Salesforce: Acquiring Dependent Picklists In Apex Contd.

Introduction

Greetings my fellow earth dwellers. Previously, I blogged about the acquisition of dependent picklists in Apex (as the title implies). Although the algorithm works, I managed to later identify what seemed to be 3 bottlenecks in the code. So I’m going to do what I think is “the right thing to do” and share my solutions to them 🙂 . I will include the final code snippet at the bottom so that you may feel free to copy and paste.

In total, these optimizations provided me with approximately 76% reduction in CPU Time.

Bottleneck 1

The first one I identified is the continuous serialization and deserialization of the dependent picklist entry in the for loop.

        //check the dependent values
        for(Integer pDependentIndex=0; pDependentIndex<dep_ple.size(); pDependentIndex++){            
            //get the pointer to the dependent index
               Schema.PicklistEntry dep_entry = dep_ple[pDependentIndex];
               //get the valid for
            String pEntryStructure = JSON.serialize(dep_entry);                
            TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry objDepPLE = (TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry)JSON.deserialize(pEntryStructure, TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry.class);
            //...
         }

//check the dependent values

for(Integer pDependentIndex=0; pDependentIndex<dep_ple.size(); pDependentIndex++){

//get the pointer to the dependent index

Schema.PicklistEntry dep_entry = dep_ple[pDependentIndex];

//get the valid for

String pEntryStructure = JSON.serialize(dep_entry);

TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry objDepPLE = (TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry)JSON.deserialize(pEntryStructure, TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry.class);

//...

}

I figured it’s better to add all the entries to a list first, then serialize and deserialize it once to get the attributes instead of incurring the overhead of multiple calls.

//load all dep entries
        List<Schema.PicklistEntry> objEntries = new List<Schema.PicklistEntry>();
        List<TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry> objDS_Entries = new List<TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry>();
        //add all entries
        for(Integer pDependentIndex=0; pDependentIndex<dep_ple.size(); pDependentIndex++){        	
            //get the pointer to the dependent index
           	Schema.PicklistEntry dep_entry = dep_ple[pDependentIndex];
           	objEntries.add(dep_entry);
           	
        } 
        //serialize once        
        objDS_Entries = (List<TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry>)JSON.deserialize(JSON.serialize(objEntries), List<TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry>.class);

//load all dep entries

List<Schema.PicklistEntry> objEntries = new List<Schema.PicklistEntry>();

List<TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry> objDS_Entries = new List<TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry>();

//add all entries

for(Integer pDependentIndex=0; pDependentIndex<dep_ple.size(); pDependentIndex++){

//get the pointer to the dependent index

Schema.PicklistEntry dep_entry = dep_ple[pDependentIndex];

objEntries.add(dep_entry);

}

//serialize once

objDS_Entries = (List<TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry>)JSON.deserialize(JSON.serialize(objEntries), List<TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry>.class);

Bottleneck 2

The next one is the sub loop which tests each dependent picklist entry against each controlling value.

for(Integer pControllingIndex=0; pControllingIndex<ctrl_ple.size(); pControllingIndex++){    
                if (objBitSet.testBit(objDepPLE.validFor,pControllingIndex)){
                //...
                }
}

for(Integer pControllingIndex=0; pControllingIndex<ctrl_ple.size(); pControllingIndex++){

if (objBitSet.testBit(objDepPLE.validFor,pControllingIndex)){

//...

}

This caused the overhead of calling the “testBit” function for every Controlling Index. I analyzed the testBit function and realized there’s only a small portion which depends on the controlling index, the rest is constant for the validBit. With this information, I added a subsequent function called “testBits” which takes the list of Controlling Indexes to test against. With this information, I’m now able to isolate the portion unique to the controlling index. This allows me to remove an extra 2 for loops per that were incurring unnecessary CPU cycles and place them outside the context of the same said index.

