Salesforce Apex for Beginners: Your Complete Guide to Custom Code

Salesforce Apex for Beginners: Your Friendly Guide to Custom Code on the Platform

If you’re just starting your journey in Salesforce development, you’ve probably heard the term Apex. It might sound a bit technical, but don’t worry! This guide is designed to make learning Apex easy and fun, even if you’ve never written a single line of code before.

So, what exactly is Apex? Why is it so important for making Salesforce do amazing things? And how can you start writing your very own Apex code? Let’s dive in!

So, What Exactly Is Apex?

Imagine Salesforce is a super-powerful app that helps businesses run smoothly. While it can do a lot out of the box, sometimes a business needs something really specific, something unique. That’s where Apex comes in!

Apex is Salesforce’s own special programming language. Think of it as giving Salesforce superpowers to do custom tasks. It’s an object-oriented programming language, which just means it’s organized in a logical way to handle information and actions.

If you’ve heard of programming languages like Java or C#, Apex actually looks quite similar. But even if those names are new to you, Apex is built to be approachable and easy to learn with the right guidance. It lets you write special instructions that extend what Salesforce can do, automate tricky tasks, and build custom features directly within your Salesforce environment.

Why Do We Use Apex? (When Clicks Aren’t Enough)

Salesforce offers incredible “no-code” tools like Flow, Process Builder ,Validation Rules , Duplicate rule , escalation rule and what not . These tools are fantastic for admins and let you automate a lot just by clicking and configuring!

However, there are moments when even these powerful tools can’t handle every single business need. That’s precisely when Salesforce Apex steps onto the stage. It gives you the power to:

• Automate really complex business rules: For example, imagine calculating a salesperson’s bonus based on multiple factors, or managing a very specific, multi-step approval process that changes based on different conditions.
• Create “Triggers” that react to data changes: Think of it like this: when a new customer record is created, you might want to automatically create a related task for a salesperson. Apex Triggers can do that automatically.
• Perform actions on many records at once: If you need to update thousands of customer records based on a new policy, doing it one by one is impossible. Apex can handle these “bulk operations” efficiently.
• Connect Salesforce with other systems: Do you need Salesforce to talk to your accounting software, a custom mobile app, or an external website? Apex can build the special connections (APIs) to make that happen.
• Add advanced logic to Lightning components: If you’re building custom user interfaces in Salesforce, Apex can provide the “brain” for those components, fetching and processing data in smart ways.

In short, when you hit a wall with clicks, Apex coding gives you the ultimate control and flexibility to build exactly what your business needs.

Note: Apex runs on a multi-tenant platform, so Salesforce enforces restrictions called Governor Limits to ensure fair usage of shared resources across all customers. These limits apply to things like the number of database queries, records processed, and CPU time used in a single transaction.
We’ll explore these in more detail in upcoming posts!

Where Is Apex Used in Salesforce?

You’ll find Apex code working behind the scenes in many parts of the Salesforce platform, including:

• Triggers: These are pieces of code that “trigger” (run) automatically when something happens to a record – like when you save a new contact or update an opportunity.
• Classes and Methods: These are like blueprints for reusable code. You write a “method” (a block of code) once, and you can call it from different places to perform the same task.
• Controllers: If you’re building custom pages or components (like Lightning Web Components), Apex acts as the “controller” that handles the logic and data for those pages.
• Batch Jobs: For super large tasks that involve millions of records, Apex can run “batch jobs” in the background, ensuring operations don’t time out or hit governor limits.
• Web Services: This is how Apex helps Salesforce “talk” to other software systems over the internet, exchanging information.

Types of Apex Code

Apex code is primarily written and executed in two main ways:

1. Triggers

These are special pieces of Apex code that activate automatically when specific events occur in your Salesforce database. For example, a trigger could run every time a new Account record is saved, or every time an Opportunity is marked as “Closed Won.” They’re like automatic alarms for your data!

You can learn more about triggers in our upcoming articles, or explore the Salesforce official documentation.

2. Classes & Methods

These are blocks of Apex logic that you create manually. Think of them as custom tools you build. You define what they do (like calculate a discount or send a specific email), and then other parts of Salesforce (like a Trigger, a Flow, or another Apex class) can “call” and use these tools whenever needed. They’re all about making your code reusable and organized.

How to Start Writing Apex Code in Salesforce (Your First Steps!)

Ready for your very first Apex programming experience? It’s easier than you think! Here’s how you can write and run a simple Apex class in your Salesforce org:

1. Log in to your Salesforce Org: Start by logging into your Developer Edition org or a sandbox.
2. Open the Developer Console: Look for the Gear icon (⚙️) in the top right corner of Salesforce. Click it, then select Developer Console. This is your coding playground!
3. Create a New Apex Class: In the Developer Console, go to File → New → Apex Class.
4. Name Your Class: A pop-up will appear asking for a name. Type HelloFromSalesforceHours (this is just a friendly name for our first example).
5. Paste the Code: A new window will open. Copy the following code and paste it into this window:

    public static void sayHello() {
        System.debug('Hello, Welcome to SalesforceHours!');
    }
}

 Then ,Save Your Class: Press Ctrl + S (Windows) or Cmd + S (Mac) to save your brand new Apex class.

How to Run Your Apex Code (See It Work!)

Now, let’s make your code run and see the result:

1. Open Execute Anonymous Window: In the Developer Console, go to Debug → Open Execute Anonymous Window. This window lets you run a quick snippet of Apex code.
2. Tell It What to Run: In the Enter Apex Code area, type this single line of code HelloFromSalesforceHours.sayHello();
3. This line simply tells Salesforce to find your HelloFromSalesforceHours class and run its sayHello() method.
4. Enable Log Viewing: Make sure the box that says Open Log is checked. This will show you what happened when your code ran.
5. Execute! Click the Execute button.

A new tab will pop up showing the Execution Log. Don’t be overwhelmed by all the lines! Just look for a line that says: “Hello, Welcome to SalesforceHours!“

If you see that, congratulations! You’ve successfully written and run your very first piece of Salesforce Apex code!

This window will appear once you hit “Execute” 

What’s Next?

You just took a huge step! Now that you’ve run your first Apex code, it’s time to move to the next fundamental concept: how Apex handles different kinds of information

Understanding Apex Variables and Data Types will help you store and work with different kinds of data like text, numbers, dates, and more. This is essential for building any useful Apex solution!

Summary: Key Takeaways for Beginners

• Apex is Salesforce’s special programming language that gives it “superpowers” for custom tasks.
• You use Apex when Salesforce’s built-in “click” tools (like Flow) aren’t enough for complex needs.
• Apex coding is used for things like automatic Triggers, reusable code in Classes, logic for custom pages, and connecting with other systems.
• You can write and test your Apex code easily using the Developer Console right inside your Salesforce org.
• You’ve just written your first Apex code! This is a fantastic start to your Salesforce development journey.