Elementary Apex Object IDs

Quick Question. In the below code, you can see that the for loop (which takes all of the records in newTimecards and puts them as a variable called timecard) and adds the Resource_c to the resourceIds set. I'm confused about how this object is considered an ID data type. When an object is made in Salesforce does it automatically have an ID made, so that it knows Resource_c ID can be added to a set? Note that within the Resource_c Object there is also a field called Resource_ID_c. Resource_c within Timecard_c is a Master-Detail data type. Resource_c is the parent of Timecard_c.

Now that I think about it, resourceIds.add(timecard.Resource_c), does that reference the relationship between the two objects and then searches through Resource_c and adds the ID field Resource_ID_c automactically since 开发者_Go百科it's a unique field?

Thanks for your help.

    public class TimecardManager {
    public class TimecardException extends Exception {}
    public static void handleTimecardChange(List<Timecard__c> oldTimecards,  
        List<Timecard__c> newTimecards) { 

        Set<ID> resourceIds = new Set<ID>(); 

        for (Timecard__c timecard : newTimecards) {  
            resourceIds.add(timecard.Resource__c);  
        }

Every object instance (and that means EVERY, including factory ones) has a unique organization level ID, whose field name is always Id, is covered by Apex type ID and is a case-sensitive string of 15 characters that also has an 18 character case-insensitive representation. The first three characters are object prefix code (e.g. 500 for a Case) so all instances of the same object share the same prefix. You see these values all across SF (for example in https://na1.salesforce.com/02s7000000BW59L the 02s7000000BW59L in the URL is the ID). When an instance of the object is created using INSERT DML operation, the salesforce automatically assigns unique value based on the prefix and the next available transactional sub ID, it all happens transparently to you.

This is not to be confused with object Name field which is a field you define when you create an object and which can be auto-incremented and so on (e.g. MYOBJ-{00000}) and which can have more meaning to a user than a cryptic ID

When you create a lookup or master-detail relationship it is ID that is being used to link the two instances, not the Name. In the above example Resource__c seems to be that lookup field and it contains Id value of row's master.

What the code does is it enumerates all resources used in timelines and builds a set of their IDs, the purpose of which is most probably to be used via WHERE Id IN :resourceIds clause to load resource details from master table.

mmix's answer is a great overview to what an ID is and where it comes from. To answer what I think is your specific question:

Any time there is a reference from one object to another (like here, between Timecard_c and Resource_c), the field representing the reference will be an ID. So, the for loop that calls resourceIds.add(timecard.Resource__c) is just building up your set of ID's (those 15-character strings). The timecard.Resource__c doesn't look through the Resource__c table to find the ID, timecard.Resource__c is the ID.