/*
        	Effect: Method takes a validFor string and tests it against a set of controlling indexes
        	Postcondition: Returns a list of all controlling indexes for which the validFor string test True
        */
        public List<Integer> testBits(String pValidFor,List<Integer> nList){
        	List<Integer> results = new List<Integer>();
			//the list of bytes (not derived from n)
            List<Integer> pBytes = new List<Integer>();
            //multiply by 6 since base 64 uses 6 bits (not derived form n)
            Integer bytesBeingUsed = (pValidFor.length() * 6)/8;
            //will be used to hold the full decimal value (not derived from n)
            Integer pFullValue = 0;
            //must be more than 1 byte
            if (bytesBeingUsed <= 1)
                return results;
            //get the base64bytes
            for(Integer i=0;i<pValidFor.length();i++){
                //get currenct character value
                pBytes.Add((Base64CharCodes.get((pValidFor.Substring(i, i+1)))));
            }   
            //calculate the full decimal value
            for (Integer i = 0; i < pBytes.size(); i++)
            {
                Integer pShiftAmount = (pBytes.size()-(i+1))*6;//used to shift by a factor 6 bits to get the value
                pFullValue = pFullValue + (pBytes[i] << (pShiftAmount));
            }
            //now we don't want to always be declaring memory, so let's set the initial 
            //variables
            Integer bit;
            Integer targetOctet;
            Integer shiftBits;
            Integer tBitVal;
            Integer n;
            Integer nListSize = nList.size();
            for(Integer i=0; i<nListSize; i++){
            	n = nList[i];
	            //calculate the target bit for comparison
	            bit = 7 - (Math.mod(n,8)); 
	            //calculate the octet that has in the target bit
	            targetOctet = (bytesBeingUsed - 1) - (n >> bytesBeingUsed); 
	            //the number of bits to shift by until we find the bit to compare for true or false
	            shiftBits = (targetOctet * 8) + bit;
	            //& is to set the same set of bits for testing
				//shift to the bit which will dictate true or false
				//Math.Pow(2, shiftBits) == 2 << (shiftBits+1)
	            tBitVal = ((Integer)(2 << (shiftBits-1)) & pFullValue) >> shiftBits;
	            if (tBitVal==1)
	            	results.add(n);
            }
            return results;
        }
    }

Effect: Method takes a validFor string and tests it against a set of controlling indexes

Postcondition: Returns a list of all controlling indexes for which the validFor string test True

public List<Integer> testBits(String pValidFor,List<Integer> nList){

List<Integer> results = new List<Integer>();

//the list of bytes (not derived from n)

List<Integer> pBytes = new List<Integer>();

//multiply by 6 since base 64 uses 6 bits (not derived form n)

Integer bytesBeingUsed = (pValidFor.length() * 6)/8;

//will be used to hold the full decimal value (not derived from n)

Integer pFullValue = 0;

//must be more than 1 byte

if (bytesBeingUsed <= 1)

return results;

//get the base64bytes

for(Integer i=0;i<pValidFor.length();i++){

//get currenct character value

pBytes.Add((Base64CharCodes.get((pValidFor.Substring(i, i+1)))));

}

//calculate the full decimal value

for (Integer i = 0; i < pBytes.size(); i++)

{

Integer pShiftAmount = (pBytes.size()-(i+1))*6;//used to shift by a factor 6 bits to get the value

pFullValue = pFullValue + (pBytes[i] << (pShiftAmount));

}

//now we don't want to always be declaring memory, so let's set the initial

//variables

Integer bit;

Integer targetOctet;

Integer shiftBits;

Integer tBitVal;

Integer n;

Integer nListSize = nList.size();

for(Integer i=0; i<nListSize; i++){

n = nList[i];

//calculate the target bit for comparison

bit = 7 - (Math.mod(n,8));

//calculate the octet that has in the target bit

targetOctet = (bytesBeingUsed - 1) - (n >> bytesBeingUsed);

//the number of bits to shift by until we find the bit to compare for true or false

shiftBits = (targetOctet * 8) + bit;

//& is to set the same set of bits for testing

//shift to the bit which will dictate true or false

//Math.Pow(2, shiftBits) == 2 << (shiftBits+1)

tBitVal = ((Integer)(2 << (shiftBits-1)) & pFullValue) >> shiftBits;

if (tBitVal==1)

results.add(n);

}

return results;

}

Bottleneck 3

The last one is the call to Math.Pow in the testBit function. I realized, that when getting the testBit value, part of that function is dependent on the value 2 being raised to a power of the shiftBits. The overhead from this function was unnecessary, and so I optimized Math.Pow(2,shiftBits) to 2 << (shiftBits -1) which is already included in the above snippet.

Other fine tuning

I also added the option to call the method GetDependentOptions explicitly with the object type (GetDependentOptionsImpl) or with the object name (GetDependentOptions). I realized that at moments it’s unnecessary to ask the system to find the object type by name if the caller function already has the object type available. In order to make the changes backward compatible, I kept the original method parameters and just forwarded it to the submethod that uses this optimal route. At the end of the day, either method can be used by the caller.

The Full Code Change

Step 1: Add the new testBits function. No need to remove the older one, it is however deprecated and no longer used.

