afv-library/skills/salesforce-metadata-experts/salesforce-custom-application/SKILL.md

---
name: salesforce-custom-application
description: Generate CustomApplication (Lightning App) metadata with proper navigation types, branding, and action overrides. Use when creating Lightning applications for specific user workflows.
---

## 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

## Specification

# 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, primaryTabColor)
- **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
- **brand.primaryTabColor**: Primary tab 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)