generating-custom-application

SKILL.md

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

Create Lightning applications

Organize tabs and features into focused apps

Configure application navigation and branding

Set up custom page layouts for objects

Troubleshoot deployment errors related to custom applications

CustomApplication (Lightning App) Metadata Specification

Overview

Custom applications (Lightning Apps) that group tabs and functionality to provide a focused user experience for specific business processes. Always configured for Lightning Experience.
🎯 Purpose

Organize related functionality into focused applications

Group tabs and components for specific user roles

Provide tailored user experiences

Control access to specific features and data

Use Standard navigation for general business applications or Console navigation for specialized service/support workflows requiring multi-tab workspaces

Create professional, branded application identity with custom colors and branding

Override standard actions with custom Lightning pages for enhanced user experience

Enable profile-specific experiences through profile action overrides

⚙️ Required Properties

Core Application Properties

fullName: API name of the application

label: Display name of the application

uiType: Always "Lightning" for modern apps

navType: CRITICAL - Choose based on user requirements and workflow patterns

"Standard": DEFAULT for general business applications (e.g., sales, marketing, operations)

"Console": ONLY when workflow requires managing multiple records simultaneously with split-view or multi-tab workspace (e.g., customer service, call centers, support operations)

formFactors: Array of form factors (["LARGE"] for desktop, ["SMALL"] for mobile, or both)

Optional Properties

description: Brief description of the application's purpose

tabs: Array of tab names to include

utilityBar: API name of the Utility Bar configuration

brand: ⚠️ HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - Branding configuration object (headerColor, shouldOverrideOrgTheme, footerColor)

actionOverrides: ⚠️ REQUIRED when custom record pages exist - Action override configuration (actionName, content, formFactor, type, pageOrSobjectType)

profileActionOverrides: Profile-specific action overrides (actionName, content, formFactor, pageOrSobjectType, type, profile)

isNavAutoTempTabsDisabled: Navigation behavior setting (default: false)

isNavPersonalizationDisabled: Personalization setting (default: false)

isNavTabPersistenceDisabled: Tab persistence setting (default: false)

🔧 Application Configuration

Navigation Type Selection (CRITICAL)

Decision Criteria for navType:

Choose "Standard" (DEFAULT) for:

General business applications and most workflows

Single-record focus or linear navigation patterns

Standard tab-based navigation is sufficient

Choose "Console" ONLY when workflow requires:

Managing multiple related records simultaneously in split-view

Multi-tab workspace for handling complex, interconnected data

Contextual information from multiple sources visible at once

Examples: customer service operations, support desks, call centers

When in doubt: Default to "Standard" for most general business use cases

Navigation Settings

isNavAutoTempTabsDisabled: Controls automatic temporary tab creation

isNavPersonalizationDisabled: Controls user personalization features

isNavTabPersistenceDisabled: Controls tab persistence across sessions

Tab Management

tabs: Array of tab names to include in the application

formFactors: Device-specific configurations (Large for desktop, Small for mobile)

Utility Bar

utilityBar: Reference to Lightning utility bar (appears at bottom of Lightning Experience)

Branding (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - DO NOT SKIP)

IMPORTANT: Provide branding configuration to create a professional, visually distinct application identity.

brand.headerColor: Header bar color in hex format (e.g., "#0070D2") - RECOMMENDED

brand.shouldOverrideOrgTheme: Override organization theme (true/false) - Default: false

brand.footerColor: Footer color in hex format

Action Overrides (CRITICAL - DO NOT SKIP)

IMPORTANT: Action overrides MUST be created for every custom object tab that has a record page generated by flexipage expert.

actionOverrides.actionName: Action to override ("View" or "Tab")

actionOverrides.content: Page/component name (FlexiPage, Visualforce, Lightning component)

For "View" action: Reference record pages generated by flexipage expert

For "Tab" action: Reference home/app pages generated by flexipage expert

actionOverrides.formFactor: Device type ("Large" or "Small")

actionOverrides.type: Override type ("Default", "Visualforce", "Flexipage", "LightningComponent", "Scontrol")

Recommended: Use "Flexipage" for Lightning record/home pages generated by flexipage expert

actionOverrides.pageOrSobjectType: Object API name the override applies to

actionOverrides.comment: Optional description (max 1000 characters)

Auto-generated comment: "Action override created by Lightning App Builder during activation."

actionOverrides.skipRecordTypeSelect: Skip record type selection (default: false)

Profile Action Overrides

profileActionOverrides.actionName: Action to override ("View" or "Tab")

profileActionOverrides.content: Page/component name

For "View" action: Reference profile-specific record pages generated by flexipage expert

For "Tab" action: Reference profile-specific home pages generated by flexipage expert

