The results of our SF Ben Developer Survey are in, and we’ve gathered fascinating insights into today’s Salesforce Developers, including the top five coding languages being used.
For developers working within the Salesforce ecosystem, mastering certain coding languages is crucial to customize and extend the platform’s capabilities. In this article, we’ll cover the top five coding languages, their key features, and use cases. Don’t forget to check out our Salesforce Developer Survey results.
1. Apex
It should come as no surprise that Apex ranks as the number one coding language used by Salesforce Developers! Apex is a proprietary programming language developed by Salesforce. It is specifically designed for building applications on the Salesforce platform and is similar to Java in terms of syntax and structure.
Key Features
- Integration with Salesforce: Apex is tightly integrated with the Salesforce environment, allowing developers to write custom business logic directly on the platform.
- Database Operations: Apex provides direct access to Salesforce’s data model, making it easy to perform complex database operations.
- Triggers and Classes: Developers can use Apex to write triggers, which are scripts that execute in response to specific events, and classes to encapsulate code logic.
- Governance Limits: Apex enforces strict limits to ensure that code runs efficiently and does not monopolize shared resources.
Use Cases
- Custom Business Logic: Automating business processes, such as lead conversion or order fulfillment.
- Data Manipulation: Creating complex queries and updates to Salesforce data.
- Integration: Connecting Salesforce with external systems through REST or SOAP APIs.
If you’re interested in learning to code with Apex, don’t miss our course Apex Academy: A-Z of Salesforce Apex! It will teach you the fundamentals needed to start coding successfully. It’s perfect for beginners, including admins wanting to learn to code or aspiring Salesforce Developers.
2. JavaScript
JavaScript is a versatile, high-level programming language that is essential for web development. It is code that allows a web browser, such as Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, to do all the custom and enhanced functionality that Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) can’t do alone on a website. Approximately 99% of all websites use JavaScript to enhance their performance! In the context of Salesforce, it is primarily used for front-end development.
Key Features
- Interactivity: JavaScript enables dynamic and interactive user interfaces.
- Lightning Components: Salesforce’s Lightning Component framework relies heavily on JavaScript for client-side logic.
- Event Handling: JavaScript can manage user events, such as clicks and form submissions, enhancing user experience.
Use Cases
- Lightning Web Components (LWC): Building responsive and reusable components for Salesforce apps.
- Visualforce Pages: Enhancing Visualforce pages with dynamic behaviors and AJAX calls.
- Salesforce Mobile SDK: Developing mobile apps that integrate with Salesforce.
Looking to learn JavaScript? We’ve got a course for that. In our Introduction to JavaScript course, you’ll learn how to read and write fundamental JavaScript code and how to use variables, operators, loops, collections, and functions.
3. HTML
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is the standard language for creating web pages. It is used to structure content on the web and is foundational for web development.
Key Features
- Content Structuring: HTML provides the skeleton of web pages by defining elements like headings, paragraphs, links, and forms.
- Integration with CSS and JavaScript: HTML works in conjunction with CSS for styling and JavaScript for interactivity.
- SEO-Friendly: Proper use of HTML tags can enhance Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Use Cases
- Visualforce Pages: Creating custom user interfaces in Salesforce using HTML.
- Lightning Components: Defining the structure of components in Lightning Web Components.
- Email Templates: Designing email templates for Salesforce campaigns and workflows.
4. CSS
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a style sheet language used for describing the presentation of a document written in HTML. It controls the layout, colors, fonts, and overall visual aesthetics of web pages.
Key Features
- Styling: CSS allows developers to apply styles to HTML elements, enhancing the look and feel of web pages.
- Responsiveness: CSS techniques like media queries enable responsive design, ensuring that web pages look good on various devices.
- Separation of Concerns: CSS helps maintain a separation between the content (HTML) and presentation (CSS), making maintenance easier.
Use Cases
- Visualforce and Lightning Pages: Styling components and pages within Salesforce.
- Branding: Customizing the appearance of Salesforce communities and portals to match corporate branding.
- User Interface Design: Enhancing the user experience by creating visually appealing and consistent designs.
5. Python
Python is a high-level, general-purpose programming language known for its readability and versatility. While not native to Salesforce development, it is often used for external integrations and data manipulation tasks. Python is also the most common language for AI engineering.
Key Features
- Ease of Use: Python’s simple syntax makes it accessible and easy to learn.
- Extensive Libraries: Python has a rich ecosystem of libraries and frameworks for tasks like data analysis, machine learning, and web development.
- Automation: Python is excellent for scripting and automating repetitive tasks.
Use Cases
- ETL Processes: Extracting, transforming, and loading data between Salesforce and other systems.
- Data Analysis: Performing complex data analysis and reporting on Salesforce data.
- Integration: Building middleware applications to integrate Salesforce with other enterprise systems.
Summary
Mastering these top five coding languages will enable you to leverage the full potential of the Salesforce platform. Whether it’s customizing business logic with Apex, creating dynamic user interfaces with JavaScript, structuring content with HTML, enhancing presentation with CSS, or integrating external systems with Python, each language plays a vital role in Salesforce development.
Interested in more insights? Download your copy of the SF Ben Developer Survey today.