Advanced 25 min read

@AuraEnabled Methods

By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to:

Mark an Apex method as callable from an LWC using @AuraEnabled
Explain why the method must be public or global and static
Recognize the annotation-based exposure pattern from Module 13

Prerequisites: "Why Apex Needs to Talk to the UI"

Marking a method as callable

public class AccountController {
    @AuraEnabled
    public static List<Account> getAccounts() {
        return [SELECT Id, Name FROM Account];
    }
}

public class AccountController { — the class.
@AuraEnabled — exactly Module 13's annotation pattern — metadata telling the platform "this method may be called from a Lightning Web Component," without changing what the method's own code actually does.
public static List<Account> getAccounts() { — the now-exposed method.
return [SELECT Id, Name FROM Account]; — unchanged logic.
} — closes the method.
} — closes the class.

Why public/global and static

@AuraEnabled
public static List<Account> getAccounts() { ... } // correct shape

@AuraEnabled
private List<Account> getAccounts() { ... } // will NOT work — private, and not static

@AuraEnabled — marks the method.
public static List<Account> getAccounts() { ... } — public and static — the correct shape.
(blank line)
@AuraEnabled — the same annotation.
private List<Account> getAccounts() { ... } — will NOT work — private, and not static. An @AuraEnabled method must be public (or global, for methods exposed even outside the org) and static — the LWC framework calls it directly on the class, the same way TaxCalculator.applyVat(...) was called directly in Module 10, never on a specific object instance.

Exposing a parameterized method

public class AccountController {
    @AuraEnabled
    public static List<Account> searchAccountsByName(String searchTerm) {
        return [SELECT Id, Name FROM Account WHERE Name LIKE :('%' + searchTerm + '%')];
    }
}

public class AccountController { — the class.
@AuraEnabled — the exposure annotation.
public static List<Account> searchAccountsByName(String searchTerm) { — parameters work exactly like any other method (Module 9).
return [SELECT Id, Name FROM Account WHERE Name LIKE :('%' + searchTerm + '%')]; — the LWC's JavaScript passes the argument when it calls into Apex, and everything from Module 20's bind-variable safety still applies unchanged.
} — closes the method.
} — closes the class.

Exercise

Add @AuraEnabled to expose this method to an LWC, correcting anything else needed to make it callable.

Show hint

It needs the annotation, and must be public and static.

Salesforce: ○ Not connected Connect

APEX

Execution Results

Run your code to see the result.

@AuraEnabled Methods Quiz

1. What two requirements must an @AuraEnabled method's signature satisfy?

It must be public (or global) and static It must be private and non-static It must return a List specifically It must have no parameters

My Notes

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Summary

@AuraEnabled is the annotation that exposes an Apex method to be called from an LWC — the exact "attach metadata above a method" pattern Module 13 first introduced.

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