System Methods

The following are the static methods for System.

Note
AnyDataType represents any primitive, object record, array, map, set, or the special value null.
Name Arguments Return Type Description
abortJob String Job_ID Void Stops the specified job. The stopped job is still visible in the job queue in the Salesforce user interface. The Job_ID is the ID associated with either AsyncApexJob or CronTrigger. One of these IDs is returned by the following methods:
assert Boolean condition,

Any data type opt_msg

 Void Asserts that condition is true. If it is not, a runtime exception is thrown with the optional second argument, opt_msg, as part of its message.
assertEquals Any data type x,

Any data type y,

Any data type opt_msg

 Void Asserts that the first two arguments, x and y, are the same. If they are not, a runtime exception is thrown with the optional third argument, opt_msg, as part of its message.
assertNotEquals Any data type x,

Any data type y,

Any data type opt_msg

 Void Asserts that the first two arguments, x and y are different. If they are the same, a runtime exception is thrown with the optional third argument, opt_msg, as part of its message.
currentPageReference System.PageReference Returns a reference to the current page. This is used with Visualforce pages. For more information, see PageReference Class.
currentTimeMillis Long Returns the current time in milliseconds, which is expressed as the difference between the current time and midnight, January 1, 1970 UTC.
debug Any data type msg Void Writes the argument msg, in string format, to the execution debug log. If you do not specify a log level, the DEBUG log level is used. This means that any debug method with no log level specified, or a log level of ERROR, WARN, INFO or DEBUG is written to the debug log.
Note that when a map or set is printed, the output is sorted in key order and is surrounded with square brackets ([]). When an array or list is printed, the output is enclosed in parentheses (()).
Note
Calls to System.debug are not counted as part of Apex code coverage in unit tests.

For more information on log levels, see “Setting Debug Log Filters” in the Salesforce online help.
debug Enum logLevel

Any data type msg

 Void Specifies the log level for all debug methods.
Note
Calls to System.debug are not counted as part of Apex code coverage in unit tests.
Valid log levels are (listed from lowest to highest):
  • ERROR
  • WARN
  • INFO
  • DEBUG
  • FINE
  • FINER
  • FINEST

Log levels are cumulative. For example, if the lowest level, ERROR, is specified, only debug methods with the log level of ERROR are logged. If the next level, WARN, is specified, the debug log contains debug methods specified as either ERROR or WARN.

In the following example, the string MsgTxt is not written to the debug log because the log level is ERROR, and the debug method has a level of INFO.

System.debug
   (Logginglevel.ERROR);

System.debug(Logginglevel.INFO, 
              'MsgTxt');

For more information on log levels, see “Setting Debug Log Filters” in the Salesforce online help.
getApplication ReadWriteMode System.ApplicationReadWriteMode Returns the read write mode set for an organization during Salesforce.com upgrades and downtimes. This method returns the enum System.ApplicationReadWriteMode. Valid values are:
  • DEFAULT
  • READ_ONLY
getApplicationReadWriteMode is available as part of 5 Minute Upgrade.
isBatch Boolean Returns true if the currently executing code is invoked by a batch Apex job; false otherwise.

Since a future method can't be invoked from a batch Apex job, use this method to check if the currently executing code is a batch Apex job before you invoke a future method.
isFuture Boolean Returns true if the currently executing code is invoked by code contained in a method annotated with future; false otherwise.

Since a future method can't be invoked from another future method, use this method to check if the current code is executing within the context of a future method before you invoke a future method.
isScheduled Boolean Returns true if the currently executing code is invoked by a scheduled Apex job; false otherwise.
now Datetime Returns the current date and time in the GMT time zone.
process List<WorkItemIDs> WorkItemIDs

String Action

String Comments

String NextApprover

 List<Id> Processes the list of work item IDs. For more information, see Apex Approval Processing Classes.
requestVersion System.Version Returns a two-part version that contains the major and minor version numbers of a package.

Using this method, you can determine the version of an installed instance of your package from which the calling code is referencing your package. Based on the version that the calling code has, you can customize the behavior of your package code.

