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There is an option to associate the Task to Opportunities, but instead of creating a Task and associating it to the Lead/Contact AND the Opportunity, 2 tasks are created: one against the Lead/Contact and another against the Opportunity.  I have no idea why it was designed this way, but it was.  Given that, I don’t use the option to associate the Task to Opportunities.

After months of manually assigning to Opportunities after I send the email, I got fed up and wrote a trigger that senses an email to salesforce record and auto associates it to the nearest Open Opportunity.  I thought I’d share it with y’all.

This code assumes the following:

• You are using Email to Salesforce
• You have the Email to Salesforce option for Leads & Contacts enabled and the one for Opportunities disabled
• You associate Contacts to your Opportunities via the OpportunityContactRole object

Trigger

trigger Tasks on Task (before insert) {

	// BEFORE INSERT
	if(Trigger.isBefore && Trigger.isInsert){
		Tasks t = new Tasks();
        t.AssociateOpportunity(Trigger.new);
    }

}

Class

public class Tasks {

    // Default Constructor
    public Tasks()
    {
    }

    // Associates a new Task generated by Email to Salesforce to an open opportunity, if one exists for the Account
    public void AssociateOpportunity(Task[] tasks)
    {

    	/***************
        * Variables
        ***************/
		list<Task> l_Tasks = new list<Task>(); // Tasks we'll be updating
		set<ID> s_ContactIDs = new set<ID>(); // Set of Contact IDs

		/***************
        * Initial Loop
        ***************/
		for(Task t:tasks) {

			// Add Task to working list and collect the Contact ID
			if (t.WhatId == null && t.Subject.startsWith('Email:') && t.WhoId != null) {
				// only for Contacts
				if (String.valueOf(t.WhoId).startsWith('003')){
					l_Tasks.add(t);
					s_ContactIDs.add(t.WhoId);
				}
			}

		}

		/***************
        * Create Maps
        ***************/
        // Maps Contact ID to an Opportunity ID
		map<ID, ID> map_cID_to_oID = new map<ID, ID>();
			// Query for the Contact's Open Opportunities. Sort by CloseDate DESC so the Task gets assigned to the earliest Opportunity as it loops
			for (OpportunityContactRole ocr:[select Id, OpportunityId, ContactId
											 from OpportunityContactRole
											 where ContactId in :s_ContactIDs
											 AND Opportunity.IsClosed = false
											 order by Opportunity.CloseDate DESC
											 ]) {
				map_cID_to_oID.put(ocr.ContactId, ocr.OpportunityId);
			}

		/***************
        * Process Records
        ***************/
		for (Task t:l_Tasks) {

			// If the Contact has an Opportunity mapped to it, update the Task with that Opportunity
			if (map_cID_to_oID.get(t.WhoId) != null) {
				t.WhatId = map_cID_to_oID.get(t.WhoId);
			}

		}
    }

}

Test Class

@isTest
private class Tasks_Test {

    static testMethod void AssociateOpportunity_Test() {

        // Create a Lead
        Lead l = new Lead();
	        l.FirstName = 'Test';
	        l.LastName = 'Lead';
	        l.Company = 'Test Company';
	        l.Email = 'leademail@example.com';
        insert l;

        // Create an Account
        Account a = new Account();
        	a.Name = 'Test Account';
        insert a;

        // Create a Contact
        Contact c = new Contact();
	        c.FirstName = 'Test';
	        c.LastName = 'Contact';
	        c.AccountId = a.Id;
	        c.Email = 'contactemail@example.com';
        insert c;

        // Create Opportunities
        list<Opportunity> l_Opps = new list<Opportunity>();
        Opportunity o = new Opportunity();
        	o.AccountId = a.id;
        	o.Name = 'Test Opportunity';
        	o.CloseDate = date.today();
        	o.StageName = 'Qualified';
        	o.Description = 'Test Opportunity Description';
        l_Opps.add(o);

        Opportunity o2 = new Opportunity();
        	o2.AccountId = a.id;
        	o2.Name = 'Test Opportunity';
        	o2.CloseDate = date.today().addDays(30);
        	o2.StageName = 'Qualified';
        	o2.Description = 'Test Opportunity Description';
        l_Opps.add(o2);

        Opportunity o3 = new Opportunity();
        	o3.AccountId = a.id;
        	o3.Name = 'Test Opportunity';
        	o3.CloseDate = date.today().addDays(60);
        	o3.StageName = 'Closed Won';
        	o3.Description = 'Test Opportunity Description';
        l_Opps.add(o3);

        insert l_Opps;

