Safety first

Before we go any further, let's talk about safety. Safety is certainly not a normal topic when discussing a programming language, but like we said, Apex is unlike any other language. Apex is intrinsically tied to the Salesforce1 Platform, a platform which businesses use to run their operations and track critical pieces of data. Apex is extremely powerful, and we all know what comes with great power. With this in mind, we want to make sure that while this book might teach you enough to be dangerous, you will pose no danger to anyone.

Writing code directly to an in-use Production environment is not a good idea. At best, you might inconvenience and annoy some users. At worst, you might make an error that brings your company to a standstill. It is for this reason that all paying customers of salesforce.com receive an included Sandbox environment. This Sandbox is an exact copy of your Production org's configuration, code, and other metadata. If you have a complex development process or multiple developers, you can purchase additional sandboxes with your subscription. You can even purchase a Full Sandbox, which not only includes your metadata but also all your data.

To ensure that your code is not destructive, the Salesforce1 Platform does not permit Apex code to be written directly to a paying subscriber's Production org. This means that you must write your code to a Sandbox org or a Developer Edition org. In later chapters, we will discuss the requirements, process, and tools to deploy your code to a Production environment. If you skipped the previous page, go back and sign up for a free Developer Edition of the Salesforce1 Platform. Now, buckle up because we're about to get technical!