List View access to users in Salesforce using Profiles, Permission Sets, Roles, and Apex code (Metadata API).

✅ Salesforce — How to Give Access to a List View to Profile or Role-Level Users (with Code)

🚀 Understanding List View Access in Salesforce

In Salesforce, List Views are stored as ListView metadata. They can be restricted using:

✔ 1. “Who can see this list view” Options

When creating a List View, you can choose:

• Only I can see this list view
• All users can see this list view
• Share list view with groups/roles/roles & subordinates

Salesforce does not provide direct Profile-based sharing from UI.
But you can share List Views with:

• Public Groups
• Roles
• Roles and Subordinates
• All Internal Users
• All Partner Users

If you want Profile-based access → create a Public Group with that Profile’s users.

⭐ METHOD 1 — Add Access Using UI (Role / Public Group)

Steps:

1. Go to Object → List Views
2. Edit the List View
3. In “Who sees this list view?”
   • Select Share with
   • Add:
     • Role
     • Role and Subordinates
     • Public Group (can include a Profile using auto-membership rule)

⭐ METHOD 2 — Give Access via Metadata API (Apex Code)

⚠ Apex cannot directly update ListViews.
But you can call Metadata API or Tooling API to update ListView sharing.

Below is a working example using Apex + Metadata API.

✔ Apex Code to Grant Access to a List View (Metadata API)

1. Create a Remote Site Setting

Setup → Security → Remote Site Settings
Add: https://yourInstance.salesforce.com

2. Apex Code: Update List View Sharing

public class ListViewSharingService {

    public static void shareListViewWithGroup() {

        MetadataService.MetadataPort service = createService();

        // Retrieve existing List View
        MetadataService.ListView listView =
            (MetadataService.ListView) service.readMetadata(
                'ListView',
                new String[] { 'Account.My_Custom_List_View' }
            ).getRecords()[0];

        // Add group/role access
        MetadataService.SharedTo st = new MetadataService.SharedTo();
        st.group = new String[] { 'Group:My_Public_Group' };
        st.role = new String[] { 'Role:Sales_Executive' };

        listView.sharedTo = st;

        // Update Metadata
        MetadataService.AsyncResult[] results =
            service.updateMetadata(new MetadataService.Metadata[] { listView });

        System.debug('List View Sharing Updated: ' + results[0].id);
    }

    private static MetadataService.MetadataPort createService() {
        MetadataService.MetadataPort service = new MetadataService.MetadataPort();
        service.SessionHeader = new MetadataService.SessionHeader_element();
        service.SessionHeader.sessionId = UserInfo.getSessionId();
        return service;
    }
}

✔ How This Code Works

⭐ METHOD 3 — Assign Access Using a Public Group + Profile

Because Salesforce does not allow direct Profile-to-listview access, do this:

Step 1: Create Public Group

• Add all users of that Profile to this group
  OR
• Use Auto-Add Condition: "Users with Profile X" (Enterprise+)

Step 2: Share List View with the Public Group

(Through UI or Metadata API)

This is the recommended Salesforce standard approach.

⭐ METHOD 4 — Tooling API Query to Find List View

List<ListView> views = [
    SELECT Id, Name, SobjectType, DeveloperName
    FROM ListView
    WHERE SobjectType = 'Account'
];

Useful to get DeveloperName for Metadata API call.

📝 Example: Create a List View Programmatically and Share It

MetadataService.ListView lv = new MetadataService.ListView();
lv.fullName = 'Account.My_New_List_View';
lv.label = 'My New List View';
lv.filterScope = 'Everything';
lv.query = 'SELECT Id, Name FROM Account LIMIT 50';

MetadataService.SharedTo st = new MetadataService.SharedTo();
st.role = new String[]{'Role:SalesManager'};
lv.sharedTo = st;

service.createMetadata(new MetadataService.Metadata[]{lv});