Force.com Platform Fundamentals

Force.com Platform Fundamentals

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Learn Salesforce Basics

Learn Salesforce Basics

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What is Visualforce?

Visualforce is a framework that allows developers to build sophisticated, custom user interfaces that can be hosted natively on the Force.com platform. The Visualforce framework includes a tag-based markup language, similar to HTML, and a set of server-side “standard controllers” that make basic database operations, such as queries and saves, very simple to perform.

In the Visualforce markup language, each Visualforce tag corresponds to a coarse or fine-grained user interface component, such as a section of a page, a related list, or a field. The behavior of Visualforce components can either be controlled by the same logic that is used in standard Salesforce pages, or developers can associate their own logic with a controller class written inApex.

Sample of Visualforce Components and their Corresponding Tags

What is a Visualforce Page?

Developers can use Visualforce to create a Visualforce page definition. A page definition consists of two primary elements:

·         Visualforce markup

·         A Visualforce controller

Visualforce Markup

Visualforce markup consists of Visualforce tags, HTML, JavaScript, or any other Web-enabled code embedded within a single<apex:page> tag. The markup defines the user interface components that should be included on the page, and the way they should appear.

Visualforce Controllers

A Visualforce controller is a set of instructions that specify what happens when a user interacts with the components specified in associated Visualforce markup, such as when a user clicks a button or link. Controllers also provide access to the data that should be displayed in a page, and can modify component behavior.

A developer can either use a standard controller provided by the Force.com platform, or add custom controller logic with a class written in Apex:

·         A standard controller consists of the same functionality and logic that is used for a standard Salesforce page. For example, if you use the standard Accounts controller, clicking a Save button in a Visualforce page results in the same behavior as clicking Save on a standard Account edit page.

If you use a standard controller on a page and the user doesn't have access to the object, the page will display a insufficient privileges error message. You can avoid this by checking the user's accessibility for an object and displaying components appropriately.

·         A standard list controller enables you to create Visualforce pages that can display or act on a set of records. Examples of existing Salesforce pages that work with a set of records include list pages, related lists, and mass action pages.

·         A custom controller is a class written in Apex that implements all of a page's logic, without leveraging a standard controller. If you use a custom controller, you can define new navigation elements or behaviors, but you must also reimplement any functionality that was already provided in a standard controller.

Like other Apex classes, custom controllers execute entirely in system mode, in which the object and field-level permissions of the current user are ignored. You can specify whether a user can execute methods in a custom controller based on the user's profile.

·         A controller extension is a class written in Apex that adds to or overrides behavior in a standard or custom controller. Extensions allow you to leverage the functionality of another controller while adding your own custom logic.

Because standard controllers execute in user mode, in which the permissions, field-level security, and sharing rules of the current user are enforced, extending a standard controller allows you to build a Visualforce page that respects user permissions. Although the extension class executes in system mode, the standard controller executes in user mode. As with custom controllers, you can specify whether a user can execute methods in a controller extension based on the user's profile.

Although custom controllers and controller extension classes execute in system mode and thereby ignore user permissions and field-level security, you can choose whether they respect a user's organization-wide defaults, role hierarchy, and sharing rules by using the with sharing keywords in the class definition. For information, see “Using the with sharing or without sharing Keywords” in the Force.com Apex Code Developer's Guide.

Where Can Visualforce Pages Be Used?

Developers can use Visualforce pages to:

·         Override standard buttons, such as the New button for accounts, or the Edit button for contacts

·         Override tab overview pages, such as the Accounts tab home page

·         Define custom tabs

·         Embed components in detail page layouts

·         Create dashboard components or custom help pages

·         Customize, extend, or integrate the sidebars in the Salesforce console (custom console components)

·         Add menu items, actions, and mobile cards in Salesforce1

 

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Introducing Visualforce

Over the past several years, Salesforce has created a comprehensive platform for building on-demand applications. Like other sophisticated application development platforms, the Force.com platform offers separate tools for defining:

·         The structure of the data—that is, the data model

·         The rules that detail how that data can be manipulated—that is, the business logic

·         The layouts that specify how that data should be displayed—that is, the user interface

Splitting up application development tools based on whether they affect the data model, business logic, or user interface is also known as the Model-View-Controller (MVC) application development pattern—the Model is the data model, the View is the user interface, and the Controller is the business logic.

While the tools for building the data model and business logic for applications are powerful solutions that run natively onForce.com platform servers, the existing tools for defining user interfaces have had certain limitations:

·         Page layouts, the point-and-click tool that allows application developers to organize fields, buttons, and related lists on record detail pages, do not provide much flexibility in how sets of information are displayed. Fields must always appear above related lists, buttons must always appear above fields, and s-controls and custom links can only be placed in particular areas.

·         S-controls, the tool that allows application developers to display custom HTML in a detail page or custom tab, provide more flexibility than page layouts, but:

·         Execute from within a browser, causing poor performance if displaying or updating values from more than a few records at a time

·         Do not provide an easy way to give custom user interface elements the same look-and-feel as standard Salesforcepages

·         Require developers to enforce field uniqueness and other metadata dependencies on their own

Visualforce pages supersede s-controls. Organizations that haven’t previously used s-controls can’t create them. Existing s-controls are unaffected, and can still be edited.

For these reasons, Salesforce has introduced Visualforce, the next-generation solution for building sophisticated custom user interfaces on the Force.com platform.

 

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Common interview questions for Salesforce developers

Preface: this post is part of the How to get a Salesforce developer job series.

I’ve been hesitant to write this post because this kind of information is extremely sensitive.

You’re getting an unfair advantage over your competitors, plus, you basically get a shortcut through the whole learning phase. The worst part is that I personally use a ton of these questions when interviewing candidates at work.

