Lightning

Lightning Aura Components
Developer Guide
Version 46.0, Summer ’19
PREVIEW
Note: This release is in preview. Features described in this document don’t become generally available
until the latest general availability date that Salesforce announces for this release. Before then, and where @salesforcedocs
features are noted as beta, pilot, or developer preview, we can’t guarantee general availability within Last updated: May 20, 2019
any particular time frame or at all. Make your purchase decisions only on the basis of generally available
products and features.
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CONTENTS
Chapter 1: What Is the Lightning Component Framework? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

What is Salesforce Lightning? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Why Use the Aura Components Programming Model? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Aura Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Browser Support for Aura Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
My Domain Is Required to Use Lightning Components in Your Salesforce Org . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Using the Developer Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Online Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter 2: Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Trailhead: Explore Lightning Components Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Create a Component for Lightning Experience and the Salesforce Mobile App . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Load the Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Fire the Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Chapter 3: Creating Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Component Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Create Aura Components in the Developer Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Lightning Bundle Configurations Available in the Developer Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Component Markup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Component Namespace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Using the Default Namespace in Organizations with No Namespace Set . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Using Your Organization’s Namespace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Using a Namespace in or from a Managed Package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Creating a Namespace in Your Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Namespace Usage Examples and Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Component Bundles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Component IDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
HTML in Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Supported HTML Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
CSS in Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Component Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Supported aura:attribute Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Basic Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Function Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Object Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Standard and Custom Object Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Contents
Collection Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Custom Apex Class Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Framework-Specific Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Using Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Dynamic Output in Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Conditional Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Data Binding Between Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Value Providers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Expression Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Expression Operators Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Expression Functions Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Component Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Component Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Component Facets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Controlling Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Application Access Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Interface Access Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Component Access Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Attribute Access Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Event Access Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Using Object-Oriented Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
What is Inherited? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Inherited Component Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Abstract Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Inheritance Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Best Practices for Conditional Markup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Aura Component Versioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Components with Minimum API Version Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Validations for Aura Component Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Validation When You Save Code Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
Validation During Development Using the Salesforce CLI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Review and Resolve Validation Errors and Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Aura Component Validation Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Salesforce Lightning CLI (Deprecated) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Using Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Using Custom Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Input Component Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Dynamically Populating Label Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Getting Labels in JavaScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Getting Labels in Apex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Setting Label Values via a Parent Attribute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Localization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Providing Component Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Contents
Working with Base Lightning Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Base Lightning Components Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Event Handling in Base Lightning Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Lightning Design System Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Working with UI Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Event Handling in UI Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Using the UI Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Supporting Accessibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Button Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Audio Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Forms, Fields, and Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Chapter 4: Using Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Aura Component Bundle Design Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Use Aura Components in Lightning Experience and the Salesforce Mobile App . . . . . . . . . . 146
Configure Components for Custom Tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
Add Lightning Components as Custom Tabs in a Lightning Experience App . . . . . . . . . 148
Add Lightning Components as Custom Tabs in the Salesforce App . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Lightning Component Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Override Standard Actions with Aura Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Navigate Across Your Apps with Page References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Basic Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Add Links to Lightning Pages from Your Custom Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Add Query Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Navigate to a Web Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Migrate to lightning:isUrlAddressable from force:navigateToComponent . . . . . . . . . . . 164
pageReference Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Get Your Aura Components Ready to Use on Lightning Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Configure Components for Lightning Pages and the Lightning App Builder . . . . . . . . . . 174
Configure Components for Lightning Experience Record Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Create Components for the Outlook and Gmail Integrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Create Dynamic Picklists for Your Custom Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Create a Custom Lightning Page Template Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Lightning Page Template Component Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Make Your Lightning Page Components Width-Aware with
lightning:flexipageRegionInfo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Tips and Considerations for Configuring Components for Lightning Pages and the Lightning
App Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Use Aura Components in Community Builder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Configure Components for Communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Create Custom Theme Layout Components for Communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Create Custom Component for Guest User Flows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Contents
Create Custom Search and Profile Menu Components for Communities . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Create Custom Content Layout Components for Communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Use Aura Components with Flows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Considerations for Configuring Components for Flows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Customize Flow Screens Using Aura Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Create Flow Local Actions Using Aura Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Embed a Flow in a Custom Aura Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Display Flow Stages with an Aura Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Add Components to Apps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Integrate Your Custom Apps into the Chatter Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Using Background Utility Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Use Lightning Components in Visualforce Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Add Aura Components to Any App with Lightning Out (Beta) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Lightning Out Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Lightning Out Dependencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Lightning Out Markup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Authentication from Lightning Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Share Lightning Out Apps with Non-Authenticated Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Lightning Out Considerations and Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Lightning Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Using a Third-Party Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Lightning Container Component Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
The Lightning Realty App . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
lightning-container NPM Module Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
Chapter 5: Communicating with Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

Actions and Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
Handling Events with Client-Side Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Component Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
Component Event Propagation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
Create Custom Component Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Fire Component Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
Handling Component Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Component Event Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Application Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
Application Event Propagation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Create Custom Application Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Fire Application Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
Handling Application Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
Application Event Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283
Event Handling Lifecycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
Advanced Events Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
Firing Events from Non-Aura Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
Events Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
Contents
Events Anti-Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Events Fired During the Rendering Lifecycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Events Handled in the Salesforce Mobile App and Lightning Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
System Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
Chapter 6: Creating Apps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

App Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Designing App UI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
Creating App Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Using the AppCache . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Distributing Applications and Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
Chapter 7: Styling Apps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

Using the Salesforce Lightning Design System in Apps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
Using External CSS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
More Readable Styling Markup with the join Expression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
Tips for CSS in Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Vendor Prefixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
Styling with Design Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Tokens Bundles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308
Create a Tokens Bundle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Defining and Using Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Using Expressions in Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
Extending Tokens Bundles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
Using Standard Design Tokens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
Chapter 8: Developing Secure Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324

What is Lightning Locker? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
JavaScript Strict Mode Enforcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
DOM Access Containment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
Secure Wrappers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
eval() Function is Limited by Lightning Locker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
MIME Types Permitted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Access to Supported JavaScript API Framework Methods Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
What Does Lightning Locker Affect? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Lightning Locker Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Disabling Lightning Locker for a Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Don’t Mix Component API Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337
Lightning Locker Disabled for Unsupported Browsers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
Content Security Policy Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
Stricter CSP Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Freeze JavaScript Prototypes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
Chapter 9: Using JavaScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342

Supported JavaScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
Contents
Invoking Actions on Component Initialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344

Sharing JavaScript Code in a Component Bundle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Sharing JavaScript Code Across Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Using External JavaScript Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
Dynamically Creating Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
Detecting Data Changes with Change Handlers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
Finding Components by ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
Working with Attribute Values in JavaScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
Working with a Component Body in JavaScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
Working with Events in JavaScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
Modifying the DOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
Modifying DOM Elements Managed by the Aura Components Programming Model . . . 360
Modifying DOM Elements Managed by External Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Checking Component Validity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
Modifying Components Outside the Framework Lifecycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
Validating Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
Throwing and Handling Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
Calling Component Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
Return Result for Synchronous Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Return Result for Asynchronous Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Dynamically Adding Event Handlers To a Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Dynamically Showing or Hiding Markup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
Adding and Removing Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
Which Button Was Pressed? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
Formatting Dates in JavaScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
Using JavaScript Promises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
Making API Calls from Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Create CSP Trusted Sites to Access Third-Party APIs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Chapter 10: Working with Salesforce Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389

Lightning Data Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
Loading a Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Editing a Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
Creating a Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
Deleting a Record . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
Record Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407
Handling Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410
Lightning Action Example Using force:recordData . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
SaveRecordResult . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Displaying the Create and Edit Record Modals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
Using Apex to Work with Salesforce Records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
CRUD and Field-Level Security (FLS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
Contents
Chapter 11: Using Apex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423

Creating Server-Side Logic with Controllers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424
Apex Server-Side Controller Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
AuraEnabled Annotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425
Creating an Apex Server-Side Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Calling a Server-Side Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Passing Data to an Apex Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
Returning Data from an Apex Server-Side Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
Returning Errors from an Apex Server-Side Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
Queueing of Server-Side Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
Foreground and Background Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
Storable Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
Abortable Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
Testing Your Apex Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
Making API Calls from Apex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
Make Long-Running Callouts with Continuations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
@AuraEnabled Annotations for Continuations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446
Aura Component Continuations Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
Continuation-Specific Limits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
Creating Components in Apex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
Chapter 12: Testing Components with Lightning Testing Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450

How Lightning Testing Service Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
Install Lightning Testing Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
Get Started with Lightning Testing Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
Explore the Example Test Suites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
Write Your Own Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
Use Other Frameworks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458
Chapter 13: Debugging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459

Enable Debug Mode for Lightning Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
Disable Caching Setting During Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
Salesforce Lightning Inspector Chrome Extension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461
Install Salesforce Lightning Inspector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461
Salesforce Lightning Inspector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461
Log Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
Chapter 14: Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476

Performance Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477
Enable Secure Browser Caching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477
Enable CDN to Load Applications Faster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477
Fixing Performance Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
<aura:if>—Clean Unrendered Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
<aura:iteration>—Multiple Items Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
Contents
Chapter 15: Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483

Component Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484
Aura Reference Doc App . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484
Differences Between Documentation Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485
System Tag Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485
aura:application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486
aura:dependency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487
aura:event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
aura:interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489
aura:method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489
aura:set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491
INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494
CHAPTER 1 What Is the Lightning Component Framework?
In this chapter ... The Lightning Component framework is a UI framework for developing single page applications for
mobile and desktop devices.
• What is Salesforce
Lightning?
As of Spring ’19 (API version 45.0), you can build Lightning components using two programming models:
the Lightning Web Components model, and the original Aura Components model. Lightning web
• Why Use the Aura
components are custom HTML elements built using HTML and modern JavaScript. Lightning web
Components
components and Aura components can coexist and interoperate on a page.
Programming
Model? Configure Lightning web components and Aura components to work in Lightning App Builder and
• Aura Components Community Builder. Admins and end users don’t know which programming model was used to develop
the components. To them, they’re simply Lightning components.
• Events
• Browser Support for This developer guide covers how to develop custom Aura components. The Lightning Web Components
Aura Components Developer Guide covers how to develop custom Lightning web components.
• My Domain Is
Required to Use
Lightning
Components in Your
Salesforce Org
• Using the Developer
Console
• Online Content
1
What Is the Lightning Component Framework? What is Salesforce Lightning?
What is Salesforce Lightning?

Lightning includes the Lightning Component Framework and some exciting tools for developers. Lightning makes it easier to build
responsive applications for any device.
Lightning includes these technologies:
• Lightning components accelerate development and app performance. Develop custom components that other developers and
admins can use as reusable building blocks to customize Communities, the Salesforce mobile app, and Lightning Experience.
• Lightning App Builder empowers admins to build Lightning pages visually, without code, using off-the-shelf and custom-built
Lightning components. Make your Lightning components available in the Lightning App Builder so administrators can build custom
user interfaces without code.
• Community Builder empowers admins to build communities visually, without code, using Lightning templates and components.
Make your Lightning components available in Community Builder so administrators can build community pages without code.
Using these technologies, you can seamlessly customize and easily deploy new apps to mobile devices running Salesforce. In fact, the
Salesforce mobile app and Salesforce Lightning Experience are built with Lightning components.
This guide teaches you to create your own custom Aura components and apps. You also learn how to package applications and
components and distribute them in the AppExchange.
To learn how to develop Lightning web components, see Lightning Web Components Developer Guide.
Why Use the Aura Components Programming Model?

The benefits include an out-of-the-box set of components, event-driven architecture, and a framework optimized for performance.
Out-of-the-box Components
Comes with an out-of-the-box set of components to kick start building apps. You don't have to spend your time optimizing your
apps for different devices as the components take care of that for you.
Rich Component Ecosystem
Create business-ready components and make them available in the Salesforce app, Lightning Experience, and Communities. Salesforce
app users access your components via the navigation menu. Customize Lightning Experience or Communities using drag-and-drop
components on a Lightning Page in the Lightning App Builder or using Community Builder. Additional components are available
for your org in the AppExchange. Similarly, you can publish your components and share them with other users.
Fast Development
Empowers teams to work faster with out-of-the-box components that function seamlessly with desktop and mobile devices. Building
an app with components facilitates parallel design, improving overall development efficiency.
Components are encapsulated and their internals stay private, while their public shape is visible to consumers of the component.
This strong separation gives component authors freedom to change the internal implementation details and insulates component
consumers from those changes.
Device-aware and Cross Browser Compatibility
Apps use responsive design and support the latest in browser technology such as HTML5, CSS3, and touch events.
Aura Components
Aura components are the self-contained and reusable units of an app. They represent a reusable section of the UI, and can range in
granularity from a single line of text to an entire app.
2
What Is the Lightning Component Framework? Events
The framework includes a set of prebuilt components. For example, components that come with the Lightning Design System styling
are available in the lightning namespace. These components are also known as the base Lightning components. You can assemble
and configure components to form new components in an app. Components are rendered to produce HTML DOM elements within the
browser.
A component can contain other components, as well as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or any other Web-enabled code. This enables you to
build apps with sophisticated UIs.
The details of a component's implementation are encapsulated. This allows the consumer of a component to focus on building their
app, while the component author can innovate and make changes without breaking consumers. You configure components by setting
the named attributes that they expose in their definition. Components interact with their environment by listening to or publishing
events.
SEE ALSO:
Creating Components
Working with Base Lightning Components
Events
Event-driven programming is used in many languages and frameworks, such as JavaScript and Java Swing. The idea is that you write
handlers that respond to interface events as they occur.
A component registers that it may fire an event in its markup. Events are fired from JavaScript controller actions that are typically triggered
by a user interacting with the user interface.
There are two types of events in the framework:
• Component events are handled by the component itself or a component that instantiates or contains the component.
• Application events are handled by all components that are listening to the event. These events are essentially a traditional
publish-subscribe model.
You write the handlers in JavaScript controller actions.
SEE ALSO:
Communicating with Events
Handling Events with Client-Side Controllers
Browser Support for Aura Components

Aura Components support the same browsers as Lightning Experience.
For more information, see Supported Browsers for Lightning Experience.
SEE ALSO:
Salesforce Help: Recommendations and Requirements for All Browsers
Lightning Locker Disabled for Unsupported Browsers
Content Security Policy Overview
3
What Is the Lightning Component Framework? My Domain Is Required to Use Lightning Components in Your
Salesforce Org
My Domain Is Required to Use Lightning Components in Your Salesforce

Org
You must deploy My Domain in your org if you want to use Lightning components in Lightning tabs, Lightning pages, as standalone
apps, as actions and action overrides, as custom Lightning page templates, or elsewhere in your org.
When My Domain isn’t deployed in your org, user interface controls related to Lightning components may be hidden or inactive. Lightning
components added to pages, tabs, and so on, don’t run and may be omitted, or display a placeholder error message.
SEE ALSO:
Salesforce Help: My Domain
Using the Developer Console

The Developer Console provides tools for developing your Aura components and applications.
The Developer Console enables you to perform these functions.

• Use the menu bar (1) to create or open these Lightning resources.
– Application
– Component
– Interface
– Event
– Tokens
• Use the workspace (2) to work on your Lightning resources.

• Use the sidebar (3) to create or open client-side resources that are part of a specific component bundle.
– Controller
– Helper
– Style
– Documentation
– Renderer
– Design
4
What Is the Lightning Component Framework? Online Content
– SVG
For more information on the Developer Console, see The Developer Console User Interface.
SEE ALSO:
Salesforce Help: Open the Developer Console
Create Aura Components in the Developer Console
Component Bundles
Online Content
This guide is available online. To view the latest version, go to:
https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/atlas.en-us.lightning.meta/lightning/
Go beyond this guide with exciting Trailhead content. To explore more of what you can do with Lightning Components, go to:
Trailhead Module: Lightning Components Basics
Link: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/module/lex_dev_lc_basics
Learn with a series of hands-on challenges on how to use Lightning Components to build modern web apps.
Quick Start: Lightning Components
Link: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/project/quickstart-lightning-components
Create your first component that renders a list of Contacts from your org.
Project: Build an Account Geolocation App
Link: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/project/account-geolocation-app
Build an app that maps your Accounts using Lightning Components.
Project: Build a Restaurant-Locator Lightning Component
Link: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/project/workshop-lightning-restaurant-locator
Build a Lightning component with Yelp’s Search API that displays a list of businesses near a certain location.
Project: Build a Lightning App with the Lightning Design System
Link: https://trailhead.salesforce.com/project/slds-lightning-components-workshop
Design a Lightning component that displays an Account list.
5
CHAPTER 2 Quick Start
In this chapter ... The quick start provides Trailhead resources for you to learn core Aura components concepts, and a
short tutorial that builds an Aura component to manage selected contacts in the Salesforce app and
• Before You Begin Lightning Experience. You’ll create all components from the Developer Console. The tutorial uses several
• Trailhead: Explore events to create or edit contact records, and view related cases.
Lightning
Components
Resources
• Create a Component
for Lightning
Experience and the
Salesforce Mobile
App
6
Quick Start Before You Begin
Before You Begin

To work with Lightning apps and components , follow these prerequisites.
1. Create a Developer Edition organization
2. Define a Custom Salesforce Domain Name
Note: For this quick start tutorial, you don’t need to create a Developer Edition organization or register a namespace prefix. But
you want to do so if you’re planning to offer managed packages. You can create Lightning components using the UI in Enterprise,
Performance, Unlimited, Developer Editions, or a sandbox. If you don’t plan to use a Developer Edition organization, you can
go directly to Define a Custom Salesforce Domain Name.
Create a Developer Edition Organization

You need an org to do this quick start tutorial, and we recommend you don’t use your production org. You only need to create a Developer
Edition org if you don’t already have one.
1. In your browser, go to https://developer.salesforce.com/signup?d=70130000000td6N.
2. Fill in the fields about you and your company.
3. In the Email field, make sure to use a public address you can easily check from a Web browser.
4. Type a unique Username. Note that this field is also in the form of an email address, but it does not have to be the same as your
email address, and in fact, it’s usually better if they aren’t the same. Your username is your login and your identity on
developer.salesforce.com, so you’re often better served by choosing a username such as
[email protected].
5. Read and then select the checkbox for the Master Subscription Agreement and then click Submit Registration.
6. In a moment you’ll receive an email with a login link. Click the link and change your password.
Define a Custom Salesforce Domain Name

A custom domain name helps you enhance access security and better manage login and authentication for your organization. If your
custom domain is universalcontainers, then your login URL would be
https://universalcontainers.lightning.force.com. For more information, see My Domain in the Salesforce Help.
Trailhead: Explore Lightning Components Resources

Get up to speed with the fundamentals of Lightning components with Trailhead resources.
Whether you’re a new Salesforce developer or a seasoned Visualforce developer, we recommend that you start with the following
Trailhead resources.
Lightning Components Basics
Use Lightning components to build modern web apps with reusable UI components. You’ll learn core Lightning components
concepts and build a simple expense tracker app that can be run in a standalone app, Salesforce app, or Lightning Experience.
Quick Start: Lightning Components
Create your first component that renders a list of contacts from your org.
Build an Account Geolocation App
Build an app that maps your accounts using Lightning components.
7
Quick Start Create a Component for Lightning Experience and the
Salesforce Mobile App
Build a Lightning App with the Lightning Design System

Design a Lightning component that displays an account list.
Build a Restaurant-Locator Lightning Component
Build a Lightning component with Yelp’s Search API that displays a list of businesses near a certain location.
Create a Component for Lightning Experience and the Salesforce Mobile

App
Explore how to create a custom UI that loads contact data and interacts with Lightning Experience and the Salesforce app.
This tutorial walks you through creating a component that:
• Displays a toast message (1) using the force:showToast event when all contacts are loaded successfully.
• Updates the number of contacts (2) based on the selected lead source.
• Filters the contacts using the lightning:select component (3) when a lead source (referral or social media) is selected.
• Displays the contact data using the lightning:card component (4).
• Navigates to the record when the Details button (5) is clicked.
8
Here’s how the component looks like in the Salesforce app. You’re creating two components, contactList and contacts, where
contactList is a container component that iterates over and displays contacts components. All contacts are displayed in
contactList, but you can select different lead sources to view a subset of contacts associated with the lead source.
9
In the next few topics, you create the following resources.
Resource Description
Contacts Bundle
contacts.cmp The component that displays individual contacts
contactsController.js The client-side controller action that navigates to a contact record using the
force:navigateToSObject event
contactList Bundle
contactList.cmp The component that loads the list of contacts
contactListController.js The client-side controller actions that call the helper resource to load contact data and handles the lead
source selection
10
Quick Start Load the Contacts
Resource Description
contactListHelper.js The helper function that retrieves contact data, displays a toast message on successful loading of contact
data, displays contact data based on lead source, and update the total number of contacts
Apex Controller
ContactController.apxc The Apex controller that queries all contact records and those records based on different lead sources
Load the Contacts

Create an Apex controller and load your contacts. An Apex controller is the bridge that connects your components and your Salesforce
data.
Your organization must have existing contact records for this tutorial.
1. Click File > New > Apex Class, and then enter ContactController in the New Class window. A new Apex class,
ContactController.apxc, is created. Enter this code and then save.
public with sharing class ContactController {

@AuraEnabled
public static List<Contact> getContacts() {
List<Contact> contacts =
[SELECT Id, Name, MailingStreet, Phone, Email, LeadSource FROM Contact];
//Add isAccessible() check

return contacts;
}
}
ContactController contains methods that return your contact data using SOQL statements. This Apex controller is wired
up to your component in a later step. getContacts() returns all contacts with the selected fields.
2. Click File > New > Lightning Component, and then enter contacts for the Name field in the New Lightning Bundle popup
window. This creates a component, contacts.cmp. Enter this code and then save.
<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="contact" type="Contact" />
<lightning:card variant="Narrow" title="{!v.contact.Name}"

iconName="standard:contact">
<aura:set attribute="actions">
<lightning:button name="details" label="Details" onclick="{!c.goToRecord}"
/>
</aura:set>
<aura:set attribute="footer">
<lightning:badge label="{!v.contact.Email}"/>
</aura:set>
<p class="slds-p-horizontal_small">
{!v.contact.Phone}
</p>
{!v.contact.MailingStreet}
</p>
11
</lightning:card>
</aura:component>
This component creates the template for your contact data using the lightning:card component, which simply creates a
visual container around a group of information. This template gets rendered for every contact that you have, so you have multiple
instances of a component in your view with different data. The onclick event handler on the lightning:button component
calls the goToRecord client-side controller action when the buton is clicked. Notice the expression {!v.contact.Name}?
v represents the view, which is the set of component attributes, and contact is the attribute of type Contact. Using this dot
notation, you can access the fields in the contact object, like Name and Email, after you wire up the Apex controller to the
component in the next step.
3. Click File > New > Lightning Component, and then enter contactList for the Name field in the New Lightning Bundle
popup window, which creates the contactList.cmp component. Enter this code and then save. If you’re using a namespace
in your organization, replace ContactController with myNamespace.ContactController. You wire up the Apex
controller to the component by using the controller="ContactController" syntax.
<aura:component implements="force:appHostable" controller="ContactController">

<aura:handler name="init" value="{!this}" action="{!c.doInit}"/>


<aura:attribute name="contacts" type="Contact[]"/>
<aura:attribute name="contactList" type="Contact[]"/>
<aura:attribute name="totalContacts" type="Integer"/>

<div class="slds-page-header slds-page-header_object-home">
<lightning:layout>
<lightning:layoutItem>
<lightning:icon iconName="standard:contact" />
</lightning:layoutItem>
<lightning:layoutItem class="slds-m-left_small">
<p class="slds-text-title_caps slds-line-height_reset">Contacts</p>
<h1 class="slds-page-header__title slds-p-right_x-small">Contact
Viewer</h1>
</lightning:layout>
<lightning:layout>
<lightning:layoutItem>
<p class="slds-text-body_small">{!v.totalContacts} Contacts • View
Contacts Based on Lead Sources</p>
</lightning:layout>
</div>


<lightning:layout>
<lightning:layoutItem padding="horizontal-medium" >

<lightning:select aura:id="select" label="Lead Source" name="source"
onchange="{!c.handleSelect}" class="slds-m-bottom_medium">
12
<option value="">-- Select a Lead Source --</option>

<option value="Referral" text="Referral"/>
<option value="Social Media" text="Social Media"/>
<option value="All" text="All"/>
</lightning:select>

<aura:iteration var="contact" items="{!v.contacts}">

<c:contacts contact="{!contact}"/>
</aura:iteration>
</lightning:layout>
</aura:component>
Let’s dive into the code. We added the init handler to load the contact data during initialization. The handler calls the client-side
controller code in the next step. We also added two attributes, contacts and totalContacts, which stores the list of contacts
and a counter to display the total number of contacts respectively. Additionally, the contactList component is an attribute
used to store the filtered list of contacts when an option is selected on the lead source dropdown menu. The lightning:layout
components simply create grids to align your content in the view with Lightning Design System CSS classes.
The page header contains the {!v.totalContacts} expression to dynamically display the number of contacts based on the
lead source you select. For example, if you select Referral and there are 30 contacts whose Lead Source fields are set to
Referral, then the expression evaluates to 30.
Next, we create a dropdown menu with the lightning:select component. When you select an option in the dropdown
menu, the onchange event handler calls your client-side controller to update the view with a subset of the contacts. You create
the client-side logic in the next few steps.
In case you’re wondering, the force:appHostable interface enables your component to be surfaced in Lightning Experience
and the Salesforce mobile app as tabs, which we are getting into later.
4. In the contactList sidebar, click CONTROLLER to create a resource named contactListController.js. Replace the
placeholder code with the following code and then save.
({
doInit : function(component, event, helper) {
// Retrieve contacts during component initialization
helper.loadContacts(component);
},
handleSelect : function(component, event, helper) {

var contacts = component.get("v.contacts");
var contactList = component.get("v.contactList");
//Get the selected option: "Referral", "Social Media", or "All"

var selected = event.getSource().get("v.value");
var filter = [];

var k = 0;
for (var i=0; i<contactList.length; i++){
var c = contactList[i];
if (selected != "All"){
if(c.LeadSource == selected) {
filter[k] = c;
13
k++;
}
}
else {
filter = contactList;
}
}
//Set the filtered list of contacts based on the selected option
component.set("v.contacts", filter);
helper.updateTotal(component);
}
})
The client-side controller calls helper functions to do most of the heavy-lifting, which is a recommended pattern to promote code
reuse. Helper functions also enable specialization of tasks, such as processing data and firing server-side actions, which is what we
are covering next. Recall that the onchange event handler on the lightning:select component calls the handleSelect
client-side controller action, which is triggered when you select an option in the dropdown menu. handleSelect checks the
option value that’s passed in using event.getSource().get("v.value"). It creates a filtered list of contacts by checking
that the lead source field on each contact matches the selected lead source. Finally, update the view and the total number of contacts
based on the selected lead source.
5. In the contactList sidebar, click HELPER to create a resource named contactListHelper.js. Replace the placeholder code
with the following code and then save.
({
loadContacts : function(cmp) {
// Load all contact data
var action = cmp.get("c.getContacts");
action.setCallback(this, function(response) {
var state = response.getState();
if (state === "SUCCESS") {
cmp.set("v.contacts", response.getReturnValue());
cmp.set("v.contactList", response.getReturnValue());
this.updateTotal(cmp);
}
// Display toast message to indicate load status

var toastEvent = $A.get("e.force:showToast");
if (state === 'SUCCESS'){
toastEvent.setParams({
"title": "Success!",
"message": " Your contacts have been loaded successfully."
});
}
else {
toastEvent.setParams({
"title": "Error!",
"message": " Something has gone wrong."
});
}
toastEvent.fire();
});
$A.enqueueAction(action);
},
14
Quick Start Fire the Events
updateTotal: function(cmp) {
var contacts = cmp.get("v.contacts");
cmp.set("v.totalContacts", contacts.length);
}
})
During initialization, the contactList component loads the contact data by:
• Calling the Apex controller method getContacts, which returns the contact data via a SOQL statement
• Setting the return value via cmp.set("v.contacts", response.getReturnValue()) in the action callback,
which updates the view with the contact data
• Updating the total number of contacts in the view, which is evaluated in updateTotal
You must be wondering how your component works in Lightning Experience and the Salesforce app. Let’s find out next!
6. Make the contactList component available via a custom tab in Lightning Experience and the Salesforce app.
• Add Lightning Components as Custom Tabs in a Lightning Experience App
• Add Lightning Components as Custom Tabs in the Salesforce App
For this tutorial, we recommend that you add the component as a custom tab in Lightning Experience.
When your component is loaded in Lightning Experience or the Salesforce app, a toast message indicates that your contacts are loaded
successfully. Select a lead source from the dropdown menu and watch your contact list and the number of contacts update in the view.
Next, wire up an event that navigates to a contact record when you click a button in the contact list.
Fire the Events

