# Extending types for models in prisma

By [Server Surfer](https://paragraph.com/@serversurfer) · 2021-11-18

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**Quick tips when working with Prisma.** Say you have a `model` with a `Json` type attribute that you want to type, because the default types don't contain information about the keys and values inside the json object we'll need to manually type them.

Say this is our `User` model with the `extendedProfile` attribute appended at the bottom:

    model User {
    
      id			 Int	   @default(autoincrement()) @id
    
      createdAt	  DateTime  @default(now())
    
      updatedAt	  DateTime  @updatedAt
    
      email		  String	@unique
    
      hashedPassword String?
    
      role		   String	@default("user")
    
      sessions	   Session[]
    
      extendedProfile Json?
    
    }
    

We can create a `types.ts` file and export an `ExtendedUser` type.

    export type ExtendedUser = User & {
    
      extendedProfile: {
    
        firstName: string
    
        lastName: string
    
    }
    
    }
    

Prisma also comes with some useful methods. Let’s say we’re working with a model that has a relation reference with another model.

For example, if the `User` model has a one-to-many relation with an `Order` model.

    model User {
    
      id			 Int	   @default(autoincrement()) @id
    
      createdAt	  DateTime  @default(now())
    
      updatedAt	  DateTime  @updatedAt
    
      email		  String	@unique
    
      hashedPassword String?
    
      role		   String	@default("user")
    
      sessions	   Session[]
    
      extendedProfile Json?
    
      orders Order[]
    
    }
    
    model Order {
    
      id		Int	  @default(autoincrement()) @id
    
      createdAt DateTime @default(now())
    
      updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt
    
      user User @relation(fields: [userId], references: [id])
    
      userId Int
    
    }
    

Inside `types.ts` we can import `Prisma` and use the `GetPayload` method it provides. So in our case our `ExtendedUser` type will look like this:

    import { Prisma } from '@prisma/client'
    
    export type ExtendedUser = Prisma.UserGetPayload<{ include: { order: true } }> & {
    
      extendedProfile: {
    
        firstName: string
    
        lastName: string
    
    }
    
    }
    

`GetPayload` _will always start with the model name. In our case_ `UserGetPayload`

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*Originally published on [Server Surfer](https://paragraph.com/@serversurfer/extending-types-for-models-in-prisma)*