Flows

Architecture

TODO: Topics to work out

• Invocable (https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.apexcode.meta/apexcode/apex_classes_annotation_InvocableMethod.htm )

• Queueables (https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.apexcode.meta/apexcode/apex_queueing_jobs.htm )

• Logging

• Flow

• Filenize’s implementation

Considerations

• Adding Filenize actions to your flow does not make it final. At the end of the flow, you need to run the Filenize commit action. This is to build a queueable chain of actions. Ensuring that the next action only runs if the previous has finished. This needs to be done explicitly due to the asynchronous design of the actions.

  • The chain also skips all consecutive actions if an error has been found. To prevent certain scenarios, i.e. where a subfolder needs to be created if the parent folder does not exist due to an error

• TODO: All actions in the flow are executed First In First Out. But when using the Diagnose Flow utility that comes with Filenize, there might be some differences.

  • When running a flow for one specific record, you just see the actions related to the record in the UI. Pending actions in the past

  • When running a flow where multiple records are in one DML call, each action is executed n times per record before continuing to the next action

    • This is standard Salesforce flow and bulkily behavior

    • We stop all consecutive actions after an error occurred which are linked to the same record. The other actions continue

  • When running a flow where multiple records are saved, but each in their DML call, all the actions are

Pro

• Easy to setup for admins and developers

• Includes in-depth diagnose tooling for spotting incorrect behavior

  • Also includes rerunning certain actions for trial-and-error testing

• Provides out-of-the-box user feedback about its progress in the Filenize component

Con

• By design each Filenize action is a Queueable, this is slower than running the APIs directly in Apex. This is to prevent hitting DML/Callout limitations.

  • Executing a Queueable does not start the process directly, the process waits until Salesforce has the resources needed for execution.

  • Queueables are slower on sandboxes than on production orgs. This is Salesforce’s way to limit the resources used.

• Since each action initiates an asynchronous process. The result of that process is not usable in the next consecutive process. For folder creation actions we do provide a direct output. As the new relative URL is already known before the execution.

Enter Flows

With Flows it’s now possible to automatically create and pin folders in Salesforce, and more. i.e. creating an account folder on each new account or creating a contact, under the account folder. The tools provided also makes it possible to pin the folders automatically, meaning that when the specific account record is opened, the correct folder opens with it. The SharePoint instance name is needed to use any automation that comes with Filenize.

Create/open an existing new Flow. Select a new Action element within the flow then search for SharePoint to find all the actions that came with Filenize. Select Create and Pin a SharePoint folder. A couple of properties allow you to customize the action to your business needs. In our example, we’re going to create a folder on every new account in Salesforce. The following values apply (for example, may differ for your solution):

• Folder Name: Field Reference => {!$Record.Name}

• Record Id: Field Reference => {!$Record.Id}

• SharePoint Instance Id: String => Your SharePoint Instance Name

• Reset Sharing on Folder (Optionally): Usually this is set to true for root folders with custom sharing

• Server Relative URL: String => A fixed path or a reference to a previous folder action

Save and activate the Flow. The above ensures that a new account folder is created and automatically pinned to the account record.

Next Steps

Above was just a short introduction of the “Create and Pin a SharePoint Folder” action. There are many more that allows you to customize your folder hierarchy for your business needs. Check out the Actions page and the Examples page to learn more.