Fire the events in your client-side controller or helper functions. The force events are handled by Lightning Experience and the
Salesforce mobile app, but let’s view and test the components in Lightning Experience to simplify things.
This demo builds on the contacts component you created in Load the Contacts on page 11.
1. In the contacts sidebar, click CONTROLLER to create a resource named contactsController.js. Replace the placeholder
code with the following code and then save.
({
goToRecord : function(component, event, helper) {
// Fire the event to navigate to the contact record
var sObjectEvent = $A.get("e.force:navigateToSObject");
sObjectEvent.setParams({
"recordId": component.get("v.contact.Id")
})
sObjectEvent.fire();
}
})
The onclick event handler in the following button component triggers the goToRecord client-side controller when the
button is clicked.
<lightning:button name="details" label="Details" onclick="{!c.goToRecord}" />
You set the parameters to pass into the events using the event.setParams() syntax. In this case, you’re passing in the Id of
the contact record to navigate to. There are other events besides force:navigateToSObject that simplify navigation within
15
Quick Start Fire the Events
Lightning Experience and the Salesforce app. For more information, see Events Handled in the Salesforce Mobile App and Lightning
Experience.
2. To test the event, refresh your custom tab in Lightning Experience, and click the Details button.
The force:navigateToSObject is fired, which updates the view to display the contact record page.
We stepped through creating a component that loads contact data using a combination of client-side controllers and Apex controller
methods to create a custom UI with your Salesforce data. The possibilities of what you can do with Aura components are endless. While
we showed you how to surface a component via a tab in Lightning Experience and the Salesforce app, you can take this tutorial further
by surfacing the component on record pages via the Lightning App Builder and even Communities. To explore the possibilities, blaze
the trail with the resources available at Trailhead: Explore Lightning Components Resources.
16
CHAPTER 3 Creating Components
In this chapter ... Components are the functional units of the Lightning Component framework.
A component encapsulates a modular and potentially reusable section of UI, and can range in granularity
• Component Names
from a single line of text to an entire application.
• Create Aura
Components in the
Developer Console
• Component Markup
• Component
Namespace
• Component Bundles
• Component IDs
• HTML in Components
• CSS in Components
• Component
Attributes
• Using Expressions
• Component
Composition
• Component Body
• Component Facets
• Controlling Access
• Using
Object-Oriented
Development
• Best Practices for
Conditional Markup
• Aura Component
Versioning
• Components with
Minimum API Version
Requirements
• Validations for Aura
Component Code
• Using Labels
• Localization
17
Creating Components
• Providing
Component
Documentation
• Working with Base
Lightning
Components
• Working with UI
Components
• Supporting
Accessibility
18
Creating Components Component Names
Component Names
A component name must follow the naming rules for Lightning components.
A component name must follow these naming rules:
• Must begin with a letter
• Must contain only alphanumeric or underscore characters
• Must be unique in the namespace
• Can’t include whitespace
• Can’t end with an underscore
• Can’t contain two consecutive underscores
SEE ALSO:
Component Markup

The Developer Console is a convenient, built-in tool you can use to create new and edit existing Aura components and other bundles.
1. Open the Developer Console.
Select Developer Console from the Your Name or the quick access menu ( ).
2. Open the New Lightning Bundle panel for an Aura component.

Select File > New > Lightning Component.
3. Name the component.

For example, enter helloWorld in the Name field.
4. Optional: Describe the component.

Use the Description field to add details about the component.
5. Optional: Add component configurations to the new component.

You can select as many options in the Component Configuration section as you wish, or select no configuration at all.
6. Click Submit to create the component.

Or, to cancel creating the component, click the panel’s close box in the top right corner.
Example:
19
Creating Components Lightning Bundle Configurations Available in the Developer
Console
IN THIS SECTION:
Lightning Bundle Configurations Available in the Developer Console
Configurations make it easier to create a component or application for a specific purpose, like a Lightning Page or Lightning
Communities Page, or a quick action or navigation item in Lightning Experience or Salesforce mobile app. The New Lightning Bundle
panel in the Developer Console offers a choice of component configurations when you create an Aura component or application
bundle.
SEE ALSO:

Configurations make it easier to create a component or application for a specific purpose, like a Lightning Page or Lightning Communities
Page, or a quick action or navigation item in Lightning Experience or Salesforce mobile app. The New Lightning Bundle panel in the
Developer Console offers a choice of component configurations when you create an Aura component or application bundle.
Configurations add the interfaces required to support using the component in the desired context. For example, when you choose the
Lightning Tab configuration, your new component includes implements="force:appHostable" in the
<aura:component> tag.
20
Creating Components Lightning Bundle Configurations Available in the Developer
Console
Using configurations is optional. You can use them in any combination, including all or none.
The following configurations are available in the New Lightning Bundle panel.
Configuration Markup Description

Aura component bundle
Lightning Tab implements="force:appHostable" Creates a component for use as a

navigation element in Lightning
Experience or Salesforce mobile apps.
Lightning Page implements="flexipage:availableForAllPageTypes" Creates a component for use in

and access="global" Lightning pages or the Lightning App
Builder.
Lightning Record Page implements="flexipage:availableForRecordHome, Creates a component for use on a

force:hasRecordId" and access="global" record home page in Lightning
Experience.
Lightning Communities implements="forceCommunity:availableForAllPageTypes" Creates a component that’s available

Page and access="global" for drag and drop in the Community
Builder.
Lightning Quick Action implements="force:lightningQuickAction" Creates a component that can be

used with a Lightning quick action.
Lightning application bundle
Lightning Out extends="ltng:outApp" Creates an empty Lightning Out

Dependency App dependency app.
21
Creating Components Component Markup
Note: For details of the markup added by each configuration, see the respective documentation for those features.
SEE ALSO:
Configure Components for Custom Tabs
Configure Components for Custom Actions
Configure Components for Lightning Pages and the Lightning App Builder
Configure Components for Lightning Experience Record Pages
Configure Components for Communities
Component Markup
Component resources contain markup and have a .cmp suffix. The markup can contain text or references to other components, and
also declares metadata about the component.
Let's start with a simple "Hello, world!" example in a helloWorld.cmp component.
<aura:component>
Hello, world!
</aura:component>
This is about as simple as a component can get. The "Hello, world!" text is wrapped in the <aura:component> tags, which appear
at the beginning and end of every component definition.
Components can contain most HTML tags so you can use markup, such as <div> and <span>. HTML5 tags are also supported.
<aura:component>
<div class="container">

</div>
</aura:component>
Note: Case sensitivity should be respected as your markup interacts with JavaScript, CSS, and Apex.
SEE ALSO:
Component Names
Component Access Control
Component Namespace
Every component is part of a namespace, which is used to group related components together. If your organization has a namespace
prefix set, use that namespace to access your components. Otherwise, use the default namespace to access your components.
Another component or application can reference a component by adding <myNamespace:myComponent> in its markup. For
example, the helloWorld component is in the docsample namespace. Another component can reference it by adding
<docsample:helloWorld /> in its markup.
22
Creating Components Using the Default Namespace in Organizations with No
Namespace Set
Lightning components that Salesforce provides are grouped into several namespaces, such as aura, ui, and force. Components
from third-party managed packages have namespaces from the providing organizations.
In your organization, you can choose to set a namespace prefix. If you do, that namespace is used for all of your Lightning components.
A namespace prefix is required if you plan to offer managed packages on the AppExchange.
If you haven’t set a namespace prefix for your organization, use the default namespace c when referencing components that you’ve
created.
Namespaces in Code Samples

The code samples throughout this guide use the default c namespace. Replace c with your namespace if you’ve set a namespace
prefix.
Using the Default Namespace in Organizations with No Namespace Set

If your organization hasn’t set a namespace prefix, use the default namespace c when referencing Lightning components that you’ve
created.
The following items must use the c namespace when your organization doesn’t have a namespace prefix set.
• References to components that you’ve created
• References to events that you’ve defined
The following items use an implicit namespace for your organization and don’t require you to specify a namespace.
• References to custom objects
• References to custom fields on standard and custom objects
• References to Apex controllers
See Namespace Usage Examples and Reference on page 24 for examples of all of the preceding items.
Using Your Organization’s Namespace

If your organization has set a namespace prefix, use that namespace to reference Lightning components, events, custom objects and
fields, and other items in your Lightning markup.
The following items use your organization’s namespace when your organization has a namespace prefix set.
• References to components that you’ve created
• References to events that you’ve defined
• References to custom objects
• References to custom fields on standard and custom objects
• References to Apex controllers
• References to static resources
Note: Support for the c namespace in organizations that have set a namespace prefix is incomplete. The following items can
use the c namespace if you prefer to use the shortcut, but it’s not currently a recommended practice.
• References to components that you’ve created when used in Lightning markup, but not in expressions or JavaScript
• References to events that you’ve defined when used in Lightning markup, but not in expressions or JavaScript
• References to custom objects when used in component and event type and default system attributes, but not in
expressions or JavaScript
23
Creating Components Using a Namespace in or from a Managed Package
See Namespace Usage Examples and Reference on page 24 for examples of the preceding items.
Using a Namespace in or from a Managed Package

Always use the complete namespace when referencing items from a managed package, or when creating code that you intend to
distribute in your own managed packages.
Creating a Namespace in Your Organization

Create a namespace for your organization by registering a namespace prefix.
If you’re not creating managed packages for distribution then registering a namespace prefix isn’t required, but it’s a best practice for
all but the smallest organizations.
Your namespace prefix must:
• Begin with a letter
• Contain one to 15 alphanumeric characters
• Not contain two consecutive underscores
For example, myNp123 and my_np are valid namespaces, but 123Company and my__np aren’t.
To register a namespace prefix:
1. From Setup, enter Packages in the Quick Find box. Under Create, select Packages.
Note: This item is only available in Salesforce Classic.
2. In the Developer Settings panel, click Edit.
Note: This button doesn’t appear if you’ve already configured your developer settings.
3. Review the selections that are required for configuring developer settings, and then click Continue.
4. Enter the namespace prefix you want to register.
5. Click Check Availability to determine if the namespace prefix is already in use.
6. If the namespace prefix that you entered isn’t available, repeat the previous two steps.
7. Click Review My Selections.
8. Click Save.
Namespace Usage Examples and Reference

This topic provides examples of referencing components, objects, fields, and so on in Aura components code.
Examples are provided for the following.
• Components, events, and interfaces in your organization
• Custom objects in your organization
• Custom fields on standard and custom objects in your organization
• Server-side Apex controllers in your organization
• Dynamic creation of components in JavaScript
• Static resources in your organization
24
Creating Components Namespace Usage Examples and Reference
Organizations with No Namespace Prefix Set

The following illustrates references to elements in your organization when your organization doesn’t have a namespace prefix set.
References use the default namespace, c, where necessary.
Referenced Item Example

Component used in markup <c:myComponent />
Component used in a system <aura:component extends="c:myComponent">

attribute <aura:component implements="c:myInterface">
Apex controller <aura:component controller="ExpenseController">
Custom object in attribute data type <aura:attribute name="expense" type="Expense__c" />
Custom object or custom field in

<aura:attribute name="newExpense" type="Expense__c"
attribute defaults
default="{ 'sobjectType': 'Expense__c',
'Name': '',
'Amount__c': 0,
…
}" />
Custom field in an expression <ui:inputNumber value="{!v.newExpense.Amount__c}" label=…

/>
Custom field in a JavaScript function

updateTotal: function(component) {
…
for(var i = 0 ; i < expenses.length ; i++){
var exp = expenses[i];
total += exp.Amount__c;
}
…
}
Component created dynamically in

var myCmp = $A.createComponent("c:myComponent", {},
a JavaScript function
function(myCmp) { }
);
Interface comparison in a JavaScript aCmp.isInstanceOf("c:myInterface")

function
Event registration <aura:registerEvent type="c:updateExpenseItem" name=… />
Event handler <aura:handler event="c:updateExpenseItem" action=… />
Explicit dependency <aura:dependency resource="markup://c:myComponent" />
Application event in a JavaScript var updateEvent = $A.get("e.c:updateExpenseItem");

function
25
Creating Components Namespace Usage Examples and Reference

Static resources <ltng:require scripts="{!$Resource.resourceName}"
styles="{!$Resource.resourceName}" />
Organizations with a Namespace Prefix

The following illustrates references to elements in your organization when your organization has set a namespace prefix. References use
an example namespace yournamespace.

Component used in markup <yournamespace:myComponent />
Component used in a system <aura:component extends="yournamespace:myComponent">

attribute <aura:component implements="yournamespace:myInterface">
Apex controller <aura:component controller="yournamespace.ExpenseController">
Custom object in attribute data type <aura:attribute name="expenses"

type="yournamespace__Expense__c[]" />
Custom object or custom field in

<aura:attribute name="newExpense"
attribute defaults
type="yournamespace__Expense__c"
default="{ 'sobjectType': 'yournamespace__Expense__c',
'Name': '',
'yournamespace__Amount__c': 0,
…
}" />
Custom field in an expression <ui:inputNumber

value="{!v.newExpense.yournamespace__Amount__c}" label=… />
Custom field in a JavaScript function

updateTotal: function(component) {
…
for(var i = 0 ; i < expenses.length ; i++){
var exp = expenses[i];
total += exp.yournamespace__Amount__c;
}
…
}
Component created dynamically in

var myCmp = $A.createComponent("yournamespace:myComponent",
a JavaScript function
{},
function(myCmp) { }
);
Interface comparison in a JavaScript aCmp.isInstanceOf("yournamespace:myInterface")

function
26
Creating Components Component Bundles

Event registration <aura:registerEvent type="yournamespace:updateExpenseItem"
name=… />
Event handler <aura:handler event="yournamespace:updateExpenseItem"

action=… />
Explicit dependency <aura:dependency resource="markup://yournamespace:myComponent"

/>
Application event in a JavaScript var updateEvent = $A.get("e.yournamespace:updateExpenseItem");

function
Static resources <ltng:require

scripts="{!$Resource.yournamespace__resourceName}"
styles="{!$Resource.yournamespace__resourceName}" />
Component Bundles
A component bundle contains a component or an app and all its related resources.
Resource Resource Name Usage See Also

Component or Application sample.cmp or The only required resource in a Creating Components on page
sample.app bundle. Contains markup for the 17
component or app. Each bundle aura:application on page 486
contains only one component
or app resource.
CSS Styles sample.css Contains styles for the CSS in Components on page 31
component.
Controller sampleController.js Contains client-side controller Handling Events with Client-Side

methods to handle events in the Controllers on page 264
component.
Design sample.design File required for components Aura Component Bundle Design
used in Lightning App Builder, Resources
Lightning pages, Community
Builder, or Flow Builder.
Documentation sample.auradoc A description, sample code, and Providing Component

one or multiple references to Documentation on page 101
example components
Renderer sampleRenderer.js Client-side renderer to override Create a Custom Renderer on

default rendering for a page 361
component.
27
Creating Components Component IDs
Resource Resource Name Usage See Also

Helper sampleHelper.js JavaScript functions that can be Sharing JavaScript Code in a
called from any JavaScript code Component Bundle on page 345
in a component’s bundle
SVG File sample.svg Custom icon resource for Configure Components for
components used in the Lightning Pages and the
Lightning App Builder or Lightning App Builder on page
Community Builder. 174
All resources in the component bundle follow the naming convention and are auto-wired. For example, a controller
<componentName>Controller.js is auto-wired to its component, which means that you can use the controller within the
scope of that component.
Component IDs
A component has two types of IDs: a local ID and a global ID. You can retrieve a component using its local ID in your JavaScript code. A
global ID can be useful to differentiate between multiple instances of a component or for debugging purposes.
Local IDs
A local ID is an ID that is only scoped to the component. A local ID is often unique but it’s not required to be unique.
Create a local ID by using the aura:id attribute. For example:
<lightning:button aura:id="button1" label="button1"/>
Note: aura:id doesn't support expressions. You can only assign literal string values to aura:id.
Find the button component by calling cmp.find("button1") in your client-side controller, where cmp is a reference to the
component containing the button.
find() returns different types depending on the result.
• If the local ID is unique, find() returns the component.
• If there are multiple components with the same local ID, find() returns an array of the components.
• If there is no matching local ID, find() returns undefined.
To find the local ID for a component in JavaScript, use cmp.getLocalId().
Global IDs
Every component has a unique globalId, which is the generated runtime-unique ID of the component instance. A global ID (1) is
not guaranteed to be the same beyond the lifetime of a component, so it should never be relied on. A global ID can be useful to
differentiate between multiple instances of a component or for debugging purposes.
28
Creating Components HTML in Components
To create a unique ID for an HTML element, you can use the globalId as a prefix or suffix for your element. For example:
<div id="{!globalId + '_footer'}"></div>
In your browser’s developer console, retrieve the element using document.getElementById("<globalId>_footer"),

where <globalId> is the generated runtime-unique ID.
To retrieve a component’s global ID in JavaScript, use the getGlobalId() function.
var globalId = cmp.getGlobalId();
SEE ALSO:
Finding Components by ID
Which Button Was Pressed?
HTML in Components
An HTML tag is treated as a first-class component by the framework. Each HTML tag is translated into an <aura:html> component,
allowing it to enjoy the same rights and privileges as any other component.
For example, the framework automatically converts a standard HTML <div> tag to this component:
<aura:html tag="div" />
You can add HTML markup in components. Note that you must use strict XHTML. For example, use <br/> instead of <br>. You can
also use HTML attributes and DOM events, such as onclick.
Warning: Some tags, like <applet> and <font>, aren’t supported.
Unescaping HTML
To output pre-formatted HTML, use aura:unescapedHTML. For example, this is useful if you want to display HTML that is generated
on the server and add it to the DOM. You must escape any HTML if necessary or your app might be exposed to security vulnerabilities.
You can pass in values from an expression, such as in <aura:unescapedHtml value="{!v.note.body}"/>.
{!expression} is the framework's expression syntax. For more information, see Using Expressions on page 42.
29
Creating Components Supported HTML Tags
IN THIS SECTION:
Supported HTML Tags
The framework supports most HTML tags, including the majority of HTML5 tags.
SEE ALSO:
Supported HTML Tags
CSS in Components
Supported HTML Tags

The framework supports most HTML tags, including the majority of HTML5 tags.
We recommend that you use components in preference to HTML tags. For example, use lightning:button instead of <button>.
Components are designed with accessibility in mind so users with disabilities or those who use assistive technologies can also use your
app. When you start building more complex components, the reusable out-of-the-box components can simplify your job by handling
some of the plumbing that you would otherwise have to create yourself. Also, these components are secure and optimized for performance.
Note that you must use strict XHTML. For example, use <br/> instead of <br>.
Some HTML tags are unsafe or unnecessary. The framework doesn’t support these tags.
The HtmlTag enum in this Aura file lists the supported HTML tags. Any tag followed by (false) is not supported. For example,
applet(false) means the applet tag isn't supported.
IN THIS SECTION:
Anchor Tag: <a>
Don’t hard code or dynamically generate Salesforce URLs in the href attribute of an <a> tag. Use events, such as
force:navigateToSObject or force:navigateToURL, instead.
SEE ALSO:
Supporting Accessibility
Anchor Tag: <a>

Don’t hard code or dynamically generate Salesforce URLs in the href attribute of an <a> tag. Use events, such as
force:navigateToSObject or force:navigateToURL, instead.
Avoid the href Attribute

Using the href attribute of an <a> tag leads to inconsistent behavior in different apps and shouldn’t be relied on. For example, don’t
use this markup to link to a record:
<a href="/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX">Salesforce record ID (DON'T DO THIS)</a>
If you use # in the href attribute, a secondary issue occurs. The hash mark (#) is a URL fragment identifier and is often used in Web
development for navigation within a page. Avoid # in the href attribute of anchor tags in Lightning components as it can cause
unexpected navigation changes, especially in the Salesforce app. That’s another reason not to use href.
30
Creating Components CSS in Components
Use the Navigation Service

Use the navigation service for consistent linking behavior across Lightning Experience, Salesforce app, and Lightning communities.
lightning:navigation
Navigates to a page or component.
lightning:isUrlAddressable
Enable a component to be navigated directly via a URL.
We recommend replacing these navigation events with the navigation service.
force:navigateToList
Navigates to a list view.
force:navigateToObjectHome
Navigates to an object home.
force:navigateToRelatedList
Navigates to a related list.
force:navigateToSObject
Navigates to a record.
force:navigateToURL
Navigates to a URL.
As well as consistent behavior, using navigation events instead of <a> tags reduces the number of full app reloads, leading to better
performance.
SEE ALSO:
Navigate Across Your Apps with Page References
CSS in Components
Style your components with CSS.
Add CSS to a component bundle by clicking the STYLE button in the Developer Console sidebar.
Note: You can’t add a <style> tag in component markup or when you dynamically create a component in JavaScript code.
This restriction ensures better component encapsulation and prevents component styling interfering with the styling of another
component. The <style> tag restriction applies to components with API version 42.0 or later.
For external CSS resources, see Styling Apps on page 303.
All top-level elements in a component have a special THIS CSS class added to them. This, effectively, adds namespacing to CSS and
helps prevent one component's CSS from overriding another component's styling. The framework throws an error if a CSS file doesn't
follow this convention.
Let's look at a sample helloHTML.cmp component. The CSS is in helloHTML.css.
Component source
<aura:component>
<div class="white">
Hello, HTML!
</div>
31
Creating Components CSS in Components
<h2>Check out the style in this list.</h2>
<ul>
<li class="red">I'm red.</li>
<li class="blue">I'm blue.</li>
<li class="green">I'm green.</li>
</ul>
</aura:component>
CSS source
.THIS {
background-color: grey;
}
.THIS.white {
background-color: white;
}
.THIS .red {
background-color: red;
}
.THIS .blue {
background-color: blue;
}
.THIS .green {
background-color: green;
}
Output
The top-level elements, h2 and ul, match the THIS class and render with a grey background. Top-level elements are tags wrapped
by the HTML body tag and not by any other tags. In this example, the li tags are not top-level because they are nested in a ul tag.
The <div class="white"> element matches the .THIS.white selector and renders with a white background. Note that
there is no space in the selector as this rule is for top-level elements.
The <li class="red"> element matches the .THIS .red selector and renders with a red background. Note that this is a
descendant selector and it contains a space as the <li> element is not a top-level element.
SEE ALSO:
Adding and Removing Styles
HTML in Components
32
Creating Components Component Attributes
Component Attributes
Component attributes are like member variables on a class in Apex. They are typed fields that are set on a specific instance of a component,
and can be referenced from within the component's markup using an expression syntax. Attributes enable you to make components
more dynamic.
Use the <aura:attribute> tag to add an attribute to the component or app. Let’s look at the following sample,
helloAttributes.app:
<aura:application>
<aura:attribute name="whom" type="String" default="world"/>
Hello {!v.whom}!
</aura:application>
All attributes have a name and a type. Attributes may be marked as required by specifying required="true", and may also specify
a default value.
In this case we've got an attribute named whom of type String. If no value is specified, it defaults to "world".
Though not a strict requirement, <aura:attribute> tags are usually the first things listed in a component’s markup, as it provides
an easy way to read the component's shape at a glance.
Attribute Naming Rules

An attribute name must follow these naming rules:
• Must begin with a letter or an underscore
• Must contain only alphanumeric or underscore characters
Expressions
helloAttributes.app contains an expression, {!v.whom}, which is responsible for the component's dynamic output.
{!expression} is the framework's expression syntax. In this case, the expression we are evaluating is v.whom. The name of the
attribute we defined is whom, while v is the value provider for a component's attribute set, which represents the view.
Note: Expressions are case sensitive. For example, if you have a custom field myNamespace__Amount__c, you must refer
to it as {!v.myObject.myNamespace__Amount__c}.
IN THIS SECTION:
Supported aura:attribute Types
aura:attribute describes an attribute available on an app, interface, component, or event.
Basic Types
Function Type
An attribute can have a type corresponding to a JavaScript function. If a child component has an attribute of this type, you can pass
a callback from a parent component that contains the child component.
Object Types
Standard and Custom Object Types
Collection Types
33
Creating Components Supported aura:attribute Types
Custom Apex Class Types

Framework-Specific Types
SEE ALSO:
Using Expressions

aura:attribute describes an attribute available on an app, interface, component, or event.
Attribute Name Type Description

access String Indicates whether the attribute can be used outside of its own namespace.
Possible values are public (default), and global, and private.
name String Required. The name of the attribute. For example, if you set
<aura:attribute name="isTrue" type="Boolean" />
on a component called aura:newCmp, you can set this attribute when you
instantiate the component; for example,<aura:newCmp
isTrue="false" />.
type String Required. The type of the attribute. For a list of basic types supported, see Basic
Types.
default String The default value for the attribute, which can be overwritten as needed. When
setting a default value, expressions using the $Label, $Locale, and
$Browser global value providers are supported. Alternatively, to set a
dynamic default, use an init event. See Invoking Actions on Component
Initialization on page 344.
required Boolean Determines if the attribute is required. The default is false.
description String A summary of the attribute and its usage.
All <aura:attribute> tags have name and type values. For example:
<aura:attribute name="whom" type="String" />
Note: Although type values are case insensitive, case sensitivity should be respected as your markup interacts with JavaScript,
CSS, and Apex.
SEE ALSO:
34
Creating Components Basic Types
Basic Types
Here are the supported basic type values. Some of these types correspond to the wrapper objects for primitives in Java. Since the
framework is written in Java, defaults, such as maximum size for a number, for these basic types are defined by the Java objects that
they map to.
type Example Description

