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Enhance Salesforce with Code
Salesforce Spring
salesforcedocs
Last updated February
Copyright salesforcecom inc All rights reserved Salesforce is a registered trademark of salesforcecom inc
as are other names and marks Other marks appearing herein may be trademarks of their respective owners
CONTENTS
Enhance Salesforce with Code
Writing Code
Debugging Your Code
Testing Your Changes
Managing Scratch Orgs
Index
ENHANCE SALESFORCE WITH CODE
You can make your Salesforce org even more useful and responsive to your users by developing custom applications and integrating
your external applications
Its best to do your development in a sandbox so you can test your code changes before you deploy them Sandboxes contain copies
of your data code and configuration settings that are isolated from your production environment You can customize your organization
and test applications in a sandbox then deploy the changes to your production organization when ready In some cases you might
have several developers working in different sandboxes who then coordinate those changes for deployment
Writing Code
Write code using the Apex programming language to add business logic or use the Visualforce markup language to create the user
interface Integrate your application using APIs and authenticate your external applications
Debugging Your Code
Use checkpoints logs and the View State tab to help debug the code youve written
Testing Your Changes
Testing is key to the success of your application particularly if you deploy your application to customers If you validate that your
application works as expected with no unexpected behavior your customers are going to trust you more
Managing Scratch Orgs
The scratch org is a sourcedriven and disposable deployment of Salesforce code and metadata made for developers and automation
A scratch org is fully configurable allowing developers to emulate different Salesforce editions with different features and preferences
Scratch orgs are a central feature of Salesforce DX an open developer experience for developing and managing Salesforce apps
across their entire lifecycle
SEE ALSO
Sandbox Types and Templates
Complete Salesforce Developer Documentation
Writing Code
Write code using the Apex programming language to add business logic or use the Visualforce markup language to create the user
interface Integrate your application using APIs and authenticate your external applications
Salesforce Development Tools
Salesforce provides various tools for all phases of app development
Developer Console
The Developer Console is an integrated development environment with a collection of tools you can use to create debug and test
applications in your Salesforce org
Working with Code
This section contains information about the tools and techniques you can use when making changes to your organization by using
code
Enhance Salesforce with Code
Salesforce Development Tools
Canvas App Previewer
Canvas App Previewer is a development tool that lets you see what your canvas apps will look like before you publish them
SEE ALSO
Debugging Your Code
Testing Your Changes
Securing Your Code
Salesforce Development Tools
Salesforce provides various tools for all phases of app development
EDITIONS
This table summarizes the functionality of the various Salesforce development tools
Tool
Code
Debug Test
Deploy Available From
Salesforce Extensions for VS Code
Visual Studio Code
Marketplace
Salesforce CLI
developersalesforcecom
Developer Console
Your Name or the
Available in Salesforce
Classic not available in all
orgs
The available tools vary
according to which
Salesforce Edition you have
quick access menu
Forcecom IDE
developersalesforcecom
Visualforce development mode
footer
Setup or your personal
settings
Code editor
Setup
Apex Test Execution
Setup
Change Sets
Setup
Ant Migration Tool
developersalesforcecom
Note Forcecom IDE is a free resource provided by Salesforce to support its users and partners but is not considered part of our
Services for purposes of the Salesforce Master Subscription Agreement
SEE ALSO
Developer Console Functionality
Choose Your Tools for Developing and Deploying Changes
Enable Development Mode
Personalize Your Salesforce Experience
Enhance Salesforce with Code
Developer Console
Developer Console
The Developer Console is an integrated development environment with a collection of tools you can use to create debug and test
applications in your Salesforce org
Open the Developer Console
It takes only a couple of clicks to open the Developer Console from Salesforce Classic or Lightning Experience The Developer Console
is an integrated development environment with a collection of tools you can use to create debug and test applications in your
Salesforce org
Developer Console Functionality
The Developer Console can help with many of your development tasks
Developer Console Query Editor
You can use the Query Editor in the Developer Console to execute a SOQL query or SOSL search on the data in your organization
The History pane displays your last queries for quick reuse Results are displayed in a Query Results grid in which you can open
create update and delete records For SOSL search results with multiple objects each object is displayed on a separate tab
The Developer Console User Interface
The Developer Console includes a collection of useful tools for coding debugging and testing applications
Open the Developer Console
USER PERMISSIONS
EDITIONS
To use the Developer Console
API Enabled AND View All Data
To view retain and delete debug logs
View All Data
To execute anonymous Apex
Author Apex
To use code search and run SOQL or SOSL
on the query tab
API Enabled
To save changes to Apex classes and
triggers
Author Apex
To save changes to Visualforce pages and
components
Customize Application
To save changes to Lightning resources
Customize Application
Available in Salesforce
