Get to Know Apex Coding
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:
- Explain the purpose and advantages of coding languages.
- Identify the unique features of Apex as a language.
- Describe some of the ways people use Apex with Salesforce.
What Are Coding Languages, and Why Do They Matter?
If you’ve ever seen or worked with code, it probably wasn’t all ones and zeroes. In modern programming, code is processed through a system of inputs and outputs called a coding language. While different languages have different purposes, strengths, and limitations, all coding languages aim to do the same thing: translate what a coder wants into what a computer does.
This lets programmers communicate with each other and share very complex code in manageable, consistent, and compatible sets of terms. Languages are fundamental tools for building the kinds of operations and applications that drive success in a competitive market and enable cooperation across organizations.
But on a personal level, it’s pretty easy to understand the advantage of using a coding language. They allow users to tell a program what to do using logical statements instead of the ones and zeros of binary code. Once you know the logic that the programming language uses, you can write commands with intuitive wording that other programmers can easily understand. That’s a pretty handy advantage to have at (and for) your fingertips!
What’s Apex?
Apex is a programming language used by Salesforce developers. It’s part of the Salesforce platform, and you can access it through the developer console.
The language has a range of specific features that set it apart from other coding languages, and you learn more about those in a bit. For now, the main thing to keep in mind is that Apex lets developers access the back-end power of Salesforce to create their own applications and do more with the platforms they already use for their business.
Similar to Java, Apex marries the ease of use programmers look for in any language with the ability to leverage the Salesforce API. This makes Apex a powerful resource for app development at any scale.
What Gets Coded with Apex?
Developers use Apex to do more with data. From automating reactions to events, like button clicks, and related record updates to generating insights from large data sets, using Apex allows a wide range of operations that translate the needs of a business into coded solutions. In other words, it lets developers accomplish tasks that go beyond the out-of-the-box functionality of Salesforce products. Here’s a few things Apex can do for you.
- Perform complex, simultaneous validation over multiple objects, and perform custom validation implementation.
- Expand the functionality of existing workflows.
- Create web services that integrate other systems.
- Build email services for use cases like email blast or email setup.
- Apply personalized transactional logic (logic that occurs over the entire transaction, not just with a single record or object).
- React when a record is modified or modify the related object's record based on a triggering event.
Of course, it’s also important to keep in mind that code is a tool, not a cure-all for any problem. In many cases, you’ll find that a simple Flow or existing app can often meet your needs quicker and with less need to iterate than a from-scratch coding solution. What matters is understanding all your options – and Apex makes the things you do have to code easy to integrate with your business.
While there is a great deal of functionality built into Salesforce, understanding Apex lets you go that extra mile by crafting additional workflows and solutions that help your organization succeed.
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