How to Downloading Source to VS Code?

Question:

I am new to Salesforce and trying to retrieve source code from my scratch org into VS Code. I used the Salesforce CLI (sf) to create a new project and then created some custom objects in my scratch org. Now, I am trying to download the source using the following command:

sf project retrieve start --source-dir source/formulaforce/ --target-org myDevOrg

However, nothing is being retrieved, and I get a message saying “Nothing retrieved.” What am I doing wrong? How can I correctly pull my source code into VS Code?

Answer:

The issue is likely due to an incorrect source path or missing metadata in your project’s package configuration. Here are some possible solutions:

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1. Verify the Source Path:

Ensure that the directory source/formulaforce/ actually exists and contains metadata. You can try retrieving all metadata instead:

sf project retrieve start --manifest manifest/package.xml --target-org myDevOrg

If you haven’t generated a package.xml, you can create one by running:

sf project generate manifest --type=All

2. Check Your Project Configuration:

Ensure your sfdx-project.json file is correctly set up. It should contain the correct path and packageDirectories that match your metadata location.

3. Retrieve by Metadata Type:

If you are looking for specific metadata, try retrieving it explicitly:

sf project retrieve start --metadata CustomObject --target-org myDevOrg

Replace CustomObject with the metadata type you need (e.g., ApexClass, LightningComponentBundle).

4. Check Org Connection:

Make sure your scratch org is properly authenticated and set as the default. Run:

sf org list

If your scratch org is not listed or expired, re-authenticate:

sf org login web --set-default-dev-hub

Or, if the scratch org is missing, create a new one:

sf org create scratch --definition-file config/project-scratch-def.json --set-default

5. Try Retrieving the Entire Project:

If the issue persists, try pulling all metadata without specifying a directory:

sf project retrieve start --target-org myDevOrg

If none of these solutions work, check the CLI logs using sf --verbose to see if any errors provide more insight.

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