Trigger Frameworks

Implementation guidance for trigger framework patterns. Constraint rules (one-trigger-per-object, no-logic-in-trigger-body, etc.) live in sf-trigger-constraints. This skill covers the how — framework selection, base class implementation, bypass mechanisms, and recursion prevention.

Reference: @../_reference/TRIGGER_PATTERNS.md

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When to Use

• When evaluating which trigger framework pattern to adopt for a new project
• When refactoring bare trigger logic to a handler-based architecture
• When a trigger is firing recursively and causing unexpected DML or loop errors
• When you need a bypass mechanism to suppress triggers during data migrations
• When multiple triggers exist on the same SObject and need to be consolidated
• When comparing Pragmatic TriggerHandler vs FFLIB Domain Layer

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The Pragmatic TriggerHandler Pattern

A clean, dependency-free framework. The base class provides context-aware routing, bypass mechanism, and recursion control.

TriggerHandler Base Class

public virtual class TriggerHandler {

    // Bypass Registry
    private static Set<String> bypassedHandlers = new Set<String>();

    // Recursion Control
    private static Map<String, Integer> depthMap = new Map<String, Integer>();
    private static final Integer MAX_DEPTH = 2;

    // Context Properties
    @TestVisible protected Boolean isBefore   { get { return Trigger.isBefore; } }
    @TestVisible protected Boolean isAfter    { get { return Trigger.isAfter; } }
    @TestVisible protected Boolean isInsert   { get { return Trigger.isInsert; } }
    @TestVisible protected Boolean isUpdate   { get { return Trigger.isUpdate; } }
    @TestVisible protected Boolean isDelete   { get { return Trigger.isDelete; } }
    @TestVisible protected Boolean isUndelete { get { return Trigger.isUndelete; } }

    protected List<SObject>    newList { get { return Trigger.new; } }
    protected Map<Id, SObject> newMap  { get { return Trigger.newMap; } }
    protected List<SObject>    oldList { get { return Trigger.old; } }
    protected Map<Id, SObject> oldMap  { get { return Trigger.oldMap; } }

    public void run() {
        String handlerName = getHandlerName();
        if (isBypassed(handlerName)) return;
        if (exceedsMaxDepth(handlerName)) return;

        incrementDepth(handlerName);
        try { dispatch(); }
        finally { decrementDepth(handlerName); }
    }

    private void dispatch() {
        if (isBefore) {
            if (isInsert) onBeforeInsert();
            if (isUpdate) onBeforeUpdate();
            if (isDelete) onBeforeDelete();
        } else if (isAfter) {
            if (isInsert)   onAfterInsert();
            if (isUpdate)   onAfterUpdate();
            if (isDelete)   onAfterDelete();
            if (isUndelete) onAfterUndelete();
        }
    }

    // Virtual Methods — Override in Concrete Handlers
    @TestVisible protected virtual void onBeforeInsert()   {}
    @TestVisible protected virtual void onBeforeUpdate()   {}
    @TestVisible protected virtual void onBeforeDelete()   {}
    @TestVisible protected virtual void onAfterInsert()    {}
    @TestVisible protected virtual void onAfterUpdate()    {}
    @TestVisible protected virtual void onAfterDelete()    {}
    @TestVisible protected virtual void onAfterUndelete()  {}

    // Bypass API
    public static void bypass(String handlerName)       { bypassedHandlers.add(handlerName); }
    public static void clearBypass(String handlerName)  { bypassedHandlers.remove(handlerName); }
    public static void clearAllBypasses()               { bypassedHandlers.clear(); }
    public static Boolean isBypassed(String handlerName) { return bypassedHandlers.contains(handlerName); }

    // Private Helpers
    private String getHandlerName() { return String.valueOf(this).split(':')[0]; }
    private Boolean exceedsMaxDepth(String h) { return getDepth(h) >= MAX_DEPTH; }
    private Integer getDepth(String h) { return depthMap.containsKey(h) ? depthMap.get(h) : 0; }
    private void incrementDepth(String h) { depthMap.put(h, getDepth(h) + 1); }
    private void decrementDepth(String h) { Integer c = getDepth(h); if (c > 0) depthMap.put(h, c - 1); }
}

Concrete Handler

public class AccountTriggerHandler extends TriggerHandler {

    private List<Account>    newAccounts;
    private Map<Id, Account> oldAccountMap;

    public AccountTriggerHandler() {
        newAccounts   = (List<Account>) newList;
        oldAccountMap = (Map<Id, Account>) oldMap;
    }

    override protected void onBeforeInsert() {
        AccountDefaults.setDefaults(newAccounts);
        AccountValidator.validateForInsert(newAccounts);
    }

    override protected void onBeforeUpdate() {
        AccountValidator.validateForUpdate(newAccounts, oldAccountMap);
    }

    override protected void onAfterInsert() {
        AccountOpportunityCreator.createDefaultOpportunities(newAccounts);
    }

    override protected void onAfterUpdate() {
        AccountRelatedUpdater.syncContactOwnership(
            (Map<Id, Account>) newMap, oldAccountMap
        );
    }
}

Trigger File

trigger AccountTrigger on Account (
    before insert, before update, before delete,
    after insert, after update, after delete, after undelete
) {
    new AccountTriggerHandler().run();
}

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FFLIB Domain Layer

For orgs using the FFLIB Apex Commons library, the Domain layer is the preferred trigger handling mechanism.

public with sharing class Accounts extends fflib_SObjectDomain {

    public Accounts(List<Account> sObjectList) {
        super(sObjectList);
        Configuration.disableTriggerCRUDSecurity();
    }

    public override void onBeforeInsert() {
        setDefaultCustomerTier();
    }

    public override void onBeforeUpdate(Map<Id, SObject> existingRecords) {
        preventPremiumTierDowngrade((Map<Id, Account>) existingRecords);
    }

    public class Constructor implements fflib_SObjectDomain.IConstructable {
        public fflib_SObjectDomain construct(List<SObject> sObjectList) {
            return new Accounts(sObjectList);
        }
    }
}

Configuration.disableTriggerCRUDSecurity() is needed because trigger handlers operate on records already committed by the platform. Do NOT disable CRUD security in Service or Controller layers.

