Learn how to write generic code in Salesforce and use that to build tools using the Tooling API

1. Adam Olshansky
Salesforce Developer,
Salesforce MVP
AdamToArchitect.com
@adam17amo
Writing Highly Genericized Code
Using Dynamic Apex and the
Tooling API

2. Adam Olshansky
Salesforce Developer, YouTube
@adam17amo
AdamToArchitect.com

3. NAMASTE
THANK YOU FOR INVITING
ME TO INDIA!

4. NAMASTE
Thank you to dQuotient for
sponsoring!

5. Agenda
• An overview of Generic code for Apex
• Salesforce Dynamic Coding Examples
• Tooling API

6. Generic Programming in Apex

7. Who are we talking to today?
• ISV developers
• Don’t know all conditions of customer orgs
• Individual app developers
• May need to accept input from clients/customers
• Any developer accepting user input
• Tailor your queries and results based on user conditions

8. What problem are we solving for?
● Rigid/Fragile
● Poor (Re)usability
● Lots of patches/quick fixes
● Duplicate code
● Overly complicated data structures
○ Maps of Maps of Maps of…..
○ Managing the data in a 5-D Arrays

9. 2 Different Ways of Writing Code
​Static
​Dynamic/Generic

10. Different Ways of Writing Code: Static vs Dynamic
Static
• Generated at compile time
• Hard coded
• Doesn’t usually have dependencies
• Works well if you know what’s in the
org
• Most commonly used by developers at
a company developing for their own
org
Dynamic/Generic
• Generated at run time
• Dependent on user input
• May have org-specific dependencies
• Works well if you DON’T know what’s in the
org
• Most commonly used by developers whose
code needs to run in customized orgs

11. Tradeoffs of Dynamic Coding
Negatives
• More code to write
• More code to test
• Less readabillity
Positives
• More detailed information
• Less chance of an error down the road
• Endless possibilities

12. Dynamic Coding Examples

13. Tools of the trade
● Custom Settings/Metadata
● Schema class
● Dynamic Apex
● Dynamic Visualforce
● Dynamic SOQL
● Limits class

14. Dynamic Apex (Metadata)

15. Dynamic Apex (Data)

16. Dynamic Controller

17. Dynamic Visualforce

18. Dynamic SOQL
• Don’t always know what parameters are available in a user’s org
• In your org this works fine
Database.query()
Thanks to Dan Appleman, Advanced Apex Programming
• What if your customer doesn’t have record types defined for Lead

19. Limits Class
• Limits.getDMLRows();
• Limits.getDMLStatements();
• Limits.getHeapSize();
• Limits.getQueries();
• Limits.getQueryRows();
• bit.ly/apexlimitsclass (Apex Limits Class)
Dynamically make adjustments based on limits

20. Tying it Together
● You know how to design apps efficiently
● You know how to write generic code
● You know how to find information about org metadata
● What’s next?

21. Tooling API
An API for building...TOOLS

22. Tooling API Highlights
• Gather finely grained metadata about Apex classes, triggers, and tests in an org
• Classes, triggers, construction of symbol tables
• Query for code coverage, logs, SOQL results
• Query metadata about setup objects
• Business Processes, Flows, Custom items, Workflow components
• Can be utilized for source control/continuous integration
• Metadata containers, deployment details, code file metadata
• Can be queried through REST or SOAP
• Similar to Metadata API but with a ton of additional functionality
Great for building...tools!

23. Tooling API Examples
Create a class
https://andyinthecloud.com/category/tooling-api/

24. Additional Tooling API Use Cases
https://andyinthecloud.com/category/tooling-api/
• Show all objects that can be analyzed
• /services/data/v39.0/tooling/sobjects/
• Show list of all classes
• /services/data/v39.0/tooling/apexManifest
• Show all metadata about a class
• /services/data/v39.0/tooling/sobjects/ApexClass/01po0000004SL5b

25. Another Scenario
UTILIZE DYNAMIC APEX TO WRITE APEX USING APEX!
APEX-CEPTION!!!

26. Tools To Be Built
● UML Diagram Tool
● Symbol Table Visualizer
● Automated Testing Tools?
● Tools to identify unused code?
● Customize managed packages based
on org’s config
● Use your imagination!

27. Summary
Next Steps from Here

28. Summary and Next Steps
• Be thinking about the right type of code for the app you’re building
• Utilize design patterns
• Write dynamic code
• Gather granular details to build any app
• Get out there and build!

29. Where to Learn More
● Follow @andyinthecloud and his blog!
● Andy Fawcett’s Blog https://andyinthecloud.com/category/tooling-api/
● Andy and James Loghry’s Apex Tooling API Wrapper:
https://github.com/afawcett/apex-toolingapi/
● Pat Patterson’s Java Tooling API Wrapper: https://github.com/metadaddy/force-tooling-demo
https://developer.salesforce.com/blogs/developer-relations/2013/01/new-in-spring-13-the-too
ling-api.html
● Tom Patros VF page Utilizing Symbol Tables (The Documenter):
https://github.com/tompatros/df13-tooling-api-demo

30. Thank Y u