DX Projects & Code Editor

Metaforce DX Projects provides a fast, lightweight desktop IDE specifically tailored for Salesforce development. It aligns 100% with standard Salesforce DX project structures on disk, allowing you to seamlessly work between Metaforce, VS Code, and git repositories.

Core Advantages

1. Native DX File Structure: Works directly with your local force-app/main/default directory. No proprietary project formats.
2. Dual-Pane Split Editing: Work on two files side-by-side (e.g., Apex Class and Test Class, or LWC HTML and JS) with independent editing and saving.
3. Dedicated Deploy to Org Flow: Deploy individual files or components directly to any target organization without complex CLI commands.
4. Side-by-Side Metadata Diff: Compare code and metadata across different orgs with selective visual merging.
5. Smart Manifest Builder: Point-and-click package.xml builder supporting 100+ metadata types with auto-detection of recent user changes.

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Code Editor Features

Dual-Pane Split Editing

Click the Split to Right button in the editor toolbar to open a secondary editing pane:

• Two Independent Editable Panes: Both the Left (main) and Right (split) panes are fully editable with independent tabs, syntax highlighting, and unsaved changes tracking.
• Active Pane Indicator: The action bar dynamically reflects and controls the currently focused pane (LEFT or RIGHT).
• Independent Save & Refresh: Easily test, inspect, and copy between classes or component files.

Dedicated Deploy to Org

Deploying files to another environment is a dedicated action in the toolbar:

1. Click Deploy to Org in the editor action bar.
2. The modal displays a clean Source File → Target Org routing view.
3. Metaforce remembers your preferred target org for each project (deploy_to_org_target).
4. Apex Test Execution:
   • For Production orgs, selecting Apex test classes is required by Salesforce to ensure safe deployment. Metaforce validates this before initiating the deployment.
   • For Sandboxes, Apex test execution is optional.
5. Metaforce automatically flushes pending in-memory edits to disk, packages the component (or full LWC bundle), and deploys via Salesforce Metadata API.

Side-by-Side Org Diffing

When comparing your local workspace with another sandbox or production environment:

• Click Diff With Another Org in the action bar.
• Inspect exact line-by-line additions, deletions, and modifications.
• Merge specific changes bidirectionally between your local file and the remote org.

Automated Code Formatting

Metaforce integrates industry-standard Prettier formatters:

• Apex Code & Triggers: Formatted via the official prettier-plugin-apex.
• JavaScript, TypeScript, CSS, XML: Formatted via standard Prettier engines.
• Shortcut:
  • macOS: Shift + Option + F
  • Windows: Shift + Alt + F

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Manifest XML Builder (package.xml)

Easily curate metadata packages for retrieval and deployment across 100+ Salesforce metadata types.

1. Manual Metadata Selection

Filter by metadata type (e.g. ApexClass, CustomObject, Flow, Layout), browse all remote components sorted by last modified date, and add components to your manifest with a single click.

2. Auto-Detect User Changes

Quickly find everything you or your teammates modified recently:

• Select a specific Salesforce user.
• Choose a start date (e.g., changes made in the last 7 days).
• Metaforce scans your org's metadata history across 100+ types and aggregates all modified items into your manifest automatically.

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Creating Metadata Components

You can scaffold new Salesforce metadata directly from the project explorer without leaving Metaforce:

• Apex Classes & Triggers: Scaffolding with standard templates.
• Lightning Web Components (LWC): Generates HTML, JS, and XML bundle structure.
• Aura Components: Full component bundle creation.
• Custom Objects & Fields: Point-and-click schema creation.