Boolean <aura:attribute Valid values are true or false. To set a default value
name="showDetail" of true, add default="true".
type="Boolean" />
Date <aura:attribute A date corresponding to a calendar day in the format

name="startDate" type="Date" yyyy-mm-dd. The hh:mm:ss portion of the date is not stored.
/> To include time fields, use DateTime instead.
DateTime <aura:attribute A date corresponding to a timestamp. It includes date and

name="lastModifiedDate" time details with millisecond precision.
type="DateTime" />
Decimal <aura:attribute Decimal values can contain fractional portions (digits to

name="totalPrice" the right of the decimal). Maps to java.math.BigDecimal.
type="Decimal" /> Decimal is better than Double for maintaining
precision for floating-point calculations. It’s preferable for
currency fields.
Double <aura:attribute Double values can contain fractional portions. Maps to

name="widthInchesFractional" java.lang.Double. Use Decimal for currency fields instead.
type="Double" />
Integer <aura:attribute Integer values can contain numbers with no fractional

name="numRecords" portion. Maps to java.lang.Integer, which defines its limits,
type="Integer" /> such as maximum size.
Long <aura:attribute Long values can contain numbers with no fractional

name="numSwissBankAccount" portion. Maps to java.lang.Long, which defines its limits,
type="Long" /> such as maximum size.
Use this data type when you need a range of values wider
than those provided by Integer.
String <aura:attribute name="message" A sequence of characters.

type="String" />
You can use arrays for each of these basic types. For example:
<aura:attribute name="favoriteColors" type="String[]" default="['red','green','blue']" />
35
Creating Components Function Type
Retrieving Data from an Apex Controller

To retrieve the string array from an Apex controller, bind the component to the controller. This component retrieves the string array
when a button is clicked.
<aura:component controller="namespace.AttributeTypes">
<aura:attribute name="favoriteColors" type="String[]" default="cyan, yellow, magenta"/>
<aura:iteration items="{!v.favoriteColors}" var="s">

{!s}
</aura:iteration>
<lightning:button onclick="{!c.getString}" label="Update"/>
</aura:component>
Set the Apex controller to return a List<String> object.

public class AttributeTypes {
private final String[] arrayItems;
@AuraEnabled
public static List<String> getStringArray() {
String[] arrayItems = new String[]{ 'red', 'green', 'blue' };
return arrayItems;
}
This client-side controller retrieves the string array from the Apex controller and displays it using the {!v.favoriteColors}
expression.
({
getString : function(component, event) {
var action = component.get("c.getStringArray");
var stringItems = response.getReturnValue();
component.set("v.favoriteColors", stringItems);
}
});
}
})
Function Type
An attribute can have a type corresponding to a JavaScript function. If a child component has an attribute of this type, you can pass a
callback from a parent component that contains the child component.
<aura:attribute name="callback" type="Function" />
For an example of using this type with aura:method, see Return Result for Asynchronous Code.
36
Creating Components Object Types
Note: Don’t send attributes with type="Function" to the server. These attributes are intended to only be used on the
client side.
The most robust way to communicate between components is to use an event. If you get an error in a component with an attribute
of type Function, fire an event in the child component instead and handle it in the parent component.
Object Types
An attribute can have a type corresponding to an Object. For example:
<aura:attribute name="data" type="Object" />
Warning: We recommend using type="Map" instead of type="Object" to avoid some deserialization issues on the
server. For example, when an attribute of type="Object" is serialized to the server, everything is converted to a string. Deep
expressions, such as v.data.property can throw an exception when they are evaluated as a string on the server. Using
type="Map" avoids these exceptions for deep expressions, and other deserialization issues.
Checking for Types

To determine a variable type, use typeof or a standard JavaScript method instead. The instanceof operator is unreliable due to
the potential presence of multiple windows or frames.
SEE ALSO:
Using Apex to Work with Salesforce Records
Standard and Custom Object Types

An attribute can have a type corresponding to a standard or custom object. For example, this is an attribute for a standard Account
object:
<aura:attribute name="acct" type="Account" />
This is an attribute for an Expense__c custom object:

<aura:attribute name="expense" type="Expense__c" />
Note: A user must have at least Read access to the object specified in the attribute type. Otherwise, the component doesn't load.
SEE ALSO:
Collection Types
Here are the supported collection type values.
37
Creating Components Collection Types

type[] (Array) <aura:attribute An array of items of a defined type.
name="colorPalette"
Note: To set a default value, surround
type="String[]" default="['red',
comma-separated values with []; for
'green', 'blue']" />
example default="['red',
'green', 'blue']". Setting a default
value without square brackets is deprecated
and can lead to unexpected behavior.
List <aura:attribute An ordered collection of items.

name="colorPalette" type="List"
default="['red', 'green',
'blue']" />
Map <aura:attribute A collection that maps keys to values. A map can’t

name="sectionLabels" type="Map" contain duplicate keys. Each key can map to at
default="{ a: 'label1', b: most one value.
'label2' }" /> An attribute with no default value defaults to
null in JavaScript. If you want to set map values
in JavaScript, use default="{}" in markup
for an empty map.
To retrieve a value, use
cmp.get("v.sectionLabels")['a'].
Set <aura:attribute name="collection" A collection that contains no duplicate elements.

type="Set" default="['red', The order for set items is not guaranteed. For
'green', 'blue']" /> example, "['red', 'green', 'blue']"
might be returned as blue,green,red.

Checking for Types

To determine a variable type, use typeof or a standard JavaScript method, such as Array.isArray(), instead. The instanceof
operator is unreliable due to the potential presence of multiple windows or frames.
38
Creating Components Custom Apex Class Types
Setting List Items

There are several ways to set items in a list. To use a client-side controller, create an attribute of type List and set the items using
component.set().
This example retrieves a list of numbers from a client-side controller when a button is clicked.
<aura:attribute name="numbers" type="List"/>
<lightning:button onclick="{!c.getNumbers}" label="Display Numbers" />
<aura:iteration var="num" items="{!v.numbers}">
{!num.value}
</aura:iteration>
/** Client-side Controller **/

({
getNumbers: function(component, event, helper) {
var numbers = [];
for (var i = 0; i < 20; i++) {
numbers.push({
value: i
});
}
component.set("v.numbers", numbers);
}
})
Setting Map Items

To add a key and value pair to a map, use the syntax myMap['myNewKey'] = myNewValue.
var myMap = cmp.get("v.sectionLabels");
myMap['c'] = 'label3';
The following example retrieves data from a map.

for (var key in myMap){
//do something
}

An attribute can have a type corresponding to an Apex class. For example, this is an attribute for a custom Color Apex class:
<aura:attribute name="color" type="docSampleNamespace.Color" />
Component attribute types can be custom Apex classes, and the following standard Apex classes.
• List
• Map
To make use of values held in other Apex built-in classes, create a custom Apex class, and copy needed values from instances of the
standard class into your custom class.
When an instance of an Apex class is returned from a server-side action, the instance is serialized to JSON by the framework. Only the
values of public instance properties and methods annotated with @AuraEnabled are serialized and returned.
39
Creating Components Framework-Specific Types
The following Apex data types can be serialized from @AuraEnabled properties and methods.
• Primitive types except for BLOB
• Object, subject to limitations described above
• sObject
• Collections types (List and Map) when they hold elements of a supported type
Note: Custom classes used for component attributes shouldn’t be inner classes or use inheritance. While these Apex language
features might work in some situations, there are known issues, and their use is unsupported in all cases.
Using Arrays
If an attribute can contain more than one element, use an array.
This aura:attribute tag shows the syntax for an array of Apex objects:
<aura:attribute name="colorPalette" type="docSampleNamespace.Color[]" />
SEE ALSO:
Returning Data from an Apex Server-Side Controller
AuraEnabled Annotation
Apex Developer Guide: Data Types
Here are the supported type values that are specific to the framework.

Aura.Component N/A A single component. We recommend using
Aura.Component[] instead.
Aura.Component[] <aura:attribute Use this type to set blocks of markup. An

name="detail" attribute of type Aura.Component[]
type="Aura.Component[]"/> is called a facet.
To set a default value for
type="Aura.Component[]", put
the default markup in the body of
aura:attribute. For example:
<aura:component>
<aura:attribute
name="detail"
type="Aura.Component[]">
<p>default
40
Creating Components Framework-Specific Types
paragraph1</p>
</aura:attribute>
Default value is:
{!v.detail}
</aura:component>
Aura.Action <aura:attribute Use this type to pass an action to a

name="onclick" component. See Using the Aura.Action
type="Aura.Action"/> Attribute Type.
IN THIS SECTION:
Using the Aura.Action Attribute Type
An Aura.Action is a reference to an action in the framework. If a child component has an Aura.Action attribute, a parent
component can pass in an action handler when it instantiates the child component in its markup. This pattern is a shortcut to pass
a controller action from a parent component to a child component that it contains, and is used for on* handlers, such as onclick.
SEE ALSO:
Component Body
Component Facets
Component Body
Component Facets
Using the Aura.Action Attribute Type

An Aura.Action is a reference to an action in the framework. If a child component has an Aura.Action attribute, a parent
component can pass in an action handler when it instantiates the child component in its markup. This pattern is a shortcut to pass a
controller action from a parent component to a child component that it contains, and is used for on* handlers, such as onclick.
Warning: Although Aura.Action works for passing an action handler to a child component, we recommend registering an
event in the child component and firing the event in the child’s controller instead. Then, handle the event in the parent component.
The event approach requires a few extra steps in creating or choosing an event and firing it but events are the standard way to
communicate between components.
Aura.Action shouldn’t be used for other use cases. Here are some known limitations of Aura.Action.
• Don’t use cmp.set() in JavaScript code to reset an attribute of type="Aura.Action" after it’s previously been set.
Doing so generates an error.
Unable to set value for key 'c.passedAction'. Value provider does not implement
'set(key, value)'. : false
• Don’t use $A.enqueueAction() in the child component to enqueue the action passed to the Aura.Action attribute.
Example
This example demonstrates how to pass an action handler from a parent component to a child component.
41
Creating Components Using Expressions
Here’s the child component with the Aura.Action attribute. The onclick handler for the button uses the value of the onclick
attribute, which has type of Aura.Action.

<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="onclick" type="Aura.Action"/>
<p>Child component with Aura.Action attribute</p>

<lightning:button label="Execute the passed action" onclick="{!v.onclick}"/>
</aura:component>
Here’s the parent component that contains the child component in its markup.

<aura:component>
<p>Parent component passes handler action to c:child</p>
<c:child onclick="{!c.parentAction}"/>
</aura:component>
When you click the button in c:child, the parentAction action in the controller of c:parent is executed.
Instead of an Aura.Action attribute, you could use <aura:registerEvent> to register an onclick event in the child
component. You’d have to define the event and create an action in the child’s controller to fire the event. This event-based approach
requires a few extra steps but it’s more in line with standard practices for communicating between components.
SEE ALSO:
Using Expressions
Expressions allow you to make calculations and access property values and other data within component markup. Use expressions for
dynamic output or passing values into components by assigning them to attributes.
An expression is any set of literal values, variables, sub-expressions, or operators that can be resolved to a single value. Method calls are
not allowed in expressions.
The expression syntax is: {!expression}
expression is a placeholder for the expression.
Anything inside the {! } delimiters is evaluated and dynamically replaced when the component is rendered or when the value is
used by the component. Whitespace is ignored.
Note: If you're familiar with other languages, you may be tempted to read the ! as the “bang” operator, which negates boolean
values in many programming languages. In the Aura Components programming model, {! is simply the delimiter used to begin
an expression.
If you're familiar with Visualforce, this syntax will look familiar.
Here’s an example in component markup.

{!v.firstName}
42
Creating Components Dynamic Output in Expressions
In this expression, v represents the view, which is the set of component attributes, and firstName is an attribute of the component.
The expression outputs the firstName attribute value for the component.
The resulting value of an expression can be a primitive, such as an integer, string, or boolean. It can also be a JavaScript object, a component
or collection, a controller method such as an action method, and other useful results.
There is a second expression syntax: {#expression}. For more details on the difference between the two forms of expression
syntax, see Data Binding Between Components.
Identifiers in an expression, such as attribute names accessed through the view, controller values, or labels, must start with a letter or
underscore. They can also contain numbers or hyphens after the first character. For example, {!v.2count} is not valid, but
{!v.count} is.
Important: Only use the {! } syntax in markup in .app or .cmp files. In JavaScript, use string syntax to evaluate an expression.
For example:
var theLabel = cmp.get("v.label");
If you want to escape {!, use this syntax:

<aura:text value="{!"/>
This renders {! in plain text because the aura:text component never interprets {! as the start of an expression.
IN THIS SECTION:
Dynamic Output in Expressions
The simplest way to use expressions is to output dynamic values.
Conditional Expressions
Here are examples of conditional expressions using the ternary operator and the <aura:if> tag.
Data Binding Between Components
When you add a component in markup, you can use an expression to initialize attribute values in the component based on attribute
values of the container component. There are two forms of expression syntax, which exhibit different behaviors for data binding
between the components.
Value Providers
Value providers are a way to access data. Value providers encapsulate related values together, similar to how an object encapsulates
properties and methods.
Expression Evaluation
Expressions are evaluated much the same way that expressions in JavaScript or other programming languages are evaluated.
Expression Operators Reference
The expression language supports operators to enable you to create more complex expressions.
Expression Functions Reference
The expression language contains math, string, array, comparison, boolean, and conditional functions. All functions are case-sensitive.

The simplest way to use expressions is to output dynamic values.
Values used in the expression can be from component attributes, literal values, booleans, and so on. For example:
{!v.desc}
43
Creating Components Conditional Expressions
In this expression, v represents the view, which is the set of component attributes, and desc is an attribute of the component. The
expression is simply outputting the desc attribute value for the component that contains this markup.
If you're including literal values in expressions, enclose text values within single quotes, such as {!'Some text'}.
Include numbers without quotes, for example, {!123}.
For booleans, use {!true} for true and {!false} for false.
SEE ALSO:
Value Providers
Here are examples of conditional expressions using the ternary operator and the <aura:if> tag.
Ternary Operator
This expression uses the ternary operator to conditionally output one of two values dependent on a condition.
<a class="{!v.location == '/active' ? 'selected' : ''}" href="#/active">Active</a>
The {!v.location == '/active' ? 'selected' : ''} expression conditionally sets the class attribute of an HTML
<a> tag, by checking whether the location attribute is set to /active. If true, the expression sets class to selected.
Using <aura:if> for Conditional Markup

This snippet of markup uses the <aura:if> tag to conditionally display an edit button.
<aura:attribute name="edit" type="Boolean" default="true"/>
<aura:if isTrue="{!v.edit}">
<lightning:button label="Edit"/>
<aura:set attribute="else">
You can’t edit this.
</aura:set>
</aura:if>
If the edit attribute is set to true, a ui:button displays. Otherwise, the text in the else attribute displays.
SEE ALSO:
Best Practices for Conditional Markup
Data Binding Between Components

When you add a component in markup, you can use an expression to initialize attribute values in the component based on attribute
values of the container component. There are two forms of expression syntax, which exhibit different behaviors for data binding between
the components.
This concept is a little tricky, but it will make more sense when we look at an example. Consider a c:parent component that has a
parentAttr attribute. c:parent contains a c:child component with a childAttr attribute that’s initialized to the value
44
Creating Components Data Binding Between Components
of the parentAttr attribute. We’re passing the parentAttr attribute value from c:parent into the c:child component,
which results in a data binding, also known as a value binding, between the two components.

<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="parentAttr" type="String" default="parent attribute"/>


<c:child childAttr="{!v.parentAttr}" />
</aura:component>
{!v.parentAttr} is a bound expression. Any change to the value of the childAttr attribute in c:child also affects the
parentAttr attribute in c:parent and vice versa.
Now, let's change the markup from:
<c:child childAttr="{!v.parentAttr}" />
to:
<c:child childAttr="{#v.parentAttr}" />
{#v.parentAttr} is an unbound expression. Any change to the value of the childAttr attribute in c:child doesn’t affect
the parentAttr attribute in c:parent and vice versa.
Here’s a summary of the differences between the forms of expression syntax.
{#expression} (Unbound Expressions)
Data updates behave as you would expect in JavaScript. Primitives, such as String, are passed by value, and data updates for the
expression in the parent and child are decoupled.
Objects, such as Array or Map, are passed by reference, so changes to the data in the child propagate to the parent. However,
change handlers in the parent aren’t notified. The same behavior applies for changes in the parent propagating to the child.
{!expression} (Bound Expressions)
Data updates in either component are reflected through bidirectional data binding in both components. Similarly, change handlers
are triggered in both the parent and child components.
Tip: Bi-directional data binding is expensive for performance and it can create hard-to-debug errors due to the propagation
of data changes through nested components. We recommend using the {#expression} syntax instead when you pass
an expression from a parent component to a child component unless you require bi-directional data binding.
Unbound Expressions
Let’s look at another example of a c:parentExpr component that contains another component, c:childExpr.
Here is the markup for c:childExpr.

<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="childAttr" type="String" />
<p>childExpr childAttr: {!v.childAttr}</p>

<p><lightning:button label="Update childAttr"
onclick="{!c.updateChildAttr}"/></p>
</aura:component>
45
Here is the markup for c:parentExpr.


<aura:component>

<c:childExpr childAttr="{#v.parentAttr}" />
<p>parentExpr parentAttr: {!v.parentAttr}</p>

<p><lightning:button label="Update parentAttr"
onclick="{!c.updateParentAttr}"/></p>
</aura:component>
The c:parentExpr component uses an unbound expression to set an attribute in the c:childExpr component.
When we instantiate childExpr, we set the childAttr attribute to the value of the parentAttr attribute in c:parentExpr.
Since the {#v.parentAttr} syntax is used, the v.parentAttr expression is not bound to the value of the childAttr
attribute.
The c:exprApp application is a wrapper around c:parentExpr.

<aura:application >
<c:parentExpr />
</aura:application>
In the Developer Console, click Preview in the sidebar for c:exprApp to view the app in your browser.
Both parentAttr and childAttr are set to “parent attribute”, which is the default value of parentAttr.
Now, let’s create a client-side controller for c:childExpr so that we can dynamically update the component. Here is the source for
childExprController.js.
/* childExprController.js */
({
updateChildAttr: function(cmp) {
cmp.set("v.childAttr", "updated child attribute");
}
})
In the Developer Console, click Update Preview for c:exprApp.

Press the Update childAttr button. This updates childAttr to “updated child attribute”. The value of parentAttr is unchanged
since we used an unbound expression.
Let’s add a client-side controller for c:parentExpr. Here is the source for parentExprController.js.
/* parentExprController.js */
({
updateParentAttr: function(cmp) {
cmp.set("v.parentAttr", "updated parent attribute");
}
})
46

Press the Update parentAttr button. This time, parentAttr is set to “updated parent attribute” while childAttr is unchanged
due to the unbound expression.
Warning: Don’t use a component’s init event and client-side controller to initialize an attribute that is used in an unbound
expression. The attribute will not be initialized. Use a bound expression instead. For more information on a component’s init
event, see Invoking Actions on Component Initialization on page 344.
Alternatively, you can wrap the component in another component. When you instantiate the wrapped component in the wrapper
component, initialize the attribute value instead of initializing the attribute in the wrapped component’s client-side controller.
Bound Expressions
Now, let’s update the code to use a bound expression instead. Change this line in c:parentExpr:
to:
<c:childExpr childAttr="{!v.parentAttr}" />

Press the Update childAttr button. This updates both childAttr and parentAttr to “updated child attribute” even though
we only set v.childAttr in the client-side controller of childExpr. Both attributes were updated since we used a bound
expression to set the childAttr attribute.
Change Handlers and Data Binding

You can configure a component to automatically invoke a change handler, which is a client-side controller action, when a value in one
of the component's attributes changes.
When you use a bound expression, a change in the attribute in the parent or child component triggers the change handler in both
components. When you use an unbound expression, the change is not propagated between components so the change handler is only
triggered in the component that contains the changed attribute.
Let’s add change handlers to our earlier example to see how they are affected by bound versus unbound expressions.
Here is the updated markup for c:childExpr.

<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="childAttr" type="String" />
<aura:handler name="change" value="{!v.childAttr}" action="{!c.onChildAttrChange}"/>
<p>childExpr childAttr: {!v.childAttr}</p>

<p><lightning:button label="Update childAttr"
onclick="{!c.updateChildAttr}"/></p>
</aura:component>
Notice the <aura:handler> tag with name="change", which signifies a change handler. value="{!v.childAttr}"
tells the change handler to track the childAttr attribute. When childAttr changes, the onChildAttrChange client-side
controller action is invoked.
47
Here is the client-side controller for c:childExpr.

/* childExprController.js */
({
updateChildAttr: function(cmp) {
cmp.set("v.childAttr", "updated child attribute");
},
onChildAttrChange: function(cmp, evt) {

console.log("childAttr has changed");
console.log("old value: " + evt.getParam("oldValue"));
console.log("current value: " + evt.getParam("value"));
}
})
Here is the updated markup for c:parentExpr with a change handler.


<aura:component>
<aura:handler name="change" value="{!v.parentAttr}" action="{!c.onParentAttrChange}"/>

<p>parentExpr parentAttr: {!v.parentAttr}</p>

<p><lightning:button label="Update parentAttr"
onclick="{!c.updateParentAttr}"/></p>
</aura:component>
Here is the client-side controller for c:parentExpr.

/* parentExprController.js */
({
updateParentAttr: function(cmp) {
cmp.set("v.parentAttr", "updated parent attribute");
},
onParentAttrChange: function(cmp, evt) {

console.log("parentAttr has changed");
}
})

Open your browser’s console (More tools > Developer tools in Chrome).
Press the Update parentAttr button. The change handlers for c:parentExpr and c:childExpr are both triggered as we’re
using a bound expression.
48
Creating Components Value Providers
Change c:parentExpr to use an unbound expression instead.


Press the Update childAttr button. This time, only the change handler for c:childExpr is triggered as we’re using an unbound
expression.
SEE ALSO:
Detecting Data Changes with Change Handlers
Component Composition
Value Providers
Value providers are a way to access data. Value providers encapsulate related values together, similar to how an object encapsulates
properties and methods.
The value providers for a component are v (view) and c (controller).
Value Provider Description See Also

v A component’s attribute set. This value provider enables Component Attributes
you to access the value of a component’s attribute in the
component’s markup.
c A component’s controller, which enables you to wire up Handling Events with Client-Side Controllers
event handlers and actions for the component
All components have a v value provider, but aren't required to have a controller. Both value providers are created automatically when
defined for a component.
Note: Expressions are bound to the specific component that contains them. That component is also known as the attribute value
provider, and is used to resolve any expressions that are passed to attributes of its contained components.
Global Value Providers

Global value providers are global values and methods that a component can use in expressions.
Global Value Description See Also

Provider
globalID The globalId global value provider returns the global Component IDs
ID for a component. Every component has a unique
globalId, which is the generated runtime-unique ID
of the component instance.
$Browser The $Browser global value provider returns $Browser

information about the hardware and operating system
of the browser accessing the application.
49
Global Value Description See Also

Provider
$ContentAsset The $ContentAsset global value provider lets you $ContentAsset
reference images, style sheets, and JavaScript used as
asset files in your lightning components.
$Label The $Label global value provider enables you to access Using Custom Labels
labels stored outside your code.
$Locale The $Locale global value provider returns information $Locale

about the current user’s preferred locale.
$Resource The $Resource global value provider lets you $Resource

reference images, style sheets, and JavaScript code you’ve
uploaded in static resources.
Accessing Fields and Related Objects

Values in a value provider are accessed as named properties. To use a value, separate the value provider and the property name with a
dot (period). For example, v.body. You can access value providers in markup or in JavaScript code.
When an attribute of a component is an object or other structured data (not a primitive value), access the values on that attribute using
the same dot notation.
For example, {!v.accounts.id} accesses the id field in the accounts record.
For deeply nested objects and attributes, continue adding dots to traverse the structure and access the nested values.
SEE ALSO:
$Browser
The $Browser global value provider returns information about the hardware and operating system of the browser accessing the
application.
Attribute Description
formFactor Returns a FormFactor enum value based on the type of hardware the browser is running on.
• DESKTOP for a desktop client
• PHONE for a phone including a mobile phone with a browser and a smartphone
• TABLET for a tablet client (for which isTablet returns true)
isAndroid Indicates whether the browser is running on an Android device (true) or not (false).
isIOS Not available in all implementations. Indicates whether the browser is running on an iOS device (true)
or not (false).
isIPad Not available in all implementations. Indicates whether the browser is running on an iPad (true) or not
(false).
50
isIPhone Not available in all implementations. Indicates whether the browser is running on an iPhone (true) or
not (false).
isPhone Indicates whether the browser is running on a phone including a mobile phone with a browser and a
smartphone (true), or not (false).
isTablet Indicates whether the browser is running on an iPad or a tablet with Android 2.2 or later (true) or not
(false).
isWindowsPhone Indicates whether the browser is running on a Windows phone (true) or not (false). Note that this
only detects Windows phones and does not detect tablets or other touch-enabled Windows 8 devices.
Example: This example shows usage of the $Browser global value provider.
<aura:component>
{!$Browser.isTablet}
{!$Browser.isPhone}
{!$Browser.isAndroid}
{!$Browser.formFactor}
</aura:component>
Similarly, you can check browser information in a client-side controller using $A.get().
({
checkBrowser: function(component) {
var device = $A.get("$Browser.formFactor");
alert("You are using a " + device);
}
})
$ContentAsset
The $ContentAsset global value provider lets you reference images, style sheets, and JavaScript used as asset files in your Lightning
components.
Reference $ContentAsset asset files by name instead of using cumbersome file paths or URLs. $ContentAsset provides
sharing, versioning, and access control for all asset files, as well as options for mobile optimization and resizing of image files. You can
use $ContentAsset in Lightning components markup and within JavaScript controller and helper code.
Using $ContentAsset in Component Markup

To reference a specific asset file in component markup, use $ContentAsset.yourNamespace__assetName. Orgs without
a namespace can use $ContentAsset.assetDeveloperName. Use this syntax regardless of whether an asset is for authenticated
or unauthenticated sessions. To reference a content asset within an archive, add pathinarchive as a parameter appended to the
basic syntax: $ContentAsset.yourNamespace__assetName + 'pathinarchive=images/sampleImage.jpg'.
Here are a few examples.
51
Aura component referencing an image in an archive asset file:

<aura:component>
<img src="{!$ContentAsset.websiteImages + 'pathinarchive=images/logo.jpg'}" "alt="holiday
wreath"/>
</aura:component>
Include CSS style sheets or JavaScript libraries in a component using the <ltng:require> tag.
Aura component using an asset file to style a div element:
Markup
<aura:component>
<ltng:require styles="{!$ContentAsset.bookStyle}"/>


<div id="bookTitle" class="bookName">
</div>
</aura:component>
Aura component displays data from a testDisplayData JavaScript asset file:

Markup
<aura:component>
<ltng:require scripts="{!$ContentAsset.testDisplayData}"
afterScriptsLoaded="{!c.displayData}"/>
...
<aura:attribute name="TestData" type="String[]" ></aura:attribute>

<div>
<input type="text" id="sampleData" value ="{!v.TestData}" />
</div>
...
</aura:component>
Controller
({
displayData : function(component, event, helper) {
var data = _datamap.getData();
component.set("v.TestData", data);
}
})
JavaScript (.js) Asset File with DeveloperName testDisplayData

window._datamap = (function() {
var data = ["Agree", "Disagree", "Strongly Agree", "Strongly Disagree", "Not
Applicable"];
return {
getData: function() {
return data.join(", ");
}
};
}());
52
$Locale
The $Locale global value provider returns information about the current user’s preferred locale.
Attribute Description Sample Value

country The ISO 3166 representation of the country code "US", "DE", "GB"
based on the language locale.
currency The currency symbol. "$"
currencyCode The ISO 4217 representation of the currency code. "USD"
decimal The decimal separator. "."
firstDayOfWeek The first day of the week, where 1 is Sunday. 1
grouping The grouping separator. ","
isEasternNameStyle Specifies if a name is based on eastern style, for false

example, last name first name
[middle] [suffix].
labelForToday The label for the Today link on the date picker. “Today”
language The language code based on the language locale. "en", "de", "zh"
langLocale The locale ID. “en_US”, “en_GB”
nameOfMonths The full and short names of the calendar months { fullName: “January”, shortName: “Jan” }
nameOfWeekdays The full and short names of the calendar weeks { fullName: “Sunday”, shortName: “SUN” }
timezone The time zone ID. "America/Los_Angeles"
userLocaleCountry The country based on the current user’s locale “US”
userLocaleLang The language based on the current user’s locale “en”
variant Deprecated. The variation for a language dialect.
Number and Date Formatting

currencyFormat The currency format. "¤#,##0.00;(¤#,##0.00)"
¤ represents the currency sign, which is replaced
by the currency symbol.
dateFormat The date format. "MMM d, yyyy"
datetimeFormat The date time format. "MMM d, yyyy h:mm:ss a"
longDateFormat The long date format. "MMMM d, yyyy"
53

numberFormat The number format. "#,##0.###"
# represents a digit, the comma is a placeholder for
the grouping separator, and the period is a
placeholder for the decimal separator. Zero (0)
replaces # to represent trailing zeros.
percentFormat The percentage format. "#,##0%"
shortDateFormat The short date format. "M/d/yyyy"
shortDatetimeFormat The short date time format. "M/d/yyyy h:mm a"
shortTimeFormat The short time format. "h:mm a"
timeFormat The time format. "h:mm:ss a"
zero The character for the zero digit. “0”
Example: This example shows how to retrieve different $Locale attributes.

