Apex Code Scanner has been part of the Salesforce products since its inception and is the most ubiquitous and relied upon tool for day-to-day Apex programming. As can be expected, it has seen a lot of change over time as development best practices have changed and new features have been added. The latest version of the Apex Code Scanner has again seen a major overhaul and is better than ever!
The following is a quick rundown on the main features and enhancements in the Apex Code scanner:
- Enhanced Code Analysis – This is different from earlier versions in that it focuses more on developer productivity, assisting the developer in real-time during code development. The new scanner considerably increases developer efficiency by analyzing code in real-time and providing error-free, optimized code for immediate execution.
- New Formatting Engine allows coders to format their source code using one of five formatting profiles, including Salesforce Classic, Google, Clang, Solarized Dark, and Solarized Light.
- Code Formatting allows you to indent your code according to preferred style guidelines for each language.
- Parameter Hints – This feature assists the developer by suggesting hints about parameter names based on the context of the usage in the source code. It allows you to quickly navigate to the right usage of a parameter.
- Code Completion – This feature, as expected, completes your code for you as you type it. It will suggest names and phrases within the context of your current development environment and language. With this feature available, developers can now carry out their programming tasks more efficiently and in less time.
- Code Analytics – With this feature, the scanner will now display a count of lines of code for your class and method and a time analysis for each task you do, which makes it easier to manage large projects as well as individual tasks.
- HTML Documentation – This handy feature allows you to create HTML documentation for your Apex classes.
- Customizable Keyboard Shortcuts – This feature enables coders to customize their keyboard patterns to match their coding style and preferences. It also helps the user switch between the Visual Studio, Eclipse, and IntelliJ keymaps with ease.
- Organized Code Folding – This feature allows developers to collapse their code, making it easier to work with and edit. It does this by grouping similar or related pieces of code into collapsible folders that can be expanded and collapsed as required.
- Code Cleanup – This feature cleans up your code for you by removing redundancies like empty lines, comments, and unnecessary semicolons.
In conclusion, the new Apex Code Scanner is a major improvement over the previous versions. It now includes many features apart from what it already had, making it an essential tool for Salesforce developers.
