Force.com IDE Developer Guide

Force.com IDE UI Overview
Getting Started with the Force.com IDE
Developing with the Force.com IDE
Force.com Project Basics
Create New Force.com Project
Project Properties
Add/Remove Metadata Components
Component Properties
Upgrade Project
Force.com Wizards
Apex Editor
Apex Code Assist
Execute Anonymous View
Server Synchronization
Testing Code with the Force.com IDE
Deploying Code with the Force.com IDE
Getting Started with the Apex Debugger
Useful References
PDF

Force.com Project Basics

Like most integrated development environments, the Force.com IDE organizes application resources into containers called projects. Unlike traditional software development projects where source code is compiled to create runnable applications, the resources in a Force.com project live within a Salesforce organization and are copied into the local project for editing.

Each Force.com project is connected to a Salesforce organization, known as its home organization, and contains a set of files which correspond to metadata components stored in the home organization’s database. When you save a file in a Force.com project, it is immediately saved to the server, or if the server finds an error that error message is returned to the Force.com IDE and displayed in the Problems View.

Because Force.com projects are connected to a live environment, they may be impacted by components running in the home organization but not downloaded into the project. For example, a workflow rule defined in your organization will run in the same transaction as an Apex trigger if both are defined against the same object and the workflow rule’s criteria are met.

Note

To manage Force.com projects and resources, use the Package Explorer view, which displays each project’s resources in a hierarchical tree view. Force.com projects are organized into the following folders:
  • src – This folder contains all of the metadata components in your project. Metadata components are organized into folders, by type. For a list of types and folders, see Metadata Types.
  • src/package.xml – This control file, known as the project manifest, determines what metadata components are retrieved from the server when synchronizing with the project’s home organization. For more information see About Package.xml.
  • salesforce.schema – Opening this file activates the Schema Explorer for the project’s home organization. For more information see Schema Explorer.
  • Referenced Packages – This folder contains the contents of any managed packages that are installed in the project’s home organization. These files are read only; customizing installed managed packages from the Force.com IDE is not supported.