Basics
Apex Introduction
Introduction to Apex Programming
Apex is Salesforce's language for custom business logic and automation.
What is Apex?
Apex is a strongly typed, object-oriented programming language that allows developers to execute flow and transaction control statements on Salesforce servers in conjunction with calls to the API. It enables developers to add business logic to most system events, including button clicks, related record updates, and Visualforce pages.
Key Features of Apex
- Integrated with Salesforce: Apex is designed to work in the Salesforce environment, accessing Salesforce data and services.
- Easy to Use: Apex syntax is similar to Java, making it easier for developers familiar with Java to learn.
- Strongly Typed: It has a strongly typed syntax that directly references schema objects.
- Multitenant Aware: Apex runs in a multitenant environment, ensuring that code doesn’t monopolize shared resources.
- Versioned: Apex is versioned, allowing code written in one version to coexist with code written in another version.
Apex Syntax Basics
The syntax for Apex is similar to Java and acts as a convenient tool for developers to create custom functionality. Below are some basic syntax examples:
In this example, a simple class HelloWorld is created with a static method sayHello that logs a message to the debug output.
Apex Triggers
Apex triggers enable you to perform custom actions before or after changes to Salesforce records, such as insertions, updates, or deletions. Here is a basic example of an Apex trigger:
This trigger runs before a new Account is inserted and sets a custom field AdditionalField__c to a default value for all accounts being inserted.
When to Use Apex
Apex should be used when you need to:
- Implement complex business processes that are not supported by standard workflow or process automation tools.
- Create custom transactional logic (e.g., when you need to manage records in a particular sequence).
- Integrate with external systems that require complex logic (e.g., web services integration).
Basics
- Next
- Setup