/*
        	Effect: Method takes a validFor string and tests it against a set of controlling indexes
        	Postcondition: Returns a list of all controlling indexes for which the validFor string test True
        */
        public List<Integer> testBits(String pValidFor,List<Integer> nList){
        	List<Integer> results = new List<Integer>();
			//the list of bytes (not derived from n)
            List<Integer> pBytes = new List<Integer>();
            //multiply by 6 since base 64 uses 6 bits (not derived form n)
            Integer bytesBeingUsed = (pValidFor.length() * 6)/8;
            //will be used to hold the full decimal value (not derived from n)
            Integer pFullValue = 0;
            //must be more than 1 byte
            if (bytesBeingUsed <= 1)
                return results;
            //get the base64bytes
            for(Integer i=0;i<pValidFor.length();i++){
                //get currenct character value
                pBytes.Add((Base64CharCodes.get((pValidFor.Substring(i, i+1)))));
            }   
            //calculate the full decimal value
            for (Integer i = 0; i < pBytes.size(); i++)
            {
                Integer pShiftAmount = (pBytes.size()-(i+1))*6;//used to shift by a factor 6 bits to get the value
                pFullValue = pFullValue + (pBytes[i] << (pShiftAmount));
            }
            //now we don't want to always be declaring memory, so let's set the initial 
            //variables
            Integer bit;
            Integer targetOctet;
            Integer shiftBits;
            Integer tBitVal;
            Integer n;
            Integer nListSize = nList.size();
            for(Integer i=0; i<nListSize; i++){
            	n = nList[i];
	            //calculate the target bit for comparison
	            bit = 7 - (Math.mod(n,8)); 
	            //calculate the octet that has in the target bit
	            targetOctet = (bytesBeingUsed - 1) - (n >> bytesBeingUsed); 
	            //the number of bits to shift by until we find the bit to compare for true or false
	            shiftBits = (targetOctet * 8) + bit;
	            //& is to set the same set of bits for testing
				//shift to the bit which will dictate true or false
				//Math.Pow(2, shiftBits) == 2 << (shiftBits+1)
	            tBitVal = ((Integer)(2 << (shiftBits-1)) & pFullValue) >> shiftBits;
	            if (tBitVal==1)
	            	results.add(n);
            }
            return results;
        }

Effect: Method takes a validFor string and tests it against a set of controlling indexes

Postcondition: Returns a list of all controlling indexes for which the validFor string test True

public List<Integer> testBits(String pValidFor,List<Integer> nList){

List<Integer> results = new List<Integer>();

//the list of bytes (not derived from n)

List<Integer> pBytes = new List<Integer>();

//multiply by 6 since base 64 uses 6 bits (not derived form n)

Integer bytesBeingUsed = (pValidFor.length() * 6)/8;

//will be used to hold the full decimal value (not derived from n)

Integer pFullValue = 0;

//must be more than 1 byte

if (bytesBeingUsed <= 1)

return results;

//get the base64bytes

for(Integer i=0;i<pValidFor.length();i++){

//get currenct character value

pBytes.Add((Base64CharCodes.get((pValidFor.Substring(i, i+1)))));

}

//calculate the full decimal value

for (Integer i = 0; i < pBytes.size(); i++)

{

Integer pShiftAmount = (pBytes.size()-(i+1))*6;//used to shift by a factor 6 bits to get the value

pFullValue = pFullValue + (pBytes[i] << (pShiftAmount));

}

//now we don't want to always be declaring memory, so let's set the initial

//variables

Integer bit;

Integer targetOctet;

Integer shiftBits;

Integer tBitVal;

Integer n;

Integer nListSize = nList.size();

for(Integer i=0; i<nListSize; i++){

n = nList[i];

//calculate the target bit for comparison

bit = 7 - (Math.mod(n,8));

//calculate the octet that has in the target bit

targetOctet = (bytesBeingUsed - 1) - (n >> bytesBeingUsed);

//the number of bits to shift by until we find the bit to compare for true or false

shiftBits = (targetOctet * 8) + bit;

//& is to set the same set of bits for testing

//shift to the bit which will dictate true or false

//Math.Pow(2, shiftBits) == 2 << (shiftBits+1)

tBitVal = ((Integer)(2 << (shiftBits-1)) & pFullValue) >> shiftBits;

if (tBitVal==1)

results.add(n);

}

return results;

