Negendra:  Unfortunately, that solution is to produce a custom button.  This is all being done behind the scenes via a third party API.  That API fails when it tries to convert the Lead because there is a pending time-based workflow.  So I am trying to write a trigger that will delete (or rather, falsify and therefore remove) the workflows before the conversion attempt.  I have a custom field set up for this, but I can't get it to work.  A "before update" trigger doesn't seem to change that field's value before converting.  (i.e. it looks like the conversion takes place before the "before update" trigger, so the field doesn't get changed.)  An "after update" trigger fails because when  I try to update the triggering Lead, I get either a trigger depth error or a self-recursive error that prevents conversion.

Virendra:  See above... I can't seem to update the field on either a "before update" or "after update", unless I'm doing something wrong.

Simple test example of each (3 example triggers):

Time_Dependent_Email_Lock__c = a custom field on both the Lead and Account that defaults to TRUE (i.e. the record is locked by default.).  The Lead field is mapped to the Account field.  So after conversion, on the Account, this field value should be FALSE.


----------------------  AFTER UPDATE TRIGGER
trigger removeTimeDependentEmailAlerts on Lead (after update) {
     List<Id> triggerLeadIds = new List<Id>();
     
     for (Lead triggerLeads : trigger.New) {
          //if (triggerLeads.IsConverted == TRUE) {  // Eventually I will have to distinguish between any ol' update and a conversion.  But not now.
               triggerLeadIds.add(triggerLeads.Id);
          //}
     }

     List<Lead> theTriggerLead = [SELECT Id, Time_Dependent_Email_Lock__c FROM Lead WHERE Id IN : triggerLeadIds LIMIT 1];

     theTriggerLead[0].Time_Dependent_Email_Lock__c = FALSE;  // Change this field so that workflow conditions will be reevaluated to FALSE
     update theTriggerLead[0];  // ***The idea is to have this trigger the workflow before conversion
}

ERROR:   first error: CANNOT_INSERT_UPDATE_ACTIVATE_ENTITY, removeTimeDependentEmailAlerts: maximum trigger depth exceeded



​----------------------  BEFORE UPDATE TRIGGER - DIRECTLY REFERENCE TRIGGER.NEW
trigger removeTimeDependentEmailAlerts on Lead (before update) {
     for (Lead triggerLeads : trigger.New) {
          //  ***NOTE:  to keep things as generic as possible, I'm not even testing for conversion here.  Just any update to the record.
          triggerLeads.Time_Dependent_Email_Lock__c = FALSE;  //  Change this field so that workflow conditions will be reevaluated to FALSE
          // ***The idea is to have this trigger the workflow before conversion
     }
}

RESULT:  Conversion happens, but when you look at the Account, the field value of Time_Dependent_Email_Lock__c has not been changed to FALSE.



​----------------------  BEFORE UPDATE TRIGGER - QUERY FOR THE LEAD AND TRY TO UPDATE IT
trigger removeTimeDependentEmailAlerts on Lead (before update) {
     List<Id> triggerLeadIds = new List<Id>();

     for (Lead triggerLeads : trigger.New) {
          triggerLeadIds.add(triggerLeads.Id);
     }

     List<Lead> theTriggerLead = [SELECT Id, Time_Dependent_Email_Lock__c FROM Lead WHERE Id IN : triggerLeadIds LIMIT 1];

     theTriggerLead[0].Time_Dependent_Email_Lock__c = FALSE;  // Change this field so that workflow conditions will be reevaluated to FALSE
     update theTriggerLead[0];  // ***The idea is to have this trigger the workflow before conversion

ERROR:  first error: SELF_REFERENCE_FROM_TRIGGER