Apex Diagram

Apex Diagram is a Visual Studio Code extension for exploring Apex class dependencies as a UML-style class diagram.

The extension connects to the Salesforce org configured for the current workspace, loads Apex classes through the Tooling API, and lets you build an interactive diagram from selected classes.

Workspace detection: Apex Diagram is shown and activated only when the opened workspace contains sfdx-project.json. In regular non-Salesforce folders, the extension stays hidden and does not try to connect to Salesforce.

Features

• Browse Apex classes from a dedicated Apex Diagram activity bar view.
• Add one or more Apex classes to a diagram workspace.
• Visualize class relationships detected from Apex symbol tables:
  • inheritance from parent classes;
  • interface realization;
  • directed associations from external class references.
• Keep selected diagram items in a separate view so they can be removed or reopened quickly.
• Open the local .cls file for a diagram item when it exists in the workspace.
• Preserve diagram state and node positions between webview sessions.
• Export the current diagram as SVG.
• Clear the local Apex symbol table cache when Salesforce metadata changes or cached data looks stale.

Preview

Diagram Workspace

Add Classes And Export

Requirements

• Desktop Visual Studio Code. Apex Diagram does not support VS Code for the Web, including vscode.dev and github.dev.
• Visual Studio Code 1.96.0 or newer.
• Salesforce CLI installed and available from your terminal.
• A Salesforce project opened as the active VS Code workspace.
• An authorized Salesforce org for that workspace. The extension uses Salesforce CLI user info to connect to the org.
• Access to the Salesforce Tooling API for the target org.

The extension reads Apex class metadata from Salesforce. It does not require Apex source files to build the dependency diagram, but opening a class file from the diagram requires the matching .cls file to exist in the local workspace.

Getting Started

1. Open a Salesforce project in VS Code.
2. Make sure the project is authorized against the Salesforce org you want to inspect.
3. Open the Apex Diagram activity bar item.
4. Use Apex Classes to find classes available in the org.
5. Click Add on a class, or select multiple classes and add them together.
6. Click Show Diagram from Diagram Items to open the diagram workspace.
7. Use the diagram toolbar to zoom, reset zoom, inspect source, or export SVG.

Commands

This extension contributes the following commands:

• Apex Diagram: Open Apex Diagram Workspace opens the diagram webview.
• Apex Diagram: Show Diagram opens the current diagram from the Diagram Items view.
• Apex Diagram: Refresh reloads the Apex class list from Salesforce.
• Apex Diagram: Clear Cache clears cached Apex symbol table data.
• Apex Diagram: Clear Diagram removes all current diagram items.
• Add adds selected Apex classes to the diagram.
• Remove removes selected classes from the diagram.
• Open File opens a local .cls file for a diagram item when found in the workspace.

Extension Settings

Apex Diagram does not currently contribute VS Code settings.

How Dependency Detection Works

Dependency information is generated from Salesforce Apex symbol tables. Links are created only when both sides of the relationship are included in the selected diagram data.

• Parent classes become Inheritance links.
• Implemented interfaces become Realization links.
• External references become directed association links.

Namespaced classes are matched by namespace.name. Non-namespaced classes are matched by name.

Known Limitations

• Desktop VS Code is required. The extension uses the Node.js extension host, Salesforce CLI, and local workspace APIs that are not available in VS Code for the Web.
• The initial Apex class list hides likely test classes by name pattern. This is a performance-oriented heuristic and not a guaranteed @IsTest detector.
• Relationships are shown only between classes included in the diagram input set.
• Opening a class file depends on finding a matching local .cls file in the workspace.
• The extension requires a Salesforce workspace and an authorized org during activation.

Troubleshooting

• If no classes appear, verify that the workspace is a Salesforce project and that Salesforce CLI can resolve the authorized org.
• If dependencies look outdated, run Apex Diagram: Clear Cache and add the classes again.
• If Open File cannot find a class, confirm that the class source exists locally as <ClassName>.cls.

Release Notes

0.0.1

Initial preview release.