How to Create an App in SFDC?

It is interesting to learn how to create your own custom app in the Salesforce. In this blog, we will create an app StudentForce that can be used to maintain the student records. This app will contain three different objects or tables to store the data. The name of the first object is Student Data, the name of the second object is college, and the third is Marks.

The first object will store the personal details of a student like - Name, email id, phone number, address, DOB etc. The second object will store the college name and the third will store marks for various subjects. Before we start learning how to create an app in SFDC, let us first understand the cloud environment where Salesforce apps are built.

Salesforce Org

The cloud computing space given to an organization by Force.com is called Salesforce.org. This space is also termed as the Salesforce environment. Developers can create their own custom Salesforce apps, objects, data sharing rules, workflows, visual force pages, and APEX data on the top of Salesforce Org. Let us discuss Salesforce apps and how do they work in depth below.

Salesforce Apps

The primary function of a Salesforce app is to manage or store customer data. Every Salesforce app offers a simple UI (User Interface) to access customer records quickly that are stored in tables. With apps, you may also establish relationships between objects by linking fields. The app contains a set of related objects or tables that are visible to end users. Before you start adding records to your application, you need to create the skeleton of the app first. Here are the steps on how to set up an application with proper instructions or steps.

Steps to create the skeleton of the app:

• Click on the Setup option given next to the Application name in the top right corner.
• In the bar given on left-hand side. Go to build -> Create -> Apps from the drop-down Menu.
• From the apps screen, choose New option then choose custom apps.
• Now give a proper label to the application. For example, in this blog, we have given the label to application StudentForce. Click on the Next option now.
• Give a profile picture to your application, Click on Next.
• Add tabs that are necessary then Click on Next again.
• Select multiple profiles that you want to assign to your application and click on Save option in the end.

Make sure that you have chosen relevant tabs and profiles for your application as they are an important part of Salesforce Apps and help you to manage records or objects in the Salesforce. Here, it is necessary to understand tabs and profiles in Salesforce and how to create objects and add records to it.

Salesforce Tabs

Tabs are used to access objects in the Salesforce App. They usually appear at the top of the screen similar to a toolbar. Here, you can add shortcuts to access different objects quickly. As soon as you click on the name of an object in the tab, records for that particular object will be displayed below. Tabs also contain links for the web content available externally, custom pages, and other URLs too.

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Each application has the same Home page by default. You could choose standard tabs by clicking on ‘+’ button from the Tab menu.  Accounts, Groups, Contacts, Leads, and Profile are some standard tabs offered by the Salesforce. For example, you may show the list of accounts in the SFDC org under the Account Tab and you may show the complete list of Contacts under the Contacts Tab.

Let us learn how to add Standard Tabs in the Salesforce Org:

• Click on the ‘+’ option in the Tab Menu.
• Now choose the Customized Tabs option from the right side.
• Add tabs of your choice and Click on Save option.

Beside standard tabs, you may create custom tabs based on the application requirement to make it more usable.

Let us learn how to add custom Tabs in the Salesforce Org:

• Navigate to the Setup -> Build -> Create -> Tabs.
• Choose New. Select the name of the object for which you are creating a tab.
• Now choose a specific Tab style of your preference and give a proper description.
• Click on Next then Save. The newly created custom tab will appear on the top.

Salesforce Profiles

Every user who wants to access the data would get connected to a profile. A profile is defined as the collection of settings or permissions that controls what a user can view, access, or modify data in the Salesforce. A profile controls permission for user, field, objects etc. It also checks apex settings, tab settings, app settings, page layouts, record types, access to Visualforce pages, login hours, and IP addresses etc.

Profiles can also be defined based on the background of the user. For example, it is possible to define the different level of access for developers, system administrators, or sales reps etc. Similar to tabs, we can create either a standard profile or a custom profile. The default standard profiles in Salesforce are a read-only, standard user, contract manager, marketing manager, system administrator, or solution expert.

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To create custom profiles, you should first clone standard profiles then edit the profile. Keep in mind that one profile can be assigned to multiple users but one user cannot be connected to multiple profiles.

Let us learn how to create profiles in the Salesforce Org:

• Navigate to Setup -> Administer -> Manage Users -> Profiles
• Now clone any of the existing profiles by clicking on Edit option.

As soon as tabs and profiles are set up for your App, you may load data into it.  Let us learn further how to add data to objects in the form of records or fields.

Object, Fields, and Records in the Salesforce

Objects, records, and fields are taken as the basic building block of Salesforce. So, it is important to know what they are and their role in building apps. Objects may be defined as database tables in Salesforce data is stored. There are two types of objects in Salesforce: Standard Objects and Custom Objects. Objects provided by default within Salesforce are called Standard objects. For example, Leads, accounts, opportunities, products, reports, campaigns, dashboards, contacts etc. Objects that are created by the user are custom objects. Each application is a perfect combination of standard and custom objects based on the requirements. An object is a collection of records and record is a collection of fields.

Each row within an object consists of multiple fields. Thus, a record in an object is a combination of related fields. Look at the example below for a better understanding of the concept. Let us learn how to create a custom object in the Salesforce Org:

• Navigate to the Setup -> Build -> Create -> Object.
• Choose New custom object option.
• Fill the object name and Description. Click on Save.

Once the custom object is created, it can be added to Tab Menu. Now you may define different fields for that object for start adding data one be one. You may add records only when fields are defined in advance.

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Let us learn how to add custom fields in the Salesforce Org:

• Navigate to the Setup -> Build -> Create -> Object.
• Now select the object to which you want to add fields.
• Scroll down the custom fields or relationships for that particular object and click on New option as given below in the screenshot.
• Now define the data type for the field and Click Next. To store name, you should choose text format and to store contacts, you should choose number format.
• When you are defining fields, don’t forget to consider rules and check on the length of the field, name, and its description.
• You may allow storing duplicate values by checking on checkboxes.
• Click Next and select the proper profile for the field that can be changed later.
• Select the page layout suitable for the field.
• Click Save.

Like tab, profiles, and objects, there are two types of fields – Standard fields and Custom fields. Standard fields are available by default and custom fields are created by the user. With custom fields, you get the power to edit and delete them as per the convenience. At the same time, standard fields cannot be deleted by the user. Further, you can add student records, a complete row to your object. Let us learn how to add a Record in the Salesforce Org:

• Go to the object table from the Tab Menu.
• Click New to add student records.
• Add student details into different fields and Click Save.
• Create multiple student records as needed.
• Edit records with Edit option if required.

Now you have the basic idea of how to create an app in SFDC. I hope you understood the different concepts as well like apps, tabs, profiles, objects, records, and fields discussed throughout the blog. By following all these steps thoroughly, you are ready to create your own Salesforce app and start managing data gracefully right away.

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