Cooking with Code: A Tasty Trigger Treat (Apex Triggers)

blog-triggers-woahWell! Here we are … facing one of the “big topics” in Apex coding. I have to say that I’m pretty darn excited (and yes, it’s true, I am easily excited). We’re finally getting to run some actual code … like … for realz!  It’s Apex trigger time!

Today, in Cooking with Code, we’re going to tackle the triggers. I think you’ll be amazed to see how that, for all the hype, they aren’t all that complicated. Really, you’ve done most of the hard stuff. Continue Reading

Cooking with Code: Amuse-bouche* of Apex Collections (Lists, Sets, and Maps)

Orchard with apples

In my last blog post, I wrote about variables, and in particular, primitives. Today I’m going to expand on variables and talk about the oh-so-powerful idea of “collections.”

Unlike Java, which only has one type of collection (Arrays, also know as a Lists), Apex has three to choose from: Lists, Sets, and Maps. Together, we’ll go into each of these types of collections and show you what they are best used for, and how to use them when you start coding. Continue Reading

Elevation Gain: A review of Salesforce Trailhead

12,120 Trailhead PointsI completed the available Salesforce Trailhead modules last Friday with mixed feelings. I’m really pleased to have checked all the boxes and gained all the badges, but I’m more than a little sad that I’m done (for now).

I wanted to give back some love to the Salesforce Developer Relations group by writing a review.  You can probably guess that I loved it, but I hope to say more on why, and better yet, get you to check it out for yourself. Plus some tips on how to best use the tool, and advice on what you might want to skip over if you’re short on time. Continue Reading

Never give up! Never Surrender! (or how perseverance is important in Apex [or any] coding)

Fabulous New Salesforce Trailhead Badges!I am totally and utterly thrilled to announce that I have written Apex and it worked! It actually did what I meant it to do! Thanks to Salesforce Trailhead, I have achieved a major goal and written my first Apex trigger. Phew! What I high I have.

I have to say, that the biggest lesson from my experience with CFML coding (ColdFusion Markup Language), is to persevere and never give up on finding the answer.  It’s such a huge deal in my mind, and an absolute must for anybody wanting to get into coding (which is so darn picky about every little keystroke), that I wanted to blog about it. Continue Reading