KernDX - Developer Documentation

This page is the map to everything you can read about KernDX. It is for anyone building on the framework, whether you are a brand-new Salesforce developer looking for a quick task guide or an architect comparing design choices. Skim the Learning Paths if you are starting out, jump to a Fast Start when you have a specific task, or open a full Guide when you want the complete picture.

Using an AI coding assistant? Load docs/AI Agent Instructions.md into it before generating KernDX code. That one file is the assistant's complete context for writing selectors, triggers, callouts, LWC, and tests the KernDX way. It's already in this repo and release; see its header for exactly how to wire it into your tool.

Table of Contents

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1. Before You Begin
2. Learning Paths
3. Fast Starts
   • Data Access
   • Triggers & Validation
   • Web Services
   • Operations
   • Security
   • User Interface
   • Code Quality
   • Testing
4. Guides
   • Core Frameworks
   • Data & Security
   • UI
   • Utilities
   • Code Quality
   • Testing
5. API Reference
6. Special Documents
   • Strategic Guide (9 documents)
7. Choosing the Right Document

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Before You Begin

Verify these prerequisites before starting any Fast Start guide:

• [ ] Salesforce org access: a developer or sandbox org with admin permissions
• [ ] Salesforce DX: the sf CLI installed and authenticated to your org
• [ ] KernDX deployed: the KernDX managed package installed
• [ ] API version 67.0: org and project metadata aligned to API 67.0
• [ ] Custom Metadata access: permission to create and edit Custom Metadata Type records

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Learning Paths

Choose the path that matches your project needs:

Data Layer Path

Selectors → DML → Security → Data Masking → Test Data

Automation Path

Trigger Actions → Custom Validations → Async Processing → Logging

Integration Path

Outbound APIs → Resilience → Inbound APIs → Async Chains → Feature Flags → Logging

Testing Path

Test Data → E2E Testing

Quality Path

Code Scanning → Logging → E2E Testing

UI Path

LWC → E2E Testing

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Fast Starts

Have a specific task in mind? These short, focused guides walk you through one job at a time so you can build it quickly.

Data Access

Name	Description	Key Reference
Selectors	Build object selectors and fluent queries	SEL_Base, QRY_Builder
DML	Insert, update, delete with Unit of Work	DML_Builder
Test Data	Create test data with builders and factories	TST_Builder, TST_Factory

Triggers & Validation

Name	Description	Key Reference
Trigger Actions	Build metadata-driven trigger actions	TRG_Dispatcher, TRG_Base, IF_Trigger
Custom Validations	Build formula-driven validation rules	UTIL_ValidationRule, FLOW_ExecuteValidationRules

Web Services

Name	Description	Key Reference
Outbound APIs	Call external REST APIs	API_Outbound, DTO_JsonBase, UTIL_HttpClient
Inbound APIs	Expose REST endpoints for external callers	API_Inbound, API_Dispatcher
Resilience	Retry, backoff, and circuit breaker for flaky callouts	UTIL_HttpClient, UTIL_Retry, UTIL_CircuitBreaker

Operations

Name	Description	Key Reference
Async Processing	Adaptive async jobs, chain orchestration with shared context, scheduling	IF_Async, UTIL_AsyncChain, IF_Schedulable
Logging	Application logging and monitoring	LOG_Builder
Feature Flags	Metadata-driven feature toggles	UTIL_FeatureFlag

Security

Name	Description	Key Reference
Security	Queries and DML that run with the user's own permissions and sharing by default (USER_MODE)	QRY_Builder, DML_Builder
Data Masking	Redact cards, secrets, and PII on records before they save	MaskingTarget__mdt, UTIL_FeatureFlag

User Interface

Name	Description	Key Reference
LWC	Build Lightning Web Components on the ComponentBuilder base class	LWC - Guide

Code Quality

Name	Description	Key Reference
Code Scanning	PMD and ESLint enforcement of framework conventions in IDE and CI/CD	Code Scanning - Guide

Testing

Name	Description	Key Reference
E2E Testing	Browser-based Playwright tests for Salesforce Lightning	E2E Testing - Guide

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Guides

In-depth reference guides. Open one of these when you want the complete picture of a framework area: what it can do, the patterns behind it, and the recommended way to use it.

Core Frameworks

Name	Description
Selectors - Guide	Layered query architecture, QRY_Builder, sharing enforcement, caching, pagination
Triggers - Guide	Metadata-driven trigger actions, bypass mechanisms, entry criteria, recursion prevention
Validation - Guide	Formula-driven validation, bypass hierarchy, shadow mode, Flow integration
DML - Guide	Unit of Work, bulk DML, sharing enforcement, CRUD/FLS, data purge
Async Processing - Guide	Adaptive async processing, chain orchestration with shared context, ApiStep web service bridge, Chain Monitor UI, scheduling
Web Services - Guide	Outbound/inbound REST, named credentials, retry logic, Flow integration
Resilience - Guide	Retry strategies, exponential/linear backoff, jitter, circuit breaker states, declarative resilience on registered handlers
Logging - Guide	Application logging, async log publishing, log filtering, and the Log Console for browsing and diagnosing what was logged
Feature Flags - Guide	Metadata-driven flags, targeting strategies, custom strategy handlers, Apex/Flow/LWC checks