The requestVersion method isn’t supported for unmanaged packages. If you call it from an unmanaged package, an exception will be thrown.
resetPassword ID userID

Boolean send_user_email

 System.ResetPasswordResult Resets the password for the specified user. When the user logs in with the new password, they are prompted to enter a new password, and to select a security question and answer if they haven't already. If you specify true for send_user_email, the user is sent an email notifying them that their password was reset. A link to sign onto Salesforce using the new password is included in the email. Use setPassword if you don't want the user to be prompted to enter a new password when they log in.
Warning
Be careful with this method, and do not expose this functionality to end-users.
runAs Package.Version version Void Changes the current package version to the package version specified in the argument.

A package developer can use package version methods to continue to support existing behavior in classes and triggers in previous package versions while continuing to evolve the code. Apex classes and triggers are saved with the version settings for each installed managed package that the Apex class or trigger references.

This method is used for testing your component behavior in different package versions that you upload to the AppExchange. This method effectively sets the Package.Version.Request object in a test method so that you can test the behavior for different package versions.

You can only use runAs in a test method. There is no limitation to the number of calls to this method in a transaction. For sample usage of this method, see Testing Behavior in Package Versions.
runAs System.Version version Void Changes the current package version to the package version specified in the argument.

A package developer can use Version methods to continue to support existing behavior in classes and triggers in previous package versions while continuing to evolve the code. Apex classes and triggers are saved with the version settings for each installed managed package that the Apex class or trigger references.

This method is used for testing your component behavior in different package versions that you upload to the AppExchange. This method effectively sets a two-part version consisting of major and minor numbers in a test method so that you can test the behavior for different package versions.

You can only use runAs in a test method. There is no limitation to the number of calls to this method in a transaction. For sample usage of this method, see Testing Behavior in Package Versions.
runAs User user_var Void Changes the current user to the specified user. All of the specified user's permissions and record sharing are enforced during the execution of runAs. You can only use runAs in a test method.
Note
The runAs method ignores user license limits. You can create new users with runAs even if your organization has no additional user licenses.
For more information, see Using the runAs Method.
Note
Every call to runAs counts against the total number of DML statements issued in the process.
schedule String JobName

String CronExpression

Object schedulable_class

 String Use schedule with an Apex class that implements the Schedulable interface to schedule the class to run at the time specified by CronExpression. Use extreme care if you are planning to schedule a class from a trigger. You must be able to guarantee that the trigger will not add more scheduled classes than the 25 that are allowed. In particular, consider API bulk updates, import wizards, mass record changes through the user interface, and all cases where more than one record can be updated at a time.
Note
Salesforce only adds the process to the queue at the scheduled time. Actual execution may be delayed based on service availability.
For more information see, Using the System.Schedule Method. Use the abortJob method to stop the job after it has been scheduled.
setPassword ID userID

String password

 Void Sets the password for the specified user. When the user logs in with this password, they are not prompted to create a new password. Use resetPassword if you want the user to go through the reset process and create their own password.
Warning
Be careful with this method, and do not expose this functionality to end-users.
submit List<WorkItemIDs> WorkItemIDs

String Comments

String NextApprover

 List<ID> Submits the processed approvals. For more information, see Apex Approval Processing Classes.
today Date Returns the current date in the current user's time zone.

System Logging Levels

Use the loggingLevel enum to specify the logging level for all debug methods.

Valid log levels are (listed from lowest to highest):
  • ERROR
  • WARN
  • INFO
  • DEBUG
  • FINE
  • FINER
  • FINEST

Log levels are cumulative. For example, if the lowest level, ERROR, is specified, only debug methods with the log level of ERROR are logged. If the next level, WARN, is specified, the debug log contains debug methods specified as either ERROR or WARN.

In the following example, the string MsgTxt is not written to the debug log because the log level is ERROR and the debug method has a level of INFO:

System.LoggingLevel level = LoggingLevel.ERROR;

System.debug(logginglevel.INFO, 'MsgTxt');

For more information on log levels, see “Setting Debug Log Filters” in the Salesforce online help.

Using the System.ApplicationReadWriteMode Enum

Use the System.ApplicationReadWriteMode enum returned by the getApplicationReadWriteMode to programmatically determine if the application is in read-only mode during Salesforce upgrades and downtimes.

Valid values for the enum are:
  • DEFAULT
  • READ_ONLY
Example:
public class myClass {
  public static void execute() {
    ApplicationReadWriteMode mode = System.getApplicationReadWriteMode();

    if (mode == ApplicationReadWriteMode.READ_ONLY) {
      // Do nothing. If DML operaton is attempted in readonly mode,  
    
      // InvalidReadOnlyUserDmlException will be thrown.   
    