Component source
<aura:component>
{!$Locale.language}
{!$Locale.timezone}
{!$Locale.numberFormat}
{!$Locale.currencyFormat}
</aura:component>
Similarly, you can check locale information in JavaScript using $A.get().

({
checkDevice: function(component) {
var locale = $A.get("$Locale.language");
alert("You are using " + locale);
}
})
SEE ALSO:
Localization
$Resource
The $Resource global value provider lets you reference images, style sheets, and JavaScript code you’ve uploaded in static resources.
Using $Resource lets you reference assets by name, without worrying about the gory details of URLs or file paths. You can use
$Resource in Aura component markup and within JavaScript controller and helper code.
54
Using $Resource in Component Markup

To reference a specific resource in component markup, use $Resource.resourceName within an expression. resourceName
is the Name of the static resource. In a managed packaged, the resource name must include the package namespace prefix, such as
$Resource.yourNamespace__resourceName. For a stand-alone static resource, such as an individual graphic or script,
that’s all you need. To reference an item within an archive static resource, add the rest of the path to the item using string concatenation.
Here are a few examples.
<aura:component>

<img src="{!$Resource.generic_profile_svg}"/>
<img src="{!$Resource.yourNamespace__generic_profile_svg}"/>


<img src="{!$Resource.SLDSv2 + '/assets/images/avatar1.jpg'}"/>
<img src="{!$Resource.yourNamespace__SLDSv2 + '/assets/images/avatar1.jpg'}"/>
</aura:component>
Include CSS style sheets or JavaScript libraries into a component using the <ltng:require> tag. For example:
<aura:component>
<ltng:require
styles="{!$Resource.SLDSv2 + '/assets/styles/lightning-design-system-ltng.css'}"
scripts="{!$Resource.jsLibraries + '/jsLibOne.js'}"
afterScriptsLoaded="{!c.scriptsLoaded}" />
</aura:component>
Note: Due to a quirk in the way $Resource is parsed in expressions, use the join operator to include multiple $Resource
references in a single attribute. For example, if you have more than one JavaScript library to include into a component the scripts
attribute should be something like the following.
scripts="{!join(',',
$Resource.jsLibraries + '/jsLibOne.js',
$Resource.jsLibraries + '/jsLibTwo.js')}"
Using $Resource in JavaScript

To obtain a reference to a static resource in JavaScript code, use $A.get('$Resource.resourceName').
resourceName is the Name of the static resource. In a managed packaged, the resource name must include the package namespace
prefix, such as $Resource.yourNamespace__resourceName. For a stand-alone static resource, such as an individual graphic
or script, that’s all you need. To reference an item within an archive static resource, add the rest of the path to the item using string
concatenation. For example:
({
profileUrl: function(component) {
var profUrl = $A.get('$Resource.SLDSv2') + '/assets/images/avatar1.jpg';
alert("Profile URL: " + profUrl);
}
})
Note: Static resources referenced in JavaScript aren’t automatically added to packages. If your JavaScript depends on a resource
that isn’t referenced in component markup, add it manually to any packages the JavaScript code is included in.
55
Creating Components Expression Evaluation
$Resource Considerations
Global value providers in the Aura Components programming model are, behind the scenes, implemented quite differently from global
variables in Salesforce. Although $Resource looks like the global variable with the same name available in Visualforce, formula fields,
and elsewhere, there are important differences. Don’t use other documentation as a guideline for its use or behavior.
Here are two specific things to keep in mind about $Resource in the Aura Components programming model.
First, $Resource isn’t available until the Aura Components programming model is loaded on the client. Some very simple components
that are composed of only markup can be rendered server-side, where $Resource isn’t available. To avoid this, when you create a
new app, stub out a client-side controller to force components to be rendered on the client.
Second, if you’ve worked with the $Resource global variable, in Visualforce or elsewhere, you’ve also used the URLFOR() formula
function to construct complete URLs to specific resources. There’s nothing similar to URLFOR() in the Aura Components programming
model. Instead, use simple string concatenation, as illustrated in the preceding examples.
SEE ALSO:
Salesforce Help: Static Resources
Expression Evaluation
Expressions are evaluated much the same way that expressions in JavaScript or other programming languages are evaluated.
Operators are a subset of those available in JavaScript, and evaluation order and precedence are generally the same as JavaScript.
Parentheses enable you to ensure a specific evaluation order. What you may find surprising about expressions is how often they are
evaluated. The framework notices when things change, and trigger re-rendering of any components that are affected. Dependencies
are handled automatically. This is one of the fundamental benefits of the framework. It knows when to re-render something on the page.
When a component is re-rendered, any expressions it uses will be re-evaluated.
Action Methods
Expressions are also used to provide action methods for user interface events: onclick, onhover, and any other component
attributes beginning with "on".
Action methods must be assigned to attributes using an expression, for example {!c.theAction}. This expression assigns a
reference to the controller function that handles the action.
Assigning action methods via expressions allows you to assign them conditionally, based on the state of the application or user interface.
For more information, see Conditional Expressions on page 44.
<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="liked" type="Boolean" default="true"/>
<lightning:button aura:id="likeBtn"
label="{!(v.liked) ? 'Like It' : 'Unlike It'}"
onclick="{!(v.liked) ? c.likeIt : c.unlikeIt}"
/>
</aura:component>
This button will show "Like It" for items that have not yet been liked, and clicking it will call the likeIt action method. Then the
component will re-render, and the opposite user interface display and method assignment will be in place. Clicking a second time will
unlike the item, and so on.
Note: The example demonstrates how attributes can help you control the state of a button. To create a button that toggles
between states, we recommend using the lightning:buttonStateful component.
56
Creating Components Expression Operators Reference
Expression Operators Reference

The expression language supports operators to enable you to create more complex expressions.
Arithmetic Operators
Expressions based on arithmetic operators result in numerical values.
Operator Usage Description

+ 1 + 1 Add two numbers.
- 2 - 1 Subtract one number from the other.
* 2 * 2 Multiply two numbers.
/ 4 / 2 Divide one number by the other.
% 5 % 2 Return the integer remainder of dividing the first number by the

second.
- -v.exp Unary operator. Reverses the sign of the succeeding number. For
example if the value of expenses is 100, then -expenses
is -100.
Numeric Literals
Literal Usage Description
Integer 2 Integers are numbers without a decimal point or exponent.
Float 3.14 Numbers with a decimal point, or numbers with an exponent.

-1.1e10
Null null A literal null number. Matches the explicit null value and numbers
with an undefined value.
String Operators
Expressions based on string operators result in string values.

+ 'Title: ' + v.note.title Concatenates two strings together.
String Literals
String literals must be enclosed in single quotation marks 'like this'.
57

string 'hello world' Literal strings must be enclosed in single quotation marks. Double quotation marks
are reserved for enclosing attribute values, and must be escaped in strings.
\<escape> '\n' Whitespace characters:

• \t (tab)
• \n (newline)
• \r (carriage return)
Escaped characters:
• \" (literal ")
• \' (literal ')
• \\ (literal \)
Unicode '\u####' A Unicode code point. The # symbols are hexadecimal digits. A Unicode literal
requires four digits.
null null A literal null string. Matches the explicit null value and strings with an undefined
value.
Comparison Operators
Expressions based on comparison operators result in a true or false value. For comparison purposes, numbers are treated as the
same type. In all other cases, comparisons check both value and type.
Operator Alternative Usage Description

== eq 1 == 1 Returns true if the operands are equal. This
1 == 1.0 comparison is valid for all data types.
1 eq 1 Warning: Don’t use the == operator for

objects, as opposed to basic types, such as
Note: Integer or String. For example,
undefined==null object1==object2 evaluates
evaluates to true. inconsistently on the client versus the server
and isn’t reliable.
!= ne 1 != 2 Returns true if the operands are not equal. This

1 != true comparison is valid for all data types.
1 != '1'
null != false
1 ne 2
< lt 1 < 2 Returns true if the first operand is numerically

1 lt 2 less than the second. You must escape the <
operator to < to use it in component markup.
Alternatively, you can use the lt operator.
58
Operator Alternative Usage Description

> gt 42 > 2 Returns true if the first operand is numerically
42 gt 2 greater than the second.
<= le 2 <= 42 Returns true if the first operand is numerically

2 le 42 less than or equal to the second. You must escape
the <= operator to <= to use it in component
markup. Alternatively, you can use the le operator.
>= ge 42 >= 42 Returns true if the first operand is numerically

42 ge 42 greater than or equal to the second.
Logical Operators
Expressions based on logical operators result in a true or false value.

&& isEnabled Returns true if both operands are individually true. This syntax is awkward in markup so we
&& recommend the alternative of using the and() function and passing it two arguments. For
hasPermission example, and(isEnabled, hasPermission).
|| hasPermission Returns true if either operand is individually true.

|| isRequired
! !isRequired Unary operator. Returns true if the operand is false. This operator should not be confused
with the ! delimiter used to start an expression in {!. You can combine the expression
delimiter with this negation operator to return the logical negation of a value, for example,
{!!true} returns false.
Logical Literals
Logical values are never equivalent to non-logical values. That is, only true == true, and only false == false; 1 !=
true, and 0 != false, and null != false.

true true A boolean true value.
false false A boolean false value.
Conditional Operator
There is only one conditional operator, the traditional ternary operator.
59
Creating Components Expression Functions Reference

? : (1 != 2) ? "Obviously" : "Black The operand before the ? operator is evaluated as
is White" a boolean. If true, the second operand is returned. If
false, the third operand is returned.
SEE ALSO:

The expression language contains math, string, array, comparison, boolean, and conditional functions. All functions are case-sensitive.
Math Functions
The math functions perform math operations on numbers. They take numerical arguments. The Corresponding Operator column lists
equivalent operators, if any.
Function Alternative Usage Description Corresponding

Operator
add concat add(1,2) Adds the first argument +
to the second.
sub subtract sub(10,2) Subtracts the second -

argument from the first.
mult multiply mult(2,10) Multiplies the first *

argument by the second.
div divide div(4,2) Divides the first argument /

by the second.
mod modulus mod(5,2) Returns the integer %

remainder resulting from
dividing the first
argument by the second.
abs abs(-5) Returns the absolute None

value of the argument:
the same number if the
argument is positive, and
the number without its
negative sign if the
number is negative. For
example, abs(-5) is
5.
neg negate neg(100) Reverses the sign of the - (unary)

argument. For example,
neg(100) is -100.
60
String Functions
Function Alternative Usage Description Corresponding
Operator
concat add concat('Hello ', Concatenates the two +
'world') arguments.
add('Walk ', 'the dog')
format format($Label.ns.labelName, Replaces any

v.myVal) parameter
placeholders with
Note: This function works for comma-separated
arguments of type String, attribute values.
Decimal, Double,
Integer, Long, Array,
String[], List, and Set.
join join(separator, subStr1, Joins the substrings

subStr2, subStrN) adding the separator
join(' ','class1',
String (first argument)
'class2', v.class)
between each
subsequent argument.
Label Functions
Function Usage Description
format format($Label.np.labelName, Outputs a label and updates it.
v.attribute1 , v.attribute2) Replaces any parameter
format($Label.np.hello, v.name)
placeholders with
comma-separated attribute values.
Supports ternary operators in
labels and attributes.
Informational Functions
length myArray.length Returns the length of an array or a string.
empty empty(v.attributeName) Returns true if the argument is empty. An empty

argument is undefined, null, an empty array, or an
Note: This function works for arguments
empty string. An object with no properties is not considered
of type String, Array, Object,
empty.
List, Map, or Set.
Tip: {! !empty(v.myArray)} evaluates
faster than {!v.myArray &&
61
v.myArray.length > 0} so we recommend

empty() to improve performance.
The $A.util.isEmpty() method in JavaScript is
equivalent to the empty() expression in markup.
Comparison Functions
Comparison functions take two number arguments and return true or false depending on the comparison result. The eq and
ne functions can also take other data types for their arguments, such as strings.
Function Usage Description Corresponding

Operator
equals equals(1,1) Returns true if the specified arguments == or eq
are equal. The arguments can be any data
type.
notequals notequals(1,2) Returns true if the specified arguments != or ne

are not equal. The arguments can be any
data type.
lessthan lessthan(1,5) Returns true if the first argument is < or lt

numerically less than the second
argument.
greaterthan greaterthan(5,1) Returns true if the first argument is > or gt

numerically greater than the second
argument.
lessthanorequal lessthanorequal(1,2) Returns true if the first argument is <= or le

numerically less than or equal to the
second argument.
greaterthanorequal greaterthanorequal(2,1) Returns true if the first argument is >= or ge

numerically greather than or equal to the
second argument.
Boolean Functions
Boolean functions operate on Boolean arguments. They are equivalent to logical operators.
Function Usage Description Corresponding Operator

and and(isEnabled, Returns true if both &&
hasPermission) arguments are true. This syntax is awkward in
markup so we recommend
using the and function instead.
62
Creating Components Component Composition

or or(hasPermission, Returns true if either one of ||
hasVIPPass) the arguments is true.
not not(isNew) Returns true if the argument !

is false.
Conditional Function
if if(isEnabled, Evaluates the first argument as ?: (ternary)
'Enabled', 'Not a boolean. If true, returns the
enabled') second argument. Otherwise,
returns the third argument.
Composing fine-grained components in a larger component enables you to build more interesting components and applications.
Let's see how we can fit components together. We will first create a few simple components: c:helloHTML and
c:helloAttributes. Then, we’ll create a wrapper component, c:nestedComponents, that contains the simple components.
Here is the source for helloHTML.cmp.

<aura:component>
<div class="white">
Hello, HTML!
</div>
<h2>Check out the style in this list.</h2>
<ul>
<li class="red">I'm red.</li>
<li class="blue">I'm blue.</li>
<li class="green">I'm green.</li>
</ul>
</aura:component>
CSS source
.THIS {
background-color: grey;
}
.THIS.white {
background-color: white;
}
.THIS .red {
63
background-color: red;
}
.THIS .blue {
background-color: blue;
}
.THIS .green {
background-color: green;
}
Output
Here is the source for helloAttributes.cmp.


<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="whom" type="String" default="world"/>
Hello {!v.whom}!
</aura:component>
nestedComponents.cmp uses composition to include other components in its markup.

<aura:component>
Observe! Components within components!
<c:helloHTML/>
<c:helloAttributes whom="component composition"/>

</aura:component>
Output
Including an existing component is similar to including an HTML tag. Reference the component by its "descriptor", which is of the form
namespace:component. nestedComponents.cmp references the helloHTML.cmp component, which lives in the c
namespace. Hence, its descriptor is c:helloHTML.
Note how nestedComponents.cmp also references c:helloAttributes. Just like adding attributes to an HTML tag, you
can set attribute values in a component as part of the component tag. nestedComponents.cmp sets the whom attribute of
helloAttributes.cmp to "component composition".
64
Attribute Passing
You can also pass attributes to nested components. nestedComponents2.cmp is similar to nestedComponents.cmp,
except that it includes an extra passthrough attribute. This value is passed through as the attribute value for c:helloAttributes.

<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="passthrough" type="String" default="passed attribute"/>
<c:helloHTML/>
<c:helloAttributes whom="{#v.passthrough}"/>
</aura:component>
Output
helloAttributes is now using the passed through attribute value.
Note: {#v.passthrough} is an unbound expression. This means that any change to the value of the whom attribute in
c:helloAttributes doesn’t propagate back to affect the value of the passthrough attribute in
c:nestedComponents2. For more information, see Data Binding Between Components on page 44.
Definitions versus Instances

In object-oriented programming, there’s a difference between a class and an instance of that class. Components have a similar concept.
When you create a .cmp resource, you are providing the definition (class) of that component. When you put a component tag in a
.cmp , you are creating a reference to (instance of) that component.
It shouldn't be surprising that we can add multiple instances of the same component with different attributes.
nestedComponents3.cmp adds another instance of c:helloAttributes with a different attribute value. The two instances
of the c:helloAttributes component have different values for their whom attribute .

<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="passthrough" type="String" default="passed attribute"/>
<c:helloHTML/>
<c:helloAttributes whom="{#v.passthrough}"/>
<c:helloAttributes whom="separate instance"/>

</aura:component>
Output
65
Creating Components Component Body
Component Body
The root-level tag of every component is <aura:component>. Every component inherits the body attribute from
<aura:component>.
The <aura:component> tag can contain tags, such as <aura:attribute>, <aura:registerEvent>,
<aura:handler>, <aura:set>, and so on. Any free markup that is not enclosed in one of the tags allowed in a component is
assumed to be part of the body and is set in the body attribute.
The body attribute has type Aura.Component[]. It can be an array of one component, or an empty array, but it's always an array.
In a component, use “v” to access the collection of attributes. For example, {!v.body} outputs the body of the component.
Setting the Body Content

To set the body attribute in a component, add free markup within the <aura:component> tag. For example:
<aura:component>

<div>Body part</div>
<lightning:button label="Push Me" onclick="{!c.doSomething}"/>

</aura:component>
To set the value of an inherited attribute, use the <aura:set> tag. Setting the body content is equivalent to wrapping that free
markup inside <aura:set attribute="body">. Since the body attribute has this special behavior, you can omit <aura:set
attribute="body">.
The previous sample is a shortcut for this markup. We recommend the less verbose syntax in the previous sample.
<aura:component>
<aura:set attribute="body">

<div>Body part</div>
<lightning:button label="Push Me" onclick="{!c.doSomething}"/>

</aura:set>
</aura:component>
The same logic applies when you use any component that has a body attribute, not just <aura:component>. For example:
<lightning:tabset>
<lightning:tab label="Tab 1">
Hello world!
</lightning:tab>
</lightning:tabset>
66
Creating Components Component Facets
This is a shortcut for:

<lightning:tabset>
<lightning:tab label="Tab 1">
<aura:set attribute="body">
Hello World!
</aura:set>
</lightning:tab>
</lightning:tabset>
Accessing the Component Body

To access a component body in JavaScript, use component.get("v.body").
SEE ALSO:
aura:set
Working with a Component Body in JavaScript
Component Facets
A facet is any attribute of type Aura.Component[]. The body attribute is an example of a facet.
To define your own facet, add an aura:attribute tag of type Aura.Component[] to your component. For example, let's
create a new component called facetHeader.cmp.

<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="header" type="Aura.Component[]"/>
<div>
<span class="header">{!v.header}</span><br/>
<span class="body">{!v.body}</span>
</div>
</aura:component>
This component has a header facet. Note how we position the output of the header using the v.header expression.
The component doesn't have any output when you access it directly as the header and body attributes aren't set. Let’s create another
component, helloFacets.cmp, that sets these attributes.

<aura:component>
See how we set the header facet.<br/>
<c:facetHeader>
Nice body!
<aura:set attribute="header">
Hello Header!
</aura:set>
67
Creating Components Controlling Access
</c:facetHeader>
</aura:component>
Note that aura:set sets the value of the header attribute of facetHeader.cmp, but you don’t need to use aura:set if
you’re setting the body attribute.
SEE ALSO:
Component Body
Controlling Access
The framework enables you to control access to your applications, attributes, components, events, interfaces, and methods via the
access system attribute. The access system attribute indicates whether the resource can be used outside of its own namespace.
Use the access system attribute on these tags:
• <aura:application>
• <aura:attribute>
• <aura:component>
• <aura:event>
• <aura:interface>
• <aura:method>
Access Values
You can specify these values for the access system attribute.
private
Available within the component, app, interface, event, or method and can’t be referenced outside the resource. This value can only
be used for <aura:attribute> or <aura:method>.
Marking an attribute as private makes it easier to refactor the attribute in the future as the attribute can only be used within the
resource.
Accessing a private attribute returns undefined unless you reference it from the component in which it’s declared. You can’t
access a private attribute from a sub-component that extends the component containing the private attribute.
public
Available within your org only. This is the default access value.
global
Available in all orgs.
Note: Mark your resources, such as a component, with access="global" to make the resource usable outside of your
own org. For example, if you want a component to be usable in an installed package or by a Lightning App Builder user or a
Community Builder user in another org.
68
Example
This sample component has global access.
<aura:component access="global">
...
</aura:component>
Access Violations
If your code accesses a resource, such as a component, that doesn’t have an access system attribute allowing you to access the
resource:
• Client-side code doesn’t execute or returns undefined. If you enabled debug mode, you see an error message in your browser
console.
• Server-side code results in the component failing to load. If you enabled debug mode, you see a popup error message.
Anatomy of an Access Check Error Message

Here is a sample access check error message for an access violation.
Access Check Failed ! ComponentService.getDef():'markup://c:targetComponent' is not
visible to 'markup://c:sourceComponent'.
An error message has four parts:

1. The context (who is trying to access the resource). In our example, this is markup://c:sourceComponent.
2. The target (the resource being accessed). In our example, this is markup://c:targetComponent.
3. The type of failure. In our example, this is not visible.
4. The code that triggered the failure. This is usually a class method. In our example, this is ComponentService.getDef(),
which means that the target definition (component) was not accessible. A definition describes metadata for a resource, such as a
component.
Fixing Access Check Errors

Tip: If your code isn’t working as you expect, enable debug mode to get better error reporting.
You can fix access check errors using one or more of these techniques.
• Add appropriate access system attributes to the resources that you own.
• Remove references in your code to resources that aren’t available. In the earlier example, markup://c:targetComponent
doesn’t have an access value allowing markup://c:sourceComponent to access it.
• Ensure that an attribute that you’re accessing exists by looking at its <aura:attribute> definition. Confirm that you’re using
the correct case-sensitive spelling for the name.
Accessing an undefined attribute or an attribute that is out of scope, for example a private attribute, triggers the same access violation
message. The access context doesn’t know whether the attribute is undefined or inaccessible.
69
Example: is not visible to 'undefined'

ComponentService.getDef():'markup://c:targetComponent' is not visible to 'undefined'
The key word in this error message is undefined, which indicates that the framework has lost context. This happens when your code
accesses a component outside the normal framework lifecycle, such as in a setTimeout() or setInterval() call or in an ES6
Promise.
Fix this error by wrapping the code in a $A.getCallback() call. For more information, see Modifying Components Outside the
Framework Lifecycle.
Example: Cannot read property 'Yb' of undefined

Action failed: c$sourceComponent$controller$doInit [Cannot read property 'Yb' of undefined]
This error message happens when you reference a property on a variable with a value of undefined. The error can happen in many
contexts, one of which is the side-effect of an access check failure. For example, let’s see what happens when you try to access an
undefined attribute, imaginaryAttribute, in JavaScript.
var whatDoYouExpect = cmp.get("v.imaginaryAttribute");
This is an access check error and whatDoYouExpect is set to undefined. Now, if you try to access a property on
whatDoYouExpect, you get an error.
Action failed: c$sourceComponent$controller$doInit [Cannot read property 'Yb' of undefined]
The c$sourceComponent$controller$doInit portion of the error message tells you that the error is in the doInit
method of the controller of the sourceComponent component in the c namespace.
IN THIS SECTION:
Application Access Control
The access attribute on the aura:application tag controls whether the app can be used outside of the app’s namespace.
Interface Access Control
The access attribute on the aura:interface tag controls whether the interface can be used outside of the interface’s
namespace.
The access attribute on the aura:component tag controls whether the component can be used outside of the component’s
namespace.
Attribute Access Control
The access attribute on the aura:attribute tag controls whether the attribute can be used outside of the attribute’s
namespace.
Event Access Control
The access attribute on the aura:event tag controls whether the event can be used outside of the event’s namespace.
SEE ALSO:
Enable Debug Mode for Lightning Components
70
Creating Components Application Access Control

The access attribute on the aura:application tag controls whether the app can be used outside of the app’s namespace.
Possible values are listed below.
Modifier Description
public Available within your org only. This is the default access value.
global Available in all orgs.

The access attribute on the aura:interface tag controls whether the interface can be used outside of the interface’s namespace.
A component can implement an interface using the implements attribute on the aura:component tag.

The access attribute on the aura:component tag controls whether the component can be used outside of the component’s
namespace.
Note: Components aren’t directly addressable via a URL. To check your component output, embed your component in a .app
resource.
Attribute Access Control

The access attribute on the aura:attribute tag controls whether the attribute can be used outside of the attribute’s namespace.
71
Creating Components Event Access Control
Access Description
private Available within the component, app, interface, event, or method and can’t be referenced outside
the resource.
Note: Accessing a private attribute returns undefined unless you reference it from the
component in which it’s declared. You can’t access a private attribute from a sub-component
that extends the component containing the private attribute.

