Sfdx-Express

A VS Code extension that makes working with Salesforce faster, smoother, and more organized.
Open orgs without passwords, search components globally, and manage your work with Story Boards.

🚀 Features

The extension works for all the types of components in salesforce i.e. Objects, fields, layouts, permission sets, profiles, flows etc. Let’s take an example flow PRJ_Account_After_Save to understand how it works.

Launch component in Dev from component file:

Suppose you are on the xml file of a flow PRJ_Account_After_Save. You want to make some changes to the flow, so you need to open it in the Dev Sandbox. So, how do you open it? Login to Dev Sandbox → Click on Setup → Search for Flows in Quick Find Box, click on Flows → Ctrl + F, enter label of the flow (searching with API name won’t work), then click on the flow → Start editing it. That is the Noobda way which takes around 70 to 80 seconds. Enter Sfdx-Express. Just right click on the flow file → select SFEX: Open in default sandbox → Flow opens in Dev sandbox → Start editing it. This is the Pro way which takes merely 3 seconds.

Launch component in Test / UAT / Staging / Prod:

Suppose you want to check how the same flow is configured in UAT. So, you need to open it in UAT sandbox. So, with the usual Noobda way, Login to UAT Sandbox → Click on Setup → Click here → Click there → Search this & that → After 70 to 80 seconds the flow will be opened in UAT. The Pro way?? Just right click on the component file → select SFEX: Open in → Choose in which sandbox you want to open it, test, uat, staging etc. → Flow opens in the chosen sandbox in 3 seconds.

Pin Components:

As part of a story you are working on, you seem to visit this flow very often. Why keep searching for its file again and again at all? Just right click → Pin to Story Board. The flow gets pinned to the currently open story board. Next time onwards, you don’t need to come to the file to open the flow. Just go to the story board, the flow will be pinned there in the components list. Click on Open in Default Org. In case you want to open it in another sandbox, click on Open in… and then choose the sandbox in which you want to open the flow.

Efficient Global Search:

Suppose you need to edit the help text of a field ‘PRJ_Opportunity_End_Date__c’ on the Opportunity object. So, would you do this? >> go to Setup → Object Manager → Search for ‘Opportunity’ → Click on Opportunity → Click on Fields & Relationships → Paste ‘PRJ_Opportunity_End_Date__c’ in the search box, see ‘No results found’ to realise that the search only works with label names, not with API names → Then Ctrl + F -> paste ‘PRJ_Opportunity_End_Date__c’ → scroll down -> scroll down → scroll down so that the lazy loading loads more & more fields → Then a field ‘Project End Date’ which has API name ‘PRJ_Opportunity_End_Date__c’ is highlighted with yellow color by the browser (the labels are always way different than the API names) → Click on it → Then edit its help text. Does not sound like an efficient way of searching, does it? Just go to Sfdx-Express Org Explorer → Search with whatever you have API Name, Label, file path → The field appears → Open in default org. Within 5 seconds you are on that field. This is what you call Efficient Global Search.

• Search across your Salesforce org for any component quickly and reliably.
• Salesforce Setup is slow and lacks global search. Sfdx-Express fixes that.
• Once the component is found, you can:
  • Open the component in the default org.
  • Open it in any other authorized org.
  • Download its file.
  • Open the file in VS Code.
  • Pin the component to a Story Board for quick access later.

Efficiently Download Component Files:

Suppose you created a new validation rule on Opportunity object. Let’s say you named it - 'Project_End_Date_Should_Be_In_Future'. You want to commit it to the branch. Here is how you retrieve the validation rule. You can’t. Yep, that’s right, you can’t retrieve the validation rule only. Even if you have the API Name. You need to retrieve the whole Opportunity object from the Org Browser extension. This is how it works → Go to Org Browser → scroll down, scroll down while you look for ‘Custom Objects’ because there is no search feature in Org Browser → You start seeing ‘Email Templates’, ‘Entitlement Processes’ then you realise you scrolled down a little too much. → Then you scroll up a little by little → Then you see ‘Custom Objects’ → Expand Custom Objects → scroll down, scroll down while you look for the Opportunity object -> Click on the ‘Download’ icon. The whole Object object is downloaded along with fields, fieldSets, listViews, recordTypes, webLinks, validationrules etc. From all these unwanted components you single out your validation rule. By the time you reach it, you have lost the context & forgot that you wanted to commit it. Somehow you recall the context and stage the validation rule, discard all the other components (making sure you don’t discard anything that is necessary or work-in-progress), then commit the validation rule. This Noobda way easily eats up 12-15 minutes of your time. How about this? >> Go to Sfdx-Express Org Explorer → Paste the API name of your validation rule in searchbox → Click on download file → Commit it. Takes around 12 to 15 seconds.

Story Boards:

You can create story boards for each of the stories or defects you are working on. Story Boards let you save notes, queries, questions related to that story/defect so that your notes are not scattered all over one gigantic .docx file. Along with notes, you can also save frequently visited components. This can help you launch these components in default org or any org of your choice in one click. In a nutshell, Story Boards keep you organised, neat and tidy.

• Notes: Save queries, clarifications, thoughts, and questions related to the story/defect.
• Components: See pinned components at a glance. Open them in org without searching them. Keep your work organized and reduce context switching.

Passwordless Org Opening:

Many companies disable the password saving features of the browsers for security purposes. This means, you have to either remember your passwords or keep them in sticky notes. Not anymore. All you have to do is authorize your orgs in VS Code using sfdx-cli and the same orgs will be available in Sfdx-Express. You can open App Home, Setup, Developer Console etc with one click. No need to enter any username or password. Even if password saving is disabled by your company.

• Open Salesforce orgs directly from VS Code.
• No need to type credentials, even on locked-down corporate laptops.
• Works with your existing SFDX CLI authorizations.

⚙️ Activation

The extension activates only when relevant:

• workspaceContains:sfdx-project.json

🔒 Licensing

Sfdx-Express is a paid extension.
Licenses are verified via your subscription. Premium features require an active license.

🛡 Security

• Code is minified and obfuscated to protect intellectual property.
• License checks are enforced server-side.
• No credentials are stored; authentication relies on SFDX CLI.

📚 Support

• Website: sfdx-express.web.app
• Email: enquiries@infonotics.com
• Privacy: https://sfdx-express.web.app/privacy_policy.html

🏷 Categories

• Salesforce
• Developer Tools
• Productivity

✨ Why Sfdx-Express?

• Skip typing passwords.
• Find components instantly.
• Keep your stories organized.
• Work faster, with less friction.