Apex Developer Guide

Apex Developer Guide
Release Notes
Getting Started with Apex
Writing Apex
Running Apex
Debugging, Testing, and Deploying Apex
Apex Reference
Appendices
Apex Versioned Behavior Changes
Shipping Invoice Example
Reserved Keywords
Documentation Typographical Conventions
PDF

Note: This release is in preview. Features described here don’t become generally available until the latest general availability date that Salesforce announces for this release. Before then, and where features are noted as beta, pilot, or developer preview, we can’t guarantee general availability within any particular time frame or at all. Make your purchase decisions only on the basis of generally available products and features.

Documentation Typographical Conventions

Apex and Visualforce documentation uses these typographical conventions.
Convention Description
Courier font In descriptions of syntax, a monospace font indicates items that you should type as shown, except for brackets. For example: Public class HelloWorld
Italics In descriptions of syntax, italics represent variables. You supply the actual value. In the following example, three values must be supplied: datatype variable_name [ = value];

If the syntax is bold and italic, the text represents a code element that needs a value supplied by you, such as a class name or variable value:

public static class YourClassHere { ... }
Bold Courier font In code samples and syntax descriptions, a bold courier font emphasizes a portion of the code or syntax.
< > In descriptions of syntax, less-than and greater-than symbols (< >) are typed exactly as shown. For an example, see Angle brackets (< >) typed exactly as shown.
{ } In descriptions of syntax, braces ({ }) are typed exactly as shown. For an example, see Braces ({ }) typed exactly as shown.
[ ] In descriptions of syntax, anything included in brackets is optional. In the following example, specifying value is optional. For an example, see Brackets ([ ]) indicating optional items.
| In descriptions of syntax, the pipe sign means “or”. You can do one of the following (not all). In the following example, you can create a new unpopulated set in one of two ways, or you can populate the set. For an example, see Pipe symbol (|) meaning “or”.

Angle brackets (< >) typed exactly as shown

1<apex:pageBlockTable value="{!account.Contacts}" var="contact">
2   <apex:column value="{!contact.Name}"/>
3   <apex:column value="{!contact.MailingCity}"/>
4   <apex:column value="{!contact.Phone}"/>
5</apex:pageBlockTable>

Braces ({ }) typed exactly as shown

1<apex:page>
2    Hello {!$User.FirstName}!
3</apex:page>

Brackets ([ ]) indicating optional items

1data_type variable_name [ = value];

Pipe symbol (|) meaning "or"

1Set<data_type> set_name 
2   [= new Set<data_type>();] |
3   [= new Set<data_type{value [, value2. . .] };] |
4   ;