Force.com IDE

(Redirected from Force.com Toolkit for Eclipse)

Force.com IDE
Develop, test, and deploy applications on the Force.com platform
The Force.com IDE is a powerful client application for creating, modifying, testing and deploying Force.com applications. Based on the Eclipse platform, it provides a comfortable environment for programmers familiar with integrated development environments, allowing you to code, compile, test, and deploy all from within the IDE itself.

Check out the Installation section to get started immediately, or read An Introduction to the Force.com IDE.


Major Features

Apex Code  The Force.com IDE is the only tool you need to write and manage Apex classes and triggers. It locates syntax errors and displays inline auto-complete tips for Apex built-in objects. The Apex Test Runner executes unit tests and integrates error messages, debug output, and code coverage reports. Learn more about Apex.

Visualforce  Create and edit Visualforce pages, components, static resources, and controllers. Learn more about Visualforce.

Application Components  Download and edit all metadata components available in the Metadata API. Create Eclipse projects containing definitions of your Force.com schema, tabs, applications, and more! Edit these components directly in the IDE and changes are saved back to your organization automatically. Learn more about Metadata.

Development Lifecycle  Develop and test your project against a Sandbox or Developer Edition organization, then deploy the finished application into your production organization with the Deploy to Server wizard. Learn more about Enterprise Development.

Online Project Mode  Keep your local metadata files up to date with your Salesforce organization and easily detect and resolve conflicting changes.

Schema Explorer  View your Salesforce organization's schema and construct and execute SOQL queries from within the Force.com IDE. Similar to the Apex Explorer, the Schema Explorer shows information about all standard and custom objects and fields.

Code Share  Apply Force.com application lifecycle management best practices through integration with any Eclipse-enabled version control system. Teams can now collaborate on the development, testing and deployment of their PaaS applications.


What's New in Summer '10

The Summer '10 release of the Force.com IDE contains the following major new features:

  • Standalone Installer makes it easier than ever to get started with the Force.com IDE.
  • New Metadata Support for Summer '10 adds Remote Site Settings, Article Types, and Article Type Layouts, as well as enhancements to a number of existing metadata types.
  • Force.com Library for Summer '10 lets you read and search the latest Force.com technical documentation from within Eclipse online help.

See the Summer '10 Release Notes for a full description.


Installation

Start developing applications today with the Force.com IDE. Sign up for a free Developer Edition account, then follow the Force.com IDE installation instructions below.


Resources

An Introduction to the Force.com IDE

Release Notes

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

An Introduction to Metadata and Development as a Service

Deploy Force.com Applications to Production Faster

Localizing with the Force.com IDE (PDF)

Community Discussion Board