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TDTM (Table-Driven Trigger Management)

Registers handlers in Custom Metadata (Trigger_Handler__mdt), enabling enable/disable without code deployment.

CMDT fields: Object_Name__c, Handler_Class__c, Trigger_Event__c, Is_Active__c, Execution_Order__c

public class TDTMDispatcher {

    private static Map<String, List<Trigger_Handler__mdt>> handlerCache =
        new Map<String, List<Trigger_Handler__mdt>>();

    public static void run(
        String objectName, String triggerEvent,
        List<SObject> newList, List<SObject> oldList,
        Map<Id, SObject> newMap, Map<Id, SObject> oldMap
    ) {
        String cacheKey = objectName + ':' + triggerEvent;
        List<Trigger_Handler__mdt> activeHandlers;
        if (handlerCache.containsKey(cacheKey)) {
            activeHandlers = handlerCache.get(cacheKey);
        } else {
            activeHandlers = [
                SELECT Handler_Class__c, Execution_Order__c
                FROM Trigger_Handler__mdt
                WHERE Object_Name__c = :objectName
                  AND Trigger_Event__c = :triggerEvent
                  AND Is_Active__c = true
                ORDER BY Execution_Order__c ASC
            ];
            handlerCache.put(cacheKey, activeHandlers);
        }

        for (Trigger_Handler__mdt cfg : activeHandlers) {
            Type handlerType = Type.forName(cfg.Handler_Class__c);
            if (handlerType == null) continue;
            ITriggerHandler handler = (ITriggerHandler) handlerType.newInstance();
            handler.execute(newList, oldList, newMap, oldMap);
        }
    }

    public interface ITriggerHandler {
        void execute(List<SObject> newList, List<SObject> oldList,
                     Map<Id, SObject> newMap, Map<Id, SObject> oldMap);
    }
}

To disable a handler for data migration: set Is_Active__c = false in Setup.

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Bypass Mechanisms

Static Boolean (Simple)

public class TriggerBypasses {
    public static Boolean bypassAccountTrigger = false;
}

// Usage
TriggerBypasses.bypassAccountTrigger = true;
try {
    insert accountsToMigrate;
} finally {
    TriggerBypasses.bypassAccountTrigger = false;
}

Framework-Level (TriggerHandler.bypass())

TriggerHandler.bypass('AccountTriggerHandler');
try {
    insert accounts;
} finally {
    TriggerHandler.clearBypass('AccountTriggerHandler');
}

Custom Metadata Bypass (Declarative)

Map users/profiles to bypassed handlers via Trigger_Bypass__mdt. No code change needed.

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Recursion Prevention

Static Set of Processed IDs

public class AccountTriggerHandler extends TriggerHandler {

    @TestVisible
    private static Set<Id> processedIds = new Set<Id>();

    override protected void onAfterUpdate() {
        List<Account> unprocessed = new List<Account>();
        for (Account acc : (List<Account>) newList) {
            if (!processedIds.contains(acc.Id)) {
                processedIds.add(acc.Id);
                unprocessed.add(acc);
            }
        }
        if (!unprocessed.isEmpty()) {
            AccountRelatedUpdater.syncContactOwnership(
                new Map<Id, Account>(unprocessed), (Map<Id, Account>) oldMap
            );
        }
    }
}

Testing note: Static variables reset between test methods. Within a single test method, they persist across multiple trigger executions.

Execution Depth Counter

Built into the TriggerHandler base class (MAX_DEPTH = 2). When a handler is called more than MAX_DEPTH times, execution is skipped. This prevents infinite recursion while allowing the first re-entry.

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Migration Guide: Bare Trigger to Framework

1. Deploy TriggerHandler.cls base class
2. Create handler class: public class AccountTriggerHandler extends TriggerHandler {}
3. Refactor trigger: replace body with new AccountTriggerHandler().run();
4. Move logic method by method into handler overrides or service classes
5. Add bypass support via base class or Custom Metadata
6. Delete old trigger files after consolidation

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Testing Trigger Frameworks

@isTest
static void testBypassMechanism_noDefaultsSetWhenBypassed() {
    TriggerHandler.bypass('AccountTriggerHandler');
    Account acc = new Account(Name = 'Bypass Test', Type = 'Customer', Industry = 'Tech');

    Test.startTest();
    insert acc;
    Test.stopTest();

    TriggerHandler.clearBypass('AccountTriggerHandler');

    Account result = [SELECT Customer_Tier__c FROM Account WHERE Id = :acc.Id];
    System.assertEquals(null, result.Customer_Tier__c,
        'Tier should NOT be set when handler is bypassed');
}

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Related

• Agent: sf-architect — For interactive, in-depth guidance

Guardrails

• sf-trigger-constraints — Enforces one-trigger-per-object, handler delegation, bulkification, and recursion prevention rules