Force.com IDE Developer Guide

Get Started with the Force.com IDE
Develop with the Force.com IDE
Project Basics
Apex Code in the Force.com IDE
Lightning Components in the Force.com IDE
Server Synchronization
Test Code with the Force.com IDE
Deploy Code with the Force.com IDE
Get Started with the Apex Debugger
Solutions to Common Force.com IDE Problems
Force.com IDE Release Notes
Useful References
PDF

Develop with the Force.com IDE

Force.com IDE is in a maintenance-only state. We still provide support for the product through our official channels, but updates prior to October 12, 2019 will be only for critical security issues that arise. On October 12, 2019, we will no longer provide support or updates of any kind for Force.com IDE. On that date, we will also begin archiving documentation and removing download links for the product. We recommend that you start migrating to Salesforce Extensions for Visual Studio Code or one of the great tools made by our partners. For more information, see The Future of Salesforce IDEs on the Salesforce Developers Blog.

Warning

The Force.com IDE allows you to create and edit Apex, Visualforce, and XML metadata components. The Force.com IDE’s source code editors provide syntax highlighting, code assistance, and server-based error checking.

Working with Force.com Projects

The first step is to create a Force.com project associated with your Salesforce org (the home org) and download metadata components. You can manage projects and files using the standard views, tools, and commands in the Eclipse IDE workbench, and use features from the Force.com IDE.
  • Use a wizard to create your first project. For details, see Create a Force.com Project.
  • Create or edit the package.xml project manifest file using the Choose Metadata Components dialog. For more information, see About Package.xml and Project Properties.
  • Develop in your project and on the server at the same time, with multiple developers accessing the same information. For information on how to refresh data and synchronize changes, see Server Synchronization.

Writing Code

After you have created a project, you can use the Force.com IDE to create, edit and manipulate objects and components.
  • Use Force.com wizards to create objects and components, including Apex classes and triggers, and Visualforce components and pages. Each wizard allows you to define properties for the object and creates it with standard attributes and values.
  • Edit your code in the feature-rich Force.com IDE Editors, which include content assistance for built-in Apex types.
  • Execute anonymous blocks of Apex and commit them to the database using the Execute Anonymous View.
  • Browse schema objects and fields or assemble and execute SOQL queries in the Schema Explorer.