Don’t Be Surprised by These 5 Changes in Salesforce Lightning

As Salesforce puts it, Lightning is the CRM they would have built back in 1999 if they’d had access to today’s technology.

3 min. read

As Salesforce puts it, Lightning is the CRM they would have built back in 1999 if they’d had access to today’s technology. It’s a totally new user experience, packed with a ton of new features.

As more and more companies are making the switch to Lightning, however, users are tripping over certain functionality changes. We polled our client services team, asking for some of the most common stumbling blocks.

If you don’t want to get caught off guard by some of the changes that Lightning brings, read on.

1. JavaScript buttons aren’t supported in Lightning.

In Salesforce Classic, users are able to invoke custom inline JavaScript code via buttons embedded on a record or list page. These buttons can be used to pre-populate new records with data, update values and integrate Salesforce with other platforms.

However, JavaScript buttons are not supported in Lightning. The reason? Security concerns. That means you’ll have to migrate the functionality of your custom JavaScript buttons using solutions like Lightning actions, quick actions, apex triggers and custom URL buttons.

2. Page layouts and Lightning pages are two different things.

Page layouts give users the ability to control the layout and organization of buttons, fields and other elements on object record pages. Page layouts created in Salesforce Classic will display in Lightning, but the page elements will display differently — and not all elements are supported. These include expanded lookups, mobile cards, S-controls and tags.

Lightning pages, on the other hand, are an entirely different thing. With Lightning, Salesforce completely expanded the flexibility of its pages, and traditional page layouts are now just one element of a broader canvas. Lightning pages are built using Lightning components, which are configurable elements that users can drag and drop into regions of the page. A traditional page layout could be treated as one of these elements.

After switching from Classic, you’ll want to customize both your page layouts and Lightning pages.

3. Once you edit a dashboard in Lightning, you can no longer edit it in Classic.

Though you can switch between Salesforce Classic and Lightning with the click of a button, certain actions will have important consequences. For instance, once you edit a dashboard in Lightning, you’ll no longer be able to edit it in Salesforce Classic.

To get around this problem, you can clone the dashboard and edit the new version. This will keep the original intact and editable in Classic.

4. Not all third-party apps are Lightning ready.

A Lightning-ready app is one that works as designed in the Lightning experience. In fact, for an app to receive the Lighting ready distinction, 100% of end-user use cases must function as expected. Of course, not all third-party apps are Lightning ready. If your org relies on apps that aren’t Lightning ready, you’ll only be able to use them in Salesforce classic. Your other option is to find and install replacements that are Lightning ready.

How can you tell if an app is Lightning ready? Look for the “Lightning Ready” symbol on AppExchange.

5. You can’t sort Quote Line Items in Lightning like you can in Classic.

A Quote Line Item is exactly what it sounds like: an object representing a particular line item in a customer’s quote. In Salesforce Classic, users can sort Quote Line Items and ultimately control the order of items on a customer’s quote document. Because this functionality isn’t supported in Lightning, users will have to switch back to Classic to make it happen.

Make your transition to Salesforce Lightning easier.

Knowing what to expect from Salesforce Lightning is crucial if you want your team to successfully adopt it. If users are encountering surprise problems that they don’t know how to solve, they’re likely going to switch right back to Classic. The problems listed above are common ones, but don’t freak out if you come upon one that isn’t listed: We’re here to help.

And if you’re looking for other ways to get your team excited about Lightning, check out our upcoming webinar:

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AUTHOR

Danielle Sutton