Creating Custom Lightning Components for Flows | saasguru

Salesforce Flows are powerful tools that allow businesses to automate complex processes without extensive coding. They offer a user-friendly interface where users can visually design and automate business processes, ranging from simple tasks, like data collection, to more intricate procedures involving multiple objects and conditional logic. Think of Flows as a way to craft custom application logic, akin to a flowchart, guiding different operations in Salesforce based on specific criteria or user inputs.

What will you learn:

• You will understand the reason behind the need for custom lightning components within Flows.
• You will also learn how to create custom lightning components for Flows.

Why One Might Need Custom Lightning Components within Flows

Custom Lightning components allow developers to craft specialized user interfaces or functionalities tailored to specific needs. Whether it’s a unique data input format, integration with third-party systems, or a tailored visualization not possible with standard components, custom Lightning components provide the flexibility to enrich and extend the capabilities of Salesforce Flows. Essentially, they bridge the gap between what’s available and what’s needed, ensuring businesses can fully leverage the power of Salesforce without compromise.

How to Create Custom Lightning Components for Flows

Creating custom Lightning components to use within Salesforce Flows allows you to extend the capability of Flows by adding custom UI elements or functionalities that aren’t available with the standard Flow components. Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating and using a custom Lightning component within a Flow:

Setting Up Development Environment:

Ensure you have the Salesforce DX tools set up. This includes the Salesforce CLI and the Visual Studio Code with Salesforce extensions.

Create an Aura Lightning Component:

Create a new Lightning component by using Salesforce DX or the developer console.

<aura:component adaptedFor=”lightning:suitableForFlowDisplays” access=”globalScope”>

    <!– Set attributes –>

    <aura:parameter name=”entryData” type=”String” />

    <!– Structure the component body –>

    <lightning:textbox label=”Provide input” value=”{!v.entryData}” />

</aura:component>

Handle Inputs and Outputs:

If you want to receive input from the Flow or send data back to the Flow, you can define design attributes.

<!– Design specifications for the aforementioned component –>

<design:blueprint>

    <design:property name=”flowData” label=”Flow Input” description=”Data derived from Flow” />

</design:blueprint>

Handle Events (Optional):

Your component should respond to Flow navigation (e.g., when a user clicks Next or Previous on the Flow screen). 

Implement the lightning:flowSupport interface and handle the onstatuschange event.

<aura:module uses=”lightning:flowScreenAccess,lightning:flowInteractions” access=”public”>

    <!– supplementary content –>

    <aura:listener name=”flowStatusUpdate” value=”{!this}” method=”{!c.manageFlowStatus}” />

</aura:module>

In the component’s JavaScript controller, add the function to handle the status change:

({

    processFlowUpdate: function(element, trigger, support) {

        if(trigger.getAttribute(‘state’) === “COMPLETED”) {

            // Manage the completion state

        }

    }

})

Deploy the Component:

Deploy your custom component using Salesforce DX commands or the developer console to the Salesforce organisation.

Add Component to Flow:

• Open the Flow Builder.
• Navigate to the screen where you want to add the custom component.
• You should see your newly created component from the Toolbox under the “Custom” section. Drag and drop it onto the Flow screen.
• Configure any input or output variables as needed.

Test the Flow:

Run the Flow to ensure that the custom component behaves as expected within the Flow.

Conclusion

In exploring Salesforce’s expansive realm, we’ve delved deep into the significance and the methodology of sculpting custom Lightning components tailored for Flows. It’s undeniable that, while Salesforce Flows are a robust tool on their own, there’s an added layer of versatility and precision that comes with custom components. These components bridge the gap between generic functionality and specific business needs, ensuring that no process is too complex or unique to be streamlined.

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