Visualforce Pages as Object-Specific Custom Actions

Visualforce pages you create to use as object-specific actions must use a standard object controller. Use controller extensions to add custom code, including @RemoteAction methods you can call using JavaScript remoting.

Your custom code could do more than make updates to the originating record. For example, the Create Quick Order custom action searches for matching merchandise. It then creates an invoice and line item, all as part of creating an order for a part. That logic occurs in the context of the originating account record—the invoice is related to the account record where the quick order action was invoked.

The following code sample shows a page designed to be used as a custom action on the account object, so it uses the standard Account controller. This action lets users create cases from account detail pages, and it has a different user interface from standard create actions.

public with sharing class CreateCaseExtension {
    private final SObject parent;
    public Case theCase {get; set;}
    public String lastError {get; set;}
    
    public CreateCaseExtension2(ApexPages.StandardController controller) {
        parent = controller.getRecord();
        theCase = new Case();
        theCase.accountId = parent.id;
        lastError = '';
    }
      
    public PageReference createCase() {
        createNewCase();
        theCase = new Case();
        theCase.accountId = parent.id;
        return null;
    }
       
     private void createNewCase() {      
        try {
            insert theCase;
            
            FeedItem post = new FeedItem();
            post.ParentId = ApexPages.currentPage().getParameters().get('id');
            post.Body = 'created a case';
            post.type = 'LinkPost'; 
            post.LinkUrl = '/' + theCase.id;
            post.Title = theCase.Subject;
            insert post;
        } catch(System.Exception ex){
           lastError = ex.getMessage();
        }
    }   
}

<apex:page standardcontroller="Account" extensions="CreateCaseExtension" showHeader="false">
    <script type='text/javascript' src='/canvas/sdk/js/publisher.js'/> 
    <style>
        .requiredInput .requiredBlock, .requiredBlock {background-color: white;} 
        .custompubblock div {display: inline-block;} 
        .custompublabel {width:54px;} 
    </style>
    <script> 
        function refreshFeed() { 
            Sfdc.canvas.publisher.publish({name : 'publisher.refresh', payload : {feed:true}}); 
        }
    </script>   
    <div> 
        <apex:form > 
            <apex:actionFunction action="{!createCase}" name="createCase" rerender="out" 
            oncomplete="refreshFeed();"/> 
            <apex:outputPanel id="out" > 
                <div class="custompubblock"> 
                    <div class="custompublabel">Account:</div><apex:inputField value="{!theCase.accountId}" 
                    style="margin-left:0;"/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
                    <div>Contact:&nbsp;</div><apex:inputField value="{!theCase.contactId}" />
                </div>
                <apex:inputField value="{!theCase.description}" style="width:538px;height:92px;margin-top:4px;" />
                <div class="custompubblock" style="margin-top:5px;"> 
                    <div>Status:&nbsp;</div><apex:inputField value="{!theCase.status}" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                    <div>Priority:&nbsp;</div><apex:inputField value="{!theCase.priority}" />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
                    <div>Case Origin:&nbsp;</div><apex:inputField value="{!theCase.origin}" /> 
                </div> 
            </apex:outputPanel>
        </apex:form><br/>
        <button type="button" onclick="createCase();" 
        style="position:fixed;bottom:0px;right:0px;padding:5px 10px; 
        font-size:13px; font-weight:bold; line-height: 
        18px;background-color:#0271BF;background-image:-moz-linear-gradient(#2DADDC, #0271BF);background-repeat:repeat-x;border-color:#096EB3;" 
        id="addcasebutton">Create Case</button> 
    </div>  
</apex:page>

Note When you redirect to a URL internal to your org, the action dialog closes upon completion or programmatically navigating away. If you set up the redirect to point to an external URL, the behavior can vary because an external URL opens in a new browser tab.

Requirements for Refreshing Host Pages

If you want an object-specific or global custom action to refresh the feed on the page that hosts it, the Visualforce page you create to use as that action must:

• Reference the publisher JavaScript file: <script type='text/javascript' src='/canvas/sdk/js/publisher.js'/>. (Creating custom Visualforce actions doesn’t require the Canvas SDK.)
• Include this JavaScript call: Sfdc.canvas.publisher.publish({name : 'publisher.refresh', payload : {feed:true}});.