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force-dev-tool

Command line tool supporting the Force.com development lifecycle

Disclaimer

Reduced maintenance for force-dev-tool

force-dev-tool has been created in 2015 trying to provide a CLI for developers to do deployments leveraging Version Control Systems because i felt a need to improve the painful Software Development Lifecycle for Salesforce.

Fortunately times have changed.

If you're looking for a modern Software Development Lifecycle for Salesforce please get familiar with Salesforce DX and use the official Salesforce CLI (a.k.a. sfdx-cli).

Install

$ npm install --global force-dev-tool

Usage

$ force-dev-tool --help
force-dev-tool.

Usage:
  force-dev-tool <command> [<args>...]
  force-dev-tool -h | --help
  force-dev-tool --version

Options:
  -h --help       Show this screen.
  --version       Show version.

Commands:
  help            Print help for a command or in general
  remote          Manage orgs (list, add, remove, set default, set password)
  login           Login using Metadata API and show login URL
  fetch           Fetch describe information from a remote
  info            Show describe information from a remote
  package         Generate a package.xml file from local describe information
  retrieve        Retrieve metadata specified in package.xml
  deploy          Deploy metadata specified in a package.xml
  test            Execute unit tests
  changeset       Create a changeset/deployment from a unified diff input or cli args
  query           Execute a SOQL query returing JSON
  bulk            (alpha) Import/export data in CSV format using the bulk API
  execute         (alpha) Execute anonymous Apex

See 'force-dev-tool help <command>' for more information on a specific command.

Examples

Managing remote environments

$ force-dev-tool remote add mydev user pass --default
$ force-dev-tool remote add build user pass2
$ force-dev-tool remote add production user pass3 https://login.salesforce.com

Validating credentials for a given remote (optional)

$ force-dev-tool login mydev
Logged in successfully to remote mydev.
Use the following URL to open Salesforce in your web browser:

https://mynamespace.my.salesforce.com/secur/frontdoor.jsp?sid=REDACTED

Building a manifest

Fetch various information from the remote first

$ force-dev-tool fetch --progress
Fetching from remote mydev
API Versions
Available Metadata Types
Folders
Metadata Components
RecordTypes of PersonAccount
Active Flow versions
Created config/mydev-fetch-result.json
Fetching remotes finished.

Now generate a package.xml file based on the fetched information

$ force-dev-tool package -a
Created src/package.xml

In order to exclude certain metadata components from being added to the package.xml file, add patterns (similar to .gitignore) to .forceignore. See here for some sane default rules.

Retrieving metadata

$ force-dev-tool retrieve
Retrieving from remote mydev to directory src
Succeeded

Creating deployments

1. By explicitly listing metadata files or metadata components

$ echo "" | force-dev-tool changeset create vat src/pages/AccountExtensionVAT.page CustomField/Account.VAT__c

2. By providing a unified diff (e.g. git diff). Tweak the git diff command with --ignore-space-at-eol or --ignore-all-space to ignore space changes.

$ git diff --no-renames master feature/vat | force-dev-tool changeset create vat

Both approaches lead to the following result

Manifest:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Package xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
 <types>
     <members>Account.VAT__c</members>
     <name>CustomField</name>
 </types>
 <types>
     <members>AccountExtensionVAT</members>
     <name>ApexPage</name>
 </types>
 <version>38.0</version>
</Package>

exported metadata container to config/deployments/vat

Creating destructive deployments (reverting changes)

1. By explicitly listing metadata files or metadata components

$ echo "" | force-dev-tool changeset create undo-vat --destructive src/pages/AccountExtensionVAT.page CustomField/Account.VAT__c

2. By providing a unified diff (e.g. git diff)

$ git diff --no-renames feature/vat master | force-dev-tool changeset create undo-vat

Both approaches lead to the following result

Manifest:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Package xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
 <version>38.0</version>
</Package>

Destructive Manifest:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Package xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
 <types>
     <members>Account.VAT__c</members>
     <name>CustomField</name>
 </types>
 <types>
     <members>AccountExtensionVAT</members>
     <name>ApexPage</name>
 </types>
</Package>

exported metadata container to config/deployments/undo-vat

Deploying metadata

$ force-dev-tool deploy --help
Usage:
  force-dev-tool deploy [options] [<remote>]

Deploy metadata specified in a package.xml.

Options:
  -c --checkOnly           Perform a test deployment (validation).
  -t --test                Run local tests.
  --runTests=<classNames>  Names of test classes (one argument, separated by whitespace).
  --runAllTests            Run all tests including tests of managed packages.
  --purgeOnDelete          Don't store deleted components in the recycle bin.
  --noSinglePackage        Allows to deploy multiple packages.
  -d=<directory>           Directory to be deployed [default: src].
  -f=<zipFile>             Zip file to be deployed.