Data & Security

Name	Description
Data Masking - Guide	Write-time field redaction, masking rules and targets, the Data Masking Advisor
DTOs - Guide	JSON serialisation, SObject transformation, populate/transform patterns, JsonPath
Security - Guide	CRUD/FLS enforcement, sharing control, encryption
Objects & Metadata - Guide	Custom objects, platform events, and custom metadata types included in the package

UI

Name	Description
LWC - Guide	ComponentBuilder pattern, utility modules, pre-built components, Jest testing
Administration Tools - Guide	Kern Home and the built-in tools: API Test Harness, Streaming Event Monitor, Chain Monitor, Data Masking Advisor, Log Console

Utilities

Name	Description
Utilities - Guide	String, date, number, collection utilities, type resolution, random data, feature flags, indexing

Code Quality

Name	Description
Code Scanning - Guide	PMD rulesets, ESLint plugin, naming validators, CI/CD integration, phased adoption

Testing

Name	Description
Test Data - Guide	TST_Builder, TST_Mock, TST_Factory: auto-population, bulk creation, relationships, DML-free query mocking
E2E Testing - Guide	Playwright E2E testing for Salesforce: authentication, helpers, page objects, CI/CD

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API Reference

Auto-generated API reference documentation for all Apex classes, custom objects, platform events, and custom metadata types.

API Reference Index

Category	Link
Apex Classes	Browse
Custom Objects	Browse
Platform Events	Browse
Custom Metadata Types	Browse

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Special Documents

Document	Description
AI Agent Instructions	Complete framework reference for AI agents, repackaging with custom namespace, org setup
Code Conventions - Guide	Canonical Apex/LWC/JS coding conventions: naming, formatting, ApexDoc, anti-patterns
Installation	Your org configuration, post-install steps, health check verification

Strategic Guide (9 documents)

Document	Description
Overview	Executive tear sheet, key findings, recommendations, navigation hub
Architecture & Philosophy	Design principles, capabilities, Well-Architected + Security Benchmark for Salesforce alignment
Adoption	Enterprise delivery, TCO model, decision matrices, build-vs-buy economics
Choosing a Framework	Capability-by-capability comparison against the established Apex frameworks, pick-by-capability guidance, head-to-head trade-offs
Operations	Day-2 ownership, packaging, exit strategy, observability
Risks	Risk register and mitigations for adoption decisions
Personas	Stakeholder-specific decision views (CTO, architect, developer, PM, ISV)
Glossary	Term definitions with links to relevant sections
Metrics	Canonical framework metrics: class counts, test coverage, metadata totals

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Choosing the Right Document

I want to...	Start with
Learn KernDX for the first time	Learning Paths
Build a selector or query data	Fast Start - Selectors
Build a trigger action	Fast Start - Trigger Actions
Build a validation rule	Fast Start - Custom Validations
Insert, update, or delete records	Fast Start - DML
Call an external API	Fast Start - Outbound APIs
Make a simple ad-hoc HTTP call	UTIL_HttpClient
Expose a REST endpoint	Fast Start - Inbound APIs
Create test data	Fast Start - Test Data
Process large data sets asynchronously	Fast Start - Async Processing
Orchestrate multi-step async workflows	Async Processing - Guide (Chain Orchestration section)
Chain outbound API calls in sequence	Async Processing - Guide (ApiStep section)
Add logging to my code	Fast Start - Logging
Browse and diagnose production logs	Logging - Guide (The Log Console section)
Monitor integrations, jobs, and logs from one place	Administration Tools - Guide
Toggle features on and off	Fast Start - Feature Flags
Make a flaky callout resilient (retry, circuit breaker)	Fast Start - Resilience
Enforce CRUD/FLS on every read and write (USER_MODE)	Fast Start - Security
Build my first Lightning Web Component	Fast Start - LWC
Understand full query architecture	Selectors - Guide
Understand full trigger framework	Triggers - Guide
Transform data between formats (DTOs)	DTOs - Guide
Enforce CRUD/FLS or encrypt data	Security - Guide
Control record-level sharing at runtime	Security - Guide
Redact sensitive data before it is stored	Fast Start - Data Masking
Configure the data masking framework and Advisor	Data Masking - Guide
Build Lightning Web Components	LWC - Guide
Use string, date, number, or collection utilities	Utilities - Guide
Evaluate KernDX vs fflib trade-offs	Choosing a Framework
Set up KernDX in a subscriber org	Installation
Configure AI-assisted KernDX development	AI Agent Instructions
Write browser-based E2E tests	Fast Start - E2E Testing
Enforce framework conventions in CI/CD	Fast Start - Code Scanning
Build custom PMD rules or adopt scanning incrementally	Code Scanning - Guide
Design an E2E test strategy	E2E Testing - Guide
Look up a specific class API	API Reference