Refactor Apex Code

The Apex extension for VS Code has several useful tools for refactoring your Apex code.

Refactor: Rename

You can rename any valid Apex symbol defined in your source: methods, locals, fields, properties, constructors, or types (classes, triggers, or enums). To perform a rename, right-click the symbol that you want to rename and select Rename Symbol.

GIF showing the symbol renaming process

Validation of the new symbol name is performed before applying the rename. If the validation fails, an error message explains the reason why the rename refactoring couldn’t be applied. Validation fails if the new name isn’t a valid Apex identifier or, sometimes, if the new name conflicts with an existing identifier name. (If these situations were allowed, a compiler error or a runtime behavior change could result.)

GIF showing a renaming error

If the new name conflicts with an existing identifier name, we try to fully qualify the references to the existing name in contexts where the conflicts exist.

GIF showing a renaming conflict

Refactor: Extract Constant

You can extract literals into constants. Literals include: String, Integer, Long, Double, Decimal, and Boolean.

In the editor, select an expression that you want to extract.
Click the lightbulb in the gutter and select ‘Extract Constant’.
The new constant is declared as a field in the containing class from where the refactoring was invoked.
The selected expression should now be replaced with the name of the new field.

GIF showing extract constant

Refactor: Extract Local Variable

You can extract expressions into local variables.

In the editor, select an expression that you want to extract.
Click the lightbulb in the gutter and select ‘Extract Variable’.
The new local variable is declared in the line above the declaration where the refactoring was invoked.
The selected expression should now be replaced with the name of the new local variable.

GIF showing extract local variable other