The access attribute on the aura:event tag controls whether the event can be used outside of the event’s namespace.
Using Object-Oriented Development

The framework provides the basic constructs of inheritance and encapsulation from object-oriented programming and applies them to
presentation layer development.
For example, components are encapsulated and their internals stay private. Consumers of the component can access the public shape
(attributes and registered events) of the component, but can't access other implementation details in the component bundle. This strong
separation gives component authors freedom to change the internal implementation details and insulates component consumers from
those changes.
You can extend a component, app, or interface, or you can implement a component interface.
What is Inherited?
This topic lists what is inherited when you extend a definition, such as a component.
When a component contains another component, we refer in the documentation to parent and child components in the containment
hierarchy. When a component extends another component, we refer to sub and super components in the inheritance hierarchy.
A sub component that extends a super component inherits the attributes of the super component. Use <aura:set> in the markup
of a sub component to set the value of an attribute inherited from a super component.
72
Creating Components Inherited Component Attributes
Events
A sub component that extends a super component can handle events fired by the super component. The sub component automatically
inherits the event handlers from the super component.
The super and sub component can handle the same event in different ways by adding an <aura:handler> tag to the sub component.
The framework doesn't guarantee the order of event handling.
Helpers
A sub component's helper inherits the methods from the helper of its super component. A sub component can override a super
component's helper method by defining a method with the same name as an inherited method.
Controllers
A sub component that extends a super component can call actions in the super component's client-side controller. For example, if the
super component has an action called doSomething, the sub component can directly call the action using the {!c.doSomething}
syntax.
Note: We don't recommend using inheritance of client-side controllers as this feature may be deprecated in the future to preserve
better component encapsulation. We recommend that you put common code in a helper instead.
SEE ALSO:
Sharing JavaScript Code in a Component Bundle
aura:set
Inherited Component Attributes

A sub component that extends a super component inherits the attributes of the super component.
Attribute values are identical at any level of extension. There is an exception to this rule for the body attribute, which we'll look at more
closely soon.
Let's start with a simple example. c:super has a description attribute with a value of "Default description",

<aura:component extensible="true">
<aura:attribute name="description" type="String" default="Default description" />
<p>super.cmp description: {!v.description}</p>
{!v.body}
</aura:component>
Don’t worry about the {!v.body} expression for now. We’ll explain that when we talk about the body attribute.
73
Creating Components Inherited Component Attributes
c:sub extends c:super by setting extends="c:super" in its <aura:component> tag.

<aura:component extends="c:super">
<p>sub.cmp description: {!v.description}</p>
</aura:component
Note that sub.cmp has access to the inherited description attribute and it has the same value in sub.cmp and super.cmp.
Use <aura:set> in the markup of a sub component to set the value of an inherited attribute.
Inherited body Attribute

Every component inherits the body attribute from <aura:component>. The inheritance behavior of body is different than other
attributes. It can have different values at each level of component extension to enable different output from each component in the
inheritance chain. This will be clearer when we look at an example.
Any free markup that is not enclosed in another tag is assumed to be part of the body. It's equivalent to wrapping that free markup
inside <aura:set attribute="body">.
The default renderer for a component iterates through its body attribute, renders everything, and passes the rendered data to its super
component. The super component can output the data passed to it by including {!v.body} in its markup. If there is no super
component, you've hit the root component and the data is inserted into document.body.
Let's look at a simple example to understand how the body attribute behaves at different levels of component extension. We have
three components.
c:superBody is the super component. It inherently extends <aura:component>.

Parent body: {!v.body}
</aura:component>
At this point, c:superBody doesn’t output anything for {!v.body} as it’s just a placeholder for data that will be passed in by a
component that extends c:superBody.
c:subBody extends c:superBody by setting extends="c:superBody" in its <aura:component> tag.

<aura:component extends="c:superBody">
Child body: {!v.body}
</aura:component>
c:subBody outputs:
Parent body: Child body:
In other words, c:subBody sets the value for {!v.body} in its super component, c:superBody.
c:containerBody contains a reference to c:subBody.

<aura:component>
<c:subBody>
Body value
</c:subBody>
</aura:component>
74
Creating Components Abstract Components
In c:containerBody, we set the body attribute of c:subBody to Body value. c:containerBody outputs:
Parent body: Child body: Body value
SEE ALSO:
aura:set
Component Body
Component Markup
Abstract Components
Object-oriented languages, such as Java, support the concept of an abstract class that provides a partial implementation for an object
but leaves the remaining implementation to concrete sub-classes. An abstract class in Java can't be instantiated directly, but a non-abstract
subclass can.
Similarly, the Aura Components programming model supports the concept of abstract components that have a partial implementation
but leave the remaining implementation to concrete sub-components.
To use an abstract component, you must extend it and fill out the remaining implementation. An abstract component can't be used
directly in markup.
The <aura:component> tag has a boolean abstract attribute. Set abstract="true" to make the component abstract.
SEE ALSO:
Interfaces
Interfaces
Interfaces define a component’s shape by defining attributes, events, or methods that any implementing component contains. To use
an interface, a component must implement it. An interface can’t be used directly in markup.
An interface starts with the <aura:interface> tag, and can contain only these tags:
<aura:attribute>
This tag defines an attribute. An interface can have zero or more attributes.
Note: To set the value of an attribute inherited from an interface, redefine the attribute in the sub component using
<aura:attribute> and set the value in its default attribute. When you extend a component, you can use <aura:set>
in a sub component to set the value of any attribute that’s inherited from the super component. However, this usage of
<aura:set> doesn’t work for attributes inherited from an interface.
<aura:registerEvent>
This tag registers an event that can be fired by a component that implements the interface. There’s no logic in the interface for firing
the event. A component that implements the interface contains the code to fire the event.
<aura:method>
This tag defines a method as part of the API of a component that implements the interface. There’s no logic for the method in the
interface. A component that implements the interface contains the method logic.
You can’t use markup, renderers, controllers, or anything else in an interface.
75
Creating Components Interfaces
Implement an Interface
To implement an interface, set the implements system attribute in the <aura:component> tag to the name of the interface
that you are implementing. For example:
<aura:component implements="mynamespace:myinterface" >
A component can implement an interface and extend another component.

<aura:component extends="ns1:cmp1" implements="ns2:intf1" >
An interface can extend multiple interfaces using a comma-separated list.

<aura:interface extends="ns:intf1,ns:int2" >
Since there are fewer restrictions on the content of abstract components, they are more common than interfaces. A component can
implement multiple interfaces but can only extend one abstract component, so interfaces can be more useful for some design patterns.
Example
Here’s an example of an interface.
<aura:interface>
<aura:attribute name="value" type="String"/>
<aura:registerEvent name="onItemSelected" type="ui:response"

description="The event fired when the user selects an item" />
<aura:method name="methodFromInterface">
<aura:attribute name="stringAttribute" type="String" default="default string"/>
</aura:method>
</aura:interface>
SEE ALSO:
Setting Attributes Inherited from an Interface
Abstract Components
Marker Interfaces
A marker interface is an empty interface with no attributes, events, or methods. A marker interface is used to enable specific usage for
a component in an app.
For example, a component that implements the force:appHostable interface can be used as a custom tab in Lightning Experience
or the Salesforce mobile app.
In JavaScript, you can determine if a component implements an interface by using
myCmp.isInstanceOf("mynamespace:myinterface").
SEE ALSO:
76
Creating Components Inheritance Rules
Inheritance Rules
This table describes the inheritance rules for various elements.
Element extends implements Default Base Element

component one extensible component multiple interfaces <aura:component>
app one extensible app N/A <aura:application>
interface multiple interfaces using a comma-separated list N/A N/A

(extends="ns:intf1,ns:int2")
SEE ALSO:
Interfaces
Best Practices for Conditional Markup

Using the <aura:if> tag is the preferred approach to conditionally display markup but there are alternatives. Consider the performance
cost and code maintainability when you design components. The best design choice depends on your use case.
Conditionally Create Elements with <aura:if>

Let’s look at a simple example that shows an error message when an error occurs.
<aura:if isTrue="{!v.isError}">
<div>{!v.errorMessage}</div>
</aura:if>
The <div> component and its contents are only created and rendered if the value of the isTrue expression evaluates to true. If
the value of the isTrue expression changes and evaluates to false, all the components inside the <aura:if> tag are destroyed.
The components are created again if the isTrue expression changes again and evaluates to true.
The general guideline is to use <aura:if> because it helps your components load faster initially by deferring the creation and
rendering of the enclosed element tree until the condition is fulfilled.
Toggle Visibility Using CSS

You can use CSS to toggle visibility of markup by calling $A.util.toggleClass(cmp, 'class') in JavaScript code.
Elements in markup are created and rendered up front, but they’re hidden. For an example, see Dynamically Showing or Hiding Markup.
The conditional markup is created and rendered even if it’s not used, so <aura:if> is preferred.
77
Creating Components Aura Component Versioning
Dynamically Create Components in JavaScript

You can dynamically create components in JavaScript code. However, writing code is usually harder to maintain and debug than using
markup. Again, using <aura:if> is preferred but the best design choice depends on your use case.
SEE ALSO:
Dynamically Creating Components
Aura Component Versioning

Aura component versioning enables you to declare dependencies against specific revisions of an installed managed package.
By assigning a version to your component, you have granular control over how the component functions when new versions of a
managed package are released. For example, imagine that a <packageNamespace>:button is pinned to version 2.0 of a package.
Upon installing version 3.0, the button retains its version 2.0 functionality.
Note: The package developer is responsible for inserting versioning logic into the markup when updating a component. If the
component wasn’t changed in the update or if the markup doesn’t account for version, the component behaves in the context
of the most recent version.
Versions are assigned declaratively in the Developer Console. When you’re working on a component, click Bundle Version Settings
in the right panel to define the version. You can only version a component if you’ve installed a package, and the valid versions for the
component are the available versions of that package. Versions are in the format <major>.<minor>. So if you assign a component
version 1.4, its behavior depends on the first major release and fourth minor release of the associated package.
When working with components, you can version:

• Apex controllers
• JavaScript controllers
• JavaScript helpers
• JavaScript renderers
• Bundle markup
– Applications (.app)
– Components (.cmp)
78
Creating Components Components with Minimum API Version Requirements
– Interfaces (.intf)
– Events (.evt)
You can’t version any other types of resources in bundles. Unsupported types include:
• Styles (.css)
• Documentation (.doc)
• Design (.design)
• SVG (.svg)
Once you’ve assigned versions to components, or if you’re developing components for a package, you can retrieve the version in several
contexts.
Resource Return Type Expression

Apex Version System.requestVersion()
JavaScript String cmp.getVersion()
Aura component markup String {!Version}
You can use the retrieved version to add logic to your code or markup to assign different functionality to different versions. Here’s an
example of using versioning in an <aura:if> statement.
<aura:component>
<aura:if isTrue="{!Version > 1.0}">
<c:newVersionFunctionality/>
</aura:if>
<c:oldVersionFunctionality/>
...
</aura:component>
SEE ALSO:
Components with Minimum API Version Requirements
Don’t Mix Component API Versions
Components with Minimum API Version Requirements

Some built-in components require that custom components that use them are set to a minimum API version. A custom component
must be equal to or later than the latest API version required by any of the components it uses.
There are several different ways a custom component can use another component that has a minimum version requirement, and become
subject to that requirement.
• The custom component can extend from the component with the minimum version requirement.
• The custom component can add another component as a child component in markup.
• The custom component can dynamically create and add a child component in JavaScript.
In cases where the relationship between components can be determined by static analysis, the version dependency is checked when
the component is saved. If a custom component has an API version earlier than a minimum version required by any of the components
used, an error is reported, and the component isn’t saved. Depending on the tool you’re using, this error is presented in different ways.
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Creating Components Validations for Aura Component Code
If a component is created dynamically, it isn’t possible to determine the relationship between it and its parent component at save time.
Instead, the minimum version requirement is checked at run time, and if it fails a run-time error is reported to the current user.
Set the API version for your component in the Developer Console, the Force.com IDE, or via API.
Versioning of Built-In Components

The minimum API version required to use a built-in component is listed on the component’s reference page in the Lightning Aura
Components Developer Guide. Components that don’t specify a minimum API version are usable with any API version supported for
Lightning components.
The minimum version for built-in components that are Generally Available (GA) won’t increase in future releases. (However, as with
Visualforce components, their behavior might change depending on the API version of the containing component.)
SEE ALSO:
Validations for Aura Component Code

Validate your Aura component code to ensure compatibility with Aura component APIs, best practices, and avoidance of anti-patterns.
There are several ways to validate your code. Minimal save-time validations catch the most significant issues only, while Salesforce DX
tools provide more comprehensive static code analysis.
IN THIS SECTION:
Validation When You Save Code Changes
Aura component JavaScript code is validated when you save it. Validation ensures that your components are written using best
practices and avoid common pitfalls that can make them incompatible with Lightning Locker. Validation happens automatically
when you save Aura component resources in the Developer Console, in your favorite IDE, and via API.
Validation During Development Using the Salesforce CLI
Salesforce DX includes a code analysis and validation tool usable via the Salesforce CLI. Use force:lightning:lint to scan
and improve your code during development. Validation using the Salesforce CLI doesn’t just help you avoid Lightning Locker conflicts
and anti-patterns. It’s a terrific practice for improving your code quality and consistency, and to uncover subtle bugs before you
commit them to your codebase.
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Creating Components Validation When You Save Code Changes
Review and Resolve Validation Errors and Warnings

When you run validations on your Aura component code, the results include details for each issue found in the files scanned. Review
the results and resolve problems in your code.
Aura Component Validation Rules
Rules built into Aura component code validations cover restrictions under Lightning Locker, correct use of Lightning APIs, and a
number of best practices for writing Aura component code. Each rule, when triggered by your code, points to an area where your
code might have an issue.
Salesforce Lightning CLI (Deprecated)
Lightning CLI was a Heroku Toolbelt plugin to scan your code for general JavaScript coding issues and Lightning-specific issues.
Lightning CLI is deprecated in favor of the force:lightning:lint tool available in the Salesforce DX CLI.
Validation When You Save Code Changes

Aura component JavaScript code is validated when you save it. Validation ensures that your components are written using best practices
and avoid common pitfalls that can make them incompatible with Lightning Locker. Validation happens automatically when you save
Aura component resources in the Developer Console, in your favorite IDE, and via API.
Validation failures are treated as errors and block changes from being saved. Error messages explain the failures. Depending on the tool
you’re using, these errors are presented in different ways. For example, the Developer Console shows an alert for the first error it encounters
(1), and lists all of the validation errors discovered in the Problems tab (2).
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Creating Components Validation During Development Using the Salesforce CLI
Validations are applied only to components set to API version 41.0 and later. If the validation service prevents you from saving important
changes, set the component version to API 40.0 or earlier to disable validations temporarily. When you’ve corrected the coding errors,
return your component to API 41.0 or later to save it with passing validations.
Validation During Development Using the Salesforce CLI

Salesforce DX includes a code analysis and validation tool usable via the Salesforce CLI. Use force:lightning:lint to scan and
improve your code during development. Validation using the Salesforce CLI doesn’t just help you avoid Lightning Locker conflicts and
anti-patterns. It’s a terrific practice for improving your code quality and consistency, and to uncover subtle bugs before you commit
them to your codebase.
Validations using the Salesforce CLI are done separately from saving your code to Salesforce. The results are informational only. Validations
performed by the Salesforce CLI fall into two categories, failures and warnings. Error messages explain both, and are displayed in your
shell window. Here’s some example output:
error secure-document Invalid SecureDocument API
Line:109:29
scraping = document.innerHTML;
^
82
warning no-plusplus Unary operator '++' used

Line:120:50
for (var i = (index+1); i < sibs.length; i++) {
^
error secure-window Invalid SecureWindow API

Line:33:21
var req = new XMLHttpRequest();
^
error default-case Expected a default case

Line:108:13
switch (e.keyCode) {
^
Validations performed using the Salesforce CLI are different from validations performed at save time in the following important ways.
• The Salesforce CLI uses many more rules to analyze your component code. Save time validations prevent you from making the most
fundamental mistakes only. Validation with the Salesforce CLI errs on the side of giving you more information.
• Validation via the Salesforce CLI ignores the API version of your components. Save time validations are performed only for components
set to API 41.0 and later.
IN THIS SECTION:
Use force:lightning:lint
Run force:lightning:lint just like any other lint command-line tool. The only trick is invoking it through the sfdx
command. Your shell window shows the results.
force:lightning:lint Options
Use options to modify the behavior of force:lightning:lint.
Custom “House Style” Rules
Customize the JavaScript style rules that force:lightning:lint applies to your code.
Run force:lightning:lint just like any other lint command-line tool. The only trick is invoking it through the sfdx command.
Your shell window shows the results.
Normal Use
You can run the force:lightning:lint lint tool on any folder that contains Aura components:
sfdx force:lightning:lint ./path/to/lightning/components/
Note: force:lightning:lint runs only on local files. Use Salesforce DX or third-party tools to download your component
code to your machine. Options include Salesforce CLI commands like force:mdapi:retrieve and force:source:pull,
or other tools such as the Force.com IDE, the Ant Migration Tool, or various third-party options.
The default output only shows errors. To see warnings too, use the verbose mode option.
83
See “Review and Resolve Validation Errors and Warnings” for what to do with the output of running force:lightning:lint.
SEE ALSO:
Use options to modify the behavior of force:lightning:lint.
Common Options
Filtering Files
Sometimes, you just want to scan a particular kind of file. The --files argument allows you to set a pattern to match files against.
For example, the following command allows you to scan controllers only:
sfdx force:lightning:lint ./path/to/lightning/components/ --files **/*Controller.js
Verbose Mode
The default output shows only errors so you can focus on bigger issues. The --verbose argument allows you to see both warning
messages and errors during the linting process.
For a complete list of command line parameters and how they affect tool behavior, see the Salesforce CLI Command Reference.
force:lightning:lint has built-in help, which you can access with the following command:
sfdx force:lightning:lint --help
SEE ALSO:
Custom “House Style” Rules

Customize the JavaScript style rules that force:lightning:lint applies to your code.
It’s common that different organizations or projects will adopt different JavaScript rules. Aura component validations help you work
with Aura component APIs, not enforce Salesforce coding conventions. To that end, the validation rules are divided into two sets, security
rules and style rules. The security rules can’t be modified, but you can modify or add to the style rules.
Use the --config argument to provide a custom rules configuration file. A custom rules configuration file allows you to define your
own code style rules, which affect the style rules used by force:lightning:lint.
Note: If failure of a custom rule generates a warning, the warning doesn’t appear in the default output. To see warnings, use the
--verbose flag.
The default style rules are provided below. Copy the rules to a new file, and modify them to match your preferred style rules. Alternatively,
you can use your existing ESLint rule configuration file directly. For example:
sfdx force:lightning:lint ./path/to/lightning/components/ --config ~/.eslintrc
Note: Not all ESLint rules can be added or modified using --config. Only rules that we consider benign are usable. And again,
you can’t override the security rules.
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Default Style Rules

Here are the default style rules used by force:lightning:lint.
/*
* Copyright (C) 2016 salesforce.com, inc.
*
* Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
* you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
* You may obtain a copy of the License at
*
* http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
*
* Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
* distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
* WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
* See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
* limitations under the License.
*/
module.exports = {
rules: {
// code style rules, these are the default value, but the user can
// customize them via --config in the linter by providing custom values
// for each of these rules.
"no-trailing-spaces": 1,
"no-spaced-func": 1,
"no-mixed-spaces-and-tabs": 0,
"no-multi-spaces": 0,
"no-multiple-empty-lines": 0,
"no-lone-blocks": 1,
"no-lonely-if": 1,
"no-inline-comments": 0,
"no-extra-parens": 0,
"no-extra-semi": 1,
"no-warning-comments": [0, { "terms": ["todo", "fixme", "xxx"], "location": "start"
}],
"block-scoped-var": 1,
"brace-style": [1, "1tbs"],
"camelcase": 1,
"comma-dangle": [1, "never"],
"comma-spacing": 1,
"comma-style": 1,
"complexity": [0, 11],
"consistent-this": [0, "that"],
"curly": [1, "all"],
"eol-last": 0,
"func-names": 0,
"func-style": [0, "declaration"],
"generator-star-spacing": 0,
"indent": 0,
"key-spacing": 0,
"keyword-spacing": [0, "always"],
"max-depth": [0, 4],
"max-len": [0, 80, 4],
85
Creating Components Review and Resolve Validation Errors and Warnings
"max-nested-callbacks": [0, 2],

"max-params": [0, 3],
"max-statements": [0, 10],
"new-cap": 0,
"newline-after-var": 0,
"one-var": [0, "never"],
"operator-assignment": [0, "always"],
"padded-blocks": 0,
"quote-props": 0,
"quotes": 0,
"semi": 1,
"semi-spacing": [0, {"before": false, "after": true}],
"sort-vars": 0,
"space-after-function-name": [0, "never"],
"space-before-blocks": [0, "always"],
"space-before-function-paren": [0, "always"],
"space-before-function-parentheses": [0, "always"],
"space-in-brackets": [0, "never"],
"space-in-parens": [0, "never"],
"space-infix-ops": 0,
"space-unary-ops": [1, { "words": true, "nonwords": false }],
"spaced-comment": [0, "always"],
"vars-on-top": 0,
"valid-jsdoc": 0,
"wrap-regex": 0,
"yoda": [1, "never"]
}
};
Review and Resolve Validation Errors and Warnings

When you run validations on your Aura component code, the results include details for each issue found in the files scanned. Review
the results and resolve problems in your code.
For example, here is some example output from the force:lightning:lint command.
error secure-document Invalid SecureDocument API
Line:109:29
scraping = document.innerHTML;
^
warning no-plusplus Unary operator '++' used

Line:120:50
for (var i = (index+1); i < sibs.length; i++) {
^
error secure-window Invalid SecureWindow API

Line:33:21
var req = new XMLHttpRequest();
^
error default-case Expected a default case

Line:108:13
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Creating Components Aura Component Validation Rules
switch (e.keyCode) {
^
Results vary in appearance depending on the tool you use to run validations. However, the essential elements are the same for each
issue found.
Issues are displayed, one for each warning or error. Each issue includes the line number, severity, and a brief description of the issue. It
also includes the rule name, which you can use to look up a more detailed description of the issue. See “Aura Component Validation
Rules” for the rules applied by Lightning code validations, as well as possible resolutions and options for further reading.
Your mission is to review each issue, examine the code in question, and to revise it to eliminate all of the genuine problems.
While no automated tool is perfect, we expect that most errors and warnings generated by Lightning code validations will point to
genuine issues in your code, which you should plan to fix as soon as you can.
SEE ALSO:

Rules built into Aura component code validations cover restrictions under Lightning Locker, correct use of Lightning APIs, and a number
of best practices for writing Aura component code. Each rule, when triggered by your code, points to an area where your code might
have an issue.
In addition to the Lightning-specific rules we’ve created, other rules are active in Lightning validations, included from ESLint basic rules.
Documentation for these rules is available on the ESLint project site. If you encounter an error or warning from a rule not described here,
search for it on the ESLint Rules page.
The set of rules used to validate your code varies depending on the tool you use, and the way you use it. Minimal save-time validations
catch the most significant issues only, while Salesforce DX tools provide more comprehensive static code analysis.
IN THIS SECTION:
Validation Rules Used at Save Time
The following rules are used for validations that are done when you save your Aura component code.
Validate JavaScript Intrinsic APIs (ecma-intrinsics)
This rule deals with the intrinsic APIs in JavaScript, more formally known as ECMAScript.
Validate Aura API (aura-api)
This rule verifies that use of the framework APIs is according to the published documentation. The use of undocumented or private
features is disallowed.
Validate Aura Component Public API (secure-component)
This rule validates that only public, supported framework API functions and properties are used.
Validate Secure Document Public API (secure-document)
This rule validates that only supported functions and properties of the document global are accessed.
Validate Secure Window Public API (secure-window)
This rule validates that only supported functions and properties of the window global are accessed.
Disallow Use of caller and callee (no-caller)
Prevent the use of arguments.caller and arguments.callee. These are also forbidden in ECMAScript 5 and later when
in strict mode, which is enabled under Lightning Locker. This is a standard rule built into ESLint.
87
Disallow Script URLs (no-script-url)

Prevents the use of javascript: URLs. This is a standard rule built into ESLint.
Disallow Extending Native Objects (no-extend-native)
Prevent changing the behavior of built-in JavaScript objects, such as Object or Array, by modifying their prototypes. This is a standard
rule built into ESLint.
Disallow Calling Global Object Properties as Functions (no-obj-calls)
Prevents calling the Math, JSON, and Reflect global objects as though they were functions. For example, Math() is
disallowed. This follows the ECMAScript 5 specification. This is a standard rule built into ESLint.
Disallow Use of __iterator__ Property (no-iterator)
Prevents using the obsolete __iterator__ property. Use standard JavaScript iterators and generators instead. This is a standard
Disallow Use of __proto__ (no-proto)
Prevents using the obsolete __proto__ property, which was deprecated in ECMAScript 3.1. Use Object.getPrototypeOf()
instead. This is a standard rule built into ESLint.
Disallow with Statements (no-with)
Prevents using with statements, which adds members of an object to the current scope in a way that makes it hard to predict or
view impact or behavior. This is a standard rule built into ESLint.
Validation Rules Used at Save Time

The following rules are used for validations that are done when you save your Aura component code.
Validation failures for any of these rules prevents saving changes to your code.
Lightning Platform Rules

These rules are specific to Aura component JavaScript code. These custom rules are written and maintained by Salesforce.
General JavaScript Rules

These rules are general JavaScript rules, which enforce basic correct use of JavaScript required for Lightning components. These rules
are built into the ESLint tool.
in strict mode, which is enabled under Lightning Locker.
Prevent changing the behavior of built-in JavaScript objects, such as Object or Array, by modifying their prototypes.
88

Prevents using the obsolete __iterator__ property. Use standard JavaScript iterators and generators instead.
Prevents calling the Math, JSON, and Reflect global objects as though they were functions. For example, Math() is
disallowed. This follows the ECMAScript 5 specification.
instead.
Prevents the use of javascript: URLs.
Prevents using with statements, which adds members of an object to the current scope in a way that makes it hard to predict or
view impact or behavior.
Validate JavaScript Intrinsic APIs (ecma-intrinsics)

This rule deals with the intrinsic APIs in JavaScript, more formally known as ECMAScript.
When Lightning Locker is enabled, the framework prevents the use of unsupported API objects or calls. That means your Aura components
code is allowed to use:
• Features built into JavaScript (“intrinsic” features)
• Published, supported features built into the Aura Components programming model.
• Published, supported features built into Lightning Locker SecureObject objects
What exactly are these “intrinsic APIs”? They’re the APIs defined in the ECMAScript Language Specification. That is, things built into
JavaScript. This includes Annex B of the specification, which deals with legacy browser features that aren’t part of the “core” of JavaScript,
but are nevertheless still supported for JavaScript running inside a web browser.
Note that some features of JavaScript that you might consider intrinsic—for example, the window and document global variables—are
superceded by SecureObject objects, which offer a more constrained API.
Rule Details
This rule verifies that use of the intrinsic JavaScript APIs is according to the published specification. The use of non-standard, deprecated,
and removed language features is disallowed.
Further Reading
• ECMAScript specification
• Annex B: Additional ECMAScript Features for Web Browsers
• Intrinsic Objects (JavaScript)
SEE ALSO:
89

This rule deals with the supported, public framework APIs, for example, those available through the framework global $A.
Why is this rule called “Aura API”? Because the core of the Aura Components programming model is the open source Aura Framework.
And this rule verifies permitted uses of that framework, rather than anything specific to Lightning Components.
Rule Details
The following patterns are considered problematic:
Aura.something(); // Use $A instead
$A.util.fake(); // fake is not available in $A.util
Further Reading
For details of all of the methods available in the framework, including $A, see the JavaScript API at
https://myDomain.lightning.force.com/auradocs/reference.app, where myDomain is the name of your
custom Salesforce domain.
SEE ALSO:

This rule validates that only public, supported framework API functions and properties are used.
Prior to Lightning Locker, when you created or obtained a reference to a component, you could call any function and access any property
available on that component, even if it wasn’t public. When Lightning Locker is enabled, components are “wrapped” by a new
SecureComponent object, which controls access to the component and its functions and properties. SecureComponent restricts you to
using only published, supported component API.
90
Rule Details
The reference doc app lists the API for SecureComponent. Access the reference doc app at:
https://<myDomain>.lightning.force.com/docs/component-library, where <myDomain> is the name of
your custom Salesforce domain.
The API for SecureComponent is listed at JavaScript API > Component.
SEE ALSO:

Prior to Lightning Locker, when you accessed the document global, you could call any function and access any property available.
When Lightning Locker is enabled, the document global is “wrapped” by a new SecureDocument object, which controls access to
document and its functions and properties. SecureDocument restricts you to using only “safe” features of the document global.
SEE ALSO:

91
Prior to Lightning Locker, when you accessed the window global, you could call any function and access any property available. When
Lightning Locker is enabled, the window global is “wrapped” by a new SecureWindow object, which controls access to window and
its functions and properties. SecureWindow restricts you to using only “safe” features of the window global.
SEE ALSO:

in strict mode, which is enabled under Lightning Locker. This is a standard rule built into ESLint.
For complete details about this rule, including examples, see the corresponding ESLint documentation, Disallow Use of caller/callee
(no-caller).

