As developers or Admins, we have the challenge of building and deploying apps expeditiously. Salesforce provides tools like Salesforce DX, CLI, and Extensions Pack. These desktop-based tools require installing and setting it up on every workstation.

If you’re into Salesforce development, there’s an alternative I want you to think about — an online code editor and IDE! You can also call them cloud-based code editors. For example, Welkin Suite and many others.

Let’s quickly sum up the advantages of using an online code editor and IDE:

• Work from anywhere around the world
• No setup
• Data safety
• Easy integration with a source code repository like GitHub

What is Code Builder

Code Builder, powered by AWS, can be launched as a full-featured IDE in the browser from Salesforce org with clicks. Nothing to install or configure to the device.

Now Salesforce released (Beta) a new tool called Code Builder. Yes! You hear it right!! Salesforce Code Builder is a web-based integrated development environment with all the power and flexibility of Visual Studio Code, Salesforce Extensions for VS Code, and Salesforce CLI in your web browser. Code Builder is a development environment that can turn on in seconds, and it is custom to your Salesforce org and a specified project. 

Code Builder works from a browser, allowing you to code virtually on any device with an internet connection. It has all the features of a modern IDE, such as code completion, refactoring, search, and support for Salesforce languages and frameworks.

What Makes Salesforce Code Builder Powerful

1. You’ve to install Code Builder, a managed package with everything one needs to write code in Salesforce: VS Code, Salesforce extensions, and Salesforce CLI. 
2. It doesn’t allow you to install new extensions to the Code Builder development environment.
3. Code Builder supports functions development but only for Javascript and Typescript functions.
4. Currently, Code Builder doesn’t support LWC Local Development (beta). You can’t preview LWC components locally but can deploy them to your org to view them.
5. With Code Builder, you can work from anywhere. Bookmark your development environment or access the link from a different machine.
6. Unlike a desktop IDE, Code Builder saves your work without you explicitly having to do so. However, the beta environment has a cap of 20 hours. 

What Are the Core Features of Salesforce Code Builder?

1. Ability to connect multiple Salesforce orgs 
2. Use Org Browser to explore org metadata easily
3. Supports Salesforce-specific commands
4. Create and deploy Apex and LWC
5. Use SOQL Builder to write and execute SOQL queries 
6. Run Salesforce CLI commands using the Code Builder terminal 

Steps to Setup and Configure Salesforce Code Builder

Perform the steps below to set up and configure Salesforce code builder (beta) in your org.

1. First and foremost, install Code Builder (Beta) app from AppExchange.
2. Click on Get it Now.
3. Enter the user name of the org you want to install it.

3. Click on Install in Production.

4. Select the ‘I have read and agree to the terms and conditions.‘ checkbox.
5. Click on Confirm and install button.
6. Select Install for All Users and click on the Install button.
7. Click Done.

Add Code Builder Permission Set to Right Users

Once Code Builder is successfully installed, it’s time to assign the Permission set to the users who suppose to use it.

1. Click Setup. In the Quick Find box, type Permission Sets.
2. Select Permission Sets, then click on Code Builder permission set.
3. Click on Manage Assignments.
4. Click Add Assignment and select the User to whom you want to assign Code Builder permission.
5. Click Next, Assign, and Done.

Configure the Code Builder Environment

Start building the project using Code Builder (If you have a project on GitHub, you can Import it).

1. Go to the App Launcher and search Code Builder and click on it.
2. Click on Get Started.
3. Click on New Project, and fill in the details
   1. Project Name: MyFirstSalesforceApp
   2. Project Type: Standard

4. Click Next and Connect a Development Org ( you can also connect a Sandbox Org if you want to connect it).

5. Click Next and pass the credentials to allow the org to connect with the code builder.
6. Click on Next once the org is successfully connected.

7. Give the Org Alias as DevOrg and click on Create.

Launch Salesforce Code Builder

We will launch on the code builder and execute the SOQL query.

1. Click on Launch once the Code Builder environment is successfully created.

2. You can execute SOQL queries, create LWC and Apex code.

Happy Coding!!

I would love to hear about your experience working with Code Builder. How do you use it?