Apex Coding Best Practices for Salesforce Developers

 Apex is a powerful, strongly-typed, object-oriented programming language used on the Salesforce platform. Writing robust, efficient, and maintainable Apex code is crucial for scalable Salesforce applications. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned developer, following best practices can help you deliver high-quality solutions. Here’s a guide to some essential Apex coding best practices.

---

1. Bulkify Your Code

Salesforce enforces governor limits to ensure efficient resource use. Always design your code to handle multiple records at once.

Bad Example:

for(Account acc : Trigger.new){
    acc.Name = acc.Name + ' Updated';
    update acc; // DML in loop - BAD!
}

Good Example:

List<Account> accountsToUpdate = new List<Account>();
for(Account acc : Trigger.new){
    acc.Name = acc.Name + ' Updated';
    accountsToUpdate.add(acc);
}
update accountsToUpdate; // Bulk DML - GOOD!

---

2. Avoid SOQL and DML in Loops

SOQL or DML inside loops can quickly hit governor limits. Always move queries and DML operations outside loops.

---

3. Use Collections and Efficient Queries

Use Sets and Maps to avoid duplicate processing and to optimize data access.

Example:

Set<Id> accountIds = new Set<Id>();
for(Contact con : contacts){
    accountIds.add(con.AccountId);
}
Map<Id, Account> accountMap = new Map<Id, Account>(
    [SELECT Id, Name FROM Account WHERE Id IN :accountIds]
);

---

4. Handle Exceptions Gracefully

Always use try-catch blocks where exceptions could occur, and log or handle errors appropriately.

Example:

try {
    update accountsToUpdate;
} catch (DmlException e) {
    System.debug('Error updating accounts: ' + e.getMessage());
}

---

5. Write Test Methods and Use System.assert

Every code deployment requires at least 75% test coverage. More importantly, write meaningful test methods that use System.assert to verify logic, not just coverage.

Example:

@isTest
static void testAccountUpdate() {
    Account acc = new Account(Name='Test');
    insert acc;
    acc.Name = 'Test Updated';
    update acc;
    Account updated = [SELECT Name FROM Account WHERE Id = :acc.Id];
    System.assertEquals('Test Updated', updated.Name);
}

---

6. Leverage Custom Metadata and Custom Settings

Avoid hardcoding values. Use Custom Metadata Types or Custom Settings for configurable logic.

---

7. Follow Naming Conventions

Use clear, descriptive names for classes, methods, and variables. This enhances readability and maintainability.

---

8. Document Your Code

Add comments and documentation to explain complex logic and business rules. Use Javadoc-style comments for classes and methods.

---

9. Use With Sharing Keyword

Unless you have a specific reason, declare classes as with sharing to respect user permissions and sharing rules.

---

10. Monitor and Optimize Performance

Use debug logs and Salesforce’s performance tools to monitor and optimize slow code paths.

---

Conclusion

Adhering to Apex best practices ensures reliable, scalable, and efficient Salesforce applications. Regularly review your code, stay updated with Salesforce releases, and always test thoroughly. Happy coding!