Prevents the use of javascript: URLs. This is a standard rule built into ESLint.
For complete details about this rule, including examples, see the corresponding ESLint documentation, Disallow Script URLs (no-script-url).

Prevent changing the behavior of built-in JavaScript objects, such as Object or Array, by modifying their prototypes. This is a standard
For complete details about this rule, including examples, see the corresponding ESLint documentation, Disallow Extending of Native
Objects (no-extend-native).

Prevents calling the Math, JSON, and Reflect global objects as though they were functions. For example, Math() is disallowed.
This follows the ECMAScript 5 specification. This is a standard rule built into ESLint.
For complete details about this rule, including examples, see the corresponding ESLint documentation, disallow calling global object
properties as functions (no-obj-calls).

Prevents using the obsolete __iterator__ property. Use standard JavaScript iterators and generators instead. This is a standard
For complete details about this rule, including examples, see the corresponding ESLint documentation, Disallow Iterator (no-iterator).

instead. This is a standard rule built into ESLint.
92
Creating Components Salesforce Lightning CLI (Deprecated)
For complete details about this rule, including examples, see the corresponding ESLint documentation, Disallow Use of __proto__
(no-proto).

Prevents using with statements, which adds members of an object to the current scope in a way that makes it hard to predict or view
impact or behavior. This is a standard rule built into ESLint.
For complete details about this rule, including examples, see the corresponding ESLint documentation, disallow with statements (no-with).

Lightning CLI was a Heroku Toolbelt plugin to scan your code for general JavaScript coding issues and Lightning-specific issues. Lightning
CLI is deprecated in favor of the force:lightning:lint tool available in the Salesforce DX CLI.
For more information about code validation using Salesforce DX, see the Salesforce CLI Command Reference.
IN THIS SECTION:
Install Salesforce Lightning CLI (Deprecated)
Lightning CLI was a Heroku Toolbelt plugin to scan your code for general JavaScript coding issues and Lightning-specific issues.
Lightning CLI is deprecated in favor of the force:lightning:lint tool available in the Salesforce DX CLI.
Install Salesforce Lightning CLI (Deprecated)

Lightning CLI was a Heroku Toolbelt plugin to scan your code for general JavaScript coding issues and Lightning-specific issues. Lightning
CLI is deprecated in favor of the force:lightning:lint tool available in the Salesforce DX CLI.
For instructions on how to install the Salesforce DX CLI, see “Install the Salesforce CLI” in the Salesforce DX Setup Guide.
Using Labels
Labels are text that presents information about the user interface, such as in the header (1), input fields (2), or buttons (3). While you can
specify labels by providing text values in component markup, you can also access labels stored outside your code using the $Label
global value provider in expression syntax.
93
Creating Components Using Custom Labels
This section discusses how to use the $Label global value provider in these contexts:
• The label attribute in input components
• The format() expression function for dynamically populating placeholder values in labels
IN THIS SECTION:
Using Custom Labels
Custom labels are custom text values that can be translated into any language that Salesforce supports. To access custom labels in
Aura components, use the $Label global value provider.
Input Component Labels
A label describes the purpose of an input component. To set a label on an input component, use the label attribute.
Dynamically Populating Label Parameters
Output and update labels using the format() expression function.
Getting Labels in JavaScript
You can retrieve labels in JavaScript code. Your code performs optimally if the labels are statically defined and sent to the client
when the component is loaded.
Getting Labels in Apex
You can retrieve label values in Apex code and set them on your component using JavaScript.
Setting Label Values via a Parent Attribute
Setting label values via a parent attribute is useful if you want control over labels in child components.
Using Custom Labels

Custom labels are custom text values that can be translated into any language that Salesforce supports. To access custom labels in Aura
components, use the $Label global value provider.
Custom labels enable developers to create multilingual applications by automatically presenting information (for example, help text or
error messages) in a user's native language.
94
Creating Components Input Component Labels
Note: Label translations require the Translation Workbench is enabled.
To create custom labels, from Setup, enter Custom Labels in the Quick Find box, then select Custom Labels.
Use the following syntax to access custom labels in Aura components.
• $Label.c.labelName for the default namespace
• $Label.namespace.labelName if your org has a namespace, or to access a label in a managed package
You can reference custom labels in component markup and in JavaScript code. Here are some examples.
Label in a markup expression using the default namespace
{!$Label.c.labelName}
Note: Label expressions in markup are supported in .cmp and .app resources only.
Label in JavaScript code if your org has a namespace

$A.get("$Label.namespace.labelName")
Note: Updates to a label locale or translation are not immediately in the application. To verify the change immediately, log out
and in.
SEE ALSO:
Value Providers

A label describes the purpose of an input component. To set a label on an input component, use the label attribute.
This example shows how to use labels using the label attribute on an input component.
<lightning:input type="number" name="myNumber" label="Pick a Number:" value="54" />
The label is placed on the left of the input field and can be hidden by setting variant="label-hidden", which applies the
slds-assistive-text class to the label to support accessibility.
Using $Label
Use the $Label global value provider to access labels stored in an external source. For example:
<lightning:input type="number" name="myNumber" label="{!$Label.Number.PickOne}" />
To output a label and dynamically update it, use the format() expression function. For example, if you have np.labelName set
to Hello {0}, the following expression returns Hello World if v.name is set to World.
{!format($Label.np.labelName, v.name)}
SEE ALSO:

Output and update labels using the format() expression function.
95
Creating Components Getting Labels in JavaScript
You can provide a string with placeholders, which are replaced by the substitution values at runtime.
Add as many parameters as you need. The parameters are numbered and are zero-based. For example, if you have three parameters,
they will be named {0}, {1}, and {2}, and they will be substituted in the order they're specified.
Let's look at a custom label, $Label.mySection.myLabel, with a value of Hello {0} and {1}, where $Label is the
global value provider that accesses your labels.
This expression dynamically populates the placeholder parameters with the values of the supplied attributes.
{!format($Label.mySection.myLabel, v.attribute1, v.attribute2)}
The label is automatically refreshed if one of the attribute values changes.
Note: Always use the $Label global value provider to reference a label with placeholder parameters. You can't set a string
with placeholder parameters as the first argument for format(). For example, this syntax doesn't work:
{!format('Hello {0}', v.name)}
Use this expression instead.

{!format($Label.mySection.salutation, v.name)}
where $Label.mySection.salutation is set to Hello {0}.
Getting Labels in JavaScript

You can retrieve labels in JavaScript code. Your code performs optimally if the labels are statically defined and sent to the client when
the component is loaded.
Static Labels
Static labels are defined in one string, such as "$Label.c.task_mode_today". The framework parses static labels in markup
or JavaScript code and sends the labels to the client when the component is loaded. A server trip isn’t required to resolve the label.
Use $A.get() to retrieve static labels in JavaScript code. For example:
var staticLabel = $A.get("$Label.c.task_mode_today");
component.set("v.mylabel", staticLabel);
You can also retrieve label values using Apex code and send them to the component via JavaScript code. For more information, see
Getting Labels in Apex.
Dynamic Labels
$A.get(labelReference) must be able to resolve the label reference at compile time, so that the label values can be sent to
the client along with the component definition.
If you must defer label resolution until runtime, you can dynamically create labels in JavaScript code. This technique can be useful when
you need to use a label, but which specific label isn’t known until runtime.
// Assume the day variable is dynamically generated
// earlier in the code
// THIS CODE WON’T WORK
var dynamicLabel = $A.get("$Label.c." + day);
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Creating Components Getting Labels in Apex
If the label is already known on the client, $A.get() displays the label. If the value is not known, an empty string is displayed in
production mode, or a placeholder value showing the label key is displayed in debug mode.
Using $A.get()with a label that can't be determined at runtime means that dynamicLabel is an empty string, and won’t be
updated to the retrieved value. Since the label, "$Label.c." + day, is dynamically generated, the framework can’t parse it or
send it to the client when the component is requested.
There are a few alternative approaches to using $A.get() so that you can work with dynamically generated labels.
If your component uses a known set of dynamically constructed labels, you can avoid a server roundtrip for the labels by adding a
reference to the labels in a JavaScript resource. The framework sends these labels to the client when the component is requested. For
example, if your component dynamically generates $Label.c.task_mode_today and $Label.c.task_mode_tomorrow
label keys, you can add references to the labels in a comment in a JavaScript resource, such as a client-side controller or helper.
// hints to ensure labels are preloaded
// $Label.c.task_mode_today
// $Label.c.task_mode_tomorrow
If your code dynamically generates many labels, this approach doesn’t scale well.
If you don’t want to add comment hints for all the potential labels, the alternative is to use $A.getReference(). This approach
comes with the added cost of a server trip to retrieve the label value.
This example dynamically constructs the label value by calling $A.getReference() and updates a tempLabelAttr component
attribute with the retrieved label.
var labelSubStr = "task_mode_today";
var labelReference = $A.getReference("$Label.c." + labelSubStr);
cmp.set("v.tempLabelAttr", labelReference);
var dynamicLabel = cmp.get("v.tempLabelAttr");
$A.getReference() returns a reference to the label. This isn’t a string, and you shouldn’t treat it like one. You never get a string
label directly back from $A.getReference().
Instead, use the returned reference to set a component’s attribute value. Our code does this in cmp.set("v.tempLabelAttr",
labelReference);.
When the label value is asynchronously returned from the server, the attribute value is automatically updated as it’s a reference. The
component is rerendered and the label value displays.
Note: Our code sets dynamicLabel = cmp.get("v.tempLabelAttr") immediately after getting the reference.
This code displays an empty string until the label value is returned from the server. If you don’t want that behavior, use a comment
hint to ensure that the label is sent to the client without requiring a later server trip.
SEE ALSO:
Using JavaScript
Getting Labels in Apex

You can retrieve label values in Apex code and set them on your component using JavaScript.
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Creating Components Getting Labels in Apex
Custom Labels
Custom labels have a limit of 1,000 characters and can be accessed from an Apex class. To define custom labels, from Setup, in the Quick
Find box, enter Custom Labels, and then select Custom Labels.
In your Apex class, reference the label with the syntax System.Label.MyLabelName.
public with sharing class LabelController {

@AuraEnabled
public static String getLabel() {
String s1 = 'Hello from Apex Controller, ' ;
String s2 = System.Label.MyLabelName;
return s1 + s2;
}
}
Note: Return label values as plain text strings. You can’t return a label expression using the $Label global value provider.
The component loads the labels by requesting it from the server, such as during initialization. For example, the label is retrieved in
JavaScript code.
({
var action = component.get("c.getLabel");
component.set("v.mylabel", response.getReturnValue());
}
// error handling when state is "INCOMPLETE" or "ERROR"
});
}
})
Finally, make sure you wire up the Apex class to your component. The label is set on the component during initialization.
<aura:component controller="LabelController">
<aura:handler name="init" value="{!this}" action="{!c.doInit}" />
<aura:attribute name="mylabel" type="String"/>
{!v.mylabel}
</aura:component>
Passing in Label Values

Pass label values into components using the expression syntax {!v.mylabel}. You must provide a default value to the String
attribute. Depending on your use case, the default value might be the label in the default language or, if the specific label can’t be known
until runtime, perhaps just a single space.
<aura:component controller="LabelController">
<aura:attribute name="mylabel" type="String" default=" "/>
<lightning:input name="mytext" label="{!v.mylabel}"/>
</aura:component>
You can also retrieve labels in JavaScript code, including dynamically creating labels that are generated during runtime. For more
information, see Getting Labels in JavaScript.
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Creating Components Setting Label Values via a Parent Attribute
Setting Label Values via a Parent Attribute

Setting label values via a parent attribute is useful if you want control over labels in child components.
Let’s say that you have a container component, which contains another component, inner.cmp. You want to set a label value in
inner.cmp via an attribute on the container component. This can be done by specifying the attribute type and default value. You
must set a default value in the parent attribute if you are setting a label on an inner component, as shown in the following example.
This is the container component, which contains a default value My Label for the _label attribute .
<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="_label"
type="String"
default="My Label"/>
<lightning:button label="Set Label" aura:id="button1" onclick="{!c.setLabel}"/>
<auradocs:inner aura:id="inner" label="{!v._label}"/>
</aura:component>
This inner component contains a text area component and a label attribute that’s set by the container component.
<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="label" type="String"/>
<lightning:textarea aura:id="textarea"
name="myTextarea"
label="{!v.label}"/>
</aura:component>
This client-side controller action updates the label value.

({
setLabel:function(cmp) {
cmp.set("v._label", 'new label');
}
})
When the component is initialized, you’ll see a button and a text area with the label My Label. When the button in the container
component is clicked, the setLabel action updates the label value in the inner component. This action finds the label attribute
and sets its value to new label.
SEE ALSO:
Localization
The framework provides client-side localization support on input and output components.
Note: Components in the ui namespace are deprecated as of API version 46.0. We recommend you use components in the
lightning namespace instead. For more information, see Working with UI Components.
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Creating Components Localization
The following example shows how you can override the default timezone attribute. The output displays the time in the format
hh:mm by default.
<aura:component>
<ui:outputDateTime value="2013-10-07T00:17:08.997Z" timezone="Europe/Berlin" />
</aura:component>
The component renders as Oct 7, 2013 2:17:08 AM.

To customize the date and time formatting, we recommend using lightning:formattedDateTime. This example sets the
date and time using the init handler.
<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="datetime" type="DateTime"/>
<lightning:formattedDateTime value="{!v.datetime}" timeZone="Europe/Berlin"
year="numeric" month="short" day="2-digit" hour="2-digit"
minute="2-digit" second="2-digit"/>
</aura:component>
({
var date = new Date();
component.set("v.datetime", date)
}
})
This example creates a JavaScript Date instance, which is rendered in the format MMM DD, YYYY HH:MM:SS AM.
Although the output for this example is similar to <ui:outputDateTime value="{!v.datetime}"
timezone="Europe/Berlin" />, the attributes on lightning:formattedDateTime enable you to control formatting
at a granular level. For example, you can display the date using the MM/DD/YYYY format.
<lightning:formattedDateTime value="{!v.datetime}" timeZone="Europe/Berlin" year="numeric"
month="numeric" day="numeric"/>
Additionally, you can use the global value provider, $Locale, to obtain the locale information. The locale settings in your organization
overrides the browser’s locale information.
Working with Locale Information

In a single currency organization, Salesforce administrators set the currency locale, default language, default locale, and default time
zone for their organizations. Users can set their individual language, locale, and time zone on their personal settings pages.
Note: Single language organizations cannot change their language, although they can change their locale.
For example, setting the time zone on the Language & Time Zone page to (GMT+02:00) returns 28.09.2015 09:00:00
when you run the following code.
<ui:outputDateTime value="09/28/2015" />
Running $A.get("$Locale.timezone") returns the time zone name, for example, Europe/Paris. For more information,
see "Supported Time Zones" in the Salesforce Help.
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Creating Components Providing Component Documentation
Setting the currency locale on the Company Information page to Japanese (Japan) - JPY returns ¥100,000 when you
run the following code.
<ui:outputCurrency value="100000" />
Note: To change between using the currency symbol, code, or name, use lightning:formattedNumber instead.
Similarly, running $A.get("$Locale.currency") returns "¥" when your org’s currency locale is set to Japanese
(Japan) - JPY. For more information, see "Supported Currencies" in the Salesforce Help.
SEE ALSO:
Formatting Dates in JavaScript
Providing Component Documentation

Component documentation helps developers use your components effectively. You can provide interactive examples, documentation,
and specification descriptions for a component, event, or interface.
A component, event, or interface is also known as a root definition.
Viewing the Documentation

When a root definition is marked access="global", it’s surfaced in the Component Library on page 484 in your org. For managed
packages and namespaces you own, components with either access="global" or access="public"(default) are surfaced
in the Component Library. Each root definition page can display up to three tabs in the following order.
Example
Displays interactive examples denoted by the <aura:example> tag in the .auradoc file. This tab is hidden if no examples
are wired up in your .auradoc file. See the Providing an Example Component section below.
Documentation
Displays the content of the .auradoc file. This tab is hidden if an .auradoc file is not available for your root definition. See
the Writing the Documentation section below.
Specification
Displays the description of the root definition, attributes, and methods. For managed packages and namespaces you own, attributes
and methods with either access="global" or access="public"(default) are surfaced. See the Providing Inline
Descriptions section below.
Writing the Documentation

The main documentation for a root definition is surfaced via the Documentation tab on a root definition page, for example,
https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/component-library/bundle/lightning:avatar/documentation.
Provide your content in HTML markup and describe what a component is and what it does. Add code samples to help developers use
your component, event, or interface easily.
To provide documentation, click DOCUMENTATION in the component sidebar of the Developer Console, which creates a .auradoc
file. The following example shows the content of avatar.auradoc.
A .auradoc file contains these tags.
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Creating Components Providing Component Documentation
Tag Description
<aura:documentation> Required. The top-level definition of the DocDef
<aura:description> Required. Describes the component using HTML markup. To include code samples in the
description, use the <pre> tag, which renders as a code block. Code entered in the <pre> tag
must be escaped. For example, escape <aura:component> by entering
<aura:component>.
<aura:example> Optional. References an example that demonstrates how the component is used. Supports HTML
markup, which displays as text preceding the visual output and example component source. The
example is displayed as interactive output. Multiple examples are supported and should be wrapped
in individual <aura:example> tags.
• name: The API name of the example
• ref: The reference to the example component in the format
<namespace:exampleComponent>
• label: The label of the title
Providing an Example Component

The example component is rendered as an interactive demo in the Example tab of a root definition page when it’s wired up using
aura:example.
<aura:example name="exampleAvatarBasic" ref="lightningcomponentdemo:exampleAvatarBasic"

label="Basic Avatar">
<p>The following example creates an avatar with the default size and variant. The
initials "BW" is displayed if the image path denoted by the <code>src</code> attribute is
invalid or fails to load for any reason, such as when the user is offline.</p>
</aura:example>
The following is an example component that demonstrates how lightning:avatar can be used.
Supported HTML Tags in .auradoc Files

We recommend using the following tags in your documentation.
• <a>—Link
• <p>—Paragraph
• <ul>—Bulleted List
• <ol>—Numbered List
• <li>—List item in a bulleted or numbered list
• <code>—Code formatting
• <pre>—Code block
• <h4>—Section heading
• <table>—Table with rows and columns of data
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Creating Components Working with Base Lightning Components
Providing Inline Descriptions

Inline descriptions provide a brief overview of what an element is about. HTML markup is not supported in inline descriptions. These
tags support inline descriptions via the description attribute.
Tag Example
<aura:component> <aura:component description="Represents a button element">
<aura:attribute> <aura:attribute name="label" type="String" description="The

text to be displayed inside the button."/>
<aura:event> <aura:event type="COMPONENT" description="Indicates that a

keyboard key has been pressed and released"/>
<aura:interface> <aura:interface description="A common interface for date

components"/>
<aura:method>
<aura:method name="setCustomValidity" description="Sets a custom
error message.">
<aura:attribute name="message" type="String"
description="The string that describes the error. If
message is an empty string, the error message is reset."/>
</aura:method>
<aura:registerEvent> <aura:registerEvent name="keydown" type="ui:keydown"

description="Indicates that a key is pressed"/>
SEE ALSO:
Reference
Working with Base Lightning Components

Base Lightning components are the building blocks that make up the modern Lightning Experience, Salesforce app, and Lightning
Communities user interfaces.
Base Lightning components incorporate Lightning Design System markup and classes, providing improved performance and accessibility
with a minimum footprint.
These base components handle the details of HTML and CSS for you. Each component provides simple attributes that enable variations
in style. This means that you typically don’t need to use CSS at all. The simplicity of the base Lightning component attributes and their
clean and consistent definitions make them easy to use, enabling you to focus on your business logic.
You can find base Lightning components in the lightning namespace to complement the existing ui namespace components.
In instances where there are matching ui and lightning namespace components, we recommend that you use the lightning
namespace component. The lightning namespace components are optimized for common use cases. Beyond being equipped
with the Lightning Design System styling, they handle accessibility, real-time interaction, and enhanced error messages.
In subsequent releases, we intend to provide additional base Lightning components. We expect that in time the lightning namespace
will have parity with the ui namespace and go beyond it. In addition, the base Lightning components will evolve with the Lightning
Design System over time. This ensures that your customizations continue to match Lightning Experience and the Salesforce app.
103
While the base components are visual building blocks and provides minimum functionality out-of-the-box, they can be combined
together to build “experience components” with richer capabilities and made accessible via the Lightning App Builder. Admins can
drag-and-drop these experience components to build and configure user interfaces easily. For example, the Chatter Feed component
in Lightning App Builder comprises a collection of tabs, a group of buttons, and a rich text editor.
The API version column denotes the minimum API version you must set to use the component in the Developer Console, the Force.com
IDE, or via API. Components that don’t specify a minimum API version are usable with any API version 37.0 and later.
Note: Interactive examples for the following components are available in the Component Library.
Buttons
These components provide different button flavors.
Type Lightning Component Description Lightning Design API

Name System Version
Button lightning:button Represents a button element. Buttons
Button lightning:buttonGroup Represents a group of buttons. Button Groups

Group
Button Icon lightning:buttonIcon An icon-only HTML button. Button Icons
Button Icon lightning:buttonIconStateful An icon-only button that retains state. Button Icons 41.0
(Stateful)
Button lightning:buttonMenu A dropdown menu with a list of actions or Menus

Menu functions.
lightning:menuItem A list item in lightning:buttonMenu.
lightning:menuDivider A horizontal line separating menu items in

lightning:buttonMenu.
lightning:menuSubheader A subheading for menu items in

lightning:buttonMenu.
Button lightning:buttonStateful A button that toggles between states. Button Stateful

Stateful
Insert lightning:insertImageButton A button for inserting images in Button Icons 43.0

Image lightning:inputRichText.
Button
Data Entry
Use these components for data entry.
104
Type Lightning Component Description Lightning Design System API Version

Name
Address lightning:inputAddress Represents an address compound Form Layout 42.0
field.
Checkbox lightning:checkboxGroup Enables single or multiple selection Checkbox 41.0

Group on a group of options.
Combobox lightning:combobox An input element that enables single Combobox

selection from a list of options.
Dual Listbox lightning:dualListbox Provides an input listbox Dueling Picklist 41.0

accompanied with a listbox of
selectable options. Options can be
moved between the two lists.
File Uploader lightning:fileUpload Enables file uploads to a record. File Selector 41.0
and Preview
lightning:fileCard Displays a representation of Files
uploaded content.
Input lightning:input Represents interactive controls that Input

accept user input depending on the
type attribute.
Input Field lightning:inputField Represents an editable input for a Form Layout 42.0
field on a Salesforce object.
Input Name lightning:inputName Represents a name compound field. Form Layout 42.0
Input Location lightning:inputLocation A geolocation compound field that Form Layout 41.0
(Geolocation) accepts a latitude and longitude
value.
Radio Group lightning:radioGroup Enables single selection on a group Radio Button 41.0
of options. Radio Button Group
Select lightning:select Creates an HTML select element. Select
Slider lightning:slider An input range slider for specifying Slider 41.0

a value between two specified
numbers.
Rich Text Area lightning:inputRichText A WYSIWYG editor with a Rich Text Editor
customizable toolbar for entering
rich text.
Text Area lightning:textArea A multiline text input. Textarea
Displaying Data
Use these components to display data.
105

Name
Address lightning:formattedAddress Displays a formatted address that N/A 42.0
provides a link to the given location
on Google Maps.
Click-to-dial lightning:clickToDial
Date/Time lightning:formattedDateTime Displays formatted date and time.
Email lightning:formattedEmail Displays an email as a hyperlink with 41.0

the mailto: URL scheme.
Geolocation lightning:formattedLocation Displays a geolocation using the 41.0

format latitude,
longitude.
Name lightning:formattedName Displays a formatted name that can 42.0

include a salutation and suffix.
Number lightning:formattedNumber Displays formatted numbers.
Output Field lightning:outputField Displays a label, help text, and value 41.0
for a field on a Salesforce object.
Phone lightning:formattedPhone Displays a phone number as a 41.0

hyperlink with the tel: URL
scheme.
Rich Text lightning:formattedRichText Displays rich text that’s formatted 41.0

with whitelisted tags and attributes.
Text lightning:formattedText Displays text, replaces newlines with 41.0

line breaks, and linkifies if requested.
Time lightning:formattedTime Displays a formatted time based on 42.0

the user’s locale.
URL lightning:formattedUrl Displays a URL as a hyperlink. 41.0
Relative lightning:relativeDateTime Displays the relative time difference

Date/Time between the source date-time and
the provided date-time.
Forms
use these components to edit and view records
106

Name System Version
Record Edit lightning:recordEditForm A grouping of lightning:inputField Form Layout 42.0
Form components of record fields to be edited in a
form.
Record lightning:recordForm A container to simplify form creation for viewing Form Layout 43.0
Form and editing record fields.
Record lightning:recordViewForm A grouping of lightning:outputField Form Layout 42.0

View Form components and other formatted display
components to display record fields in a form.
Layout
The following components group related information together.

