Get Dependent Picklist Values in Apex?

Question

I have a pair of dependent picklists in Salesforce. In Apex code, how can I determine the valid options in the dependent field for each value in the controlling field?

For example, consider the following picklists:

Controlling Field (Controlling_Field__c):

• Fruit
• Vegetable
• Dairy

Dependent Field (Dependent_Field__c):

• If Fruit: Apple, Banana, Pear
• If Vegetable: Tomato, Eggplant, Lettuce
• If Dairy: Milk, Cheese, Yogurt

I tried using getPicklistValues(), but it does not provide dependency information. Ideally, I need something like this (in pseudocode):

controllingOptions = dependentField.getPicklistValues();
for (option : controllingOptions) {
    dependentOptions = dependentField.getPicklistValuesFor(option);
    doSomethingWith(dependentOptions);
}

How can I retrieve this dependency mapping in Apex?

Answer

Salesforce does not expose picklist dependencies through standard Apex Describe calls. However, this information is available via the Metadata API and in the validFor property of PicklistEntry objects.

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Each dependent field’s PicklistEntry has a validFor property, which is a Base64-encoded string. When decoded into bits, each bit (read from left to right) corresponds to a value in the controlling field. A bit set to 1 means the dependent value is valid for the corresponding controlling value.

For example, if pke.validFor returns "gAAA", its bit representation is:

example pke.validFor: g      A      A      A
displayed as bits:    100000 000000 000000 000000
rearranged as bytes:  10000000 00000000 00000000

Explanation:

The validFor property is a Base64-encoded bitmask where each bit represents whether a dependent picklist value is valid for a corresponding controlling value. When decoded, the bits are read from left to right, and each 1 indicates a valid mapping between the dependent and controlling picklist values.

To extract dependencies, loop through all dependent picklist values and use bitwise operations to check which controlling values they map to.

Here’s an example Apex class that does this:

public class PicklistDependencyUtil {
    public static Map<String, List<String>> getDependentOptions(String objName, String ctrlField, String depField) {
        Map<String, List<String>> dependencies = new Map<String, List<String>>();
        
        Schema.DescribeFieldResult ctrlDescribe = Schema.getGlobalDescribe().get(objName).getDescribe().fields.getMap().get(ctrlField).getDescribe();
        Schema.DescribeFieldResult depDescribe = Schema.getGlobalDescribe().get(objName).getDescribe().fields.getMap().get(depField).getDescribe();

        List<Schema.PicklistEntry> ctrlEntries = ctrlDescribe.getPicklistValues();
        List<Schema.PicklistEntry> depEntries = depDescribe.getPicklistValues();

        for (Schema.PicklistEntry ctrlEntry : ctrlEntries) {
            dependencies.put(ctrlEntry.getLabel(), new List<String>());
        }

        for (Schema.PicklistEntry depEntry : depEntries) {
            Blob decoded = EncodingUtil.base64Decode(depEntry.getValidFor());
            for (Integer i = 0; i < ctrlEntries.size(); i++) {
                Integer byteIndex = i / 8;
                Integer bitIndex = 7 - (i % 8);
                if ((decoded[byteIndex] >> bitIndex & 1) == 1) {
                    dependencies.get(ctrlEntries[i].getLabel()).add(depEntry.getLabel());
                }
            }
        }
        return dependencies;
    }
}

Explanation:

This Apex class extracts dependent picklist values for a given controlling picklist in a Salesforce object. It first retrieves the picklist values for both the controlling and dependent fields using Schema.DescribeFieldResult. Then, it decodes the validFor property of each dependent picklist value, which is a Base64-encoded bitmask, to determine which controlling values it is valid for.

To get dependent picklist values in Apex, use the Schema.DescribeFieldResult methods. First, retrieve the controlling field’s values using getPicklistValues(), then filter the dependent field’s values with getDependentPicklist() based on the controlling field selection. This ensures dynamic retrieval of valid picklist options programmatically.

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See Also : Interfaces in Salesforce Apex

Variables in Apex programming in Salesforce