Examples:

  Deploying the default directory to the default remote
    $ force-dev-tool deploy
    Running Deployment of directory src to remote mydev
    Visit https://mynamespace.my.salesforce.com/changemgmt/monitorDeploymentsDetails.apexp?asyncId=REDACTED for more information.

  Deploying to another remote
    $ force-dev-tool deploy myqa

  Deploying a specified directory
    $ force-dev-tool deploy -d config/deployments/vat

  Perform a test deployment (validation)
    $ force-dev-tool deploy --checkOnly
    $ force-dev-tool deploy -c

  Deploying with running local tests
    $ force-dev-tool deploy -t
    $ force-dev-tool deploy --test

  Deploying with running specified test classes
    $ force-dev-tool deploy --runTests 'Test_MockFoo Test_MockBar'

  Deploying with running test classes matching a pattern
    $ force-dev-tool package grep 'ApexClass/Test_Mock*' \
     | cut -d '/' -f 2 \
     | xargs -0 force-dev-tool deploy --runTests

  Deploying with running only test classes being contained in a deployment
    $ force-dev-tool package -f config/deployments/mock/package.xml grep 'ApexClass/Test_*' \
     | cut -d '/' -f 2 \
     | xargs -0 force-dev-tool deploy -d config/deployments/mock --runTests

Running unit tests

Running all local tests

$ force-dev-tool test
Running Test execution to remote mydev
Failures:
Test_Foo#test_method_one took 32.0
  - System.AssertException: Assertion Failed: Expected: foo, Actual: bar
  - Class.Test_Foo.test_method_one: line 8, column 1
Test_Foo2#test_method_one took 11.0
  - System.AssertException: Assertion Failed
  - Class.Test_Foo2.test_method_one: line 7, column 1
Error: Visit https://mynamespace.my.salesforce.com/changemgmt/monitorDeploymentsDetails.apexp?asyncId=REDACTED for more information.
3 methods, 2 failures

$ force-dev-tool test build
Running Test execution to remote build
Failures:
Test_Foo#test_method_one took 32.0
  - System.AssertException: Assertion Failed: Expected: foo, Actual: bar
  - Class.Test_Foo.test_method_one: line 8, column 1
Test_Foo2#test_method_one took 11.0
  - System.AssertException: Assertion Failed
  - Class.Test_Foo2.test_method_one: line 7, column 1
Error: Visit https://mynamespace.my.salesforce.com/changemgmt/monitorDeploymentsDetails.apexp?asyncId=REDACTED for more information.
3 methods, 2 failures

Running specified test classes

$ force-dev-tool test --classNames 'Test_MockFoo Test_MockBar'

Running test classes matching a pattern (in src/package.xml)

$ force-dev-tool package grep 'ApexClass/Test_Mock*' \
 | cut -d '/' -f 2 \
 | xargs -0 force-dev-tool test --classNames

Using force-dev-tool in a build script

The following environment variables can be used to define a default remote environment called env:

SFDC_USERNAME
SFDC_PASSWORD
SFDC_SERVER_URL

$ force-dev-tool deploy -ct env

Note: You can also define named remotes using Environment Variables (e.g. SFDC_ci_USERNAME, SFDC_ci_PASSWORD, SFDC_ci_SERVER_URL).

Executing a SOQL query

$ force-dev-tool query "SELECT Id, Name FROM Account LIMIT 1"
[
  {
    "attributes": {
      "type": "Account",
      "url": "/services/data/v38.0/sobjects/Account/001200000183ZCFAA2"
    },
    "Id": "001200000183ZCFAA2",
    "Name": "GenePoint"
  }
]

$ force-dev-tool query "SELECT COUNT(Id) c FROM Account"
[
  {
    "attributes": {
      "type": "AggregateResult"
    },
    "c": 15
  }
]

(alpha) Exporting/importing data using the bulk API

Exporting data

$ force-dev-tool bulk export "SELECT Id, Name FROM Account LIMIT 1"
"Id","Name"
"001200000183ZCFAA2","GenePoint"
$ force-dev-tool bulk export "SELECT Id, Name FROM Account" --out Accounts.csv

Updating data

$ force-dev-tool bulk update Account --in Accounts.csv --out Accounts-update-results.csv

Note: Importing more than one batch is currently not yet supported.

(alpha) Executing anonymous Apex

$ echo "insert new Account(Name = 'Test Account');" | force-dev-tool execute

Getting help

Please see the wiki for Motivation and Troubleshooting and Resources.

Feel free to open issues with questions.