Name System Version
Accordion lightning:accordion A collection of vertically stacked sections with Accordion 41.0
multiple content areas.
lightning:accordionSection A single section that is nested in a

llightning:accordion component.
Card lightning:card Applies a container around a related grouping Cards

of information.
Carousel lightning:carousel A collection of images that are displayed Carousel 42.0

horizontally one at a time.
Layout lightning:layout Responsive grid system for arranging containers Grid

on a page.
lightning:layoutItem A container within a lightning:layout

component.
Tabs lightning:tab A single tab that is nested in a Tabs

lightning:tabset component.
lightning:tabset Represents a list of tabs.
Tile lightning:tile A grouping of related information associated Tiles

with a record.
Navigation Components
The following components organize links and actions in a hierarchy or to visit other locations in an app.
107

Name System Version
Breadcrumb lightning:breadcrumb An item in the hierarchy path of the page the Breadcrumbs
user is on.
lightning:breadcrumbs A hierarchy path of the page you're currently

visiting within the website or app.
Navigation lightning:navigation Generates a URL for a page reference. N/A 43.0
Map lightning:map Displays a map of one or more locations Map 44.0
Tree lightning:tree Displays a structural hierarchy with nested items. Trees 41.0
Vertical lightning:verticalNavigation A vertical list of links that take you to another Vertical Navigation 41.0
Navigation page or parts of the page you’re in.
lightning:verticalNavigationItem A text-only link within

lightning:verticalNavigationSection
or
lightning:verticalNavigationOverflow
lightning:verticalNavigationItemBadge A link and badge within

or
lightning:verticalNavigationItemIcon A link and icon within

or
lightning:verticalNavigationOverflow An overflow of items in

lightning:verticalNavigation
lightning:verticalNavigationSection A section within

lightning:verticalNavigation
Visual Components
The following components provide informative cues, for example, like icons and loading spinners.
Type Lightning Component Name Description Lightning Design API

System Version
Avatar lightning:avatar A visual representation of an object. Avatars
Badge lightning:badge A label that holds a small amount of Badges

information.
Data Table lightning:datatable A table that displays columns of data, Data Tables 41.0
formatted according to type.
108
Type Lightning Component Name Description Lightning Design API

System Version
Dynamic lightning:dynamicIcon A variety of animated icons. Dynamic Icons 41.0
Icon
Help Text lightning:helptext An icon with a popover container a small Tooltips

(Tooltip) amount of text.
Icon lightning:icon A visual element that provides context. Icons
List View lightning:listView Displays a list view of the specified object N/A 42.0
Messaging lightning:overlayLibrary Displays messages via modals and popovers. Messaging 41.0
lightning:notificationsLibrary Displays messages via notices and toasts. Messaging 41.0
Path lightning:path Displays a path driven by a picklist field and Path 41.0
Path Setup metadata.
Picklist Path lightning:picklistPath Displays a path based on a specified picklist

field.
Pill lightning:pill A pill represents an existing item in a Pills

database, as opposed to user-generated
freeform text.
Pill lightning:pillContainer A list of pills grouped in a container. Pills 42.0

Container
Progress lightning:progressBar A horizontal progress bar from left to right Progress Bars 41.0
Bar to indicate the progress of an operation.
Progress lightning:progressIndicator Displays steps in a process to indicate what Progress Indicators 41.0
Indicator has been completed. Path
and Path
Tree Grid lightning:treeGrid A hierarchical view of data presented in a Trees 42.0

table.
Spinner lightning:spinner Displays an animated spinner. Spinners
Feature-Specific Components
The following components are usable only in the context of specific Salesforce features.

Name
Lightning Page lightning:flexipageRegionInfo Provides Lightning page region N/A 41.0
Region information to the component that
contains it.
Flow Interview lightning:flow Represents a flow interview in 41.0

Lightning runtime.
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Creating Components Base Lightning Components Considerations

Name
Omni-Channel lightning:omniToolkitAPI Provides API access to methods for 41.0
Toolkit the Omni-channel toolkit.
Lightning lightning:utilityBarAPI Provides API access to methods for 41.0

Console Utility the utility bar in Lightning Console.
Bar
Lightning lightning:workspaceAPI Provides API access to methods for 41.0

Console the workspace in Lightning Console.
Workspace
Embedded lightningsnapin:prechatAPI Enables customization of the user 42.0

Chat interface for the pre-chat page.
Embedded lightningsnapin:settingsAPI Provides API access to Embedded 43.0

Chat Service settings within your custom
Embedded Service components.
Embedded lightningsnapin:minimizedAPI Enables customization of the user 43.0

Chat interface for the minimized chat
window for Embedded Chat.
EmpJs lightning:empApi Provides access to methods for 44.0

Streaming API subscribing to a streaming channel
library and listening to event messages
Base Lightning Components Considerations

Learn about the guidelines on using the base Lightning components.
Warning: Don’t depend on the markup of a Lightning component as its internals can change in future releases. Reaching into
the component internals can also cause unrecoverable errors in the app. For example, using cmp.get("v.body") and
examining the DOM elements can cause issues in your code if the component markup changes down the road.
With Lightning Locker enforced, you can’t traverse the DOM for components you don't own. Instead of accessing the DOM tree, take
advantage of value binding with component attributes and use component methods that are available to you. For example, to get an
attribute on a component, use cmp.find("myInput").get("v.name") instead of
cmp.find("myInput").getElement().name. The latter doesn’t work if you don’t have access to the component, such as
a component in another namespace.
Many of the base Lightning components are still evolving and the following considerations can help you while you’re building your
apps.
lightning:buttonMenu
This component contains menu items that are created only if the button is triggered. You can’t reference the menu items during
initialization or if the button isn’t triggered yet.
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Creating Components Base Lightning Components Considerations
lightning:input
Fields for percentage and currency input must specify a step increment of 0.01 as required by the native implementation.
<lightning:input type="number" name="percentVal" label="Enter a percentage value"
formatter="percent" step="0.01" />
<lightning:input type="number" name="currencyVal" label="Enter a dollar amount"
formatter="currency" step="0.01" />
When working with checkboxes, radio buttons, and toggle switches, use aura:id to group and traverse the array of components.
Grouping them enables you to use get("v.checked") to determine which elements are checked or unchecked without
reaching into the DOM. You can also use the name and value attributes to identify each component during the iteration. The
following example groups three checkboxes together using aura:id.
<aura:component>
<form>
<fieldset>
<legend>Select your favorite color:</legend>
<lightning:input type="checkbox" label="Red"
name="color1" value="1" aura:id="colors"/>
<lightning:input type="checkbox" label="Blue"
<lightning:input type="checkbox" label="Green"
</fieldset>
<lightning:button label="Submit" onclick="{!c.submitForm}"/>
</form>
</aura:component>
In your client-side controller, you can retrieve the array using cmp.find("colors") and inspect the checked values.
When working with type="file", you must provide your own server-side logic for uploading files to Salesforce. Read the file
using the FileReader HTML object, and then encode the file contents before sending them to your Apex controller. In your Apex
controller, you can use the EncodingUtil methods to decode the file data. For example, you can use the Attachment object
to upload files to a parent object. In this case, you pass in the base64 encoded file to the Body field to save the file as an attachment
in your Apex controller.
Uploading files using this component is subject to regular Apex controller limits, which is 1 MB. To accommodate file size increase
due to base64 encoding, we recommend that you set the maximum file size to 750 KB. You must implement chunking for file size
larger than 1 MB. Files uploaded via chunking are subject to a size limit of 4 MB. For more information, see the Apex Developer Guide.
Alternatively, you can use lightning:fileUpload to upload files directly to records.
lightning:tab
This component creates its body during runtime. You can’t reference the component during initialization. Referencing the component
using aura:id can return unexpected results, such as the component returning an undefined value when implementing
cmp.find("myComponent").
lightning:tabset
When you load more tabs than can fit the width of the viewport, the tabset provides navigation buttons that scrolls horizontally to
display the overflow tabs.
Methods with Limited Support on Some Components

Some methods have limited support or no support on these components:
• lightning:avatar
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Creating Components Event Handling in Base Lightning Components
• lightning:badge
• lightning:breadcrumb
• lightning:formattedDateTime
• lightning:formattedNumber
• lightning:icon
• lightning:input
• lightning:inputField
• lightning:outputField
• lightning:relativeDateTime
• lightning:textarea
getDef()
getDef() can’t get API methods or attach change handlers in the specified components. The correct way to work with base
Lightning components is to work with the instances, and not attempt to access the component or its definition.
getReference()
getReference() method support is limited. You can’t use it with controllers with these components. For example,
getReference('v.value') works but getReference('c.myFunc') doesn’t work.
afterRender()
afterRender() isn’t supported by the specified components. You shouldn’t call afterRender() on Lightning base
components directly. For example, component.find('lightning:input').afterRender() doesn’t work.
No nested component access
You can’t access sub-components inside a base Lightning component. You can only use the exposed API. For example,
cmp.find('mylightning:inputField').find('innercomponent') doesn’t work.
Event Handling in Base Lightning Components

Base components are lightweight and closely resemble HTML markup. They follow standard HTML practices by providing event handlers
as attributes, such as onfocus, instead of registering and firing Lightning component events, like components in the ui namespace.
Because of their markup, you might expect to access DOM elements for base components via event.target or
event.currentTarget. However, this type of access breaks encapsulation because it provides access to another component’s
DOM elements, which are subject to change.
Lightning Locker enforces encapsulation. Use the methods described here to make your code compliant with Lightning Locker.
To retrieve the component that fired the event, use event.getSource().
<aura:component>
<lightning:button name="myButton" onclick="{!c.doSomething}"/>
</aura:component>
({
doSomething: function(cmp, event, helper) {
var button = event.getSource();
//The following patterns are not supported

//when you’re trying to access another component’s
//DOM elements.
var el = event.target;
var currentEl = event.currentTarget;
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Creating Components Event Handling in Base Lightning Components
}
})
Note: For events fired by standard HTML elements, you can use event.currentTarget and event.target. For events
fired by base Lightning components, use event.getSource() instead.
Retrieve a component attribute that’s passed to the event by using this syntax.
event.getSource().get("v.name")
Reusing Event Handlers

event.getSource() helps you determine which component fired an event. Let’s say you have several buttons that reuse the
same onclick handler. To retrieve the name of the button that fired the event, use event.getSource().get("v.name").
<aura:component>
<lightning:button label="New Record" name="new" onclick="{!c.handleClick}"/>
<lightning:button label="Edit" name="edit" onclick="{!c.handleClick}"/>
<lightning:button label="Delete" name="delete" onclick="{!c.handleClick}"/>
</aura:component>
({
handleClick: function(cmp, event, helper) {
//returns "new", "edit", or "delete"
var buttonName = event.getSource().get("v.name");
}
})
Retrieving the Active Component Using the onactive Handler

When working with tabs, you want to know which one is active. The lightning:tab component enables you to obtain a reference
to the target component when it becomes active using the onactive handler . Clicking the component multiple times invokes the
handler once only.
<aura:component>
<lightning:tabset>
<lightning:tab onactive="{! c.handleActive }" label="Tab 1" id="tab1" />
<lightning:tab onactive="{! c.handleActive }" label="Tab 2" id="tab2" />
</lightning:tabset>
</aura:component>
({
handleActive: function (cmp, event) {
var tab = event.getSource();
switch (tab.get('v.id')) {
case 'tab1':
//do something when tab1 is clicked
break;
case 'tab2':
//do something when tab2 is clicked
break;
}
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Creating Components Lightning Design System Considerations
}
})
Retrieving the ID and Value Using the onselect Handler

Some components provide event handlers to pass in events to child components, such as the onselect event handler on the
following components.
• lightning:buttonMenu
• lightning:tabset
Although the event.detail syntax continues to be supported, we recommend that you update your JavaScript code to use the
following patterns for the onselect handler as we plan to deprecate event.detail in a future release.
• event.getParam("id")
• event.getParam("value")
For example, you want to retrieve the value of a selected menu item in a lightning:buttonMenu component from a client-side
controller.
//Before
var menuItem = event.detail.menuItem;
var itemValue = menuItem.get("v.value");
//After
var itemValue = event.getParam("value");
Similarly, to retrieve the ID of a selected tab in a lightning:tabset component:

//Before
var tab = event.detail.selectedTab;
var tabId = tab.get("v.id");
//After
var tabId = event.getParam("id");
Note: If you need a reference to the target component, use the onactive event handler instead.
Lightning Design System Considerations

Although the base Lightning components provide Salesforce Lightning Design System styling out-of-the-box, you may still want to
write some CSS depending on your requirements.
If you're using the components outside of the Salesforce app and Lightning Experience, such as in standalone apps and Lightning Out,
extend force:slds to apply Lightning Design System styling to your components. Here are several guidelines for using Lightning
Design System in base components.
Using Utility Classes in Base Components

Lightning Design System utility classes are the fundamentals of your component's visual design and promote reusability, such as for
alignments, grid, spacing, and typography. Most base components provide a class attribute, so you can add a utility class or custom
class to the outer element of the components. For example, you can apply a spacing utility class to lightning:button.
<lightning:button name="submit" label="Submit" class="slds-m-around_medium"/>
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The class you add is appended to other base classes that are applied to the component, resulting in the following markup.
<button class="slds-button slds-button_neutral slds-m-around_medium"
type="button" name="submit">Submit</button>
Similarly, you can create a custom class and pass it into the class attribute.
<lightning:badge label="My badge" class="myCustomClass"/>
You have the flexibility to customize the components at a granular level beyond the CSS scaffolding we provide. Let’s look at the
lightning:card component, where you can create your own body markup. You can apply the slds-p-horizontal_small
or slds-card__body_inner class in the body markup to add padding around the body.

<lightning:card>
<aura:set attribute="title">My Account</aura:set>
<aura:set attribute="footer">Footer</aura:set>
<lightning:button label="New"/>
</aura:set>
Card Body
</p>
</lightning:card>


<lightning:card>
<aura:set attribute="title">My Account</aura:set>
<aura:set attribute="footer">Footer</aura:set>
<lightning:button label="New"/>
</aura:set>
<div class="slds-card__body_inner">
Card Body
</div>
</lightning:card>
Block-Element-Modifier (BEM) Notation

CSS class names used by Lightning base components match the Block-Element-Modifier (BEM) notation that Salesforce Lightning Design
System uses. Class names that previously contained a double dash now use a single underscore in place of the double dash. A CSS class
that used to be slds-p-around--small is now slds-p-around_small, for example. If you have created custom CSS in
your components that reference an SLDS class that contains a double dash, update your selectors to use a single underscore. For more
information, see Lightning Design System FAQ.
Applying Custom Component Styling

Sometimes the utility classes aren’t enough and you want to add custom styling in your component bundle. You saw earlier that you
can create a custom class and pass it into the class attribute. We recommend that you create a class instead of targeting a class name
you don’t own, since those classes might change anytime. For example, don’t try to target .slds-input or .lightningInput,
as they are CSS classes that are available by default in base components. You can also consider using tokens to ensure that your design
is consistent across your components. Specify values in the token bundle and reuse them in your components’ CSS resources.
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Showing and Hiding with Styles

Lightning Design System utility classes include visibility classes that enable you to show and hide elements. These classes are designed
as show/hide pairs that you add and remove, or toggle, with JavaScript. Apply only one class at a time. See Lightning Design System:
Utilities: Visibility for descriptions of the classes. For information about using JavaScript to toggle markup see Dynamically Showing or
Hiding Markup.
Using the Grid for Layout

lightning:layout is your answer to a flexible grid system. You can achieve a simple layout by enclosing
lightning:layoutItem components within lightning:layout, which creates a div container with the slds-grid
class. To apply additional Lightning Design System grid classes, specify any combination of the lightning:layout attributes. For
example, specify vertical-align="stretch" to append the slds-grid_vertical-stretch class. You can apply
Lightning Design System grid classes to the component using the horizontalAlign, verticalAlign, and pullToBoundary
attributes. However, not all grid classes are available through these attributes. To provide additional grid classes, use the class attribute.
The following grid classes can be added using the class attribute.
• .slds-grid_frame
• .slds-grid_vertical
• .slds-grid_reverse
• .slds-grid_vertical-reverse
• .slds-grid_pull-padded-x-small
• .slds-grid_pull-padded-xx-small
• .slds-grid_pull-padded-xxx-small
This example adds the slds-grid_reverse class to the slds-grid class.
<lightning:layout horizontalAlign="space" class="slds-grid_reverse">
<lightning:layoutItem padding="around-small">


</lightning:layout>
For more information, see Grid utility.
Applying Variants to Base Components

Variants on a component refer to design variations for that component, enabling you to change the appearance of the component
easily. While we try to match base component variants to their respective Lightning Design System variants, it’s not a one-to-one
correspondence. Most base components provide a variant attribute. For example, lightning:button support many
variants—base, neutral, brand, destructive, and inverse—to apply different text and background colors on the buttons.
<lightning:button variant="brand" label="Brand" onclick="{! c.handleClick }" />
Notice the success variant is not supported. However, you can add the slds-button_success class to achieve the same
result.
<lightning:button name="submit" label="Submit" class="slds-button_success"/>
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Let’s look at another example. You can create a group of related information using the lightning:tile component. Although
this component doesn’t provide a variant attribute, you can achieve the Lightning Design System board variant by passing in the
slds-tile_board class.
<aura:component>
<ul class="slds-has-dividers_around-space">
<li class="slds-item">
<lightning:tile label="Anypoint Connectors" href="/path/to/somewhere"
class="slds-tile_board">
<p class="slds-text-heading_medium">$500,000</p>
<p class="slds-truncate" title="Company One"><a href="#">Company One</a></p>
<p class="slds-truncate">Closing 9/30/2015</p>
</lightning:tile>
</li>
</ul>
</aura:component>
If you don’t see a variant you need, check to see if you can pass in a Lightning Design System class to the base component before creating
your own custom CSS class. Don’t be afraid to experiment with Lightning Design System classes and variants in base components. For
more information, see Lightning Design System.
SEE ALSO:
Styling Apps
Styling with Design Tokens
Working with Lightning Design System Variants

Base component variants correspond to variants in Lightning Design System. Variants change the appearance of a component and are
controlled by the variant attribute.
If you pass in a variant that’s not supported, the default variant is used instead. This example creates a button with the base variant.
<lightning:button variant="base" label="Base" onclick="{! c.handleClick }"/>
The following reference describes how variants in base components correspond to variants in Lightning Design System. Base components
that don’t have any visual styling, such as lightning:formattedDateTime, are not listed here.
Note: Interactive examples for the following components are available in the Component Library.
Accordion
A lightning:accordion component is a collection of vertically stacked sections with content areas. The sections are defined
with lightning:accordionSection components. By default, only one section is expanded at a time. The
allowMultipleSectionsOpen attribute enables you to expand more than one section. This component does not support the
variant attribute. lightning:accordion uses the styling from Accordion in the Lightning Design System.
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Avatar
A lightning:avatar component is an image that represents an object, such as an account or user. You can create avatars in
different sizes and two variants. lightning:avatar uses the styling from Avatar in the Lightning Design System.
Base Component Lightning Design System Description

Variant Class Name
square (default) slds-avatar An avatar with a rounded square shape
circle slds-avatar_circle An avatar with a circular shape
Badge
A lightning:badge component is a label containing a small amount of information. This component does not support the
variant attribute. lightning:badge uses the styling from Badges in the Lightning Design System.
Breadcrumb
A lightning:breadcrumb component displays the path of a page relative to a parent page. Breadcrumbs are nested in a
lightning:breadcrumbs component. This component does not support the variant attribute. lightning:breadcrumb
uses the styling from Breadcrumbs in the Lightning Design System.
Button
A lightning:button component is a button that executes an action in a client-side controller. Buttons can be one of three types:
button (default), reset, and submit. Buttons support icons to the left or right of the text label. lightning:button uses the styling
from Buttons in the Lightning Design System.

Variant Class Name
neutral (default) slds-button_neutral A button with gray border and white background
base slds-button A button without a border, which appears like a text link
brand slds-button_brand A blue button with white text
destructive slds-button_desctructive A red button with white text
inverse slds-button_inverse A button for dark backgrounds
success slds-button_success A green button
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Button Group
A lightning:buttonGroup component is a group of buttons that can be displayed together to create a navigational bar. You
can nest lightning:button and lightning:buttonMenu components in the group. Although the button group itself
doesn’t support the variant attribute, variants are supported for buttons and the button menu components. For example, you can
nest <lightning:button variant="inverse" label="Refresh" /> in a button group. If including
lightning:buttonMenu, place it after the buttons and pass in the slds-button_last class to adjust the border.
lightning:buttonGroup uses the styling from Button Groups in the Lightning Design System.
Button Icon
A lightning:buttonIcon component is an icon-only button that executes an action in a client-side controller. You can create
button icons in different sizes. Only Lightning Design System utility icons are supported. lightning:buttonIcon uses the styling
from Button Icons in the Lightning Design System.

Variant Class Name
border (default) slds-button_icon-border A button that contains an icon with gray border
bare slds-button_icon A button that looks like a plain icon
brand slds-button_icon-brand A button that uses the Salesforce blue background color
container slds-button_icon-container A 32px by 32px button that looks like a plain icon
border-filled slds-button_icon-border-filled A button that contains an icon with gray border and white background
bare-inverse slds-button_icon-inverse A button that contains a white icon without borders for a dark
background
border-inverse slds-button_icon-border-inverse A button that contains a white icon for a dark background
Button Icon (Stateful)

A lightning:buttonIconStateful component is an icon-only button that retains state. You can press the button to toggle
between states. You can create button icons in different sizes. Only Lightning Design System utility icons are supported. The selected
attribute appends the slds-is-selected class when it’s set to true. lightning:buttonIconStateful uses the
styling from Button Icons in the Lightning Design System.
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Variant Class Name
border-filled slds-button_icon-border-filled A button that contains an icon with a white background
Button Menu
A lightning:buttonMenu component is a dropdown menu with a list of menu items, represented by lightning:menuItem
components. Menu items can be checked or unchecked, or execute an action in a client-side controller. You can create button menus
with icons in different sizes and position the dropdown menu in different locations relative to the button. The variants change the
appearance of the button, and are similar to the variants on button icons.
lightning:buttonMenu supports the lightning:menuDivider component for creating horizontal lines between menu
items. The menu divider has a compact variant for reducing the space above and below the line. The lightning:menuSubheader
component enables you to create subheadings in the list of menu items. It has no variants.
lightning:buttonMenu uses the styling from Menus in the Lightning Design System.

Variant Class Name
bare slds-button_icon A button that looks like a plain icon
container slds-button_icon-container A 32px by 32px button that looks like a plain icon
border-filled slds-button_icon-border-filled A button that contains an icon with gray border and white background
bare-inverse slds-button_icon-inverse A button that contains a white icon without borders for a dark
background
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Button (Stateful)
A lightning:buttonStateful component is a button that toggles between states. Stateful buttons can show a different label
and icon based on their states. Only Lightning Design System utility icons are supported. lightning:buttonStateful uses
the styling from Buttons in the Lightning Design System.

Variant Class Name
neutral (default) slds-button_neutral A button with gray border and white background
brand slds-button_brand A blue button with white text
destructive slds-button_destructive A red button with white text
inverse slds-button_inverse A button for dark backgrounds
success slds-button_success A green button
text slds-button A button that contains an icon with gray border and white background
Card
A lightning:card component is used to apply a stylized container around a grouping of information in an article HTML tag.
The information could be a single item or a group of items such as a related list. lightning:card uses the styling from Cards in
the Lightning Design System.

Variant Class Name
base (default) slds-card A group of related information that takes the width of the container
narrow slds-card_narrow A group of related information that has narrow width
Carousel
A lightning:carousel component is a collection of images that are displayed horizontally one at a time. Specify the images
using lightning:carouselImage child components. The carousel doesn’t support the variant attribute, and it uses the
slds-carousel class on the outer element. lightning:carousel uses the styling from Carousel in the Lightning Design
System.
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Checkbox Group
A lightning:checkboxGroup component is a group of checkboxes that enables selection of single or multiple options. This
component is different from lightning:input of type="checkbox" as the latter is not suitable for grouping a set of
checkboxes together. Although the checkbox group doesn’t support the variant attribute, the slds-form-element class is
appended to the fieldset element that encloses the checkbox group. lightning:checkboxGroup uses the styling from
Checkbox in the Lightning Design System.
Combobox
A lightning:combobox component is an input element that enables single selection from a list of options. The result of the
selection is displayed as the value of the input. In a multi-select combobox, each selected option is displayed in a pill below the input
element. lightning:combobox uses the styling from Combobox in the Lightning Design System.

Variant Class Name
standard (default) slds-input A combobox that enables single or multiple selection
slds-form-element
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Variant Class Name
slds-form-element__control
slds-combobox
label-hidden N/A An input element with a hidden label
Data Table and Tree Grid

A lightning:datatable component is a table that displays columns of data, formatted according to type. It enables resizing of
columns, header-level actions, row-level actions, selecting of rows, sorting of columns, text wrapping and clipping, row numbering, and
cell content alignment. Although the data table doesn’t support the variant attribute, the slds-table and
slds-table_bordered classes are appended to the table element. Component attributes and column properties set in the
client-side controller enable you to customize tables. lightning:datatable uses the styling from Data Tables in the Lightning
Design System.
Similar in appearance to lightning:datatable, lightning:treeGrid is a hierarchical view of data presented in a table.

It uses the styling from Trees in the Lightning Design System.
Dual Listbox
A lightning:dualListbox component provides two list boxes, where you can move one or more options to the second list
box and reorder the selected options. lightning:dualListbox uses the styling from Dueling Picklist in the Lightning Design
System.
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Variant Class Name
standard (default) slds-dueling-list A dual listbox with a visible label
label-hidden N/A A dual listbox with a hidden label
Dynamic Icon
A lightning:dynamicIcon component represents various animated icons. The type attribute determines the animated icon
to display and corresponds to the dynamic icons in the Lightning Design System. lightning:dynamicIcon uses the styling
from Dynamic Icons in the Lightning Design System.
File Uploader
A lightning:fileUpload component enables file uploads to a record. The file uploader includes drag-and-drop functionality
and filtering by file types. Although it doesn’t support the variant attribute, the slds-file-selector class is appended to
the component. lightning:fileUpload uses the styling from FileSelector in the Lightning Design System.
Form Layout
A form layout represents a set of interactive controls to submit user input, which can include compound fields such as fields for addresses,
names, or geolocation. These components use the styling from Form Layout in the Lightning Design System.
lightning:inputAddress displays an address compound field.
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lightning:inputName displays a name compound field.
lightning:inputField displays an editable field with a label, help text, and value that correspond to a record field on a Salesforce
object. The field’s data type determines the component that’s used for the input field. The lightning:inputField component
must be nested in a lightning:recordEditForm component.
lightning:outputField displays a read-only field with a label, help text, and value of a record field on a Salesforce object. The
component has a label-hidden variant to hide the label. lightning:outputField is used in
lightning:recordViewForm and lightning:recordEditForm components.
The lightning:recordForm component eases record form creation. It accepts a mode attribute to specify variants of the form.
The component creates an edit form that can create or update records, a view form with the option to edit fields, and a read-only form.
The layout of the form is set with other attributes. The lightning:recordForm component uses
lightning:recordEditForm and lightning:recordViewForm to create the forms.
The edit mode form with a single column layout:
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The view mode form with two column layout:
The read-only mode form with two column layout:
Help Text (Tooltip)

A lightning:helptext component displays an icon with a popover containing a small amount of text describing an element
on screen. The iconVariant attribute changes the appearance of the help text icon and supports the same variants as the
lightning:icon component. You can also change the default icon using the iconName attribute to specify a different utility
icon. The slds-popover and slds-popover_tooltip classes are applied to the tooltip. lightning:helptext uses
the styling from Tooltips in the Lightning Design System.
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iconVariant Values Lightning Design System Description

Class Name
inverse slds-icon An icon with a white fill
error slds-icon-text-error An icon with a red fill
warning slds-icon-text-warning An icon with a yellow fill
Icon
A lightning:icon component is a visual element that provides context and enhances usability. Although all Lightning Design
System icons are supported, only utility icons support variants. You can create icons in different sizes. You can also use a custom svg
sprite and specify a path to the resource instead of using Lightning Design System icons. lightning:icon uses the styling from
Icons in the Lightning Design System.