}

Step 2: Add the new GetDependentOptions and GetDependentOptionsImpl functions

public static Map<String,List<String>> GetDependentOptions(String pObjName, String pControllingFieldName, String pDependentFieldName){
        Map<String,List<String>> objResults = new Map<String,List<String>>();
        //get the string to sobject global map
        Map<String,Schema.SObjectType> objGlobalMap = Schema.getGlobalDescribe();
        if (!Schema.getGlobalDescribe().containsKey(pObjName))
            return objResults;
        //get the type being dealt with
        Schema.SObjectType pType = Schema.getGlobalDescribe().get(pObjName);
        return GetDependentOptionsImpl(pType,pControllingFieldName,pDependentFieldName);        
    }
    public static Map<String,List<String>> GetDependentOptionsImpl(Schema.SObjectType pType, String pControllingFieldName, String pDependentFieldName){
        Map<String,List<String>> objResults = new Map<String,List<String>>();
        if (pType==null)
            return objResults;
        TStringUtils.Bitset BitSetInstance = new TStringUtils.Bitset();
        Map<String, Schema.SObjectField> objFieldMap = pType.getDescribe().fields.getMap();
        //verify field names
        if (!objFieldMap.containsKey(pControllingFieldName) || !objFieldMap.containsKey(pDependentFieldName))
            return objResults;     
        //get the control values   
        List<Schema.PicklistEntry> ctrl_ple = objFieldMap.get(pControllingFieldName).getDescribe().getPicklistValues();
        //get the dependent values
        List<Schema.PicklistEntry> dep_ple = objFieldMap.get(pDependentFieldName).getDescribe().getPicklistValues();
        objFieldMap = null;
        List<Integer> lstControllingIndexes = new List<Integer>();
        //iterate through the values and get the ones valid for the controlling field name
        //set up the results
        for(Integer pControllingIndex=0; pControllingIndex<ctrl_ple.size(); pControllingIndex++){        	
            //get the pointer to the entry
            Schema.PicklistEntry ctrl_entry = ctrl_ple[pControllingIndex];
            //get the label
            String pControllingLabel = ctrl_entry.getLabel();
            //create the entry with the label
            objResults.put(pControllingLabel,new List<String>());
            //keep track of the controlling indexes
            lstControllingIndexes.add(pControllingIndex);
        }
        //cater for null and empty
        objResults.put('',new List<String>());
        objResults.put(null,new List<String>());
        //load all dep entries
        List<Schema.PicklistEntry> objEntries = new List<Schema.PicklistEntry>();
        List<TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry> objDS_Entries = new List<TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry>();
        //add all entries
        for(Integer pDependentIndex=0; pDependentIndex<dep_ple.size(); pDependentIndex++){        	
            //get the pointer to the dependent index
           	Schema.PicklistEntry dep_entry = dep_ple[pDependentIndex];
           	objEntries.add(dep_entry);
           	
        } 
        //serialize once        
        objDS_Entries = (List<TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry>)JSON.deserialize(JSON.serialize(objEntries), List<TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry>.class);
        List<Integer> validIndexes;
        for (TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry objDepPLE : objDS_Entries){
        	//if valid for is empty, skip    
            if (objDepPLE.validFor==null || objDepPLE.validFor==''){
                continue;
            }
            //get the test for the controlling indexes
            validIndexes = BitSetInstance.testBits(objDepPLE.validFor,lstControllingIndexes);
            for (Integer validIndex : validIndexes){            	
	            //get the label
	            String pControllingLabel = ctrl_ple[validIndex].getLabel();
                objResults.get(pControllingLabel).add(objDepPLE.label);
            }
        }
        objEntries = null;
        objDS_Entries = null;
        return objResults;
    }

public static Map<String,List<String>> GetDependentOptions(String pObjName, String pControllingFieldName, String pDependentFieldName){

Map<String,List<String>> objResults = new Map<String,List<String>>();

//get the string to sobject global map

Map<String,Schema.SObjectType> objGlobalMap = Schema.getGlobalDescribe();

if (!Schema.getGlobalDescribe().containsKey(pObjName))

return objResults;

//get the type being dealt with

Schema.SObjectType pType = Schema.getGlobalDescribe().get(pObjName);

return GetDependentOptionsImpl(pType,pControllingFieldName,pDependentFieldName);

}

public static Map<String,List<String>> GetDependentOptionsImpl(Schema.SObjectType pType, String pControllingFieldName, String pDependentFieldName){

Map<String,List<String>> objResults = new Map<String,List<String>>();

if (pType==null)

return objResults;

TStringUtils.Bitset BitSetInstance = new TStringUtils.Bitset();

Map<String, Schema.SObjectField> objFieldMap = pType.getDescribe().fields.getMap();

//verify field names

if (!objFieldMap.containsKey(pControllingFieldName) || !objFieldMap.containsKey(pDependentFieldName))

return objResults;

//get the control values

List<Schema.PicklistEntry> ctrl_ple = objFieldMap.get(pControllingFieldName).getDescribe().getPicklistValues();

//get the dependent values

List<Schema.PicklistEntry> dep_ple = objFieldMap.get(pDependentFieldName).getDescribe().getPicklistValues();

objFieldMap = null;

List<Integer> lstControllingIndexes = new List<Integer>();

//iterate through the values and get the ones valid for the controlling field name

//set up the results

for(Integer pControllingIndex=0; pControllingIndex<ctrl_ple.size(); pControllingIndex++){

//get the pointer to the entry

Schema.PicklistEntry ctrl_entry = ctrl_ple[pControllingIndex];

//get the label

String pControllingLabel = ctrl_entry.getLabel();

