Salesforce coding lessons for the 99%Finally, Apex tutorials for point-and-click admins! Written by a self-taught Google engineer.
Salesforce coding lessons for the 99%
Every programming tutorial ever made has a point where all the content suddenly spikes up in complexity. You probably know exactly what I’m talking about.
That point is usually where readers lose faith, give up, and put their goals and dreams on hold.
I’m trying very hard to avoid that scenario – so much so that I’m budgeting time to redo any tutorials I have made in the past to make them easier to absorb.
But I need your help!
In what chapter of SFDC did things get too complex for comfort? I promise I won’t be offended – I just need to know from a learner’s perspective so I can improve the site!
David
THANK YOU everyone for your comments!!!
Seriously no need to feel bad about any tips you have for me, I consider them a gift! I’ll be compiling a list of upcoming changes that I’ll be implementing as a result of your suggestions!
Please keep them coming!
I don’t know why it missed the controller code
Here it is again
Location Table
<!–
–>
Hi david,
Want to display a picklist (Dependant and Controlling) on a VF page.
Controller
========
public with sharing class locationController{
public list locationList{get;set;}
public locationController(){
locationList = [Select ID, Country__c, City__c
From Locations__c];
}
}
VF Page
=======
Location Table
<!–
–>
=====================
No record is displayed. I have values in both the fields but still its not showing on a vf page and also i ran the query in a dev console, no record fetched there also.
Your thoughts?
Regards,
Sanjay
This one’s a good candidate for the forums =)
https://www.sfdc99.com/forums/forum/beginning-apex/
Hi,
The site is great :-D
Maybe have a forum so people can have their own projects and trouble-shoot with their peers. I find any lesson makes more sense if its in context to the user and a forum allows people to start thinking about other peoples code and how they approach it. Also this may help people to understand the data model as well as the logic.
Thanks again!
This is a great suggestion!
My worry is that people can always use the official forums and probably get a quicker response:
https://developer.salesforce.com/forums/#!/feedtype=RECENT&criteria=OPENQUESTIONS
Would you still prefer forums here even knowing the above exists? If so let me know and why!
I think that it would be great having a forum here, and these are the reasons I feel it would still serve a great need despite the official forum:
Compared to the official forums, the SFDC99 community is a lot smaller and feels a lot more like family. It’s mostly repeat visitors with a common quest – learning to code. This means that I am more likely to contribute to a question asked on a forum here, without feeling like I don’t know much and might embarrass myself by making a lame attempt. Everyone here is learning!
This also means that I would not make the presumption that there are many experts out so I should just leave it to them.
Because of the familiarity between SFDC99 readers, being able to help solve someone’s problem would actually result in a higher sense of personal gratification compared to doing so on the general forums. It will feel like helping a friend you know.
Lastly, everyone has been asking for more practice problems. A forum presents the opportunity for readers to have real world problems we can work on without putting the burden on you.
What do you think?
How can I say no to you Felix? =)
I’ll get a forum started and we’ll see how it goes!
Thanks David! And thanks to you Shaun, for the idea.
Sorry I missed the updates, I have been moving jobs and on leave. Needless to say I am glad you both agree and very pleased to see its been implemented so quickly!
Felix provided the justifications perfectly, echoing my own thoughts precisely. The ‘standard’ forums serve a purpose and are invaluable, but an SFDC99 forum does strengthen the feeling of community.
Great job :-D
Hi David,
I agree with everyone else that your website is awesome and truly a GIFT to us!! just like one of the earlier posts, I get started on chapter one and the next thing I know I’ve stopped at chapter 2. this website is very valuable to me as I have a job as a “jr” developer. lately I have been learning the administrative side but now I want to concentrate on coding. I can follow along pretty easily except for knowing how to write the syntax. I have tried using the Java book you recommended but its hard to follow.
oh well, that’s my $.02 but again, overall i think your website is fantastic!
Let me clarify:
Your blog is terrific as it is! You are seriously making such great change in an incredible way.
Yours posts teach so much info in a clear, fun and concise way.
That being said, since you asked:
My difficulties kicked in at Chapter 3 when the ideas became a bit more abstract and harder to understand where they fit in.
That is why I suggested taking one trigger and using it for all examples so we can see the usage of it.
Thanks for your hard work!
“It’s not you…it’s me”.
I get all motivated, set aside time each day to….”Squirrel!” Next thing I know…two months have gone by…
I agree with others, more quizzes; maybe a mini-project or two.
All that said…very much appreciative of all the hard work you do!
Hi David,
It is really hard to put my way-back hat on and openly say what it feels like to be a first-time coder but I think you already are making things clear and easy to comprehend and absorb.
I do not want to speak for everyone but I wonder if some and maybe even most are looking for a complete Build-an-App feature on your site. For example, back in the day of VB3, I was learning even driven development for the first time and I noticed that when I gave myself an app to build I learned so much more. Back then they had a media called VHS, Beta and even Laser Disk (big suckers). I created a movie tracking app for my father. Well, he never used the app but I entered the data and gave him printouts that allowed him to find the movies by category, title, and actor. What kind of app can the average person build today and make use of for tracking something! :)
Hello David,
I am a regular student as I always read this site everyday. I am addicted to the code right now. I can say that you are my symbol and it is hard to find someone who sacrificed the time for others like you. Thanks a million.
I am like Rachel, I have read the lessons from the beginning 2 times already. It does not mean that your lessons are not well prepared but I only want to understand clearly all the points explained. Also, my zero background in coding is a major problem to unspderstand.
I have difficulties understanding the last two chapters. May be i don’t understand enough the first to sixth chapter.
I also would like to have more quizzes especially the coding sections and the explanations on each solution would be very helpful.
You have done a perfect job already. If you have no time to redesign the lesson, just keep it as it is.
I can say as a beginner , your site is the best on earth for me to learn. I have never found such a kind person like you. You are my idol.
No word to say how I admire your kindness.
Best regards,
Lol @ How to draw an owl! I absolutely love how you infuse humor with the serious stuff.
For me, the tutorials are fine and simple enough to understand. What I need now is as much practice exercises as possible, to make things stick. Salesforce is not used in my current job and I have never worked with the platform previously, so it is sort of difficult thinking up practice exercises that resemble real world scenarios. I am however going to do my best to find practice exercises any way I can as there is only so much demand we can put on you.
Thank you so very much for your commitment to SFDC99 and your readers. I am determined to complete the summer challenge.
david, you are seriously an angel! I totally love your blog but i understand what you mean. For me, i had to sometime start from the beginning and read everything again to fully understand it. I am still somewhat lost from chapter 3 and on – not sure if i am alone in this.
perhaps i can ask for those of us who have finished and will be reviewing your changes, if you can somehow make them as a separate post so we can compare… Also, maybe you can take one trigger such as the one you have in the first chapter, and develop it as per all the techniques you teach us throughout all your poats. Sometimes i felt it hard to relate what you were saying because i wasnt sure how to rekate it to the previous things i have learnt.
Let me clarify please:
Your site is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G as it is! Seriously – you are changing and impacting so many people.
You teach such valuable info in a clear, fun and concise manner!
That being said, since you asked….:-)
P.S. You motivated me to get my act together and finally got DEV401 Certified!