//----------------------------------- GETTING DEPENDANT PICKLISTS -----------------------------------//
    //copy-pasted from http://titancronus.com/blog/2014/07/03/acquiring-dependent-picklists-in-apex-contd/ from Paul N's comment.
    // **********************************************************************************************************************************
    // ********** GetDependentOptions ***************************************************************************************************
    // **********************************************************************************************************************************
    // Map<String,List<String>> GetDependentOptions (String pObjName, String pControllingFieldName, String pDependentFieldName)
    // Returns: Map of "pControllingFieldName" picklist values and their corresponding "pDependentFieldName" dependent option values.
    // **********************************************************************************************************************************


    /*
     * @Summary: Entity to represent a json version of a picklist entry
     * so that the validFor property becomes exposed
     */
    public class TPicklistEntry {
        public string active { get; set; }
        public string defaultValue { get; set; }
        public string label { get; set; }
        public string value { get; set; }
        public string validFor { get; set; }
        public TPicklistEntry() {


        }
    }


    // Converts a base64 string into a list of integers representing the encoded bytes
    public static List<Integer> B64ToBytes (String sIn) {
        Map<Integer,Integer> base64 = new Map<Integer,Integer>{65=>0,66=>1,67=>2,68=>3,69=>4,70=>5,71=>6,72=>7,73=>8,74=>9,75=>10,76=>11,77=>12,78=>13,79=>14,80=>15,81=>16,82=>17,83=>18,84=>19,85=>20,86=>21,87=>22,88=>23,89=>24,90=>25
                                                               ,97=>26,98=>27,99=>28,100=>29,101=>30,102=>31,103=>32,104=>33,105=>34,106=>35,107=>36,108=>37,109=>38,110=>39,111=>40,112=>41,113=>42,114=>43,115=>44,116=>45,117=>46,118=>47,119=>48,120=>49,121=>50,122=>51
                                                               ,48=>52,49=>53,50=>54,51=>55,52=>56,53=>57,54=>58,55=>59,56=>60,57=>61,43=>62,47=>63};


        List<Integer> lstOut = new List<Integer>();
        if ( sIn == null || sIn == '' ) return lstOut;

        sIn += '='.repeat( 4 - Math.mod( sIn.length(), 4) );


        for ( Integer idx=0; idx < sIn.length(); idx += 4 ) {
            if ( base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+1)) != null ) lstOut.add( (base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx)) << 2) | (base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+1)) >>> 4) );
            if ( base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+2)) != null ) lstOut.add( ((base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+1)) & 15)<<4) | (base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+2)) >>> 2) );
            if ( base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+3)) != null ) lstOut.add( ((base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+2)) & 3)<<6) | base64.get(sIn.charAt(idx+3)) );
        }


        //System.Debug('B64ToBytes: [' + sIn + '] = ' + lstOut);
        return lstOut;
    }//B64ToBytes
    public static List<Integer> BlobToBytes (Blob input) {
        return B64ToBytes( EncodingUtil.base64Encode(input) );
    }//BlobToBytes


    // Converts a base64 string into a list of integers indicating at which position the bits are on
    public static List<Integer> cnvBits (String b64Str) {
        List<Integer> lstOut = new List<Integer>();
        if ( b64Str == null || b64Str == '' ) return lstOut;


        List<Integer> lstBytes = B64ToBytes(b64Str);


        Integer i, b, v;
        for ( i = 0; i < lstBytes.size(); i++ ) {
            v = lstBytes[i];
            //System.debug ( 'i['+i+'] v['+v+']' );
            for ( b = 1; b <= 8; b++ ) {
                //System.debug ( 'i['+i+'] b['+b+'] v['+v+'] = ['+(v & 128)+']' );
                if ( ( v & 128 ) == 128 ) lstOut.add( (i*8) + b );
                v <<= 1;
            }
        }


        //System.Debug('cnvBits: [' + b64Str + '] = ' + lstOut);
        return lstOut;
    }//cnvBits

    public static Map<String,List<String>> GetDependentOptions(String pObjName, String pControllingFieldName, String pDependentFieldName) {
        Map<String,List<String>> mapResults = new Map<String,List<String>>();


        //verify/get object schema
        Schema.SObjectType pType = Schema.getGlobalDescribe().get(pObjName);
        if ( pType == null ) return mapResults;
        Map<String, Schema.SObjectField> objFieldMap = pType.getDescribe().fields.getMap();


        //verify field names
        if (!objFieldMap.containsKey(pControllingFieldName) || !objFieldMap.containsKey(pDependentFieldName)) return mapResults;


        //get the control & dependent values
        List<Schema.PicklistEntry> ctrl_ple = objFieldMap.get(pControllingFieldName).getDescribe().getPicklistValues();
        List<Schema.PicklistEntry> dep_ple = objFieldMap.get(pDependentFieldName).getDescribe().getPicklistValues();


        //clear heap
        objFieldMap = null;


        //initialize results mapping
        for(Integer pControllingIndex=0; pControllingIndex<ctrl_ple.size(); pControllingIndex++){
            mapResults.put( ctrl_ple[pControllingIndex].getLabel(), new List<String>());
        }
        //cater for null and empty
        //mapResults.put('', new List<String>());
        //mapResults.put(null, new List<String>());


        //serialize dep entries
        List<SFDescribeHelper.TPicklistEntry> objDS_Entries = new List<SFDescribeHelper.TPicklistEntry>();
        objDS_Entries = (List<SFDescribeHelper.TPicklistEntry>)JSON.deserialize(JSON.serialize(dep_ple), List<SFDescribeHelper.TPicklistEntry>.class);


        List<Integer> validIndexes;
        for (SFDescribeHelper.TPicklistEntry objDepPLE : objDS_Entries){


            validIndexes = cnvBits(objDepPLE.validFor);
            //System.Debug('cnvBits: [' + objDepPLE.label + '] = ' + validIndexes);


            for (Integer validIndex : validIndexes){
                mapResults.get( ctrl_ple[validIndex-1].getLabel() ).add( objDepPLE.label );
            }
        }


        //clear heap
        objDS_Entries = null;


        return mapResults;
    }


    //----------------------------------- OVER GETTING DEPENDANT PICKLISTS -----------------------------------//