How to access ListView in Apex | Using StandardSetController for Pagination

There are scenario in project lifecycle where developer creates SOQL or Dynamic SOQL to return expected result. Also if requirement changes they go back and change existing code to reflect updated SOQL. If you are good developer and avoid to change Apex code at most you will save your SOQL in “Custom Settings” and utilize in Dynamic SOQL.

However, There is very good design Developer can suggest to client. Instead of going to your code and changing code for new requirement, how it sounds if we can utilize existing List View inside Apex or Visualforce only 🙂 ? It will solve lots of problems and if requirement changed, just change or create new Listview and it will reflect in your Visualforce code. We can almost have same functionality like Navigation buttons and Paging without writing any complex code logic, thanks to StandardSetController capabilities.

There is also very good article on Salesforce blog on various approaches suggested for pagination and one of them is using StandardSetController.

To keep article simple, I am posting complete Visualforce and Apex code with Comments inside. Account object is used as an example here.

Apex class :

/**
*  Description : Controller Class to show How to utilize existing List View in Apex with Pagination Support
*
*  Author : Jitendra Zaa
*/
public with sharing class ListViewDemo {

  private String baseQuery = 'Select ID, Name FROM Account ORDER BY NAME ASC';
  public String AccFilterId {get; set;}
  private Integer pageSize = 10;

  public ListViewDemo(){}

  public ApexPages.StandardSetController AccSetController {
        get{
            if(AccSetController == null){
                AccSetController = new ApexPages.StandardSetController(Database.getQueryLocator(baseQuery));
                AccSetController.setPageSize(pageSize);

                // We have to set FilterId after Pagesize, else it will not work
                if(AccFilterId != null)
                {
                  AccSetController.setFilterId(AccFilterId);
                }
            }
            return AccSetController;
        }set;
    }

  public ListViewDemo(ApexPages.StandardSetController c) {   }

    //Navigate to first Page
    public void firstPage()
    {
      AccSetController.first();
    }

    //Navigate to last Page
    public void lastPage()
    {
      AccSetController.last();
    }

    //Navigate to Next page
    public void next()
    {
      if(AccSetController.getHasNext())
      {
        AccSetController.next();
      }
    }

    //Navigate to Prev Page
    public void prev()
    {
      if(AccSetController.getHasPrevious())
      {
        AccSetController.previous();
      }
    }

    public List<Account> getAccounts()
    {
      return (List<Account>)AccSetController.getRecords();
    }

    //Get all available list view for Account
    public SelectOption[] getAccountExistingViews(){
        return AccSetController.getListViewOptions();
    }

    /**
    * Reset List View
    */
    public PageReference resetFilter()
    {
      AccSetController = null;
        AccSetController.setPageNumber(1);
        return null;
    }

}

Visualforce Page:

<apex:page controller="ListViewDemo">
Available List Views for Account :
  <apex:form id="pageForm">
   	   <apex:selectList value="{!AccFilterId}" size="1" id="filterMenu">
     		<apex:selectOptions value="{!AccountExistingViews}"></apex:selectOptions>
     		<apex:actionSupport event="onchange"  action="{!resetFilter}" rerender="AccntTable" status="ajaxStatus"/>
   	   </apex:selectList>

   	   <apex:actionStatus id="ajaxStatus" startText="Loading..."  stopText=""/>

   	 <apex:pageBlock title="Accounts">
   	    <apex:pageBlockButtons >
                <apex:commandButton action="{!firstPage}" value="|<<" reRender="AccntTable"  status="ajaxStatus" />
                <apex:commandButton action="{!prev}" value="<" reRender="AccntTable"  status="ajaxStatus" />
                <apex:commandButton action="{!next}" value=">" reRender="AccntTable"  status="ajaxStatus" />
                <apex:commandButton action="{!lastPage}" value=">>|" reRender="AccntTable"  status="ajaxStatus" />
            </apex:pageBlockButtons>

	        <apex:pageBlockTable value="{!Accounts}" var="item" id="AccntTable">
	            <apex:column value="{!item.name}"/>
	        </apex:pageBlockTable>
     </apex:pageBlock>
   </apex:form>
</apex:page>

Test Class :

@isTest
public class ListViewDemoTest
{    
    
    @testSetup 
    static void createAccount() {
        // Create common test accounts
        List<Account> testAccts = new List<Account>();
        for(Integer i=0;i<20;i++) {
            testAccts.add(new Account(Name = 'TestAcct'+i));
        }
        insert testAccts;        
    }
    
     public static testMethod void getListView(){
        //Lets Assume we are writing Controller extension to use on List View of Account
        List <Account> acctList = [SELECT ID FROM Account];
		
         //Check Account created count by setup()
         System.assertEquals(20,acctList.size());
         
        //Start Test Context, It will reset all Governor limits
        Test.startTest();

        //Inform Test Class to set current page as your Page where Extension is used
        Test.setCurrentPage(Page.ListViewDemo);

        //Instantiate object of "ApexPages.StandardSetController" by passing array of records
        ApexPages.StandardSetController stdSetController = new ApexPages.StandardSetController(acctList);

        //Now, create Object of your Controller extension by passing object of standardSetController
        ListViewDemo ext = new ListViewDemo(stdSetController);
        
        SelectOption[] selOptions = ext.getAccountExistingViews();
         
        //We should not assert count of list View as no control over creation of list view
        //but in my Dev org, I know count is 6 
        System.assertEquals(6,selOptions.size());
         
         ext.firstPage();
         List<Account> accFirsttPage = ext.getAccounts();
         System.assertEquals( 10, accFirsttPage.size() );
         
         ext.next();
         ext.prev();
         ext.resetFilter();
         ext.lastPage();
          
        //Finish Test
        Test.stopTest();
     } 
}