This is the introductory post for new Salesforce 1 Lightning feature.
Salesforce 1 Lightning provides component based framework and tools for developers as well as business people, which can be used for building apps, integrate data and automate the processes with Lightning fast speed.
Lightning comprises of following technologies/terms/tools:-
1. Lightning Connect
2. Lightning App Builder
3. Lightning Components
4. Lightning Process Builder.
Let’s take deep dive into each of them.
1. Lightning Connect:- This feature is GA since Winter’15 release.
Use Lightning Connect to integrate data from an external data source, without writing a line of code, and without duplicating any data into Salesforce.
Lightning Connect enables your users to view and search records that are stored outside Salesforce, such as data in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Instead of copying the data into Salesforce, which would be redundant and inefficient, use external objects to reference the data and access the data in real time via Web service callouts.
Lightning Connect external objects map to data tables in external data sources and are available to Salesforce tools such as lookup relationships, record feeds, the Salesforce1 app, SOSL and SOQL queries, Salesforce APIs, and deployment via the Metadata API, change sets, and packages. To connect to an external data source, Lightning Connect uses the Open Data Protocol (OData) version 2.0.
http://developerforce.github.io/lightning-connect-tutorial/index.html refer this link for demo of Lightning connect.
2. Lightning App Builder:-
With the new Lightning App Builder, both developers and business users can now build custom user interfaces for their Force.com applications that are designed to work perfectly on desktop and mobile devices.
• Visually create apps with drag-and-drop components
• Create beautiful, responsive UIs for Salesforce1 Apps
• Use custom or off-the-shelf Lightning Components
Lightning Pages are the underlying technology for the Lightning App Builder. A Lightning Page is a custom layout that lets you design specific pages in Salesforce1. Lightning Pages are composed of components.
3.Lightning Components:-
A Lightning component is a compact, configurable, and reusable element that you can drag and drop onto a Lightning Page in the Lightning App Builder.
You can use standard, custom, and third-party components in the Lightning App Builder.
a)Standard Components
Standard components are Lightning components built by Salesforce. The Lightning App Builder supports these standard Lightning components.
- Filter List (List View)
- Recent Items
- Report Chart
- Rich Text
- Visualforce Page
b)Custom Components
Custom components are Lightning components that you or someone else have created. With some modifications, custom Lightning components can work in the Lightning App Builder.
The Lightning Component framework is a UI framework for developing dynamic web apps for mobile and desktop devices. It’s a modern framework for building single-page applications engineered for growth.
The framework supports partitioned multi-tier component development that bridges the client and server. It uses JavaScript on the client side and Apex on the server side.
c)Third-Party Components on AppExchange
The AppExchange provides a marketplace for Lightning components. You can find packages containing components already configured and ready to use in the Lightning App Builder.
4. Process Builder:-
The Process Builder is a workflow tool that helps you easily automate your business processes by providing a powerful and user-friendly graphical representation of your process as you build it. The Process Builder’s simple and powerful design allows you to:
- Create your processes using a convenient layout with point-and-click efficiency.
- Create your whole process in one place rather than using multiple workflow rules.
- Create processes by collaborating with different teams in your business.
- Stop using Apex code to automate simple tasks.
Automated processes in the Process Builder are based on records and consist of:
- Criteria that determine when to execute action groups.
- Immediate and scheduled actions to execute when those criteria are met.
Any change that causes a record to match the criteria can automatically trigger the action group.
You can use the more powerful and flexible Process Builder to perform the same actions as workflow. The process builder doesn’t support outbound messages, but you can easily create one yourself with Apex. With the Process Builder, you can:
- Create a record
- Update any related record—not just the record or its parent
- Use a quick action to create a record, update a record, or log a call
- Launch a flow—you can’t schedule this action with workflow
- Send an email
- Post to Chatter
- Submit for approval
Note:- The content of this post is from Salesforce.com official site and release notes.