//create the entry with the label

objResults.put(pControllingLabel,new List<String>());

//keep track of the controlling indexes

lstControllingIndexes.add(pControllingIndex);

}

//cater for null and empty

objResults.put('',new List<String>());

objResults.put(null,new List<String>());

//load all dep entries

List<Schema.PicklistEntry> objEntries = new List<Schema.PicklistEntry>();

List<TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry> objDS_Entries = new List<TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry>();

//add all entries

for(Integer pDependentIndex=0; pDependentIndex<dep_ple.size(); pDependentIndex++){

//get the pointer to the dependent index

Schema.PicklistEntry dep_entry = dep_ple[pDependentIndex];

objEntries.add(dep_entry);

}

//serialize once

objDS_Entries = (List<TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry>)JSON.deserialize(JSON.serialize(objEntries), List<TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry>.class);

List<Integer> validIndexes;

for (TStringUtils.TPicklistEntry objDepPLE : objDS_Entries){

//if valid for is empty, skip

if (objDepPLE.validFor==null || objDepPLE.validFor==''){

continue;

}

//get the test for the controlling indexes

validIndexes = BitSetInstance.testBits(objDepPLE.validFor,lstControllingIndexes);

for (Integer validIndex : validIndexes){

//get the label

String pControllingLabel = ctrl_ple[validIndex].getLabel();

objResults.get(pControllingLabel).add(objDepPLE.label);

}

objEntries = null;

objDS_Entries = null;

return objResults;

}

There you go guys. Let me know if you run into any issues. And remember – always test in sandbox first ;). Stay thirsty my friends.

37 Comments on “Salesforce: Acquiring Dependent Picklists In Apex Contd.”

Pingback: Salesforce: Acquiring Dependent Picklists in Apex | Tales of an earthling
Reply

Mitchell
08.25.2014 at 8:52 pm

Hi, I want to subscribe for this blog to take latest updates, therefore where can i do it please help out.
Reply

erik
10.06.2014 at 6:13 pm

close – at least it runs in apex vs a VF/js hack BUT – the values are not correct in the several instances i tried – close but not correct – i suspect something in the base64 bit math but i lack the skills to troubleshoot it 🙂
1. Reply
  
  titancronus
  10.06.2014 at 6:25 pm
  
  Hey Erik, I think there are a few existing solutions out there for the VF/js hack. This one is exclusively for apex because it’s based on different bit shifting that’s done on the server end and not the client end (JS)
Reply

Jennifer O'Neill
11.20.2014 at 2:36 pm

Love this code but for some reason it is not returning all my dependent values, only a handful. Any ideas why this is happening? It works find for another field but just this one.
Reply

Marko Tomic
12.10.2014 at 10:42 am

I like the idea of making it in apex, good job!

However, I found some cases where code doesn’t work. For example, if the validFor is”///////////////A” code breaks in the TestBit method line
pFullValue = pFullValue + (pBytes[i] << (pShiftAmount));
because pBytes[i] is null.

Unfortunatelly, I am not really good at those encodings and shiftings so I could't figure out where the problem is. Will continue however to learn and try in order to figure out how to make it work.
1. Reply
  
  Marko Tomic
  12.10.2014 at 2:47 pm
  
  Ok, I figured that out. The problem was because Base64CharCodes was initialized without’/’ character which is a valid base64 character. Adding this character to Base64CharCodes solves this issue.
  
  However, there is one more. Something is wrong with last for loop in testBits() method. I noticed that for some controlling fields I don’t have any dependent values but I should. After debugging I found that for those controlling fields tBitVal is “-1” and thus code don’t fall int results.add(n). I suppose that “-1” should not be expected value here, it should be 0 or 1
  1. Reply
    
    Paul N
    07.24.2015 at 6:12 pm
    
    How do you add ‘/’ to the Base64CharCodes?
    Did you figure out what the other issue was? I’m getting incorrect results for some of mine. Majority of them are working, but some are returning values that aren’t set?
  2. Reply
    
    Paul N
    07.24.2015 at 6:22 pm
    
    Added
    Base64CharCodes.put(‘+’,62);
    Base64CharCodes.put(‘/’,63);
    to the initialization. (But didn’t solve my issue of it returning incorrect results… So close and yet so far.)
Reply

Alta Fisk
02.06.2015 at 6:02 am

Woah! I’m really loving the template/theme of this site. It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s challenging to get that “perfect balance” between user friendliness and visual appeal. I must say you’ve done a amazing job with this. Additionally, the blog loads super quick for me on Safari. Excellent Blog!
Reply

Yehho
07.08.2015 at 8:58 pm

Thanks for this tutorial. Would be great if there is some example of how to use this code in practice.
How can I pass controlling and dependent fields names?