    } else if (mode == ApplicationReadWriteMode.DEFAULT) {
      Account account = new Account(name = 'my account');
      insert account;
    }
  }
}

Using the System.Schedule Method

After you implement a class with the Schedulable interface, use the System.Schedule method to execute it. The scheduler runs as system: all classes are executed, whether the user has permission to execute the class or not.
Note
Use extreme care if you are planning to schedule a class from a trigger. You must be able to guarantee that the trigger will not add more scheduled classes than the 25 that are allowed. In particular, consider API bulk updates, import wizards, mass record changes through the user interface, and all cases where more than one record can be updated at a time.
The System.Schedule method takes three arguments: a name for the job, an expression used to represent the time and date the job is scheduled to run, and the name of the class. This expression has the following syntax:
SecondsMinutesHoursDay_of_monthMonthDay_of_weekoptional_year
Note
Salesforce only adds the process to the queue at the scheduled time. Actual execution may be delayed based on service availability.

The System.Schedule method uses the user's timezone for the basis of all schedules.

The following are the values for the expression:

Name Values Special Characters
Seconds 0–59 None
Minutes 0–59 None
Hours 0–23 , - * /
Day_of_month 1–31 , - * ? / L W
Month 1–12 or the following:
  • JAN
  • FEB
  • MAR
  • APR
  • MAY
  • JUN
  • JUL
  • AUG
  • SEP
  • OCT
  • NOV
  • DEC
 , - * /
Day_of_week 1–7 or the following:
  • SUN
  • MON
  • TUE
  • WED
  • THU
  • FRI
  • SAT
 , - * ? / L #
optional_year null or 1970–2099 , - * /
The special characters are defined as follows:
Special CharacterDescription
,Delimits values. For example, use JAN, MAR, APR to specify more than one month.
-Specifies a range. For example, use JAN-MAR to specify more than one month.
*Specifies all values. For example, if Month is specified as *, the job is scheduled for every month.
?Specifies no specific value. This is only available for Day_of_month and Day_of_week, and is generally used when specifying a value for one and not the other.
/ Specifies increments. The number before the slash specifies when the intervals will begin, and the number after the slash is the interval amount. For example, if you specify 1/5 for Day_of_month, the Apex class runs every fifth day of the month, starting on the first of the month.
L Specifies the end of a range (last). This is only available for Day_of_month and Day_of_week. When used with Day of month, L always means the last day of the month, such as January 31, February 28 for leap years, and so on. When used with Day_of_week by itself, it always means 7 or SAT. When used with a Day_of_week value, it means the last of that type of day in the month. For example, if you specify 2L, you are specifying the last Monday of the month. Do not use a range of values with L as the results might be unexpected.
W Specifies the nearest weekday (Monday-Friday) of the given day. This is only available for Day_of_month. For example, if you specify 20W, and the 20th is a Saturday, the class runs on the 19th. If you specify 1W, and the first is a Saturday, the class does not run in the previous month, but on the third, which is the following Monday.
Tip
Use the L and W together to specify the last weekday of the month.
# Specifies the nth day of the month, in the format weekday#day_of_month. This is only available for Day_of_week. The number before the # specifies weekday (SUN-SAT). The number after the # specifies the day of the month. For example, specifying 2#2 means the class runs on the second Monday of every month.

The following are some examples of how to use the expression.

Expression Description
0 0 13 * * ? Class runs every day at 1 PM.
0 0 22 ? * 6L Class runs the last Friday of every month at 10 PM.
0 0 10 ? * MON-FRI Class runs Monday through Friday at 10 AM.
0 0 20 * * ? 2010 Class runs every day at 8 PM during the year 2010.

In the following example, the class proschedule implements the Schedulable interface. The class is scheduled to run at 8 AM, on the 13th of February. 

proschedule p = new proschedule();
        String sch = '0 0 8 13 2 ?';
        system.schedule('One Time Pro', sch, p);

System.ResetPasswordResult Object

A System.ResetPasswordResult object is returned by the System.ResetPassword method. This can be used to access the generated password.

The following is the instance method for the System.ResetPasswordResult object:

Method Arguments Returns Description
getPassword String Returns the password generated as a result of the System.ResetPassword method that instantiated this System.ResetPasswordResult object.
See Also:
Batch Apex
Future Annotation
Apex Scheduler
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