What is Schema.RecordTypeInfo in Apex?

It is the class describe returns for each record type on an object, with getRecordTypeId(), getDeveloperName(), getName(), isActive(), isAvailable(), isDefaultRecordTypeMapping() and isMaster(). Reference: RecordTypeInfo Class in the Apex Reference Guide .

What is the difference between getRecordTypeInfosByName and getRecordTypeInfosByDeveloperName?

getRecordTypeInfosByName is keyed by the label ("Partner Account"); getRecordTypeInfosByDeveloperName is keyed by the API name ("Partner_Account"). Both returned the same Id in our test, but only the developer name survives a label change.

Can I see a record type Id without writing code?

Yes. Open the record type in Object Manager; the URL ends in /RecordTypes/, the Id, then /view. You can also run a RecordType query in the Developer Console Query Editor.

Does getting a record type Id count against SOQL limits?

Not with describe. In our run the developer name and label lookups used 0 queries; the RecordType query used 1.

Why does getRecordTypeId() throw a NullPointerException?

The developer name passed to get() does not match any record type on that object, so get() returns null and the chained getRecordTypeId() fails. Check the spelling or null-check the RecordTypeInfo first.

Get Record Type Id in Apex: RecordTypeInfo Cheat Sheet

To get record type id in Apex, ask the object describe for the record type by its developer name and call getRecordTypeId(). It returns an Id and uses no SOQL query:

Schema.SObjectType.<Object>.getRecordTypeInfosByDeveloperName()
    .get('<DeveloperName>').getRecordTypeId();

In our Developer Edition org that call returned 012fj000008iBftAAE for the Partner Account record type on Account. Below is every lookup we ran (developer name, label, SOQL, Setup), the RecordTypeInfo methods, the null pointer trap and a tested helper class.

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