Development with the Force.com Platform

Description

This edition has been extensively revised to reflect all six major Force.com releases since the Second Edition. Its massive updates include all this, and more:

• REST integration (instead of SOAP)
• All-new chapter on mobile user interface development (hybrid)
• Expanded Chatter coverage to reflect new features and better integration with external social platforms
• Many new security and sharing options, including Criteria-Based Sharing, Permission Sets (Org-Wide permission sets, separate Org-Wide sharing for external users), and User Sharing
• Database improvements: Database.com, new lookup relationship behaviors, geolocation custom field, State and Country picklists, improved rich text editor, and more
• New and upgraded tools, including Force.com Developer Console, Schema Builder, Force.com System Overview, Force.com Quick Start, Force.com Workbench, and Site.com
• APEX enhancements, including: JSON support, async testing, reflection, and much more
• Visualforce enhancements, including: JavaScript Remoting, Field Sets, Dynamic VF Components, Dynamic VF Bindings, Canvas, and Charting
• Streaming and Bulk Data APIs
• Batch Apex and Governor Limits

In addition, Ouelette has carefully removed content on marginalized or esoteric features such as Adobe Flex, Offline, SAML, and refocused his “Clicks Not Code” coverage on topics of more direct interest to application developers.

Master Force.com, Today’s Fastest, Most Flexible Cloud Development Platform

With Salesforce.com’s Force.com platform, you can build and deploy powerful cloud-based enterprise applications faster than ever before. Now, Jason Ouellette gives you all the practical, technical guidance you need to make the most of the newest Force.com releases in your own custom cloud applications.

Throughout, he adds new code and updated best practices for rapidly prototyping, building, and testing production-quality Force.com solutions. This edition’s extensive new coverage includes Developer Console, JSON, Streaming and Tooling APIs, Bulk API, Force.com Canvas, REST integration, support for Web MVC frameworks, Dynamic Apex and Visualforce, and an all-new chapter on mobile user interfaces.

Ouellette covers the entire platform: UIs, database design, analytics, security, and many other topics. His code examples emphasize maintainability, flexibility, and seamless integration—and you can run and adapt all of them with a free Force.com Developer Edition account. Coverage includes:

• Leveraging Force.com’s customizable infrastructure to deliver advanced Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solutions
• Understanding Force.com’s unique processes, tools, and architecture
• Developing a complete application, from requirements and use cases through deployment
• Using the Force.com database as a framework for highly flexible, maintainable applications
• Applying Force.com’s baked-in security, including user identity, data ownership, and fine-grained access control
• Constructing powerful business logic with Apex, SOQL, and SOSL
• Adopting asynchronous actions, Single Page Applications, and other advanced features in Web user interfaces
• Building intuitive user interfaces with Visualforce, and extending them to public-facing websites and mobile devices
• Creating smartphone/tablet-friendly apps with HTML5 and Visualforce
• Performing massive data-intensive tasks offline with Batch Apex
• Using Force.com integration options, including REST, SOAP, Canvas, and the Streaming, Bulk, Tooling, and Metadata APIs
• Developing internal social applications with Force.com’s Chatter collaboration tools

If you’re already building Web or mobile applications, take your next giant step into enterprise cloud development—with Development with the Force.com Platform, Third Edition.

All code examples in this book are available on Github at http://goo.gl/fjRqMX, and as a Force.com IDE project on Github at https://github.com/jmouel/dev-with-force-3e.

Jason Ouellette is a SaaS entrepreneur and independent technology consultant with 17 years of experience in the enterprise software industry, including 9 years of hands-on work with Salesforce.com. He is currently CTO and Co-Founder of SocialPandas, a SaaS product company focused on converting social data into actionable intelligence for salespeople. In his prior role as Chief Architect of Appirio, a leading Salesforce.com consultancy, he led the development of popular Salesforce AppExchange applications such as Cloud Sync, Cloud Factor, and Professional Services Enterprise. He was recognized by Salesforce as a Force.com MVP in 2011–2013, and Force.com Developer Hero in 2009. He has a B.S. in Information and Decision Systems from Carnegie Mellon University.

