Apex Triggers: The Basics

Apex is, like Java for Salesforce, a strongly typed object oriented programming language enabling the developers to interact or add the data to the lightening platform with flow and transaction control statements using variables, data types, classes and if-else statements. Apex can be executed by triggers based on any given conditions or with a block of code executing recurrently.

Database system supports triggers and apex offers triggers to manage records.

Triggers are the apex scripts that perform the custom actions such as insertions, updates, or deletions before or after the occurrence of any specific data manipulation language (DML) event on the record. These are like stored procedures, like updating any record or setting permissions, typically used to perform operations that are based on specific conditions.

Apex Triggers can do anything such as executing SOQL or DML, calling custom actions or performing actions that are impossible to do using the elementary point-and-click tools in the Salesforce user interface like using validation rules for validating record on the field or workflow rules to update any record.

Apex Trigger Syntax:

Apex Triggers can be divided into two types depending on their time of execution:

1. Before Triggers:

Before triggers are fired before any record is inserted, deleted, updated or validated in any object is saved in the database. These triggers simply run before the record is provided with any id.

2. After Triggers:

After triggers are fired right after any record is inserted, deleted, updated or validated in any object is saved in the database. They are used to perform logic on the related objects, access field values (like CreatedBy, LasteModifiedBy, LastModifiedDate) that are set by the system and make changes in the other records.

Categorizing operations before or after which the Apex Triggers are executed:

Insert: This operation creates a record in the database.
Update: This operation updates/ changes the existing record in the database.
Delete: This operation deletes the record in the database.
Merge: This operation merges the records in the database.
Upsert: This operation updates the existing records and inserts new record in the database.
Undelete: This operation extracts the deletes records from the recycle bin to the database.

Bulky Trigger: All triggers come under bulky trigger by default as multiple records can be processed at a time.

Some examples of trigger:

Example1:

Example2:

To Conclude:

Triggers can be defined for the top-level standard objects (that supports triggers) like contact or account, some child objects or custom objects. When created, they are active by default and Salesforce fires them on the specified event automatically.

This is everything you need to know about the basics of the Apex Triggers. For any assistance in understanding Apex Triggers, please reach out to our expert team at sales@hicstwebackup.yoursalesforcedeveloper.com.