The good news though is that you did your research to get this far. And like in a lot of things in life, simply having the discipline to Google something puts you head and shoulders above the crowd.

Or maybe that’s just the beer talking =)

Note that every good Salesforce developer must also be a good admin, so you’ll see a lot of non-coding related questions in every developer interview you’re in.

1.    Name three Governor Limits.

2.    When do you use a before vs. after trigger?

3.    What’s the maximum batch size in a single trigger execution?

4.    What are the differences between 15 and 18 digit record IDs?

5.    Provide an example of when a Custom Setting would be used during development.

6.    When should you build solutions declaratively instead of with code?

7.    Give an example of a standard object that’s also junction object.

8.    Describe a use case when you’d control permissions through each of the following:
– Profiles
– Roles
– Permission Sets
– Sharing Rules

9.    When should an org consider using Record Types?

10. What are some use cases for using the Schema class?

11. A trigger is running multiple times during a single save event in an org. How can this be prevented?

12. Why is it necessary for most sales teams to use both Leads and Contacts?

13. What is the System.assert method and when is it commonly used?

14. What are the differences between SOQL and SOSL?

15. Order the following events after a record is saved:
– Validation rules are run
– Workflows are executed
– “Before” triggers are executed
– “After” triggers are executed

16. What is Trigger.old and when do you normally use it?

17. When should you use a lookup instead of a master-detail relationship?

18. What are the advantages of using Batch Apex instead of a trigger?

19. What are the pros and cons when using a Workflow Rule Field Update vs. a Formula Field?

20. What are the differences between a Map and a List?

21. What are the advantages of using Batch Apex instead of a trigger?

22. Describe a use case for Static Resources.

23. Provide an example of when a Matrix report would be used. How about a Joined report?

24. A group of users must be prevented from updating a custom field. What’s the most secure method of preventing this?

25. When would you use the @future annotation?

26. List three different tools that can be used when deploying code.

27. When should an Extension be used instead of a Custom Controller?

28. What are the advantages of using External Id fields?

29. What are the uses of the <apex:actionFunction> tag?

30. What are the differences between static and non-static variables in Apex?

31. What are some best practices when writing test classes?

32. What does the View State represent in a Visualforce page?

33. What are three new features in the most recent Salesforce release?

34. Describe the benefits of the “One Trigger per Object” design pattern.

35. Write a SOQL query that counts the number of active Contacts for each Account in a set.

36. Declaratively create logic in your org that prevents two Opportunities from being created on a single Account in a single day.

37. Declaratively create logic in your org that prevents closed Opportunities from being updated by a non System Administrator profile.

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Sales force Tutorial

Salesforce Tutorial

This tutorial helps you to understand basic concepts of Salesforce. Now Salesforce.com is a number one on demand CRM in the market. It runs on the force.com platform, it reduces development cost and we can deliver application in very short time.

– Salesforce is a cloud computing technology. It is available on cloud, no need install any software and no hardware required.
– In salesforce.com you can develop our own applications or if you need any application on demand, you can buy from app exchange.
– App Exchange is a market place to sell our custom applications and to buy applications from app exchange.

One of the main advantage of  sfdc is upgrading the features three times per year. Every year salesforce provide three releases called winter, Spring and Summer. These releases won’t impact your existing functionality. And salesforce provide many new features with each release.

About Salesforce.com(SFDC) 

SFDC was officially launched in 1999 with vision of becoming worldwide leader on demand CRM. Founded by Mark Benioff.

Why SFDC?
– It is a Number one on demand CRM.
– Force.com platform – Reduce development cost. We can deliver applications in very short time.
– App Exchange – It is very good market place to sell our custom applications and to buy applications from App Exchange.
– It is available on cloud – No need to install any software and No hardware required.

What is CRM?

CRM is a model used to manage organization interactions like phone calls, Emails, Meetings and Social media with customers and prospects penetrating to Sales, Marketing and Support.

Now salesforce is very hot technology in IT industry and more job opportunities available on salesforce. Here in this site I am sharing concepts of salesforce, How to learn salesforce, How to prepare for interviews.

Salesforce.com also known SFDC.

To understand cloud computing see Introduction to Cloud Computing

sfdc follow MVC design pattern to under stand this see Model View Controller

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Salesforce basics Tutorials – Salesforce Tutorials on Basics

Salesforce basics tutorials are essentials to know before we are going to salesforce.com main concepts. Let we discuss about the menus that are available when we logged in to salesforce.com. Below we have given screenshot here we find all menu available.  After logging in to your free developer account(salesforce login) we observe some menu. They are listed below

1.       TAB Menu.

2.      All TAB Menu.

3.      More TAB Menu.

4.      User Menu.

5.      Setup Menu.

6.      Application Menu.

7.      Search Menu.

TAB MENU : In TAB Menu all tabs are arranged in a row. Here we can arrange TABs that we created.

ALL TAB MENU : In All Tabs Menu we find all Tabs available in salesforce.com. Through all Tabs menu we can add our custom tab to TAB Menu.

MORE TAB MENU : In more tabs we can find more Tabs available in salesforce.com.

USER MENU : User menu is available at the top with username. In User menu we can change our profile settings, my settings.To log out from account click your Account name .

APPLICATION MENU : Application menu is shown at the top right listing the set of applications. This menu allows to shuffle between the applications. Please observe some of the pre built applications available in salesforce.com. With free account salesforce.com has some sample applications with some sample data and implementations.

SEARCH MENU : Search menu help to search  in salesforce.com.

SIDEBAR MENU : Inside bar menu we have different sections like Administrations, Build, Monitor, jobs, logs.

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