Force.com Apex Code Developer's Guide

Clouds with binary code floating aboveCloud with binary code floating above

No Results

Search Tips:

  • Please consider misspellings
  • Try different search keywords
PDF

Newer Version Available

This content describes an older version of this product. View Latest

DescribeFieldResult Class

Contains methods for describing sObject fields.

Namespace

Schema

Example

The following is an example of how to instantiate a field describe result object:
1Schema.DescribeFieldResult F = Account.AccountNumber.getDescribe();

DescribeFieldResult Methods

The following are methods for DescribeFieldResult. All are instance methods.

getByteLength()

For variable-length fields (including binary fields), returns the maximum size of the field, in bytes.

Signature

public Integer getByteLength()

Return Value

Type: Integer

getCalculatedFormula()

Returns the formula specified for this field.

Signature

public String getCalculatedFormula()

Return Value

Type: String

getController()

Returns the token of the controlling field.

Signature

public Schema.sObjectField getController()

Return Value

Type: Schema.SObjectField

getDefaultValue()

Returns the default value for this field.

Signature

public Object getDefaultValue()

Return Value

Type: Object

getDefaultValueFormula()

Returns the default value specified for this field if a formula is not used.

Signature

public String getDefaultValueFormula()

Return Value

Type: String

getDigits()

Returns the maximum number of digits specified for the field. This method is only valid with Integer fields.

Signature

public Integer getDigits()

Return Value

Type: Integer

getInlineHelpText()

Returns the content of the field-level help.

Signature

public String getInlineHelpText()

Return Value

Type: String

Usage

For more information, see “Defining Field-Level Help” in the Salesforce online help.

getLabel()

Returns the text label that is displayed next to the field in the Salesforce user interface. This label can be localized.

Signature

public String getLabel()

Return Value

Type: String

Usage

For the Type field on standard objects, getLabel returns a label different from the default label. It returns a label of the form Object Type, where Object is the standard object label. For example, for the Type field on Account, getLabel returns Account Type instead of the default label Type. If the Type label is renamed, getLabel returns the new label. You can check or change the labels of all standard object fields by choosing Customize | Tab Names and Labels | Rename Tabs and Labels.

Note

getLength()

For string fields, returns the maximum size of the field in Unicode characters (not bytes).

Signature

public Integer getLength()

Return Value

Type: Integer

getLocalName()

Returns the name of the field, similar to the getName method. However, if the field is part of the current namespace, the namespace portion of the name is omitted.

Signature

public String getLocalName()

Return Value

Type: String

getName()

Returns the field name used in Apex.

Signature

public String getName()

Return Value

Type: String

getPicklistValues()

Returns a list of PicklistEntry objects. A runtime error is returned if the field is not a picklist.

Signature

public List<Schema.PicklistEntry> getPicklistValues()

Return Value

Type: List<Schema.PicklistEntry>

getPrecision()

For fields of type Double, returns the maximum number of digits that can be stored, including all numbers to the left and to the right of the decimal point (but excluding the decimal point character).

Signature

public Integer getPrecision()

Return Value

Type: Integer

getReferenceTo()

Returns a list of Schema.sObjectType objects for the parent objects of this field. If the isNamePointing method returns true, there is more than one entry in the list, otherwise there is only one.

Signature

public List <Schema.sObjectType> getReferenceTo()

Return Value

Type: List<Schema.sObjectType>

getRelationshipName()

Returns the name of the relationship.

Signature

public String getRelationshipName()

Return Value

Type: String

Usage

For more information about relationships and relationship names, see Understanding Relationship Names in the Force.com SOQL and SOSL Reference.

getRelationshipOrder()

Returns 1 if the field is a child, 0 otherwise.

Signature

public Integer getRelationshipOrder()

Return Value

Type: Integer

Usage

For more information about relationships and relationship names, see Understanding Relationship Names in the Force.com SOQL and SOSL Reference.

getScale()

For fields of type Double, returns the number of digits to the right of the decimal point. Any extra digits to the right of the decimal point are truncated.

Signature

public Integer getScale()

Return Value

Type: Integer

Usage

This method returns a fault response if the number has too many digits to the left of the decimal point.

getSOAPType()

Returns one of the SoapType enum values, depending on the type of field.

Signature

public Schema.SOAPType getSOAPType()

Return Value

Type: Schema.SOAPType

getSObjectField()

Returns the token for this field.

Signature

public Schema.sObjectField getSObjectField()

Return Value

Type: Schema.SObjectField

getType()

Returns one of the DisplayType enum values, depending on the type of field.

Signature

public Schema.DisplayType getType()

Return Value

Type: Schema.DisplayType

isAccessible()

Returns true if the current user can see this field, false otherwise.