1 Introducing Force.com 1

Force.com in the Cloud Computing Landscape 1

Platform as a Service (PaaS) 2

Force.com as a Platform 4

Force.com Services 7

Inside a Force.com Project 9

Project Selection 9

Team Selection 11

Lifecycle 12

Tools and Resources 15

Sample Application: Services Manager 17

Background 17

User Roles 18

Development Plan 19

Summary 19

2 Database Essentials 21

Overview of Force.com’s Database 21

Objects 22

Fields 23

Relationships 25

Query Language 26

Data Integration 29

Working with Custom Objects 32

Force.com Developer Edition 32

Tools for Custom Objects 33

Object Creation 35

Field Creation 38

Entering and Browsing Data 41

Additional Database Features 43

Sample Application: Data Model 49

Data Model Design Goals 49

Data Model Specification 50

Implementing the Data Model 58

Importing Data 64

Summary 69

3 Database Security 71

Overview of Database Security 71

Object-Level Security 74

Profiles 74

Permission Sets 76

Field-Level Security 77

Record-Level Security 79

Record Ownership 79

User Groups 80

Sharing Model 80

Sample Application: Securing Data 84

Designing the Security Model 85

Implementing the Security Model 88

Testing the Security Model 94

Summary 98

4 Business Logic 99

Introduction to Apex 100

Introducing the Force.com IDE 101

Installation 101

Force.com Perspective 101

Force.com Projects 103

Problems View 103

Schema Explorer 103

Apex Test Runner View 103

Execute Anonymous View 104

Apex Language Basics 105

Variables 105

Operators 109

Arrays and Collections 110

Control Logic 113

Object-Oriented Apex 117

Understanding Governor Limits 120

Database Integration in Apex 120

Database Records as Objects 121

Database Queries 122

Persisting Database Records 128

Database Triggers 130

Database Security in Apex 133

Debugging Apex Using Developer Console 133

Checkpoints 133

Execution Logs 134

Unit Tests in Apex 136

Test Methods 136

Test Data 136

Running Tests 137

Sample Application: Validating Timecards 138

Force.com IDE Setup 138

Creating the Trigger 138

Unit Testing 140

Summary 142

5 Advanced Business Logic 143

Aggregate SOQL Queries 144

Aggregate Functions 144

Grouping Records 145

Grouping Records with Subtotals 146

Additional SOQL Features 148

Inner Join and Outer Join 148

Semi-Join and Anti-Join 150

Multi-Select Picklists 154

Salesforce Object Search Language (SOSL) 154

SOSL Basics 155

SOSL in Apex 155

Transaction Processing 156

Data Manipulation Language (DML) Database

Methods 157

Savepoints 159

Record Locking 161

Apex Managed Sharing 162

Sharing Objects 162

Creating Sharing Rules in Apex 163

Sending and Receiving Email 168

Sending Email 168

Receiving Email 172

Dynamic Apex 174

Dynamic Database Queries 175

Schema Metadata 177

Dynamic Instance Creation 179

Custom Settings in Apex 180

Sample Application: Adding Email Notifications 181

Summary 183

6 User Interfaces 185

Introduction to Visualforce 186

Overview of Visualforce 186

Getting Started with Visualforce 188

Visualforce Controllers 191

Standard Controllers 191

Custom Controllers 193

Controller Extensions 197

View Components 198

View Component Basics 198

Data Components 200

Action Components 203

Primitive Components 204

Force.com-Styled Components 205

Force.com User Interface Components 208

Visualforce and the Native User Interface 209

Standard Pages 210

Standard Buttons 213

Page Layouts 213

Custom Buttons and Links 215

Custom Tabs 215

Visualforce in Production 215

Debugging and Tuning 215

Security 218

Error Handling 220

Governor Limits 221

Unit Tests 222

Sample Application: Skills Matrix 222

Basic Implementation 224

Full Implementation 224

Implementation Walk-Through 225

Summary 232

7 Advanced User Interfaces 233

Asynchronous Actions 233

Partial Page Refresh 234

Action as JavaScript Function 235

Action as Timed Event 237

Action as JavaScript Event 237

Indicating Action Status 238

Modular Visualforce 240

Static Resources 241

Inclusion 242

Composition 242

Custom Visualforce Components 244

Dynamic Visualforce 246

Dynamic Field References 246

Component Generation 248

Single-Page Applications in Force.com 250

JavaScript Remoting 250

Force.com with AngularJS 251

Introduction to Force.com Sites 254

Enabling and Creating a Site 254