        // Create Opportunity Contact Roles
        list<OpportunityContactRole> l_Ocr = new list<OpportunityContactRole>();
    	OpportunityContactRole ocr1 = new OpportunityContactRole();
    		ocr1.ContactId = c.id;
    		ocr1.OpportunityId = o.id;
			ocr1.IsPrimary = true;
			ocr1.Role = 'Decision Maker';
		l_Ocr.add(ocr1);

		OpportunityContactRole ocr2 = new OpportunityContactRole();
    		ocr2.ContactId = c.id;
    		ocr2.OpportunityId = o2.id;
			ocr2.IsPrimary = true;
			ocr2.Role = 'Decision Maker';
		l_Ocr.add(ocr2);

		insert l_Ocr;

        /* Create Tasks for Test Cases */
        list<Task> l_Tasks = new list<Task>();

        // Task associated to Lead, not Contact
        Task t1 = new Task();
        	t1.Subject = 'Email: something';
        	t1.Status = 'Completed';
        	t1.WhoId = l.id;
        	t1.ActivityDate = Date.today();
    	l_Tasks.add(t1);

    	// Task with wrong subject
    	Task t2 = new Task();
        	t2.Subject = 'something';
        	t2.Status = 'Completed';
        	t2.WhoId = c.id;
        	t2.ActivityDate = Date.today();
    	l_Tasks.add(t2);

    	// Task with no WhoId
    	Task t3 = new Task();
        	t3.Subject = 'something';
        	t3.Status = 'Completed';
        	t3.ActivityDate = Date.today();
    	l_Tasks.add(t3);

    	// Task with a What ID already
    	Task t4 = new Task();
        	t4.Subject = 'something';
        	t4.Status = 'Completed';
        	t4.WhoId = c.id;
        	t4.WhatId = o2.id;
        	t4.ActivityDate = Date.today();
    	l_Tasks.add(t4);

    	// Task that should get triggered fully
    	Task t5 = new Task();
        	t5.Subject = 'Email: something';
        	t5.Status = 'Completed';
        	t5.WhoId = c.id;
        	t5.ActivityDate = Date.today();
    	l_Tasks.add(t5);

    	insert l_Tasks;

 		/* Asserts */

 		// Task 1 should not have a What ID populated
 		Task t = [select Id, WhoId, WhatId from Task where Id = :t1.id limit 1];
 		system.assertEquals(t.WhatId, null);

 		// Task 2 should not have a What ID populated
 		t = [select Id, WhoId, WhatId from Task where Id = :t2.id limit 1];
 		system.assertEquals(t.WhatId, null);

 		// Task 3 should not have a What ID populated
 		t = [select Id, WhoId, WhatId from Task where Id = :t3.id limit 1];
 		system.assertEquals(t.WhatId, null);

 		// Task 4 should have the same What ID it had originally populated
 		t = [select Id, WhoId, WhatId from Task where Id = :t4.id limit 1];
 		system.assertEquals(t.WhatId, o2.id);

 		// Task 5 is the one that should've had the Opportunity ID auto populated
 		t = [select Id, WhoId, WhatId from Task where Id = :t5.id limit 1];
 		system.assertEquals(t.WhatId, o.id);

    }
}

Let me know if you have any suggestions.

I am pleased to announce that Spam Check is now live on the AppExchange.

Spam Check lets your Salesforce system evaluate your data to see if it’s Spam. It contains built-in support for incoming Web-to-Lead and Web-to-Case data and also has global Apex methods that allow developers to incorporate Spam checks in their applications (e.g. a custom Salesforce Site).  This application delivers a solution for a popular idea from the community.

Spam Check uses Akismet, the leading spam evaluation service used on tens of thousands of blogs and websites everyday. Akismet gets its intelligence from the vast community that uses it everyday.  Spam Check allows you to contribute to it and make it more intelligent for the whole community and for your Salesforce system specifically.

Install it from the AppExchange to start a free, no obligation 30-day trial.  Once installed, you will get an email pointing you to the Spam Check Setup Guide.

For more information, please visit the Spam Check page on our website or its AppExchange listing.

The Winter 10 release is right around the corner and Winter ‘10 Pre-Release Orgs are now available.  Go here to sign up for a new org on the Winter 10 release.

Additionally, the Winter ‘10 Release Notes have made an appearance.  Keep an eye on the Last Updated Date on the front page of that document as I assume the document will be changing leading up to the release.

Emails went out yesterday telling administrators about the scheduled downtime.  On the System Status Page, you can see the Winter 10 schedule.  The first Production orgs to get it are NA1, NA6, NA7 and AP1 on October 3.  The rest follow on October 10.