Classic not available in all
orgs and Lightning
Experience
Available in Enterprise
Performance Unlimited
Developer and
Databasecom Editions
It takes only a couple of clicks to open the Developer Console from Salesforce Classic or Lightning Experience The Developer Console
is an integrated development environment with a collection of tools you can use to create debug and test applications in your Salesforce
org
To open the Developer Console from Salesforce Classic
Click Your Name
Click Developer Console
To open the Developer Console from Lightning Experience
Click the quick access menu
Enhance Salesforce with Code
Developer Console
Click Developer Console
Developer Console Functionality
USER PERMISSIONS
EDITIONS
To use the Developer Console
API Enabled AND View All Data
To view retain and delete debug logs
View All Data
To execute anonymous Apex
Author Apex
To use code search and run SOQL or SOSL
on the query tab
API Enabled
To save changes to Apex classes and
triggers
Author Apex
To save changes to Visualforce pages and
components
Customize Application
To save changes to Lightning resources
Customize Application
Available in Salesforce
Classic not available in all
orgs and Lightning
Experience
Available in Enterprise
Performance Unlimited
Developer and
Databasecom Editions
The Developer Console can help with many of your development tasks
What Tasks Can You Accomplish with the Developer Console
Debugging and Troubleshooting
The Developer Console provides a convenient set of tools for efficiently tracking down logical issues
View Logs Use the Logs tab to view a list of logs Open logs in the Log Inspector Log Inspector is a contextsensitive execution
viewer in the Developer Console It shows the source of an operation what triggered the operation and what occurred next Use
this tool to inspect debug logs that include database events Apex processing workflow and validation logic
Set and View Checkpoints in Apex Code Use the Developer Console to set checkpoints to identify the source of errors For
example if you want to understand why a certain request generates an error you can review the execution identify the offending
logic and set a checkpoint When you execute the process again you can inspect the request at that specific point to understand
in detail how to improve your code While the Developer Console cant pause execution like a traditional debugger it provides cloud
developers much of the same visibility and reduces the need to instrument code with Systemdebug commands
Editing and Navigating Source Code
The Developer Console allows you to browse open edit and create source code files
Browse Packages in Your Organization Navigate the contents of packages created in your organization
View and Edit Apex Classes and Triggers Open and edit Apex triggers and classes and open a readonly view of your custom
object definitions
View and Edit Lightning Components Open and edit Lightning resources such as an application component event or interface
View and Edit Visualforce Pages and Components Open and edit Visualforce pages and components
Use the Source Code Editor Open a working set of code files and switch between them with a single click The Developer Console
Source Code Editor includes an autocomplete feature for Apex code
Testing and Validating Performance
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Developer Console
The Developer Console has a number of features dedicated to testing code and analyzing performance
Test Apex Code Use the Developer Console to check code coverage and run Apex tests including unit tests functional tests
regression tests and so on To facilitate the development of robust errorfree code Apex supports the creation and execution of
unit tests Unit tests are class methods that verify whether a particular piece of code is working properly Unit test methods take no
arguments commit no data to the database send no emails and are flagged with the testMethod keyword or the isTest
annotation in the method definition Also test methods must be defined in test classes that is classes annotated with isTest
Inspect Logs for Performance Issues Log Inspector is a contextsensitive execution viewer in the Developer Console It shows
the source of an operation what triggered the operation and what occurred next Use this tool to inspect debug logs that include
database events Apex processing workflow and validation logic Open a debug log and view the aggregated performance of an
operation in the Performance Tree The Executed Units panel breaks up the request both by time and type and categorizes the
timings by methods queries workflows callouts DML validations triggers and pages giving you a clear idea of where to find
performance issues Use the Timeline panel to see a timeline view of the overall request and walk through the events for a given
block The Limits panel provides a summary view of resources used and maps them against your allocated request limits
Executing SOQL and SOSL Queries
The Developer Console provides a simple interface for managing SOQL and SOSL queries
Edit and Execute SOQL and SOSL Queries Use the Query Editor to query data from your organization
View Query Results Results are displayed in a Query Results grid in which you can open create update and delete records For
SOSL search results with multiple objects each object is displayed on a separate tab
SEE ALSO
Open the Developer Console
The Developer Console User Interface
Developer Console File Menu
Logs Tab
Examples of Using the Log Inspector
Developer Console Query Editor
You can use the Query Editor in the Developer Console to execute a SOQL query or SOSL search on the data in your organization The
History pane displays your last queries for quick reuse Results are displayed in a Query Results grid in which you can open create
update and delete records For SOSL search results with multiple objects each object is displayed on a separate tab