Security Configuration 255

Adding Pages to a Site 256

Authenticating Users 257

Sample Application: Enhanced Skills Matrix 258

Summary 262

8 Mobile User Interfaces 263

Overview of Salesforce Mobile Technology 263

Salesforce Applications 264

Custom Applications 265

Getting Started with Mobile Web Applications 267

Frameworks 268

Data Access 269

Deployment 270

Sample Application: Mobile Timecard Entry 272

Summary 279

9 Batch Processing 281

Introduction to Batch Apex 282

Batch Apex Concepts 282

Understanding the Batchable Interface 283

Applications of Batch Apex 284

Getting Started with Batch Apex 285

Developing a Batch Apex Class 285

Working with Batch Apex Jobs 286

Using Stateful Batch Apex 289

Using an Iterable Batch Scope 290

Limits of Batch Apex 292

Testing Batch Apex 293

Scheduling Batch Apex 293

Developing Schedulable Code 293

Scheduling Batch Apex Jobs 294

Sample Application: Missing Timecard Report 296

Creating the Custom Object 297

Developing the Batch Apex Class 298

Testing the Missing Timecard Feature 299

Summary 300

10 Integration with Force.com 301

Apex Callouts 301

Calling RESTful Services from Apex 302

Calling SOAP Services from Apex 304

Calling into Force.com Using REST 306

Getting Started with Force.com REST API 306

Force.com REST API Walk-Through 308

Creating Custom Apex REST Web Services 312

Calling into Force.com Using SOAP 314

Understanding Force.com SOAP API 314

Using the Enterprise API 322

Creating Custom Apex SOAP Web Services 326

Sample Application: Anonymous Benchmarking 329

Visualforce Page Design 330

Visualforce Controller Design 331

Integrating the SOAP Web Service 333

Sample Implementation 335

Summary 338

11 Advanced Integration 339

Introduction to the Force.com Streaming API 340

Overview 340

Getting Started with Force.com Streaming API 341

Working with the Force.com Bulk API 344

Overview 345

Importing Records 346

Exporting Records 347

Getting Started with Force.com Canvas 349

Overview 349

Getting Started with Force.com Canvas 350

Introduction to the Force.com Tooling API 354

Overview 355

Getting Started with Force.com Tooling API 355

Understanding the Force.com Metadata API 360

Overview 360

Getting Started with the Metadata API 361

Sample Application: Database Integration 363

Integration Scenario 363

Implementation Strategy 363

Sample Implementation 364

Summary 366

12 Social Applications 369

Overview of the Chatter Data Model 370

Chatter Posts 370

Chatter Comments 374

Feed-Tracked Changes 376

Followed Records 376

Using Chatter in Apex 378

Introduction to the Chatter REST API 379

Working with Chatter Visualforce Components 380

Sample Application: Follow Project Team 382

Summary 386

Index 387

Create custom business apps on today’s dramatically improved Force.com platform — and accomplish enterprise development tasks in days or weeks, not months or years!

• Simply the best way to learn about new Force.com features: more practical and up-to-date than Salesforce.com’s release notes, and more time-efficient than its webinars
• Massively updated to reflect all six major Salesforce.com releases since this book’s previous best-selling edition
• Includes extensive new coverage of Force.com security, VisualForce, REST, Chatter, hybrid mobile UI development, databases, tooling, Apex, and much more
• Brings together all the techniques and concepts needed to develop state-of-the-art Force.com solutions
• By the creator of three of the top ten Force.com applications

Additional information

Dimensions	0.89 × 6.97 × 8.98 in
Series	Developer's Library
Imprint	Addison-Wesley Professional
Format	gen
ISBN-13	09780321949165
ISBN-10	0321949161
Author	Jason Ouellette
BISAC	COM091000
Subjects	VisualForce, how to web sites, app software, about sales force, how to make application, create an app, cloud CRM, Salesforce.com, Enterprise CRM, mobile apps, cloud business application development, new Salesforce.com releases, Salesforce.com mobile development, Salesforce.com Chatter development, Criteria-Based Sharing, APEX, Batch APEX, professional, to the cloud, on force, Business Applications, Enterprise Solutions, Salesforce, CRM, Y-BA MOBILE/GRAPHICS/GAME DEV, COM091000, IT Professional, Employability, cloud, cloud computing, higher education, web development, software engineer