in PowerFX. The function serves practically by determining if a provided date coincides with the present date, thereby returning a boolean 'true' or 'false' value.

Various functions are discussed including Now, Today, IsToday, UTCNow, UTCToday, IsUTCToday which are all specific to Power Applications. According to the video, the Now, Today, and IsToday functions are designed to work with the local time of the current user, while the UTCNow, UTCToday, and IsUTCToday functions serve similar functions but are time-zone independent.

Unfortunately, these functions are available only in Microsoft Dataverse for Teams, particularly for formula columns and time-independent fields and values. Functions including Now, Today, and IsToday are not available specifically in Dataverse for Teams as evaluations are done without the user's knowledge of the current time zone.

Now, Today, IsToday, UTCNow, and UTCToday functions ...

Now, Today, IsToday, UTCNow, UTCToday, IsUTCToday functions in Power Apps ; Now function returns the current date and time as a date/time value.

The tutorial also introduces what ‘volatile functions’ mean. Now, Today, UTCNow, and UTCToday suit the description and it should be noted these functions return varying values for each evaluation. The presenter provides an example of using the function in a label control. He explains that the value of the function would not change with an active app but a fresh value will be returned if the app is closed and reopened.

Examples are then given on how to use these crucial functions in maintaining time control in the app management system. An app feature was showcased where a clock that updates in real time was displayed. This was achieved by adding a timer control and setting up corresponding properties to ensure it repeats every second and displays the current time down to the exact second for precision.

Additional resources were also cited in the video. To get more details visit here.

Execptional Functions within Power Platforms

Widening the scope beyond the video tutorial, Power Applications provide unique functions such as IsToday, UTCNow, and others which allow users to manage date and time data efficiently. Furthermore, the various utilities are a testament to the dynamic nature of the Power platforms. Such a user-friendly approach to software development broadens the scope and capabilities possible for app developers.

 IsToday Function

Mastering functions like ISTODAY in platforms like Power Apps can amplify your productivity in data analytics. This function is especially powerful in telling whether a date provided is the current day, thus it provides a 'True' or 'False' response. We discuss how to effectively use it in the following tips.

To equip yourself with proficient knowledge of this function, technical training on Power Apps (maximum mention limit reached), Power Fx, PVA, and Dataverse would be extremely beneficial. Numerous online platforms including Microsoft's official website and other technical course platforms provide comprehensive courses.

One noteworthy feature of Power Fx's ISTODAY function is its ability to recognize time in two conventions: local and Universal Coordinated Time (UTC). Therefore, when performing tasks involving date and time, you will need to take into account the time zone of data provided.

Volatile functions like Now, Today, UTCNow, and UTCToday are crucial to understand. These functions give different results for each evaluation, making them significant when constant up-to-date data is needed.

For example, if you use the Now function in your applications, the value does not change unless the app is closed and reopened. However, if this function is used as part of a formula where another element has changed, it will be re-calculated every time that change happens.

The following example uses a date/time function in combination with a Slider control to demonstrate this: 'Label1.Text = DateAdd( Now(), Slider1.Value, Minutes )'. Here, the function will be re-evaluated every time the Slider control's value changes and the label's text property is reevaluated.

You can also use the 'IsToday' function to test whether a current date and time falls between midnight of the current day and the next day. This function is helpful in various applications, for instance, when you need to timestamp actions or events, to check the validity of time-limited coupons or offers in real-time.

Syntax and function parameters are essential to use the 'IsToday' function effectively. For instance, in the 'IsToday( DateTime )' function, 'DateTime' is a required parameter where you provide the date/time value that will be tested against the current local day.

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