Enhance Salesforce with Code
Developer Console
Execute a SOQL Query or SOSL Search
Execute SOQL queries or SOSL searches in the Query Editor panel of the Developer Console
Retrieve Query Plans
Use the Query Plan tool to optimize and speed up queries done over large numbers of records View query plans for SOQL queries
SOSL searches reports and list views If custom indexes are available for your organization use query plans to help you decide when
to request a custom index from Salesforce Support
Query Results Grid
The Query Results grid displays each record as a row You can create update and delete records without leaving the Developer
Console For SOSL search results with multiple objects each object is displayed on a separate tab
SEE ALSO
Developer Console Functionality
Execute a SOQL Query or SOSL Search
Execute SOQL queries or SOSL searches in the Query Editor panel of the Developer Console
Enter a SOQL query or SOSL search in the Query Editor panel
If you want to query tooling entities instead of data entities select Use Tooling API
Click Execute If the query generates errors they are displayed at the bottom of the Query Editor panel Your results display in the
Query Results grid in the Developer Console workspace
Warning If you rerun a query unsaved changes in the Query Results grid are lost
To rerun a query click Refresh Grid or click the query in the History panel and click Execute
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Developer Console
For information on query and search syntax see the SOQL and SOSL Reference
SEE ALSO
Developer Console Query Editor
Retrieve Query Plans
Query Results Grid
Retrieve Query Plans
Use the Query Plan tool to optimize and speed up queries done over large numbers of records View query plans for SOQL queries SOSL
searches reports and list views If custom indexes are available for your organization use query plans to help you decide when to request
a custom index from Salesforce Support
To enable the Query Plan button in the Query Editor click Help Preferences set Enable Query Plan to true and then click Save
To get Query Plans for SOQL queries or SOSL searches enter your query and click the Query Plan button in the Query Editor
The Query Plan window displays all query operations and the cost of each The Notes pane displays all notes that are available for your
highest ranked query plan which is the query plan thats currently in use
To view query plans for reports or list views complete these steps
Find the ID of your report or list view in its URL
Enter the report or list view ID in the Query Editor and then click Query Plan
Inspect the query plan for your report or list view
SEE ALSO
Developer Console Query Editor
Execute a SOQL Query or SOSL Search
Query Results Grid
Query Results Grid
The Query Results grid displays each record as a row You can create update and delete records without leaving the Developer Console
For SOSL search results with multiple objects each object is displayed on a separate tab
To open a record in the results click the row and click Open Detail Page To edit the record click Edit Page to jump to the record
in Salesforce
To create a record click Insert Row Enter the information and click Save Rows
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Developer Console
Note To insert a row the query results must contain all the required fields for the object The required fields must be simple
text or number fields If these conditions arent met a blank row is created but you cant save it In this case click Create New
to create a record in Salesforce
To edit a record within the Query Results grid doubleclick the row Make your changes and click Save Rows
To delete a record select the related row and click Delete Row
SEE ALSO
Developer Console Query Editor
Execute a SOQL Query or SOSL Search
Retrieve Query Plans
The Developer Console User Interface
The Developer Console includes a collection of useful tools for coding debugging and testing applications
The Developer Console is organized into these sections
Menubar
Workspace with a tab for each open item
Logs Tests and Problems panel
Tip To see a list of Developer Console keyboard shortcuts click Help Shortcut Keys or press CTRLSHIFT
Enhance Salesforce with Code
Developer Console
Developer Console User Interface Menu Bar
The menu bar contains menus that give you access to most of the important functionality
Developer Console User Interface Workspace
A workspace is a collection of resources represented by tabs in the main panel of the Developer Console The detail view or editor
shown in each tab is determined by the type of resource open in the tab For example source code opens in the Source Code Editor
logs open in the Log Inspector and so on
Developer Console User Interface Logs Tests and Problems Panel
The lower panel in the Developer Console includes a collection of useful tabs
Developer Console Command Line Reference
The Developer Console includes a command line for various useful commands To open or close the Developer Console Command
Line Window press CTRLSHIFTL
SEE ALSO
Developer Console Functionality
Developer Console User Interface Menu Bar
The menu bar contains menus that give you access to most of the important functionality
The Help menu includes links to the online help a reference page of shortcut keys and the Developer Console preferences page
Developer Console File Menu
The Developer Console File menu allows you to manage your Apex triggers and classes Visualforce pages and components and
static resources text XML JavaScript or CSS It includes these options
Open Types with the File Open Window
You can browse and open your application code and data objects from the Developer Console Open window
Developer Console Edit Menu
The Developer Console Edit menu allows you to search and edit your code files It includes these options
Developer Console Debug Menu
