After taking over Workflow Rules and Process Builder, Salesforce Flow has become Salesforce's most versatile automation tool. Flows are pivotal in enhancing productivity, automating tasks, and seamlessly orchestrating workflows within the Salesforce ecosystem.
Manuel Moya Ferrer is a highly skilled freelancer who serves as a technical architect, developer, and DevOps engineer. He specializes in Salesforce solutions, covering all technical aspects of their development lifecycle.
Matthias Rolke
Freelance DevOps Consultant
Matthias is a freelance DevOps consultant for the Salesforce platform and an advisor for Hutte. He loves open-source software and maintains a few SFDX-related tools.
Article Highlights
Screen Flow’s user-friendliness is enhanced by its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, which requires no coding skills, making it accessible even to complete beginners.
The conditional visibility and branching logic within Screen Flows enable a dynamic user experience, adapting the workflow based on real-time user inputs.
Effective error handling within Screen Flows ensures user errors are preemptively addressed, with validations that guide users through necessary corrections for a smoother process.
The Screen Flow takes center stage among the five types of Salesforce Flows.
A Screen Flow offers a dynamic yet user-friendly approach to transform complex processes into step-by-step interactions. It is an indispensable tool. The best part is that most of it is just point-and-click logic.
In this article, we'll break down Screen Flows step-by-step. We'll start from scratch and guide you on making these Flows work wonders for your business. But let's set up the basics first.
Understanding Salesforce Flows
Salesforce Flow is the most potent automation tool that takes various inputs and performs tasks. You can build a Flow on multiple objects and integrate external tools according to your unique business processes. You can automate record creation, updation, deletion, and other complex tasks with Salesforce Flow.
Salesforce is pushing Flow because of its demand and richness in abilities. Hence, there is a decapacitation of Workflow Rules and Process Builders.
There are five types of Salesforce Flows:
Screen Flow
Schedule-Triggered Flow
Record-Triggered Flow
Platform Event-Triggered Flow
Auto-Launched Flow.
If you want to dive deeply into Salesforce Flow, read our comprehensive guide below.
What is Salesforce Screen Flow?
A Salesforce Screen Flow is a sequence of screens that guides users through a specific process. These processes can range from simple data entry tasks to complex multi-step workflows. A Screen Flow comprises screens, each acting as a distinct stage in the process. These screens contain elements like fields, text, and buttons, shaping the user interface and interaction.
A Screen Flow is generally used whenever you need inputs from the user. The best part is that your users go through the screens, prompt inputs, and the designated tasks take place – without you writing a single line of code. Also, you can launch a Screen Flow through Apex custom action, Utility Bar, Lighting Pages, and more.
The purpose of Screen Flow is to enhance user engagement and efficiency by providing a guided and interactive experience.
Key components of a Screen Flow
Screens
Screens are the building blocks of a Screen Flow, representing different steps in the process. Each screen contains messages and elements such as fields, text, buttons, and more, creating a dynamic and responsive user interface.
Elements (fields, text, and buttons)
Elements within screens define the user interaction. Fields capture and display data, text provides instructions, and buttons trigger actions. Understanding how to leverage these elements is crucial for creating effective Screen Flows.
Logic (conditional visibility and branching)
Logic is the intelligence behind Screen Flows. Screen Flow hosts a "Conditional visibility" feature that allows elements to appear or disappear based on user input. At the same time, branching enables the Flow to adapt to different scenarios, creating a personalized user journey.
Features of Salesforce Screen Flow
Drag-and-drop interface
One of the primary advantages of Salesforce Screen Flow is its intuitive drag-and-drop (or point-and-click) interface. This feature allows users to build complex processes by simply dragging elements onto the canvas, eliminating the need for coding skills. Even a complete beginner could quickly work with Screen Flows.
Integration with Salesforce objects and data
Screen Flows can integrate with multiple Salesforce objects and data, enabling users to retrieve, display, and manipulate records within the Flow. We'll explore how to work with this capability in the later sections.
Dynamic behavior through conditional logic
Conditional logic adds sophistication to Screen Flows. By configuring conditions based on user input, you can create dynamic and personalized experiences, tailoring the Flow to each user's specific needs.
Error handling and validation
No process is fool-proof, and errors can occur. You can set up rules validating user inputs, preventing errors before they occur. Additionally, error messages provide clear feedback, guiding users on corrections and ensuring a smooth rhythm through the process.
Mobile optimization
With an increasing number of users accessing Salesforce from mobile devices, optimizing Screen Flows for mobile platforms is essential. We'll discuss strategies for ensuring your Flows deliver a consistent and efficient experience on smartphones and tablets.
Creating a Salesforce Screen Flow
So far, we established the basics of Salesforce Screen Flow, its components, and usage. Let's now learn how to create a Screen Flow. We will take up an easy example scenario to understand the steps better.
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Scenario: Imagine you work for a service-oriented company and want to streamline the process of gathering customer feedback after service interactions. You create a Salesforce Screen Flow for a customer feedback form to achieve this. This form should include fields for the customer's name, service rating, comments, and an option to specify whether they would recommend your service.
Access Flow Builder
Log in to Salesforce
Navigate to "Setup" and enter "Flow" in the quick-find box
Click on "Flow Builder."
Start a new Flow
Click "New Flow"
Choose "Screen Flow," and we will name it "CustomerFeedbackForm"
Click "Create."
