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%
I know you’re all just as eager as I am to take the next Apex Academy course!
Apex Academy #1 has been a massive success! It’s achieving my dream, which is to personally mentor Salesforce dreamers just like you and give you the hands-on, real-world training you need to reach your coding dreams!
I know your hopes and dreams are on the line when you take a risk and go for something big in your career. And that’s what motivates me as I record every line in course #2.
You see, Apex Academy is the soul of SFDC99, and, SFDC99 is the chicken noodle soup for my soul.
Anway, I thought I’d take a quick break from recording to help answer some of your questions! Feel free to ask more in the comments, I’ll add them to the main post!
What will you be teaching in Apex Academy #2?
Great question! Apex Academy #2 goes deep into core coding concepts such as variables, IF statements, loops, SOQL, etc. Basically all the tools that you’ll be using on a daily basis when coding.
Most importantly, you get a HUGE power spike after watching this course! You learn how to do things you’ve never been able to do without code – and may not have been possible!
What’s the teaching style of this course?
The best thing students will need at this point is to become immersed in code – there will be LOTS of code samples and deep, deep, demos. Some parts of the course will feel like watching a livestream of a coder as he/she builds on top of Salesforce. Of course, the whole thing will be narrated too!
How long will this course be?
So far the course is looking to literally be three times longer than I anticipated. We try to keep each course to be ~2 hours… we really are leaving no stone unturned here! It’s important to me that you watch the course without any major lingering questions, as that mental debt builds up over time.
When will the course be available?
Since there’s about 3x more content than we originally planned, the course is taking longer than expected! (Don’t worry, I’ve been working extremely hard on it!)
Right now we’re deciding between splitting the course into two, or, keeping it as one bigger course and launching around the May timeframe. Would love to get your opinions here too!
What should I do while waiting for the course to arrive?
Check out these other courses I recommend on Pluralsight!
Aside from that, I strongly recommend re-watching Apex Academy #1 to make sure you’re fully ready to learn the new concepts in #2.
Do I need to watch Apex Academy #1 before proceeding to #2?
Technically, no. However, I strongly, strongly recommend doing so as I assume you understand all concepts in #1 and I don’t need to reteach it. It’s a fun course to watch too so there’s not much to lose!
Even if you have prior programming experience, I still recommend watching #1 since it talks about Salesforce and Apex specific quirks!
Check out the full Apex Academy #1 course here!
How many courses do you have planned on Pluralsight?
10 courses! Of those ten, at least 5 fall under the Apex Academy umbrella. Aside from Apex Academy, the biggest area I want to tackle is certifications.
I’m not in a financial situation to to access this course. Do you still have scholarships available?
Yes, of course! I love to help out those in need – your dreams are just as important (if not more) than anyone else’s! In fact, this was one of the main reasons I started the Apex Academy!
In particular, my goal right now is to help out those in financial need, and, veterans or people involved in veteran services. Family members of veterans included!
Email me at sfdc99.mailbag@gmail.com for more info on how you could be selected.
I’ve given out over 50 scholarships so far and hope to be able to continue this even more!
Hope this helps answer some of the questions you have on mind! I’ll be answering more as they come in!
Thank you!
David
MAY UPDATE: I ended up splitting the course into two to go into more depth on the “fundamentals” part of the Academy – didn’t want to skimp out on this! Course #3 will come out sooner now because of this, and, I’m taking a few months off of work! Cheers! –David
Hi David,
First of all, thank you for all your efforts. I started leaning Salesforce development by watching Apex academy on Plural Sight.
I have a doubt, may be you can help. Following code is for Opportunity Price war challenge to identify leading competitor with the most expensive price. Please suggest me why this is not working.
trigger LeadingCompetitorNewCode on Opportunity (before insert, before update) {
ListlistPrice = new List();
ListlistCompetitor = new List();
For(Opportunity objOpty : Trigger.new)
{
//add competitor prices
listPrice.add(objOpty.Competitor_1_Price__c);
listPrice.add(objOpty.Competitor_2_Price__c);
listPrice.add(objOpty.Competitor_3_Price__c);
//add competitor names
listCompetitor.add(objOpty.Competitor_1__c);
listCompetitor.add(objOpty.Competitor_2__c);
listCompetitor.add(objOpty.Competitor_2__c);
//Pick the least expensive competitor
/*Decimal lowestPrice = null;
String leadingCompetitor;
for(Integer i=0; i listPrice.get(i))
{
lowestPrice = listPrice.get(i);
leadingCompetitor = listCompetitor.get(i);
}
}*/
//Pick the most expensive competitor
Decimal highestPrice = null;
String leadingCompetitor;
for(Integer i=0; i highestPrice)
{
highestPrice = currentPrice;
leadingCompetitor = listCompetitor.get(i);
}
}
objOpty.Leading__c = leadingCompetitor;
}
}
There is definitely something is wrong in this code, which i am not able to identify. Thanks.
