User Interface · Topic 1 of 3
UI Customization and Declarative Lightning Components
Salesforce UI customization: Lightning apps, Lightning App Builder pages, Dynamic Forms and Actions, visibility rules, page activation, layouts and tabs.
- 4 min
- Lightning App Builder builds record, home and app pages.
- Dynamic Forms and Dynamic Actions add field- and action-level visibility rules.
- Activation: org default, app default, app plus record type plus profile; most specific wins.
What it is
An app builder shapes what users see in Lightning Experience without code. The main tools are Lightning apps, which group tabs and branding, Lightning App Builder, which builds pages from components, and page layouts, compact layouts and record types, which control fields and actions on records.
How it works
Lightning apps
A Lightning app is a collection of navigation items (object tabs, Lightning page tabs and others), a utility bar, branding (colour and logo), and the user profiles that can see it. It can use standard or console navigation. Users switch apps from the App Launcher.
Lightning App Builder page types
| Page type | Use |
|---|---|
| Record page | The layout of a record, such as an Account |
| Home page | The Home tab, by app and profile |
| App page | A one-page app or a dashboard-like page, reachable from a tab |
Pages are built from standard components (such as Related List, Path, Report Chart, Rich Text, Flow), custom components from developers, and components from AgentExchange.
Dynamic Forms and Dynamic Actions
- Dynamic Forms place individual fields and field sections on a Lightning record page as components, instead of one Record Detail block from the page layout.
- Dynamic Actions place actions in the highlights panel with visibility rules.
- Both support component visibility rules based on record fields, the user, the device and more.
Dynamic Forms let one page show different fields to different situations, for example showing a Contract Terms section only while an opportunity is in Negotiation, without new record types or layouts.
Activation
A record page can be activated as:
| Level | Applies to |
|---|---|
| Org default | Everyone, unless something more specific applies |
| App default | Everyone using a particular app |
| App, record type and profile | The most specific combination |
The most specific assignment wins.
Page layouts, compact layouts and record types
| Tool | Controls |
|---|---|
| Page layout | Fields, sections, related lists and actions in the record detail, by profile and record type |
| Compact layout | The key fields in the highlights panel and on mobile record headers |
| Record type | Different business processes, picklist values and page layouts for different users |
| Path | Guidance and key fields for each stage of a picklist such as Stage or Status |
Other declarative UI options
- List views with filters, inline edit and Kanban.
- Custom tabs: object tabs, Lightning page tabs, web tabs and Visualforce or Lightning component tabs.
- Flows placed on pages with the Flow component.
- Report charts and Rich Text components for guidance.
A worked example: the sales team wants a Contract Terms section on opportunities visible only in the Negotiation stage, a different home page for managers, and the opportunity highlights to show amount and close date. The builder upgrades the Opportunity record page to Dynamic Forms and adds a visibility rule on the section for Stage equals Negotiation, builds a manager home page and activates it for the manager profile, and edits the compact layout.
"Show a field only when another field has a certain value, on the same record type" points to Dynamic Forms with component visibility.
How the exam asks about this
- "Different record pages for different profiles in the same app." Activate by app, record type and profile.
- "Change the fields shown in the highlights panel." The compact layout.
- "Show a section only under certain conditions." Dynamic Forms with visibility rules.
What to remember for the exam
- Lightning App Builder builds record, home and app pages.
- Dynamic Forms and Dynamic Actions add field- and action-level visibility rules.
- Activation: org default, app default, app plus record type plus profile; most specific wins.
- Compact layouts control the highlights panel and mobile headers.
- Record types give different processes, picklist values and layouts.
Hiding a field with component visibility only changes the page. Use field-level security to secure the data.
Common mistakes
Creating a new record type just to hide fields. Dynamic Forms visibility is simpler.
Editing the page layout to change the highlights panel. Use the compact layout.
Forgetting to activate a new Lightning page. It does nothing until activated.
Check yourself
Which three levels can a Lightning record page be activated at?
Org default, app default, and a combination of app, record type and profile.
What does Dynamic Forms allow?
Placing individual fields and sections on a Lightning record page with their own visibility rules.
What controls the fields in a record's highlights panel?
The compact layout.
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