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Scaffolding Guide

Learn how to auto-generate TypeScript models from Salesforce metadata.

Quick Start

# Initialize config
npx sfc init

# Generate models
npx sfc scaffold Account Contact Opportunity

Basic Usage

Generate Single Object

npx sfc scaffold Account

Generate Multiple Objects

npx sfc scaffold Account Contact Opportunity Lead Case

Custom Output Directory

# Output to ./models
npx sfc scaffold Account -o ./models

# Output to nested directory
npx sfc scaffold Contact -o ./src/salesforce/models

Object API Names

IMPORTANT: Always use the exact Salesforce API name:

Standard Objects

npx sfc scaffold Account Contact Opportunity Lead Case User Task Event

Custom Objects

Custom objects must include __c suffix:

npx sfc scaffold ProductReview__c Transaction__c CustomObject__c

❌ Wrong: 

npx sfc scaffold Accounts  # Missing __c or wrong name
npx sfc scaffold Product Review  # Spaces not allowed

✅ Correct: 

npx sfc scaffold Account  # Standard object
npx sfc scaffold ProductReview__c  # Custom object

Generated Files

File Structure

./models/
  ├── Account.ts
  ├── Contact.ts
  ├── Opportunity.ts
  └── index.ts

Account.ts Example

import { LambdaModel, ModelData } from 'javascript-salesforce-connector';

/**
 * Data interface for Account (Account)
 */
export interface AccountData extends ModelData {
  /** Account ID */
  Id?: string;
  /** Account Name */
  Name?: string;
  /** Industry */
  Industry?: string;
  /** Annual Revenue */
  AnnualRevenue?: number;
  // ... more fields
}

/**
 * Model for Account (Account)
 */
export class Account extends LambdaModel<AccountData> {
  protected static objectName = 'Account';

  /** Get Account ID */
  get Id(): string | undefined {
    return this.get('Id');
  }

  /** Get Account Name */
  get Name(): string | undefined {
    return this.get('Name');
  }

  /** Set Account Name */
  set Name(value: string | undefined) {
    if (value !== undefined) {
      this.set('Name', value);
    }
  }

  // ... more getters/setters
}

index.ts

export * from './Account';
export * from './Contact';
export * from './Opportunity';

Smart Incremental Scaffolding

Re-running sfc scaffold on existing models preserves custom code!

What Gets Preserved

✅ In the Interface: - Custom relationship properties - Manually added fields

✅ In the Class: - Custom methods - Custom relationship getters - Custom static properties - Comments and JSDoc

✅ In index.ts: - Custom exports

What Gets Updated

🔄 From Salesforce metadata: - Standard field properties - Standard getters - Standard setters (for updateable fields) - objectName, dateFields, dateTimeFields - JSDoc comments - Field types

Example

Before (Your custom code): 

export class Account extends LambdaModel<AccountData> {
  protected static objectName = 'Account';

  // Generated getters/setters...

  // YOUR CUSTOM CODE
  get Owner(): UserData | null {
    return this.belongsTo<UserData>('Owner', 'OwnerId', User);
  }

  toClientFormat() {
    return {
      id: this.Id,
      name: this.Name,
      industry: this.Industry
    };
  }
}

After running sfc scaffold Account: 

export class Account extends LambdaModel<AccountData> {
  protected static objectName = 'Account';

  // Updated getters/setters with new fields added...

  // YOUR CUSTOM CODE (PRESERVED!)
  get Owner(): UserData | null {
    return this.belongsTo<UserData>('Owner', 'OwnerId', User);
  }

  toClientFormat() {
    return {
      id: this.Id,
      name: this.Name,
      industry: this.Industry
    };
  }
}

Scaffold Options

Preserves custom code, creates backups:

npx sfc scaffold Account Contact

Force Regenerate

⚠️ WARNING: Discards all custom code!

npx sfc scaffold Account --force

Use --force only when: - Starting fresh - Model is corrupted - You want to reset everything

Skip Backups

npx sfc scaffold Account --no-backup

Preserves custom code but doesn't create .backup files.

No JSDoc Comments

npx sfc scaffold Account --no-comments

Generates models without JSDoc comments.

Backup Files

When updating existing models, backups are created automatically:

./models/
  ├── Account.ts
  ├── Account.ts.backup.2025-03-19T10-30-15-000Z
  ├── Contact.ts
  └── Contact.ts.backup.2025-03-19T11-45-22-000Z

Backup filename format: {Model}.ts.backup.{ISO-8601-timestamp}

Best Practices

  1. Commit before scaffolding - Use git to track changes
  2. Run incrementally - Update models when Salesforce schema changes
  3. Review changes - Check diffs after generation
  4. Use backups - Restore if something goes wrong
  5. Avoid --force - Only use when necessary

Field Type Mappings

Salesforce Type TypeScript Type
string string
boolean boolean
int number
double number
currency number
date string
datetime string
email string
phone string
url string
picklist string
id string
reference string

Read-Only Fields

System fields are generated as getters only (no setters):

  • Id
  • CreatedDate
  • CreatedById
  • LastModifiedDate
  • LastModifiedById
  • SystemModstamp

Common Issues

Error: "Object 'Accounts' not found"

Use singular form: Account not Accounts

Error: "Object 'Product Review' not found"

Custom objects need API name with __c: ProductReview__c

Error: "Authentication failed"

Run npx sfc test-auth to verify authentication setup.

Error: "Permission denied"

Ensure your Salesforce user has: - Read access to objects - View All Data permission (or object-specific)

Next Steps