/setup/own/massdelete.jsp?ftype=WFTimeQ&col0=TargetEntity&oper0=e&fval0={!Opportunity.Name}

It’s broken down as follows:

• /setup/own/massdelete.jsp?ftype=WFTimeQ - this brings you to the Monitoring page.
• &col0=TargetEntity - chooses the “Record Name” option in the first row.
• &oper0=e – sets the comparison operator to equals
• &fval0={!Opportunity.Name} – Puts the Opportunity Name in the value to search for.

The best the link can do is bring you to the page with the form filled in.  It’s up to you to click the search button.  So it’s down to 2 clicks from about 8.

• 100% native Force.com application
• I’ve taken care of licensing a top notch, 3rd party spam checking service
• You can train the service to make it more intelligent
• Web-to-Lead spam checks (make 2 small changes to existing web forms and you are up and running)
• Web-to-Case spam checks (make 2 small changes to existing web forms and you are up and running)
• ** In development ** Support for Web-to-Lead forms using Salesforce for Google AdWords
• Exposed Apex methods allowing developers to incorporate a Spam Check in their Apex code. Perfect for use with Salesforce Sites forms you build.

Before officially releasing it to the public, I want it running in the real world and am looking for people to try it with real, live web forms. Being an active participant will mean a good deal on it when it’s released. Please complete the form below and you’ll be added to the list of those interested. I’ll reach out to you when I am ready to get the beta going (plan on late July / early August).

Update 2009-09-04: Thank you for your interest, but the beta is now closed.

After import, I converted the Name field to an Auto Number and set its mask to be {00000000} and its starting number to be the next one in the sequence.  When you change from a Text to an Auto Number field on the Name field of a Custom Object, the old data is left alone.  Had I imported, “123″ into the Name field, Salesforce would not apply the mask.  Thus, I had to import “00000123″ on the migrated records.

The issue my client discovered is that you can’t search for “123″ in the Sidebar Search to find the Custom Object record that was imported.  It will work for records generated after the field was changed to an Auto Number, but not the converted data.  To find the legacy data, we’d have to tell the users to search for the full value of “00000123″.  Not good.

The resolution was actually pretty simple.  I added a new text field to the object and have a Workflow Rule that copies the Contract Number to it.  On Custom Objects, all text fields are indexed.  Voila!  It was searchable.

Both methods work just fine and there is a choice of approach.  Recently, my personal choice for implementing this kind of functionality is to use Sam’s approach and it’s mostly due to the user experience.  Using this approach, the code is called directly and there is no time spent by the browser needing to load a new blank page only to return to the same page.  It works much more seamlessly.  You also get the benefit of having less objects to develop (no VF page) and tie together.  The only real downside (outside of requirement-specific ones) is that Salesforce won’t bark at you if you delete the web service class because it doesn’t know that the web service is tied to JavaScript.  If your Apex Code is a controller for your VF page, Salesforce will protect you from deleting it accidentally.

The 1.x scripts are being retired.  If you are running a 1.x version of Auto vCard (go to your Setup | View Installed Packages page in Salesforce to check), you should be aware of the following changes taking place.

• Beginning  Tuesday, June 16, 2009, the behavior of the 1.x version will be changed.  Instead of the app automatically giving users the option to open/save the vCard, a link will be available on the popup window to get the vCard file.  Also, a new browser window will open directing them to this page explaining that they are on an older version that is set to expire.  Initially, this new behavior will only occur once every 2 days, but it will be more frequent as the July 31 date approaches.

• Auto vCard 1.x is expiring July 31, 2009.  At that time, anyone on version 1.x will start receiving an error message when creating a vCard.

• You can avoid issues related to either of the above 2 bullet points by upgrading your Auto vCard installation now.

To learn more about version 2.0, you can visit the product page on our website or the AppExchange listing.  Version 2.0 offers a free 60 day, 5 user trial.  After that, it is $1/user/month to subscribe and you can subscribe any number of your Salesforce users to it.  Non-profits can use it for free.

This release is not extremely exciting (unless Sites goes GA), but some of the more exciting features to me are:

• Recurring Tasks
• Automated Campaigns
• Enhanced Declarative Logic for Picklists
• Sites?  The word on the street is that Sites is becoming generally available this release, but I have not seen any official documentation stating that. 

Great work, Kyle!

P.S. The comments to the post suggest an interest by Salesforce to include this into the IDE.  Hopefully that happens.  Until then, I’ll install this version and use it regularly.