What Should Be Global in a Packaged @InvocableMethod?

Question

I’m developing an @InvocableMethod action in Apex that will be included in a managed package. The Salesforce documentation appears inconsistent regarding what elements need to be marked global.

From my testing, I have observed that the top-level class must be global. The @InvocableMethod itself seems to work when left public. Inner classes used for request and response must be global, but their attributes seem to work even if they are only public. However, I’m not entirely sure if this is always the case or if there are best practices to follow.

Is it necessary for the method itself to be global? Can the input and output classes and their attributes be left public, or do they also need to be global?

Answer

If you want the @InvocableMethod action to be used in subscriber flows (i.e., flows created by customers in their orgs, not just pre-built flows in the managed package), then both the invocable method class and the method itself must be marked global. This ensures that the subscriber’s Flow Builder can reference and execute the method properly.

The input (request) and output (result) classes must also be global since they appear in the method signature of the global method. This is required for them to be visible outside the package.

However, if you only intend for the invocable method to be used within Flows and not directly callable from Apex, then the attributes of the input and output classes can be left public instead of global. If you want to allow Apex code outside the package to call these classes directly, then their attributes must also be global.

Here is an example demonstrating the correct setup for a packaged @InvocableMethod:

global with sharing class MyInvocableClass {
    
    @InvocableMethod(label='Process Data' description='Processes data and returns a result.')
    global static List<ResponseWrapper> processData(List<RequestWrapper> requests) {
        List<ResponseWrapper> results = new List<ResponseWrapper>();
        for (RequestWrapper req : requests) {
            ResponseWrapper res = new ResponseWrapper();
            res.outputMessage = 'Processed: ' + req.inputMessage;
            results.add(res);
        }
        return results;
    }

    global class RequestWrapper {
        @InvocableVariable(required=true)
        public String inputMessage;
    }

    global class ResponseWrapper {
        @InvocableVariable
        public String outputMessage;
    }
}

This Apex class defines an invocable method that can be used in Salesforce Flows and external Apex if part of a managed package.

• The class MyInvocableClass is global, making it accessible outside the package.
• The processData method is global static, allowing it to be invoked in Flows and Apex externally.
• It takes a list of RequestWrapper objects as input, processes each one by prefixing "Processed: " to inputMessage, and returns a list of ResponseWrapper objects.
• The RequestWrapper and ResponseWrapper classes are global, making them accessible outside the package.
• The @InvocableVariable properties are public, allowing Flow access, but the wrapper classes must be global to allow Apex invocation.

This setup ensures Flow compatibility while allowing Apex usage in subscriber orgs.

Alternative Approach

If you do not want subscribers to call the invocable method from their own Apex code but only through Flows, you can leave the method itself as public while keeping the class global:

global with sharing class MyInvocableClass {
    
    @InvocableMethod(label='Process Data' description='Processes data and returns a result.')
    public static List<ResponseWrapper> processData(List<RequestWrapper> requests) { 
        // Logic remains the same 
    }

    global class RequestWrapper {
        @InvocableVariable(required=true)
        public String inputMessage;
    }

    global class ResponseWrapper {
        @InvocableVariable
        public String outputMessage;
    }
}

This Apex code defines a packaged @InvocableMethod class that can be used in Salesforce Flows.

• The class MyInvocableClass is global, meaning it can be accessed outside the managed package.
• The processData method is public, allowing it to be used in Flows but not directly in external Apex code.
• The RequestWrapper and ResponseWrapper classes are global, as they are required in the method signature for Flow visibility.
• The @InvocableVariable fields are public, meaning they are accessible in Flows, but the wrapper classes themselves cannot be instantiated in external Apex unless they are also marked global.

This setup ensures the method is available in Flows, but prevents direct Apex invocation outside the package.

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