A Comprehensive Guide to Overriding the “New” Button

Before exploring the advantages and limitations of overriding the “New” button in Salesforce, let’s grasp the fundamental mechanisms behind this customization technique.

1. Visualforce Page Override

Visualforce pages are a foundational part of Salesforce customization. When overriding the “New” button using a Visualforce page, you essentially replace the default page with a custom-designed page. This page can include various elements such as input fields, buttons, and logic tailored to meet specific business needs.

Step 1: Create a Visualforce Page

Begin by crafting a Visualforce page, essentially an HTML-like markup language, representing the form for creating a new record. This is where you define the layout, structure, and behavior of the new record creation page.

<apex:page standardController=”Account”>
<apex:form>
<apex:pageBlock title=”Account”>
<apex:commandButton action=”{!save}” value=”Save” style=”display:block; margin:0 auto;”/>
<apex:pageBlockSection title=”Enter Details” columns=”1″>
<apex:inputField value=”{!Account.Name}”/>
<apex:inputField value=”{!Account.Type}”/>
</apex:pageBlockSection>
</apex:pageBlock>
</apex:form>
</apex:page>

Step 2: Override the “New” Button

1. Navigate to the Salesforce Setup menu, find the desired object
2. Click on “Buttons, Links, and Actions.” And Locate the “New” button3. Click the dropdown of the new button and click on Edit.
4. Under Salesforce Classic Override select Visualforce page and choose your Visualforce page from the dropdown.
5. Now go to the object and click on New Button

6. Now, when users click the “New” button for the specified object, your Visualforce page will be invoked, for creating new records.

2. Lightning Component Override

Lightning components represent a more modern and dynamic approach to customization, especially in the context of Salesforce Lightning Experience. When overriding the “New” button using a Lightning component, you leverage a more interactive and visually appealing user interface.

Step 1: Create Lightning Component

Create a new Lightning Component using the Developer Console or your preferred development environment. Here’s a basic example:

<aura:component implements=”force:lightningQuickAction,force:hasRecordId”>
<aura:attribute name=”recordId” type=”String”/>

<lightning:card title=”New Account”>
<div class=”slds-p-around_medium”>
<lightning:input aura:id=”accountName” label=”Account Name”/>
<lightning:input aura:id=”accountType” label=”Account Type”/>
<lightning:button label=”Save” onclick=”{!c.saveRecord}”/>
</div>
</lightning:card>
</aura:component>

Step 2: Create Lightning Component Controller

Create a JavaScript controller for your Lightning Component to handle the button click and save logic.
({
saveRecord : function(component, event, helper) {
var accountName = component.find(“accountName”).get(“v.value”);
var accountType = component.find(“accountType”).get(“v.value”);
var createRecordEvent = $A.get(“e.force:createRecord”);
createRecordEvent.setParams({
“entityApiName”: “Account”,
“defaultFieldValues”: {
“Name”: accountName,
“Type”: accountType
}
});
createRecordEvent.fire();
$A.get(“e.force:closeQuickAction”).fire();
}
})

Step 3: Override the “New” Button

Follow these steps to override the “New” button with your Lightning Component:

1. Navigate to the Salesforce Setup menu.
2. Find the desired object and click on “Buttons, Links, and Actions.”
3. Locate the “New” button and click on Edit.4. Under Lightning Experience Override select Lightning Component and choose your Aura Component from the dropdown5. Save the changes.
6. Now, when users click the “New” button for the specified object, your Lightning Component will be invoked, providing a Lightning experience for creating new records.

Now that we’ve explored the foundational steps in overriding the “New” button, let’s examine the advantages and limitations of this customization approach.