Setup Visual Studio Code IDE for Salesforce Development

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This article covers the step by step instructions to setup Visual Studio Code (VSC)  as an IDE for Salesforce Development. Originally VSC only worked with SFDX projects but now it supports general salesforce development as well as SFDX projects. This article only covers general salesforce development (connecting to a sandbox / developer org ). In a follow up article we will cover some exciting features of this new IDE.

Why VSC?
  • Officially supported IDE by Salesforce.
  • Eclipse IDE is no longer supported.
  • VSC is open source, light weight and enables rapid force.com development.
  • Rich debugging capabilities.
References and further details: https://forcedotcom.github.io/salesforcedx-vscode/articles/getting-started/install

Step 1:  Install Visual Studio Code

Java 8 is required. Make sure you download the latest from here https://www.java.com/en/download/.

Install VSC from the link https://code.visualstudio.com/ . Note that version 26 and higher is required. If you are running a older version, just download and install the latest from the link.

Step 2:  Install the  Salesforce Extension Pack

Install from the link https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=salesforce.salesforcedx-vscode or just search for the extension directly in the IDE as shown below.

Note that since I have already installed the extension the button shows up as 'Uninstall' for me. If doing for the first time, this should show as 'Install'.


Step 3: Create a new project with Manifest

Open the command palette (press Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows or Linux, or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS) and enter the command 'SFDX: Create Project with Manifest'

If you do not see the option ('Create Project with Manifest'), you might try restarting your IDE or verify if all per-requisites are met.

Step 4: Authorize an Org

Open the command palette (press Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows or Linux, or Cmd+Shift+P on macOS) and enter the command 'SFDX: Authorize an Org'