Loading
Enhance Salesforce with Code
Table of Contents
Filter by (0)Add
Select Filters

          No results
          No results
          Here are some search tips

          Check the spelling of your keywords.
          Use more general search terms.
          Select fewer filters to broaden your search.

            Search all of Salesforce Help
            Search all of Salesforce Help
            Define Apex Classes

            You are here:

            1. Salesforce Help
            2. Docs
            3. Enhance Salesforce with Code

            Define Apex Classes

            Salesforce stores Apex classes as metadata.

            Required Editions

            Available in: Salesforce Classic (not available in all orgs)
            Available in: Performance, Unlimited, Developer, Enterprise, and Database.com Editions
            User Permissions Needed
            To define, edit, delete, set security, and set version settings for Apex classes: Author Apex
            To run Apex tests: View Setup and Configuration

            You can add, edit, or delete Apex using the Salesforce user interface only in a Developer Edition organization, a Salesforce Enterprise Edition trial organization, or sandbox organization. In a Salesforce production organization, you can change Apex only by using the Metadata API deploy call, the Salesforce Extensions for Visual Studio Code, or the Ant Migration Tool. The Salesforce Extensions for Visual Studio Code and Ant Migration Tool are free resources provided by Salesforce to support its users and partners, but are not considered part of our Services for purposes of the Salesforce Main Services Agreement.

            1. From Setup, enter Apex Classes in the Quick Find box, then select Apex Classes.
            2. Click New.
            3. Click Version Settings to specify the version of Apex and the API used with this class.
              If your organization has installed managed packages from the AppExchange, you can also specify which version of each managed package to use with this class. Use the default values for all versions. This associates the class with the most recent version of Apex and the API, as well as each managed package. You can specify an older version of a managed package if you want to access components or functionality that differs from the most recent package version. You can specify an older version of Apex and the API to maintain specific behavior.
            4. In the class editor, enter the Apex code for the class. A single class can be up to 1 million characters in length, not including comments, test methods, or classes defined using @isTest.
            5. Click Save to save your changes and return to the class detail screen, or click Quick Save to save your changes and continue editing your class. Your Apex class must compile correctly before you can save your class.

            Once saved, classes can be invoked through class methods or variables by other Apex code, such as a trigger.

            Note
            Note To aid backwards-compatibility, classes are stored with the version settings for a specified version of Apex and the API. If the Apex class references components, such as a custom object, in installed managed packages, the version settings for each managed package referenced by the class is saved too. Additionally, classes are stored with an isValid flag that is set to true as long as dependent metadata has not changed since the class was last compiled. If any changes are made to object names or fields that are used in the class, including superficial changes such as edits to an object or field description, or if changes are made to a class that calls this class, the isValid flag is set to false. When a trigger or Web service call invokes the class, the code is recompiled and the user is notified if there are any errors. If there are no errors, the isValid flag is reset to true.

            See Also

             
            Loading
            Salesforce Help | Article