Project metadata components

The Project metadata components functionality helps you to control a set of all the components that you are currently working on. You can download additional metadata types, subscribe for the items to get them automatically during the pull process, and exclude unnecessary components.

Project metadata components are divided into two big blocks of items:

• standard — these metadata types are present on your org by default. To send them to an org you should use the standard build functionality (except objects, they should be deployed),
• custom — by default, these metadata types are absent on your org, but you can create them at any time. To send them to an org you should use the deploy functionality.

• Apex Class — a template or blueprint from which objects are created. Classes consist of other classes, user-defined methods, variables, exception types, and static initialization code. In other words, this is your main tool in Salesforce development.

• Apex Component — one of the main parts of Visualforce pages. Usually, it is a reusable section of the UI.

• Apex Page — a usual Visualforce page.

• Apex Trigger — Apex code that executes before or after specific data manipulation language events occur, such as before object records are inserted into the database, or after records have been deleted.

• Aura Definition Bundle — a Lightning definition bundle that contains a Lightning definition and all its related resources.

• Object — an item that stores data. An object contains all the functionality you usually store in a table: fields correspond to columns, and records correspond to rows in a database.

• Static Resource — a code library in a ZIP file.

• Custom Label — a custom label can be localized and used in different languages, countries, and currencies.

• Layout — metadata associated with a page layout.

• Permission Set — a set of permissions that's used to grant additional access to one or more users without changing their profile or reassigning profiles.

• Profile — a user profile, it defines a user’s permission to perform different functions within Salesforce.

• Workflow — it sets workflow actions into motion when its designated conditions are met.

• Email Template — an email template with all the necessary data (for instance, email subject) in a separate meta xml file.

• Report — a custom report.

• Dashboard — a visual representation of data that allows you to see key metrics and performance at a glance.

• Custom Tab — you can display custom object data or other web content using custom tabs in Salesforce.

• Letterhead — it determines the main components of formatting data for email templates.

• Report Type — it describes the records that are available in your report, and which can be added to your report. It also defines the criteria for the visible records in a report.

• Visual Flow — an automated application with a predefined set of logical executions associated with your database.

NB: The Email Templates, Reports, and Dashboards that are present in the My Personal folder aren't available for you. This is caused by the limited access to these files that is provided by Salesforce due to security restrictions.

There are three ways to get the Project metadata components window:

• download them when you are downloading your project (can be done only once),
• right click on a project in the Solution Explorer and select the Project metadata components option,

• from the Main Menu: Project ⇒ Project metadata components.

You will get an opened dialog. On this stage, you can see the current files that should be verified on the server.

NB: This list contains only those project metadata components that are currently present on your org.

Each of the items on the list of metadata components can be expanded. If you choose to expand, you will see a list of separate files that will be checked in terms of a certain metadata type.

Check-boxes for those items that you want to check should be marked. You can mark a separate checkbox of any item as well as the whole type.

By clicking on the Subscribe button, you subscribe to any file updates for this metadata type. This means that the next time you pull files from your Salesforce org, the new files in the metadata you subscribed for will be downloaded automatically.

By default, all the standard metadata types are checked. You are free to unmark any of them if you do not need them at the moment.

If your project features hundreds of files, finding the specific files you want to download from Salesforce can be a challenge. However, you can use the Filter option to narrow the list. Enter your search query, and you will only get the files with the name that matches your query.

Click the Apply button to finish. All new files will be downloaded automatically during the pull process.