Sorry, this is the right code that i am using and its not working,
trigger LeadingCompetitorNewCode on Opportunity (before insert, before update) {
ListlistPrice = new List();
ListlistCompetitor = new List();
For(Opportunity objOpty : Trigger.new)
{
//add competitor prices
listPrice.add(objOpty.Competitor_1_Price__c);
listPrice.add(objOpty.Competitor_2_Price__c);
listPrice.add(objOpty.Competitor_3_Price__c);
//add competitor names
listCompetitor.add(objOpty.Competitor_1__c);
listCompetitor.add(objOpty.Competitor_2__c);
listCompetitor.add(objOpty.Competitor_2__c);
//Pick the least expensive competitor
/*Decimal lowestPrice = null;
String leadingCompetitor;
for(Integer i=0; i listPrice.get(i))
{
lowestPrice = listPrice.get(i);
leadingCompetitor = listCompetitor.get(i);
}
}*/
//Pick the most expensive competitor
Decimal highestPrice = null;
String leadingCompetitor;
for(Integer i=0; i highestPrice)
{
highestPrice = currentPrice;
leadingCompetitor = listCompetitor.get(i);
}
}
objOpty.Leading__c = leadingCompetitor;
}
}
Hi David,
I am currently following your Apex Academy #2. I am currently at the Opprotunity Price Wars: Demo Introduction part. Here we have to create custom fields under the Competitive information section on the Opportunity page layout. I have created all the fields with their respective data types and field names. But here which data type should i choose for the Leading competitor field. I cant choose a picklist here as it should automatically populate the field based on the best price. I chose lookup relationship on Opportunity object for the Leading Competitor field. Am i right?
I know this might be a silly question but at this point my mind is frozen. I want to clear this before i move ahead. Thanks.
Looking forward to your valuable reply, if possible with explanation. Thanks.
No worries – you can use either a text (255) or picklist field. Apex treats both the same way. Good luck!
(Lookup won’t work because a lookup needs to point to another object, and the way the exercise is defined, a competitor is a picklist value, not an object)
Thanks David. I was visualizing a Competitor custom object with the competitor and competitor price fields. Now it is clear. I have to create the fields in the opportunity object.
When I was at 0:23 in the video, the screen shows the opportunity record layout, where we need to enter the values, I saw the Leading competitor field was blank, but the Competitor 1,2,3 had picklist and competitor prices had text box (currency) fields next to them, then I was thinking which field type should be ‘Leading competitor’ as the field next to it is blank (means it is pulling the value from other field, which means it should have a relationship. This was going at the back of my mind)? Then started confusion, I was thinking a lot, so I thought its better asking you.
Thanks for your reply David.
Dear David,
I just finished Apex Academy 1 on PluralSight. I cannot begin to thank you enough for that effort. Your common sense approach, encouraging attitude and patience make you an outstanding teacher. I cannot wait for Apex Academy 2. Do you have tentative timelines for when you might be able to release it?
I am a SFDC Admin certified and my career goal to to become a Salesforce Architect. Your course is the best thing that could have happened in pursuit of that goal.
Thanks again!!
Course is done and will be up any day now!!
Hi David,
Thanks for all that you do to help people learn all things SFDC. The first module of Apex Academy was great and can’t wait to see more. I would prefer smaller more regular releases of content so that it is easier to stay consistent with learning the material. Can’t wait to see the next module of Apex Academy!
Just an Awesome, have seen so many Teachers and Mentors but You will remain ‘The Best’. Thanks is just not enough for the hard work you are putting in to guide as many of us. Hope I get to meet You at least once. It will be a dream come true.
Thank you Rahul =)
David
Thanks David…….
Eagerly waiting for the release ! You are a true inspiration David !
Thank You David for all your hard work that you are putting in to prepare these excellent courses. Trust me, this is the best course that I have ever completed on a single stretch with lots of interest. You have a mesmerizing voice.
My vote is to split the course and releasing it early would be better so that we can complete the course while you are working on the next module. I can’t wait anymore.
But its up to your decision as you know the best. You are the boss and mentor :)
Great job again
Thank you Harsha!
Looking forward to Apex Academy # 2 .. How about a course with a case study on how to build something from client requirements to a solution based on salesforce .
Thank You so much David! =)
Hey David, please keep it all under one gigantic course broken into sections vs. having more than one course. Having everything under one roof for now just works. I think once the course starts to develop, splitting may be re-evaluated at that time. Thank you for all of your hard work, you are a true inspiration and a great motivator!
Thank you Yazz! Don’t worry I plan to keep everything under the “Apex Academy” umbrella!
Thank you so much for this announcement…..
My pleasure!
Hi David,
Thanks again for all your hard work. Can you tell us how many courses you think there will be total to complete the academy?
Thanks!
Great question! Adding to the main post.
There will be at least 5 in the Apex Academy. Overall I have 10 courses planned!
Hi David,
Thanks again for all your hard work. Can you tell us how many course you think there might be total, in the end?
Thanks!
Keep on rollin Dave!
Hi David you are doing a great job, Splitting the course is a good idea so that we complete the part which is completed and we will wait for the remaining part till may.. Thank you.
Thanks so much for all the hard work and thoughtfulness you are putting into these lessons.
Cheers
I say release it as 2 parts, by releasing the first part, you can take your time on the second part.
Also, thanks for all your hard work David. Highly appreciated.
My vote: Split it up!
The advantage is obvious: we can start now!
Hook them up: At the end of part 1, continue to part 2. At the start of part 2, mention part 1.
It’s just awesome! Can’t wait.
Much appreciated your hard work David!