24.1 Why APEXlang Matters

APEXlang lets you decide when to work in the browser with App Builder and when to use external tools.

Before APEXlang, external editing of APEX applications was not supported. SQL exports worked well for source control, but application settings were represented as internal API calls and numerical IDs. Readable YAML simplified reviews and diffs, but it was not an editable import format.

APEXlang provides the best of both worlds. You can continue to use App Builder for visual and declarative development, and use external tools when they fit the task. SQLcl can export, import, and validate applications from the command line or in scripts. In Visual Studio Code, the SQL Developer extension can help you export, edit, validate, and import applications while showing validation problems proactively.

Tip:

For more information, see the.APEXlang Language Reference and the APEXlang Atlas interactive learning tool.