Apex Coding Best Practices

Here are some common best practices for writing high-quality and maintainable Apex code in Salesforce:

1. Governor Limits Awareness:

Understand Limits: Be acutely aware of all Governor limits (e.g., heap size, CPU time, query rows).
Optimize Queries: Use efficient SOQL queries (e.g., bind variables, WHERE clauses, LIMIT clauses).
Bulkify Code: Process records in batches (e.g., using `Database.Batchable`) to avoid exceeding limits.
Asynchronous Processing: Utilize asynchronous methods like `Future` and Queueable to distribute processing load.

2. Code Organization and Readability:

Meaningful Names: Use descriptive names for classes, methods, and variables (e.g., `AccountContactRelationManager` instead of `ACR`).
Comments: Add clear and concise comments to explain complex logic or non-obvious code sections.
Proper Indentation and Spacing: Use consistent indentation and spacing to improve code readability.
Break Down Complexity: Divide large methods into smaller, more manageable methods with specific responsibilities.

3. Error Handling and Testing:

Robust Error Handling: Implement proper error handling using `try-catch` blocks to gracefully handle exceptions.
Unit Tests: Write comprehensive unit tests for all Apex classes to ensure code quality and prevent regressions.
Test Coverage: Aim for high test coverage (ideally 75% or higher) to ensure that your code is thoroughly tested.

4. Security Best Practices:

Field-Level Security: Leverage field-level security to restrict access to sensitive data.
Object-Level Security: Control object-level access to prevent unauthorized data modification.
Role Hierarchy: Utilize role hierarchy to define access levels for different user roles.
Sharing Rules: Implement sharing rules to grant access to data based on specific criteria.

5. Performance Optimization:

Avoid Unnecessary DML Operations: Minimize the number of DML operations (e.g., `insert`, `update`, `delete`) to improve performance.
Optimize Database Calls: Reduce the number of database calls by using bulkification and caching techniques.
Use Static Resources: Store and retrieve static resources efficiently.
Consider Database Triggers: Use database triggers judiciously and optimize their performance.

6. Best Practices for Triggers:

Use `BEFORE` Triggers Sparingly: Avoid modifying records in `BEFORE` triggers whenever possible.
Use `AFTER` Triggers for Complex Logic: Handle complex business logic in `AFTER` triggers.
Bulkify Trigger Logic: Process records in batches within triggers to prevent exceeding limits.

7. Keep Code Updated:

Regularly Review and Refactor: Periodically review and refactor your code to improve performance, maintainability, and security.
Stay Updated with Salesforce Releases: Keep up-to-date with new Salesforce features and best practices.

By following these best practices, you can write high-quality, maintainable, and scalable Apex code that meets the needs of your Salesforce organization.