Signature

public Boolean isAccessible()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isAutoNumber()

Returns true if the field is an Auto Number field, false otherwise.

Signature

public Boolean isAutoNumber()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

Usage

Analogous to a SQL IDENTITY type, Auto Number fields are read-only, non-createable text fields with a maximum length of 30 characters. Auto Number fields are used to provide a unique ID that is independent of the internal object ID (such as a purchase order number or invoice number). Auto Number fields are configured entirely in the Salesforce user interface.

isCalculated()

Returns true if the field is a custom formula field, false otherwise. Note that custom formula fields are always read-only.

Signature

public Boolean isCalculated()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isCascadeDelete()

Returns true if the child object is deleted when the parent object is deleted, false otherwise.

Signature

public Boolean isCascadeDelete()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isCaseSensitive()

Returns true if the field is case sensitive, false otherwise.

Signature

public Boolean isCaseSensitive()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isCreateable()

Returns true if the field can be created by the current user, false otherwise.

Signature

public Boolean isCreateable()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isCustom()

Returns true if the field is a custom field, false if it is a standard field, such as Name.

Signature

public Boolean isCustom()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isDefaultedOnCreate()

Returns true if the field receives a default value when created, false otherwise.

Signature

public Boolean isDefaultedOnCreate()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

Usage

If this method returns true, Salesforce implicitly assigns a value for this field when the object is created, even if a value for this field is not passed in on the create call. For example, in the Opportunity object, the Probability field has this attribute because its value is derived from the Stage field. Similarly, the Owner has this attribute on most objects because its value is derived from the current user (if the Owner field is not specified).

isDependentPicklist()

Returns true if the picklist is a dependent picklist, false otherwise.

Signature

public Boolean isDependentPicklist()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isDeprecatedAndHidden()

Reserved for future use.

Signature

public Boolean isDeprecatedAndHidden()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isExternalID()

Returns true if the field is used as an external ID, false otherwise.

Signature

public Boolean isExternalID()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isFilterable()

Returns true if the field can be used as part of the filter criteria of a WHERE statement, false otherwise.

Signature

public Boolean isFilterable()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isGroupable()

Returns true if the field can be included in the GROUP BY clause of a SOQL query, false otherwise. This method is only available for Apex classes and triggers saved using API version 18.0 and higher.

Signature

public Boolean isGroupable()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isHtmlFormatted()

Returns true if the field has been formatted for HTML and should be encoded for display in HTML, false otherwise. One example of a field that returns true for this method is a hyperlink custom formula field. Another example is a custom formula field that has an IMAGE text function.

Signature

public Boolean isHtmlFormatted()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isIdLookup()

Returns true if the field can be used to specify a record in an upsert method, false otherwise.

Signature

public Boolean isIdLookup()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isNameField()

Returns true if the field is a name field, false otherwise.

Signature

public Boolean isNameField()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

Usage

This method is used to identify the name field for standard objects (such as AccountName for an Account object) and custom objects. Objects can only have one name field, except where the FirstName and LastName fields are used instead (such as on the Contact object).

If a compound name is present, for example, the Name field on a person account, isNameField is set to true for that record.

isNamePointing()

Returns true if the field can have multiple types of objects as parents. For example, a task can have both the Contact/Lead ID (WhoId) field and the Opportunity/Account ID (WhatId) field return true for this method. because either of those objects can be the parent of a particular task record. This method returns false otherwise.

Signature

public Boolean isNamePointing()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isNillable()

Returns true if the field is nillable, false otherwise. A nillable field can have empty content. A non-nillable field must have a value for the object to be created or saved.

Signature

public Boolean isNillable()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isPermissionable()

Returns true if field permissions can be specified for the field, false otherwise.

Signature

public Boolean isPermissionable()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isRestrictedDelete()

Returns true if the parent object can't be deleted because it is referenced by a child object, false otherwise.

Signature

public Boolean isRestrictedDelete()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isRestrictedPicklist()

Returns true if the field is a restricted picklist, false otherwise

Signature

public Boolean isRestrictedPicklist()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isSortable()

Returns true if a query can sort on the field, false otherwise

Signature

public Boolean isSortable()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isUnique()

Returns true if the value for the field must be unique, false otherwise

Signature

public Boolean isUnique()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isUpdateable()

Returns true if the field can be edited by the current user, or child records in a master-detail relationship field on a custom object can be reparented to different parent records; false otherwise.

Signature

public Boolean isUpdateable()

Return Value

Type: Boolean

isWriteRequiresMasterRead()

Returns true if writing to the detail object requires read sharing instead of read/write sharing of the parent.

Signature

public Boolean isWriteRequiresMasterRead()

Return Value

Type: Boolean