Thank you
Reply

Paul N
07.24.2015 at 5:34 pm

THANK YOU! This is amazing and saved me so much frustration!
Reply

Paul N
07.27.2015 at 6:32 pm

I believe the issue with this not always returning the correct value is because when SFDC converts base64 to string, it doesn’t handle non-ascii well (converts to UTF-8) and those characters out of normal range will always return char value of 65535. So this doesn’t allow you to use the converted string to find set bits.

I created code to convert base64 into an integer list, then used that integer list (instead of strings) to create the listing of “set bits” in the “validFor”. This new code appears to work for me — hopefully it will work for you and anyone else coming to this page. (Note, the class I put this code in is called “Globals” — you will need to adjust the references to “Globals.TPicklistEntry” appropriately.

// Converts a base64 string into a list of integers representing the encoded bytes
public static List B64ToBytes (String sIn) {
Map base64 = new Map{65=>0,66=>1,67=>2,68=>3,69=>4,70=>5,71=>6,72=>7,73=>8,74=>9,75=>10,76=>11,77=>12,78=>13,79=>14,80=>15,81=>16,82=>17,83=>18,84=>19,85=>20,86=>21,87=>22,88=>23,89=>24,90=>25,97=>26,98=>27,99=>28,100=>29,101=>30,102=>31,103=>32,104=>33,105=>34,106=>35,107=>36,108=>37,109=>38,110=>39,111=>40,112=>41,113=>42,114=>43,115=>44,116=>45,117=>46,118=>47,119=>48,120=>49,121=>50,122=>51,48=>52,49=>53,50=>54,51=>55,52=>56,53=>57,54=>58,55=>59,56=>60,57=>61,43=>62,47=>63};

List lstOut = new List();
if ( sIn == null || sIn == ” ) return lstOut;

sIn += ‘=’.repeat( 4 – Math.mod( sIn.length(), 4) );

for ( Integer idx=0; idx < sIn.length(); idx += 4 ) {
if ( base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+1)) != null ) lstOut.add( (base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx)) <>> 4) );
if ( base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+2)) != null ) lstOut.add( ((base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+1)) & 15)<>> 2) );
if ( base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+3)) != null ) lstOut.add( ((base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+2)) & 3)<<6) | base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+3)) );
}

//System.Debug('B64ToBytes: [' + sIn + '] = ' + lstOut);
return lstOut;
}//B64ToBytes
public static List BlobToBytes (Blob input) {
return B64ToBytes( EncodingUtil.base64Encode(input) );
}//BlobToBytes

// Converts a base64 string into a list of integers indicating at which position the bits are on
public static List cnvBits (String b64Str) {
List lstOut = new List();
if ( b64Str == null || b64Str == ” ) return lstOut;

List lstBytes = B64ToBytes(b64Str);

Integer i, b, v;
for ( i = 0; i < lstBytes.size(); i++ ) {
v = lstBytes[i];
//System.debug ( 'i['+i+'] v['+v+']' );
for ( b = 1; b <= 8; b++ ) {
//System.debug ( 'i['+i+'] b['+b+'] v['+v+'] = ['+(v & 128)+']' );
if ( ( v & 128 ) == 128 ) lstOut.add( (i*8) + b );
v <<= 1;
}
}

//System.Debug('cnvBits: [' + b64Str + '] = ' + lstOut);
return lstOut;
}//cnvBits

public class TPicklistEntry{
public string active {get;set;}
public string defaultValue {get;set;}
public string label {get;set;}
public string value {get;set;}
public string validFor {get;set;}
public TPicklistEntry(){
}
}//TPicklistEntry

public static Map<String,List> GetDependentOptions(String pObjName, String pControllingFieldName, String pDependentFieldName) {
Map<String,List> mapResults = new Map<String,List>();

//verify/get object schema
Schema.SObjectType pType = Schema.getGlobalDescribe().get(pObjName);
if ( pType == null ) return mapResults;
Map objFieldMap = pType.getDescribe().fields.getMap();

//verify field names
if (!objFieldMap.containsKey(pControllingFieldName) || !objFieldMap.containsKey(pDependentFieldName)) return mapResults;

//get the control & dependent values
List ctrl_ple = objFieldMap.get(pControllingFieldName).getDescribe().getPicklistValues();
List dep_ple = objFieldMap.get(pDependentFieldName).getDescribe().getPicklistValues();

//clear heap
objFieldMap = null;

//initialize results mapping
for(Integer pControllingIndex=0; pControllingIndex<ctrl_ple.size(); pControllingIndex++){
mapResults.put( ctrl_ple[pControllingIndex].getLabel(), new List());
}
//cater for null and empty
mapResults.put(”, new List());
mapResults.put(null, new List());