The Developer Console Debug menu allows you to manage your logs and execute anonymous Apex It includes these options
Developer Console File Menu
The Developer Console File menu allows you to manage your Apex triggers and classes Visualforce pages and components and static
resources text XML JavaScript or CSS It includes these options
New Creates a resource and opens it in the Source Code Editor You can create these resources
Apex class or trigger To create an Apex trigger first select the object to associate with the trigger
Lightning application component event interface or tokens bundle For more information see Lightning Component Framework
on page
Visualforce page or component
Static resource file text XML JavaScript or CSS
Open Launches a File Open window that allows you to browse and open your application code and data objects
Open Resource Launches an Open Resource window that allows you to search for files by name
Enhance Salesforce with Code
Developer Console
Open Lightning Resources Launches an Open Lightning Resources window that allows you to search for Lightning components
resources by name
Open Log Opens the selected log in the Log Inspector You can also access logs from the Logs tab
Open Raw Log Opens the selected log in plain text
Download Log Saves a text copy of the selected log to your local machine
Save Saves the item in the active tab
Save All Saves changes in all the tabs open in your workspace Use this option to save a set of dependent changes
Delete Deletes the item in the active tab You can only delete Apex classes triggers Visualforce pages and static resource files
Close Closes the active tab
Close All Closes all the tabs open in your workspace If any tab contains unsaved changes you are prompted to save them
Note As of API version you can build Lightning components using two programming models Lightning Web Components
and the original model Aura Components Lightning web components are custom HTML elements built using HTML and modern
JavaScript Lightning web components and Aura components can coexist and interoperate on a page You cannot develop
Lightning web components in the Developer Console
SEE ALSO
Open Types with the File Open Window
Source Code Editor
Object Inspector
Open Types with the File Open Window
You can browse and open your application code and data objects from the Developer Console Open window
To navigate to an item in the Open window
In the Setup Entity Type column click the type of the item you want to find
In the Entities column scroll and find the item to examine
To filter the displayed items click the Filter text box and enter the filter criteria to match
To see related items in the Related column click the item once
For example click an object to see the Apex classes that use it
To open the item in a new tab doubleclick it or select it and click Open
Code files open in the Source Code Editor while data objects open in Object Inspector view
Enhance Salesforce with Code
Developer Console
You can browse and open the contents of packages in your org in the File Open window You can see the complete contents of
packages and open the code files and custom objects contained in a package You can see package items such as custom fields and
validation rules in the list but you cant view them in detail
Note You cant view or edit the contents of managed packages that youve installed in your org You can browse open and edit
the classes objects and other entities in your installed unmanaged packages as if you had created those entities yourself
The Packages entity type includes only packages that youve created not managed or unmanaged packages that youve installed
SEE ALSO
Source Code Editor
Log Inspector
Object Inspector
Developer Console Edit Menu
The Developer Console Edit menu allows you to search and edit your code files It includes these options
Find Searches the current view for the selected text If no text is selected opens a browser find dialog
Find Next Finds the next match for the selected or specified text in the current view
FindReplace Finds and replaces the selected or specified text in the current view
Search in Files Opens a search dialog to search the contents of all code files
Fix Indentation Corrects the indentation in the current code file
Developer Console Debug Menu
The Developer Console Debug menu allows you to manage your logs and execute anonymous Apex It includes these options
Open Execute Anonymous Window Opens a new window that allows you to enter Apex code for testing See Executing Anonymous
Apex Code
Execute Last Executes the most recent entry in the Enter Apex Code window
Switch Perspective Selects the perspective from the list of available standard and custom perspectives See Log Inspector
View Log Panels Displays a list of available panels for use in a perspective
Perspective Manager Opens the Perspective Manager See Managing Perspectives in the Log Inspector
Save Perspective Saves any changes youve made to the current perspective since it was open
Save Perspective As Saves a copy of the current perspective with a different name
AutoHide Logs Select this option to clear existing logs when the page is refreshed
Show My Current Logs Only Deselect this option selected by default to see all logs saved for your organization including newly
generated logs created by other users
Show My Current Checkpoints Only Deselect this option selected by default to display all checkpoints currently saved for your
organization including newly generated ones created by other users
Clear Select Log Panel Checkpoint Results Panel or Checkpoint Locations to erase current data from the cache and refresh
the display
Resume Updating Renews the connection to the server This option is only shown if polling has been interrupted due to inactivity
Change Log Levels Opens the log settings dialog to define logging levels for future requests See Debug Log Levels