A trigger is simply a piece of code that enables you to carry out custom actions before or after certain events to records in Salesforce like insertion, updates, or even deletions. Similar to how database systems support triggers, Apex triggers usually provide trigger support for managing your records. Typically, one makes use of triggers to carry out operations that are based on precise conditions, and also to modify related records or else restrict some operations from happening. You may use triggers to perform anything that you may do in Apex, including execution of SOQL and DML or even calling some of the custom Apex methods.
The best way to familiarize yourself with triggers is through a comprehensive Salesforce tutorial. You can use Salesforce trigger examples to carry out tasks that cannot be done by use of the point-and-click tools in Salesforce user interface. For instance, validating a certain field on a particular record or else updating a certain field on a record, you may use validation rules as well as workflow rules instead. In fact, some Salesforce trigger examples may be defined for the top-level standard objects like contact or account, custom objects, and also standard child objects. They are very active by default once created. In addition, Salesforce automatically fires the active triggers once the specified database events take place.
Salesforce Trigger Examples
Before Triggers
This is one of the Salesforce trigger examples that is used to validate or update record values before they are saved to the database. Before-trigger events are ideal for carrying out data validation, performing extra logic or calculations, and setting default values. You should keep in mind that in the case of these events, because the event is usually executed before the record has been committed to the database; it won’t have a record ID.
After Triggers
This is one of the Salesforce trigger examples that are mostly used to access field values which are set by the system like a record’s ID or even LastModifiedDate field. Also, they are used to effect changes in some records like filling asynchronous events with a queue or logging into an audit table.
Implementation Considerations
Before you create triggers, ensure that you consider the following:
1. Triggers that usually execute after a record has been undeleted works with only specific objects.
2. Upsert triggers normally fire both and after insert or even before and after update triggers appropriately.
3. Merge triggers usually fire both before and after delete triggers meant for the losing records and before update triggers meant for the winning records only.
Field history isn’t recorded until the trigger comes to an end. In case you query field history in the trigger, you won’t see any record for the present transaction.
Benefits of Using Salesforce Trigger Examples
Taking the time to read Salesforce training material is essential for you to master Salesforce triggers. Triggers may be used to modify other similar records as the records that at first fired the trigger. For instance, in case a trigger fires after contact A has been updated, the trigger may also modify contacts B and C. Since triggers may cause other types of records to change, and also because these changes can fire more triggers, Apex run-time engine usually consider all these operations like a single unit of work and also sets limits on the amount of operations that may be performed so as to prevent infinite recursion.