---
title: ABRecord
framework: addressbook
role: symbol
role_heading: Class
path: addressbook/abrecord
---

# ABRecord

An abstract class that defines the common properties for all Address Book records.

## Declaration

```swift
class ABRecord
```

## Overview

Overview ABRecord is an abstract superclass providing a common interface to, and defining common properties for, all Address Book records. A property is a field in the database record, such as the first or last name of a person record. ABRecord defines the types of properties supported, and basic methods for getting, setting, and removing property values. The ABRecord class is “toll-free bridged” with its procedural C opaque-type counterpart. This means that the ABRecordRef type is interchangeable in function or method calls with instances of the ABRecord class.

## Topics

### Creating a Record

- [init(addressBook:)](addressbook/abrecord/init(addressbook:).md)
- [init()](addressbook/abrecord/init().md)

### Retrieving and Setting Values

- [removeValue(forProperty:)](addressbook/abrecord/removevalue(forproperty:).md)
- [setValue(_:forProperty:)](addressbook/abrecord/setvalue(_:forproperty:).md)
- [setValue(_:forProperty:error:)](addressbook/abrecord/setvalue(_:forproperty:error:).md)
- [value(forProperty:)](addressbook/abrecord/value(forproperty:).md)

### Retrieving a Specific Record

- [isReadOnly()](addressbook/abrecord/isreadonly().md)

### Getting Identifying Information

- [displayName](addressbook/abrecord/displayname.md)
- [uniqueId](addressbook/abrecord/uniqueid.md)

## Relationships

### Inherits From

- [NSObject](objectivec/nsobject-swift.class.md)

### Inherited By

- [ABGroup](addressbook/abgroup.md)
- [ABPerson](addressbook/abperson.md)

### Conforms To

- [CVarArg](swift/cvararg.md)
- [CustomDebugStringConvertible](swift/customdebugstringconvertible.md)
- [CustomStringConvertible](swift/customstringconvertible.md)
- [Equatable](swift/equatable.md)
- [Hashable](swift/hashable.md)
- [NSObjectProtocol](objectivec/nsobjectprotocol.md)

## See Also

### Data Types

- [ABPerson](addressbook/abperson.md)
- [ABGroup](addressbook/abgroup.md)
- [ABMultiValue](addressbook/abmultivalue.md)
- [ABMutableMultiValue](addressbook/abmutablemultivalue.md)
- [ABImageClient](addressbook/abimageclient.md)