Can reference same or different FlexiPages than actionOverrides for profile-specific experiences

profileActionOverrides.formFactor: Device type ("Large" or "Small")

profileActionOverrides.pageOrSobjectType: Object API name

profileActionOverrides.type: Override type

Recommended: Use "Flexipage" for Lightning pages generated by flexipage expert

profileActionOverrides.profile: Profile API name (e.g., "Admin", "Standard User")

Enables different page layouts for different user profiles

📱 Device Support

Desktop Configuration

formFactor: "Large"

tabs: Full list of application tabs

Phone Configuration

formFactor: "Small"

tabs: Mobile-optimized tab selection

Tablet Configuration

formFactor: "Medium"

tabs: Tablet-appropriate tab selection

🎨 User Experience Features

Navigation Behavior

Auto Temporary Tabs: Can be enabled/disabled

Personalization: User customization options

Tab Persistence: Remember user's tab selections

Accessibility

Keyboard Navigation: Full keyboard support

Screen Reader: Compatible with assistive technologies

High Contrast: Support for high contrast modes

🔗 Integration Points

Custom Tabs: Include custom object and web tabs

Standard Tabs: Include standard Salesforce tabs

Lightning Pages: Integrate with Lightning page layouts

Components: Include custom Lightning components

✅ Best Practices

Always use Lightning UI: Set uiType to "Lightning" for modern apps

Choose appropriate navigation: CRITICAL - Analyze requirements carefully for navType selection

Use "Standard" (DEFAULT) for general business applications

Use "Console" ONLY when workflow requires multi-tab workspace, split-view, or managing multiple related records simultaneously

Examples for Console: customer service, call centers, support operations

Default to "Standard" for most general business use cases

Include Standard Tabs: Add common Salesforce tabs (Home, Accounts, Contacts, etc.)

Use clear, descriptive application names

Group related functionality logically

Consider different user roles and needs

Test across different device types

Ensure proper permissions and access control

Provide meaningful descriptions for users

Follow consistent naming conventions

Always configure branding: Set headerColor to create professional application identity

Use accessible brand colors: Ensure hex colors have sufficient contrast (WCAG AA compliant)

Configure utility bars: Add useful quick-access tools for users

Leverage action overrides: Customize page layouts for specific objects using FlexiPages from flexipage expert

Use profile overrides: Provide role-specific experiences by referencing different flexipage expert generated pages per profile

🎯 Enhancement Rules

uiType: Always set to "Lightning" for modern app experience

navType: CRITICAL DECISION - Analyze user requirements carefully

Set to "Standard" (DEFAULT) for general business applications

Set to "Console" ONLY when workflow requires:

Managing multiple related records simultaneously with split-view capability

Multi-tab workspace for handling complex, interconnected data

Contextual information from multiple sources visible at once

Console examples: customer service operations, call centers, support desks

When in doubt between Standard and Console, choose "Standard" for most business use cases

formFactors: Always set to ["LARGE"] for desktop Lightning Experience

Standard Tabs: Automatically add Home, Accounts, Contacts, Opportunities, Leads, Cases

Navigation Settings: Set all navigation flags to false for best user experience

Branding: ALWAYS include brand configuration for professional application identity

MANDATORY: Set brand.headerColor to appropriate color (e.g., "#0070D2" for Salesforce Blue)

Set brand.shouldOverrideOrgTheme based on requirements

Action Overrides: ALWAYS create action overrides when custom record pages exist

MANDATORY: Add actionOverrides for "View" action pointing to flexipage expert generated record pages

Use "Flexipage" type and reference the exact FlexiPage name

Set formFactor to "Large" for desktop

Include pageOrSobjectType with the object API name

Profile Action Overrides: Reference flexipage expert generated pages for role-based customization

Form Factors: Use "Large" for desktop, "Small" for mobile in overrides

⚠️ CRITICAL Verification Checklist (MUST VERIFY)

 All tabs are included in the application

 navType IS CORRECTLY SET - Verify Console vs Standard selection

 Default to "Standard" for most general business applications

 Set to "Console" ONLY if workflow requires managing multiple records simultaneously, split-view, or multi-tab workspace

 If requirements are general/ambiguous → navType should be "Standard"

 BRANDING IS CONFIGURED - This is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for professional applications

 brand.headerColor is set with valid hex color (e.g., "#0070D2")

 brand.shouldOverrideOrgTheme is set (default: false)

 ACTION OVERRIDES ARE CREATED - This is MANDATORY for every custom object with a record page

 Action overrides are defined for EACH custom object tab pointing to the correct record page

 actionOverrides.content matches the exact FlexiPage name generated by flexipage expert

 actionOverrides.pageOrSobjectType is set to the correct object API name

 actionOverrides.type is set to "Flexipage"

 actionOverrides.actionName is set to "View"

 actionOverrides.formFactor is set to "Large"

 All required fields are populated (fullName, label, uiType, navType, formFactors)