Prepare Your Environment

Learning Objectives

In this project, you’ll:

• Install development tools.
  
• Create an external client app using Metadata API.
  

The first External Client Apps project used Salesforce Setup to create and interact with your external client apps. In this project, you’re going to configure an app on your Trailhead Playground with Metadata API. Using Salesforce CLI, you create the files that make up an external client app in an SFDX Project and deploy them to your Trailhead Playground.

Most of the work you do to create an external client app via Metadata API takes place in Visual Studio Code (VS Code), but some changes need to be made to your Trailhead Playground. There are also a few steps you need to take to set up your local environment before you can get started.

Launch Your Trailhead Playground

You complete this hands-on project on your own computer and your personal Salesforce environment. Get your Trailhead Playground now by first logging in to Trailhead, and then clicking the Launch button at the bottom of this page. After you complete the project steps in your playground, click Verify step at the bottom of the page.

Set the Stage

Before we can connect your computer and your Trailhead Playground, you need to take a few steps to prepare them both. You’ll turn the playground into a Dev Hub and download some applications to configure an SFDX project on your computer.

Enable Dev Hub on Your Trailhead Playground

1. From Setup in your Trailhead Playground, enter Dev Hub in the Quick Find box and select Dev Hub.
   
2. Click Enable Dev Hub.
   

Install Salesforce CLI and VS Code

Visual Studio Code is the go-to code editor for Salesforce developers. It’s free, open-source, and available for Windows, Linux, and macOS. This editor has easy-to-install extensions for syntax highlighting, code completion, and more.

1. Install Salesforce CLI on your computer so you can interact with your Trailhead Playground.
   
2. Download and install the latest version of Visual Studio Code for your operating system. If you already have Visual Studio Code installed, there's no need to reinstall it.
   
3. Launch Visual Studio Code.
   
4. On the left toolbar, click the Extensions icon.
   
5. Search for Salesforce Extension Pack and click Install.
   

Now that your environment is setup, let’s create the external client app.