How to upload/share a file across multiple records?

Hello there!

Hope you are safe and doing well.

In this article we are going to see how we can upload/share a file (ContentDocument) across multiple records/users/groups using Apex.

Here is the scenario: Whenever someone upload a file on the event object the same file should automatically uploaded or rather shared with it’s parent records (Account/Opportunity, etc…)

First let’s see how actually Salesforce stores the files:

Content Document : This object represents the actual documents that has been uploaded to the library in Salesforce content/files. It gets automatically created when we create a ContentVersion (Child of ContentDocument) record.

Content Version: It represents a version of a specific file or Salesforce CRM content. The maximum number of version we can publish in 24 hrs is 200,000.

Content Document Link : This object represents link between Salesforce files and where it is shared. A Salesforce file can be shares across users,groups,records and content libraries.

We can create multiple records of ContentDocumentLink to share a file across multiple records (Opportunities,Accounts,Users,etc…)

As we discussed the scenario above I am going to demonstrate how event files can be share automatically with Account(Parent) object.

When we insert the file order of trigger execution of content documents objects will be like this:

First ContentVersion object trigger will fire, next ContentDocument object trigger will fire and last ContentDocumentLink object trigger will fire.

LinkedEntityId (parent record I’d) establish links between file and Record ( Account, Opportunity, Users, Group, etc…)

ContentDocumentLink_Trigger

	trigger ContentDocumentLink_Trigger on ContentDocumentLink (after insert) {

	if(Trigger.isAfter && Trigger.isInsert){
	Set<ID> contentDocIds = new Set<ID>();
	for(ContentDocumentLink cdl: Trigger.new){
	contentDocIds.add(cdl.ContentDocumentId);
	}

	Set<Id> eventIds = new Set<Id>();
	Map<String,String> eventMap = new Map<String,String>();

	for(ContentDocumentLink cdlObj: Trigger.new)
	{
	if(String.valueOf(cdlObj.LinkedEntityId).startsWith('00U')){ //Check if file is uploaded on event object
	eventIds.add(cdlObj.LinkedEntityId);
	}

	}
	for(Event e:[select id,whatId from Event where Id IN:eventIds]){
	eventMap.put(e.Id, e.whatId);
	}
	Map<String,String> parentRecMap = new Map<String,String>();
	for(ContentDocumentLink cdl: Trigger.new){
	if(String.valueOf(cdl.LinkedEntityId).startsWith('00U')){ //Check if file is uploaded on event object
	if(String.valueOf(eventMap.get(cdl.LinkedEntityId)).startsWith('001')) //Check if event parent is Account
	parentRecMap.put(cdl.ContentDocumentId, eventMap.get(cdl.LinkedEntityId)); //Map<ContentDocumentId,AccountId>
	}

	}
	List<ContentDocumentLink> cdl_List = new List<ContentDocumentLink>();
	if(ContentDocumentLink_TriggerHelper.Flag == true){
	ContentDocumentLink_TriggerHelper.Flag = false;
	for(String str: parentRecMap.keySet()){
	ContentDocumentLink cdl = new ContentDocumentLink(); // Content Document Link to share the file with Account(Parent) record
	cdl.LinkedEntityId = parentRecMap.get(str); // Account ID
	cdl.ContentDocumentId = str; //Content Dcoument ID
	cdl.ShareType = 'V';
	cdl.Visibility = 'InternalUsers';
	cdl_List.add(cdl);

	}
	}
	system.debug('Size : '+ cdl_List);
	if(cdl_List.size()>0)
	ContentDocumentLink_TriggerHelper.shareFile(cdl_List);// Insert Content Document Link to share the file with Account

	}
	}

view raw ContentDocumentLink_Trigger hosted with ❤ by GitHub

ContentDocumentLink_TriggerHelper

	public class ContentDocumentLink_TriggerHelper {
	public static Boolean flag = true;
	public static void shareFile(List<ContentDocumentLink> cdlLink){
	try{
	insert cdlLink;
	}
	catch(Exception e){
	system.debug('Exception has occured ! ' +e.getMessage());
	}
	}
	}

view raw ContentDocumentLink_TriggerHelper hosted with ❤ by GitHub

Output: Upload any file on Event object associated with any Account. After upload you can see the same file attached in the Account’s files related list.

References:

https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api.meta/api/sforce_api_objects_contentversion.htm

https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api.meta/api/sforce_api_objects_contentdocument.htm

https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.api.meta/api/sforce_api_objects_contentdocumentlink.htm

Thanks

Arun Kumar