Add screens and elements
Add a screen element to the canvas and name it "FeedbackScreen"
Drag input elements from the left palette onto the screen.
Configure field inputs
Select each element on the screen, and in the properties, configure:
Customer name: Text field
Service rating: Number field
Comments: Text area
Recommendation: Checkbox.
Implement conditional logic
By the properties of "FeedbackScreen," set a condition for the recommendation checkbox only to appear if the service rating is positive
Click "Done."
Integrate with Salesforce data
After the "FeedbackScreen," click the "+" button and select a "Record Create" element on the canvas
Configure it to create a new feedback record in Salesforce with the entered data.
Test your Flow
Click "Debug" to simulate user interactions
Ensure screens appear based on logic and data is accurately captured.
Handle errors
Set validation rules for required fields. For example, ensure the customer name and service rating are filled
Configure error messages for clear user guidance.
Save and activate
Click "Save" and "Activate" to make the customer feedback form Screen Flow available.
Note: If your Flow throws an error while it is live, you'll get an email with the error details.
For Screen Flows, requirements may not be achievable with the built-in components. If the requirements are complex, the technology used would need to be LWC. However, the developer should first discuss with project stakeholders (such as architects and product owners) to understand if reducing the complexity of the requirements and creating a simpler solution with screen Flows is acceptable. This facilitates quick development iterations and early feedback (agile development). If complex requirements must be met, the developer can create LWCs to embed in the Screen Flow or directly in the Lightning page.
An efficient and user-friendly design is paramount when creating Salesforce Screen Flows. The layout and design considerations ensure a seamless and intuitive user experience. Let's explore a few key factors to consider when working on the layout and design of your Screen Flows.
Responsive design
A Screen Flow should be accessible and visually appealing across various devices, from desktops to mobile devices. Embrace responsive design principles to ensure your Flow adapts gracefully to different screen sizes and orientations. Test your Screen Flow on different devices to guarantee a consistent and user-friendly presentation.
Logical Flow and intuitive navigation
Arrange screens and elements in a logical sequence that aligns with the natural progression of the user's journey. Ensure that navigation through the Flow is intuitive, with clear instructions and visible indicators of the user's current position in the process. This reduces confusion and enhances the overall user experience.
Consistent branding and styling
Maintain consistency with your organization's branding and styling throughout the Screen Flow. This includes using consistent color schemes, fonts, and logo placement. A cohesive design reinforces brand identity and fosters a sense of familiarity for users interacting with the Flow.
Version control and documentation
You should maintain an explicit version control and documentation for Screen Flow development. Establish standardized naming conventions for easy identification and version tracking.
Use Salesforce features like Flow history and changelogs for tracking changes. For effective collaboration and future references, adhere to Salesforce documentation standards, including descriptive field labels and consistent formatting.
Performance optimization tips
Try to minimize screen elements to reduce load times and focus on essential information. Evaluate and minimize element dependencies and utilize bulk processing techniques for handling collections of records. Optimize record lookups by retrieving only necessary fields. Regularly test Flows with larger datasets to identify and address potential performance issues early in development.
Collaboration and sharing Flows within a team
Define explicit permissions based on team members' roles. Utilize Salesforce sharing settings for secure Flow sharing with appropriate access levels. Include open communication channels within the team for ongoing discussions and updates.
You can use Salesforce Chatter for real-time communication, enabling efficient discussions around Flow elements and insights sharing. These strategies enhance collaboration and streamline the team's development process.
Troubleshooting common issues
Developing Salesforce Screen Flows comes with its set of challenges. Here are a few of the most common issues you may face:
Stalled progress: Incorrect screen element configuration or logic errors can cause problems with the Flow. To prevent this, meticulously review element properties and ensure the accuracy of conditional logic.
Testing errors: Encountering errors during testing may stem from validation rule violations or data type mismatches. Address these issues by checking validation rules for required fields and confirming data type consistency.
Data integration hurdles: Issues in integrating with Salesforce data may arise due to misconfigured element-to-object mappings or insufficient user permissions. Resolve these challenges by verifying mappings and ensuring users have the necessary record operation permissions.
Live environment errors: In the live environment, unforeseen errors may occur due to unhandled exceptions in Apex actions or Salesforce configuration changes. To mitigate this, review Apex code for exceptions regularly and stay vigilant about any Salesforce configuration adjustments.
Keep your Flow simple
We've explored Salesforce Screen Flow extensively, from its fundamental components to best practices. As you start using Screen Flows, remember to simplify things and be careful when fixing issues. That's the key to making Salesforce work smoothly for you.
This feature is embedded across all Salesforce applications to help automate steps or tasks without coding. It can directly enhance screen flows by allowing users to create, test, and refine prompt templates easily, which can be integrated into screen flows to improve user interaction and workflow efficiency.
Prompt Builder
This tool allows users to create and test prompt templates easily without code. It integrates with screen flows by enabling dynamic CRM data inclusion, such as merge fields and flows, and can invoke prompted workflows across platforms like Einstein 1 Platform, Lightning Web Components, and Apex.
Sushrut is a skilled Salesforce Developer, Technical Writer, and Entrepreneur. His expertise includes front-end dev, Web3, and DevRel. He leverages technology to craft exceptional digital experiences.
