There are several development environments for developing Apex code. The Force.com Developer Console and the Force.com IDE allow you to write, test, and debug your Apex code. The code editor in the user interface enables only writing
code and doesn’t support debugging. These different tools are
described in the next sections.
Force.com
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
organization.
The
Developer Console supports these tasks:
- Writing code—You can add code using the source code editor. Also, you can
browse packages in your organization.
- Compiling code—When you save a trigger or class, the code is automatically
compiled. Any compilation errors will be reported.
- Debugging—You can view debug logs and set checkpoints that aid in
debugging.
- Testing—You can execute tests of specific test classes or all tests in your
organization, and you can view test results. Also, you can inspect code coverage.
- Checking performance—You can inspect debug logs to locate performance
bottlenecks.
- SOQL queries—You can query data in your organization and view the results using
the Query Editor.
- Color coding and autocomplete—The source code editor uses a color scheme for
easier readability of code elements and provides autocompletion for class and method
names.
Force.com IDE
The Force.com IDE is a plug-in for the Eclipse IDE. The Force.com IDE provides a unified interface for building and deploying Force.com applications. Designed for developers and development teams, the
IDE provides tools to accelerate Force.com application development, including source code editors, test execution
tools, wizards and integrated help. This tool includes basic color-coding,
outline view, integrated unit testing, and auto-compilation on save
with error message display. See the website for information about
installation and usage.
Code Editor in the Salesforce
User Interface
The
Salesforce
user interface. All classes and triggers are compiled when they are saved, and any syntax
errors are flagged. You cannot save your code until it compiles without errors. The
Salesforce user interface also numbers
the lines in the code, and uses color coding to distinguish different elements, such as
comments, keywords, literal strings, and so on.
- For a trigger on an object, from the object’s management settings, go to Triggers, click
New, and then enter your code in the Body
text box.
- For a class, from Setup, enter Apex Classes in the
Quick Find box, then select Apex Classes.
Click New, and then enter your code in the
Body text box.
Alternatively, you can use any text editor, such as Notepad, to
write Apex code. Then either copy and paste the code into your application,
or use one of the API calls
to deploy it.