//serialize dep entries
List objDS_Entries = new List();
objDS_Entries = (List)JSON.deserialize(JSON.serialize(dep_ple), List.class);

List validIndexes;
for (Globals.TPicklistEntry objDepPLE : objDS_Entries){

validIndexes = cnvBits(objDepPLE.validFor);
//System.Debug(‘cnvBits: [‘ + objDepPLE.label + ‘] = ‘ + validIndexes);

for (Integer validIndex : validIndexes){
mapResults.get( ctrl_ple[validIndex-1].getLabel() ).add( objDepPLE.label );
}
}

//clear heap
objDS_Entries = null;

return mapResults;
}//GetDependentOptions
1. Reply
  
  titancronus
  07.28.2015 at 5:06 pm
  
  Good find Paul N. I couldn’t comment much because I don’t use Salesforce anymore in my current job and as a result, it’s a tad bit harder for me to not just find the time to stay up to speed with it, but to test any changes I would make to the code. But I’m glad you figured it out and that should help other readers as well!
2. Reply
  
  Aarthi Ramasamy Chidambaram
  08.24.2018 at 9:00 pm
  
  Hi Paul
  I am trying to implement your logic bu t the content you put on this webpage was missing or misinteruppted the logic behind the encoding.
  would you mind please pass down the code if you have it in git? Thanks
  1. Reply
    
    Paul N
    08.24.2018 at 9:13 pm
    
    Aarthi,
    
    Did you see my dropbox version (linked at: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4gi7m38sr4blqqo/GetDependentOptions.txt)? The original version doesn’t work correctly for all situations.
Reply

yo
08.14.2015 at 12:43 am

Hi Paul,

could you please correct the following code lines?
if ( base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+1)) != null ) lstOut.add( (base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx)) > 4) );
if ( base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+2)) != null ) lstOut.add( ((base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+1)) & 15)> 2) );

Even though I used your code in the comment, still it doesn’t pickup correct values from the dependent list. 🙁
1. Reply
  
  Paul N
  08.14.2015 at 4:21 pm
  
  I’m really sorry, not sure why the code is coming out wrong in the posting above… there should be three greater-than symbols in a row at the end of those lines:
  
  if ( base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+1)) != null ) lstOut.add( (base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx)) <>> 4) );
  if ( base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+2)) != null ) lstOut.add( ((base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+1)) & 15)<>> 2) );
  
  Hopefully that works…
  Here’s a link to a “pastie” of the code to ensure it’s right:
  http://pastie.org/private/ykjr9ircfh08d8iygfliyg
  1. Reply
    
    Nizamuddin
    12.07.2015 at 10:54 am
    
    hi Paul N….
    Really appreciate your work .. Thanks for the updated code
Reply

Paul N
08.14.2015 at 4:22 pm

Yeah, it changed them again… use the link to grab the code. Let me know if it works
Reply

yo
08.17.2015 at 9:41 am

Hi Paul,

Now this is fantastic. I’ve got over 150 controlling picklist values and over 5000 dependent values.. This works like a charm. I found another javascript solution on the net and still its not reliable as this and fails to get the correct values. Thank you for this.
1. Reply
  
  Paul N
  08.17.2015 at 2:23 pm
  
  That is great to hear, I glad it worked! 🙂
2. Reply
  
  Himanshu
  09.28.2016 at 5:10 am
  
  Hi Yo,
  
  Can you please share the working code for Dependent pick-list, working code link(http://pastie.org/private/ykjr9ircfh08d8iygfliyg) shared showing an error. Please help!!
  
  Thanks
  Himanshu
Reply

Manuel Maqueda
09.01.2015 at 12:26 pm

Many thanks Paul N!
I had some issues with the previous code when obtaining the dependencies between States and Countries. This seems work fine for me for this picklists 🙂
Reply

Wagner
09.30.2015 at 12:04 pm

Thanks Paul!
It works perfectly with the last taken approach.
Great work!
Reply

Himanshu
09.27.2016 at 12:13 pm

Hi Paul,

Can you please share the working code for Dependent pick-list, working code link(http://pastie.org/private/ykjr9ircfh08d8iygfliyg) shared showing an error. Please help!!

Thanks
Himanshu
1. Reply
  
  Paul N
  09.27.2016 at 8:35 pm
  
  Himanshu,
  
  Please try this download instead:
  https://www.dropbox.com/s/4gi7m38sr4blqqo/GetDependentOptions.txt
  
  Glad this continues to be helpful! 🙂
  Paul
Reply

Himanshu
09.28.2016 at 11:28 am

Hi Paul,

Appreciated for your help!!

Its working perfectly for me. Keep posting valuable stuffs.

