Force.com IDE Developer Guide
jGetting Started with the Force.com IDE
The Force.com IDE is an integrated
development environment for developing applications on the Force.com platform using Apex, Visualforce, and metadata components. Designed
for developers and development teams, the IDE provides tools to accelerate Force.com application development. These
tools include wizards, source code editors, test execution tools, deployment aids, integrated
help, and an interactive debugger.
The Force.com IDE is built on top of the open-source Eclipse Platform and is available as a plug-in. The plug-in is open source—you can find and contribute to its source code on GitHub.
You can use the Force.com IDE to:
- Test and debug Apex classes and triggers using the Apex Test Results view.
- Run anonymous blocks of Apex on the server in the Execute Anonymous view.
- Browse schema objects and fields or assemble and execute SOQL queries in the Schema Explorer.
- Synchronize project contents with changes on the server using Save to Server, Refresh from Server, and Synchronize with Server commands.
- Utilize the Compare Editor to merge changes when conflicts are detected.
- Deploy metadata components from one Salesforce organization to another, or validate a planned deployment without saving changes, using the Deploy to Server wizard.
To get started working in the Force.com IDE, look at the following topics.