Thanks
Himanshu Kalra
Reply

Andrew
09.29.2016 at 4:46 pm

Man!
Code does not work with Global Picklist = (( I spent some good time to find out this = ((
1. Reply
  
  Andrew
  09.29.2016 at 4:55 pm
  
  No questions to Neel.
  Just to let others know.
Reply

Andrew
09.30.2016 at 9:45 am

Really strange. Works fine with 4 dependent picklists but not 5th – a lot of extra values…
Reply

Sabina
10.10.2016 at 10:21 am

Hi, thanks for this, nicely done!
I have some suggestions:

1. It looks like you are copying dep_ple to objEntries. Is there any reason why you are not serialising straight from dep_ple? objDS_Entries = (List)JSON.deserialize(JSON.serialize(dep_ple), List.class);

2. Is there any difference between if(objDepPLE.validFor==null || objDepPLE.validFor==”){ continue; } // do code AND if(objDepPLE.validFor!=null && objDepPLE.validFor!=”){ //do code } ?

3. The List nList in testBits will always be 0, 1…. ctrl_ple.size(). I would maybe change the nList to an Integer ctrlListSize, change for(Integer i=0; i<nListSize; i++) to for(Integer i=0; i<ctrlListSize; i++) and inside the for loop replace n with i; also , in GetDependentOptionsImpl, I would change:

for(Integer pControllingIndex=0; pControllingIndex<ctrl_ple.size(); pControllingIndex++){
//get the pointer to the entry
Schema.PicklistEntry ctrl_entry = ctrl_ple[pControllingIndex];
//get the label
String pControllingLabel = ctrl_entry.getLabel();
//create the entry with the label
objResults.put(pControllingLabel,new List());
//keep track of the controlling indexes
lstControllingIndexes.add(pControllingIndex);
}

to

for( Schema.PicklistEntry ctrl_entry : ctrl_ple){
//get the label
String pControllingLabel = ctrl_entry.getLabel();
//create the entry with the label
objResults.put(pControllingLabel,new List());
}

AND

validIndexes = BitSetInstance.testBits(objDepPLE.validFor,lstControllingIndexes);

to

validIndexes = BitSetInstance.testBits(objDepPLE.validFor,ctrl_ple.size());
1. Reply
  
  Paul N
  10.10.2016 at 4:14 pm
  
  Sabina,
  Did you see my version (linked to above at: https://www.dropbox.com/s/4gi7m38sr4blqqo/GetDependentOptions.txt)? The original version doesn’t work correctly for all situations. I also addressed some on the concerns you had.
  
  1) I did leave this unchanged in my code… dep_ple is type “List”, while objDS_Entries is of type “List” (which is a wrapper class. The serialize/deserialize converts the object from a PicklistEntry to our customize “TPicklistEntry” type which allows us to get the “ValidFor” portion which cannot be accessed using standard PicklistEntry.
  I use “objDS_Entries” just to make the code a bit more readable. I clear it at the end to remove the memory usage. If you wanted to eliminate “objDS_Entries” and just put the serialize/deserialize in the “for” loop, this shouldn’t cause any issues.
  
  2) I don’t think there would be much difference in how you suggest other than readability / personal preference. Obviously, the “continue” would prevent any other code being done after the “if”, but if there isn’t anything else to do, then it shouldn’t make a difference.
  
  3) I completely changed the way the bitset is determined — as the original had issues with non-standard characters when converted using the Base64 conversion functions (which are intended for character conversion).
  1. Reply
    
    Sabina
    10.10.2016 at 8:52 pm
    
    Hi Paul,
    
    Thanks, I will give it a try 🙂 To reply to your remarks:
    
    1) I was talking about objEntries, not objDS_Entries, which is indeed a different type of List. The code is first copying dep_ple into objEntries and THEN serialising to objDS_Entries. I was just wondering why not skip objEntries completely.
    
    But I see that in your code (objDS_Entries = (List)JSON.deserialize(JSON.serialize(dep_ple), List.class);) you did just that 🙂
    
    2) There is no difference, but I always care about readability 😉
Reply

manoj
02.23.2018 at 4:46 pm

I have a controlling pick list with 240 values and a dependent pick list with length of validfor string as 30. Is this normal as target octet in the algorithm will always be bytesbeingused -1. If yes, is there a better way to handle the scenario?
Reply

jason
06.26.2018 at 6:27 am

this idea is very great, but there is a bug in my code.
I think there are some issues in the ‘Bitset’ class. Because in my debug log, I fount that it returns null in the ‘testBits’ method.
I find an open source from github(https://gist.github.com/boxfoot/4166342/forks)
🙂
Reply

Raja V
02.10.2020 at 3:12 pm

Hi guys,

I copied this code and i am getting error in developer console like:

1.Invalid type: Globals.TPicklistEntry
2.Variable does not exist: objDepPLE

Please anyone tell what is the list:globals.Tpicklistentry ?