Variant Class Name
inverse slds-icon An icon with a white fill
error slds-icon-text-error An icon with a red fill
warning slds-icon-text-warning An icon with a yellow fill
Input
A lightning:input component is an interactive control, such as an input field or checkbox, which accepts user input.
lightning:input uses the styling from Input in the Lightning Design System.
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Variant Class Name
standard (default) slds-input An input element, which can be an input field, checkbox, toggle, radio
slds-form-element button, or other types. The class appended to the element depends on
the input type.
slds-form-element__control
label-hidden N/A An input element with a hidden label
Layout
A lightning:layout component is a flexible grid system for arranging containers within a page or another container. The
lightning:layoutItem component is used to specify the items inside the layout. The component does not support the
variant attribute. Customization of the layout is controlled by horizontalAlign, verticalAlign, pullToBoundary,
and multipleRows attributes of lightning:layout. The attributes of lightning:layoutItem enable you to configure
the size of the layout item, and change how the layout is configured on different device sizes.
lightning:layout uses the styling from Grid in the Lightning Design System. For more information, see Lightning Design System
Considerations.
List View
A lightning:listView component represents a list view of records that you own or have read or write access to, and records
shared with you. Inline edit, row level actions, and the action bar are supported in Lightning Experience, the Salesforce app, and
communities only. On a desktop, this component renders a full list view. On all other form factors, such as a tablet or mobile devices,
the component renders a mobile-friendly alternative.
Map
A lightning:map component securely displays a map of one or more locations. The component does not support the variant
attribute. It supports attributes that enable you to add a title for a list of locations and a footer. lightning:map uses the styling from
Map in the Lightning Design System.
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Messaging
Messaging components communicate relevant information, such as for engagement or feedback. These components use styling from
Messaging in the Lightning Design System. lightning:overlayLibrary display messages via modals and popovers. A modal
blocks everything else on the page until it’s dismissed, while popovers display contextual information on a reference element and don’t
interrupt like modals.
lightning:notificationsLibrary display messages via notices and toasts. Notices interrupt the user's workflow and block
everything else on the page, while toasts are less intrusive than notices and are suitable for providing feedback following an action.
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Pill
A lightning:pill component is a text label that’s wrapped by a rounded border and displayed with a remove button. Pills can
contain an icon or avatar next to the text label. This component does not support the variant attribute, but its content and other
attributes determine the styling applied to them. For example, a pill with hasError="true" displays as a pill with a red border
and error icon. lightning:pill uses the styling from Pills in the Lightning Design System.
Additionally, you can display pills in a container using the lightning:pillContainer component.
Progress Bar
A lightning:progressBar component displays a horizontal progress bar from left to right to indicate the progress of an
operation. It uses the styling from Progress Bar in the Lightning Design System.

Variant Class Name
base (default) slds-progress-bar A basic progress bar
circular slds-progress-bar_circular A progress bar with rounded ends
Progress Indicator and Path

A lightning:progressIndicator component displays the steps in a process and indicates what has been completed. The
nested lightning:progressStep component defines the label and value to display for each step. The type attribute determines
if progress indicators or a path is displayed. When using type="base", the variant attribute is available.
lightning:progressIndicator uses the styling from Progress Indicator and Path in the Lightning Design System.
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The variant attribute is not available when type="path".
Additionally, lightning:path and lightning:picklistPath enables you to display the progress of a process on a record
based on a specified picklist field. lightning:path displays a path based on your Path Settings in Setup and
lightning:picklistPath displays a path derived from the picklistFieldApiName attribute.

Variant Class Name
base (default) slds-progress For type="base" only. Indicates steps in a process.
shaded slds-progress_shade For type="base" only. Adds a shaded background to the current
step.
Radio Group
A lightning:radioGroup component is a group of radio buttons that enables selection of a single option. The type attribute
determines if a group of typical radio buttons or rectangular buttons is displayed. lightning:radioGroup uses the styling from
Radio Group in the Lightning Design System.

Variant Class Name
standard (default) slds-radio A group of radio buttons or rectangular buttons
slds-radio_button-group
label-hidden N/A A group of radio buttons or rectangular buttons with a label that’s
hidden
Rich Text Editor

A lightning:inputRichText component is a rich text editor with a customizable toolbar. The toolbar displays at the top of
the editor but you can change its position to below the editor using the bottom-toolbar variant. To add an image button to the
toolbar, nest the lightning:insertImageButton component inside lightning:inputRichText. The button opens
a file browser to upload an image to insert in the text editor. lightning:inputRichText uses the styling from Rich Text Editor
in the Lightning Design System.
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Variant Class Name
bottom-toolbar slds-rich-text-editor__toolbar-bottom A rich text editor with a toolbar placed below the editor
Select
A lightning:select component is a dropdown list that enables you to select a single option. lightning:select uses
the styling from Select in the Lightning Design System.

Variant Class Name
standard (default) slds-select A select input element that supports single selection of values
label-hidden N/A A select input element with a hidden label
Slider
A lightning:slider component is a slider for specifying a value between two specified numbers. The type attribute determines
if a horizontal (default) or vertical slider is displayed. lightning:slider uses the styling from Slider in the Lightning Design System.
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Variant Class Name
standard (default) slds-slider-label A slider with an optional visible label.
label-hidden N/A A slider with a hidden label
Spinner
A lightning:spinner component is a spinner that indicates data is loading. You can create spinners in different sizes.
lightning:spinner uses the styling from Spinners in the Lightning Design System.

Variant Class Name
base (default) slds-spinner A gray spinner
brand slds-spinner_brand A blue spinner
inverse slds-spinner_inverse A white spinner for a dark background
Tabs
A lightning:tabset component is a list of tabs with corresponding content areas, represented by lightning:tab
components. lightning:tabset uses the styling from Tabs in the Lightning Design System.

Variant Class Name
default slds-tabs_default A list of tabs and content areas without borders
scoped slds-tabs_scoped A list of tabs and content areas with borders
vertical slds-vertical-tabs A list of tabs that are displayed vertically to the left of the content areas
Textarea
A lightning:textarea component is an input field for multi-line text input. It uses the styling from Textarea in the Lightning
Design System.
133

Variant Class Name
standard (default) slds-form-element A textarea element with a text label
label-hidden N/A A textarea element with a hidden label
Tile
A lightning:tile component is a group of related information associated with a record. This component does not support
variants, but you can pass in the slds-tile_board class to create a board. Similarly, use a definition list in the tile body to create
a tile with an icon or use an unordered list to create a list of tiles with avatars. lightning:tile uses the styling from Tiles in the
Lightning Design System.
Tree
A lightning:tree component is a visualization of a structure hierarchy. A tree item, also known as a branch, can be expanded or
collapsed. Although this component does not support the variant attribute, it uses the styling from Trees in the Lightning Design
System.
Vertical Navigation
A lightning:verticalNavigation component is a list of links that are one level deep, with support for icons and overflow
sections that collapse and expand. Although this component does not support the variant attribute, you can use the compact
and shaded attributes to achieve compact spacing and styling for a shaded background. The component supports subcomponents
that enable you to add icons, badges, and overflow content.
lightning:verticalNavigation uses the styling from Vertical Navigation in the Lightning Design System.
134
Creating Components Working with UI Components
Working with UI Components

lightning namespace instead.
The framework provides common user interface components in the ui namespace. All of these components extend either
aura:component or a child component of aura:component. aura:component is an abstract component that provides
a default rendering implementation. User interface components such as ui:input and ui:output provide easy handling of
common user interface events like keyboard and mouse interactions. Each component can be styled and extended accordingly.
For all the components available, see the component reference at
The following tables list out ui components and their recommended counterparts in the lightning namespace.
Complex, Interactive Components

The following components contain one or more sub-components and are interactive.
Type ui Component (Deprecated) Description lightning

Component
Message ui:message A message notification of varying severity lightning:notificationsLibrary
levels
Menu ui:menu A drop-down list with a trigger that controls lightning:buttonMenu

its visibility
ui:menuList A list of menu items
ui:actionMenuItem A menu item that triggers an action lightning:menuItem
ui:checkboxMenuItem A menu item that supports multiple selection

and can be used to trigger an action
135
Type ui Component (Deprecated) Description lightning

Component
ui:radioMenuItem A menu item that supports single selection
and can be used to trigger an action
ui:menuItemSeparator A visual separator for menu items lightning:menuDivider
ui:menuItem An abstract and extensible component for lightning:menuItem

menu items in a ui:menuList component
ui:menuTrigger A trigger that expands and collapses a menu lightning:buttonMenu
ui:menuTriggerLink A link that triggers a dropdown menu. This

component extends ui:menuTrigger
Input Control Components

The following components are interactive, for example, like buttons and checkboxes.
Type Key Components (Deprecated) Description lightning

Component
Button ui:button An actionable button that can be pressed or lightning:button
clicked
Checkbox ui:inputCheckbox A selectable option that supports multiple lightning:input

selections with checkbox,
toggle, or
checkbox-button
type
ui:outputCheckbox Displays a read-only value of the checkbox lightning:input

with checkbox type and
readonly attribute
Radio button ui:inputRadio A selectable option that supports only a single lightning:input
selection with radio type or
lightning:radioGroup
Drop-down List ui:inputSelect A drop-down list with options lightning:combobox
ui:inputSelectOption An option in a ui:inputSelect

component
Visual Components
The following components provides informative cues, for example, like error messages and loading spinners.
136
Type Key Components Description lightning

(Deprecated) Component
Field-level error ui:inputDefaultError An error message that is displayed when an error lightning:input
occurs with field validation
Spinner ui:spinner A loading spinner lightning:spinner
Field Components
The following components enables you to enter or display values.
Type Key Components Description lightning Component

(Deprecated)
Currency ui:inputCurrency An input field for entering currency lightning:input with
number type and
currency formatter
ui:outputCurrency Displays currency in a default or specified format lightning:formattedNumber

with currency style
Email ui:inputEmail An input field for entering an email address lightning:input with
email type
ui:outputEmail Displays a clickable email address lightning:formattedEmail
Date and time ui:inputDate An input field for entering a date lightning:input with
date type
ui:inputDateTime An input field for entering a date and time lightning:input with
datetime type
ui:outputDate Displays a date in the default or specified format lightning:formattedDateTime
ui:outputDateTime Displays a date and time in the default or specified lightning:formattedDateTime

format or
lightning:formattedTime
Password ui:inputSecret An input field for entering secret text lightning:input with
password type
Phone Number ui:inputPhone An input field for entering a telephone number lightning:input with
phone type
ui:outputPhone Displays a phone number lightning:formattedPhone
Number ui:inputNumber An input field for entering a numerical value lightning:input with
number type
ui:outputNumber Displays a number lightning:formattedNumber
Range ui:inputRange An input field for entering a value within a range lightning:slider
Rich Text ui:inputRichText An input field for entering rich text lightning:inputRichText
137
Creating Components Event Handling in UI Components
Type Key Components Description lightning Component

(Deprecated)
ui:outputRichText Displays rich text lightning:formattedRichText
Text ui:inputText An input field for entering a single line of text lightning:input
ui:outputText Displays text lightning:formattedText
Text Area ui:inputTextArea An input field for entering multiple lines of text lightning:textarea
ui:outputTextArea Displays a read-only text area lightning:formattedText
URL ui:inputURL An input field for entering a URL lightning:input with

url type
ui:outputURL Displays a clickable URL lightning:formattedUrl
SEE ALSO:
Using the UI Components
Creating Components
Component Bundles
Event Handling in UI Components

UI components provide easy handling of user interface events such as keyboard and mouse interactions. By listening to these events,
you can also bind values on UI input components using the updateon attribute, such that the values update when those events are
fired.
Capture a UI event by defining its handler on the component. For example, you want to listen to the HTML DOM event, onblur, on a
ui:inputTextArea component.
<ui:inputTextArea aura:id="textarea" value="My text area" label="Type something"

blur="{!c.handleBlur}" />
The blur="{!c.handleBlur}" listens to the onblur event and wires it to your client-side controller. When you trigger the
event, the following client-side controller handles the event.
handleBlur : function(cmp, event, helper){
var elem = cmp.find("textarea").getElement();
//do something else
}
For all available events on all components, see the Component Library on page 484.
Value Binding for Browser Events

Any changes to the UI are reflected in the component attribute, and any change in that attribute is propagated to the UI. When you
load the component, the value of the input elements are initialized to those of the component attributes. Any changes to the user input
causes the value of the component variable to be updated. For example, a ui:inputText component can contain a value that’s
138
Creating Components Using the UI Components
bound to a component attribute, and the ui:outputText component is bound to the same component attribute. The
ui:inputText component listens to the onkeyup browser event and updates the corresponding component attribute values.
<aura:attribute name="first" type="String" default="John"/>

<aura:attribute name="last" type="String" default="Doe"/>
<ui:inputText label="First Name" value="{!v.first}" updateOn="keyup"/>

<ui:inputText label="Last Name" value="{!v.last}" updateOn="keyup"/>


<ui:outputText value="{!v.first +' '+ v.last}"/>
The next example takes in numerical inputs and returns the sum of those numbers. The ui:inputNumber component listens to
the onkeyup browser event. When the value in this component changes on the keyup event, the value in the ui:outputNumber
component is updated as well, and returns the sum of the two values.
<aura:attribute name="number1" type="integer" default="1"/>
<aura:attribute name="number2" type="integer" default="2"/>
<ui:inputNumber label="Number 1" value="{!v.number1}" updateOn="keyup" />

<ui:inputNumber label="Number 2" value="{!v.number2}" updateOn="keyup" />


<ui:outputNumber value="{!(v.number1 * 1) + (v.number2 * 1)}"/>
Note: The input fields return a string value and must be properly handled to accommodate numerical values. In this example,
both values are multiplied by 1 to obtain their numerical equivalents.
Using the UI Components

Users interact with your app through input elements to select or enter values. Components such as ui:inputText and
ui:inputCheckbox correspond to common input elements. These components simplify event handling for user interface events.
Note: For all available component attributes and events, see the component reference at
https://<myDomain>.lightning.force.com/docs/component-library, where <myDomain> is the
name of your custom Salesforce domain .
To use input components in your own custom component, add them to your .cmp or .app resource. This example is a basic set up
of a text field and button. The aura:id attribute defines a unique ID that enables you to reference the component from your JavaScript
code using cmp.find("myID");.
<ui:inputText label="Name" aura:id="name" placeholder="First, Last"/>
<ui:outputText aura:id="nameOutput" value=""/>
<ui:button aura:id="outputButton" label="Submit" press="{!c.getInput}"/>
Note: All text fields must specify the label attribute to provide a textual label of the field. If you must hide the label from view,
set labelClass="assistiveText" to make the label available to assistive technologies.
139
Creating Components Supporting Accessibility
The ui:outputText component acts as a placeholder for the output value of its corresponding ui:inputText component.
The value in the ui:outputText component can be set with the following client-side controller action.
getInput : function(cmp, event) {
var fullName = cmp.find("name").get("v.value");
var outName = cmp.find("nameOutput");
outName.set("v.value", fullName);
}
The following example is similar to the previous, but uses value binding without a client-side controller. The ui:outputText
component reflects the latest value on the ui:inputText component when the onkeyup browser event is fired.
<aura:attribute name="first" type="String" default="John"/>
<aura:attribute name="last" type="String" default="Doe"/>
<ui:inputText label="First Name" value="{!v.first}" updateOn="keyup"/>

<ui:inputText label="Last Name" value="{!v.last}" updateOn="keyup"/>


<ui:outputText value="{!v.first +' '+ v.last}"/>
Tip: To create and edit records in the Salesforce app, use the force:createRecord and force:recordEdit events
to utilize the built-in record create and edit pages.
When customizing components, be careful in preserving code that ensures accessibility, such as the aria attributes.
Accessible software and assistive technology enable users with disabilities to use and interact with the products you build. Aura
components are created according to W3C specifications so that they work with common assistive technologies. While we always
recommend that you follow the WCAG Guidelines for accessibility when developing with the Lightning Component framework, this
guide explains the accessibility features that you can leverage when using components in the ui namespace.
IN THIS SECTION:
Button Labels
Audio Messages
Forms, Fields, and Labels
Events
Menus
Button Labels
Buttons can appear with text only, an icon and text, or an icon without text. To create an accessible button, use lightning:button
and set a textual label using the label attribute.
Note: You can create accessible buttons using ui:button but they don’t come with Lightning Design System styling. We
recommend using lightning:button instead.
140
Creating Components Audio Messages
Button with text only:

<lightning:button label="Search" onclick="{!c.doSomething}"/>
Button with icon and text:

<lightning:button label="Download" iconName="utility:download" onclick="{!c.doSomething}"/>
Button with icon only:

<lightning:buttonIcon iconName="utility:settings" alternativeText="Settings"
onclick="{!c.doSomething}"/>
The alternativeText attribute provides a text label that’s hidden from view and available to assistive technology.
This example shows the HTML generated by lightning:button:

<button>
::before
<span class="slds-assistive-text">Settings</span>
</button>
Audio Messages
To convey audio notifications, use the ui:message component, which has role="alert" set on the component by default.
The "alert" aria role will take any text inside the div and read it out loud to screen readers without any additional action by the
user.
<ui:message title="Error" severity="error" closable="true">
This is an error message.
</ui:message>
Forms, Fields, and Labels

Input components are designed to make it easy to assign labels to form fields. Labels build a programmatic relationship between a form
field and its textual label. When using a placeholder in an input component, set the label attribute for accessibility.
Use lightning:input to create accessible input fields and forms. You can use lightning:textarea in preference to the
<textarea> tag for multi-line text input or lightning:select instead of the <select> tag.
<lightning:input name="myInput" label="Search" />
If your code fails, check the label element during component rendering. A label element should have the for attribute and match the
value of input control id attribute, OR the label should be wrapped around an input. Input controls include <input>, <textarea>,
and <select>.
Here’s an example of the HTML generated by lightning:input.

<label for="fullname">Enter your full name:</label>
<input type="text" id="fullname" />

<aura:component implements="force:appHostable">

<h1>Lightning Component Tab</h1>
</aura:component>
The appHostable interface makes the component available for use as a custom tab. It doesn’t require you to add anything
else to the component.
147
Using Components Add Lightning Components as Custom Tabs in a Lightning
Experience App
Add Lightning Components as Custom Tabs in a Lightning Experience App

Make your Lightning components available for Lightning Experience users by displaying them in
EDITIONS
a custom tab in a Lightning Experience app.
In the components you wish to include in Lightning Experience, add Available in: Salesforce
implements="force:appHostable" in the aura:component tag and save your Classic (not available in all
changes. orgs) and Lightning
Experience
Available for use in: Contact

Manager, Group,
Professional, Enterprise,
Performance, Unlimited,
and Developer Editions
Create Lightning
components using the UI in
Enterprise, Performance,
Unlimited, Developer
Editions, or a sandbox.
USER PERMISSIONS
To create Lightning
Component Tabs:
• Customize Application
To create Aura components, use the Developer Console.

To display Lightning components in a custom tab in a Lightning Experience app, you must enable My Domain.
Follow these steps to include your components in Lightning Experience and make them available to users in your organization.
1. Create a custom tab for this component.
a. From Setup, enter Tabs in the Quick Find box, then select Tabs.
b. Click New in the Lightning Component Tabs related list.
c. Select the Lightning component that you want to make available to users.
d. Enter a label to display on the tab.
e. Select the tab style and click Next.
f. When prompted to add the tab to profiles, accept the default and click Save.
2. Add your Lightning components to the App Launcher.

a. From Setup, enter Apps in the Quick Find box, then select App Manager > New Lightning App.
b. Follow the steps in the wizard. On the Select Items page, select the Lightning tab from the Available Items list and move it to
the Selected Items list.
c. Finish the steps in the wizard, and click Save & Finish.
148
Using Components Add Lightning Components as Custom Tabs in the Salesforce
App
3. To check your output, navigate to the App Launcher in Lightning Experience. Click the custom app to see the components that you
added.

Make your Lightning components available for Salesforce for Android, Salesforce for iOS, and
EDITIONS
Salesforce mobile web users by displaying them in a custom tab.
Note: To add a Lightning web component as a custom tab, wrap it in an Aura component. Available in: Salesforce
See Lightning Web Components Developer Guide. Classic (not available in all
orgs) and Lightning
In the component you wish to add, include implements="force:appHostable" in your Experience
aura:component tag and save your changes.
Available for use in: Contact
Manager, Group,
Performance, Unlimited,
and Developer Editions
Create Lightning
components using the UI in
Enterprise, Performance,
Unlimited, Developer
USER PERMISSIONS
To create Lightning
Component Tabs:
• Customize Application
The appHostable interface makes the component available as a custom tab.

To create Aura components, use the Developer Console.
Include your components in the navigation menu by following these steps.
1. Create a custom Lightning component tab for the component. From Setup, enter Tabs in the Quick Find box, then select
Tabs.
Note: You must create a custom Lightning component tab before you can add your component to the navigation menu.
Accessing your Lightning component from the full Salesforce site is not supported.
2. Add your Lightning component to the Salesforce app navigation menu.

a. From Setup, enter Navigation in the Quick Find box, then select Salesforce Navigation.
b. Select the custom tab you just created and click Add.
c. Sort items by selecting them and clicking Up or Down.
In the navigation menu, items appear in the order you specify. The first item in the Selected list becomes your users’ landing
page.
149
Using Components Lightning Component Actions
3. Check your output by going to Salesforce mobile web. Your new menu item should appear in the navigation menu.
Note: By default, Salesforce mobile web is turned on for your org. For more information on using mobile web, see the Salesforce
App Developer Guide.
Lightning Component Actions

Lightning component actions are custom actions that invoke a Lightning component. They support
EDITIONS
Apex and JavaScript and provide a secure way to build client-side custom functionality. Lightning
component actions are supported only in the Salesforce mobile app and Lightning Experience. Available in: both the
Note: My Domain must be deployed in your org for Lightning component actions to work Salesforce mobile app and
properly.
You can add Lightning component actions to an object’s page layout using the page layout editor. Available in: Essentials,
If you have Lightning component actions in your org, you can find them in the Mobile & Lightning Group, Professional,
Actions category in the page layout editor’s palette. Enterprise, Performance,
Unlimited, Contact
Lightning component actions can’t call just any Lightning component in your org. For a component Manager, and Developer
to work as a Lightning component action, it must be configured for that purpose and implement Editions
either the force:LightningQuickAction or
force:LightningQuickActionWithoutHeader interfaces. You must also set a default
value for each component attribute marked as required.
If you plan on packaging a Lightning component action, the component the action invokes must be marked as access=global.
IN THIS SECTION:
Add the force:lightningQuickAction or force:lightningQuickActionWithoutHeader interface to an
Aura component to enable it to be used as a custom action in Lightning Experience or the Salesforce mobile app. You can use
components that implement one of these interfaces as object-specific or global actions in both Lightning Experience and the
Salesforce app.
Configure Components for Record-Specific Actions
Add the force:hasRecordId interface to an Aura component to enable the component to be assigned the ID of the current
record. The current record ID is useful if the component is used on a Lightning record page, as an object-specific custom action or
action override in Lightning Experience or the Salesforce app, and so on.

Add the force:lightningQuickAction or force:lightningQuickActionWithoutHeader interface to an Aura
component to enable it to be used as a custom action in Lightning Experience or the Salesforce mobile app. You can use components
that implement one of these interfaces as object-specific or global actions in both Lightning Experience and the Salesforce app.
When used as actions, components that implement the force:lightningQuickAction interface display in a panel with
standard action controls, such as a Cancel button. These components can display and implement their own controls in the body of the
panel, but can’t affect the standard controls. It should nevertheless be prepared to handle events from the standard controls.
If instead you want complete control over the user interface, use the force:lightningQuickActionWithoutHeader
interface. Components that implement force:lightningQuickActionWithoutHeader display in a panel without additional
controls and are expected to provide a complete user interface for the action.
150
These interfaces are mutually exclusive. That is, components can implement either the force:lightningQuickAction interface
or the force:lightningQuickActionWithoutHeader interface, but not both. This should make sense; a component can’t
both present standard user interface elements and not present standard user interface elements.
Note: For your Aura component to work as a custom action, you must set a default value for each component attribute marked
as required.
Example: Example Component

Here’s an example of a component that can be used for a custom action, which you can name whatever you want—perhaps
“Quick Add”. (A component and an action that uses it don’t need to have matching names.) This component quickly adds two
numbers together.

<aura:component implements="force:lightningQuickAction">

<lightning:input type="number" name="myNumber" aura:id="num1" label="Number 1"/>

+
<lightning:input type="number" name="myNumber" aura:id="num2" label="Number 2"/>
<br/>
<lightning:button label="Add" onclick="{!c.clickAdd}"/>
</aura:component>
The component markup simply presents two input fields, and an Add button.
The component’s controller does all the real work.
/*quickAddController.js*/
({
clickAdd: function(component, event, helper) {
// Get the values from the form

var n1 = component.find("num1").get("v.value");
var n2 = component.find("num2").get("v.value");
// Display the total in a "toast" status message

var resultsToast = $A.get("e.force:showToast");
resultsToast.setParams({
"title": "Quick Add: " + n1 + " + " + n2,
"message": "The total is: " + (n1 + n2) + "."
});
resultsToast.fire();
// Close the action panel

var dismissActionPanel = $A.get("e.force:closeQuickAction");
dismissActionPanel.fire();
}
})
Retrieving the two numbers entered by the user is straightforward, though a more robust component would check for valid inputs,
and so on. The interesting part of this example is what happens to the numbers and how the custom action resolves.
151
The results of the add calculation are displayed in a “toast,” which is a status message that appears at the top of the page. The
toast is created by firing the force:showToast event. A toast isn’t the only way you could display the results, nor are actions
the only use for toasts. It’s just a handy way to show a message at the top of the screen in Lightning Experience or the Salesforce
app.
What’s interesting about using a toast here, though, is what happens afterward. The clickAdd controller action fires the
force:closeQuickAction event, which dismisses the action panel. But, even though the action panel is closed, the toast
still displays. The force:closeQuickAction event is handled by the action panel, which closes. The force:showToast
event is handled by the one.app container, so it doesn’t need the panel to work.
SEE ALSO:

record. The current record ID is useful if the component is used on a Lightning record page, as an object-specific custom action or action
override in Lightning Experience or the Salesforce app, and so on.
force:hasRecordId is a marker interface. A marker interface is a signal to the component’s container to add the interface’s behavior
to the component.
The recordId attribute is set only when you place or invoke the component in an explicit record context. For example, when you
place the component directly on a record page layout, or invoke it as an object-specific action from a record page or object home. In all
other cases, such as when you invoke the component as a global action, or create the component programmatically inside another
component, recordId isn’t set, and your component shouldn’t depend on it.
Example: Example of a Component for a Record-Specific Action

This extended example shows a component designed to be invoked as a custom object-specific action from the detail page of
an account record. After creating the component, you need to create the custom action on the account object, and then add the
action to an account page layout. When opened using an action, the component appears in an action panel that looks like this:
152
The component definition begins by implementing both the force:lightningQuickActionWithoutHeader and

the force:hasRecordId interfaces. The first makes it available for use as an action and prevents the standard controls from
displaying. The second adds the interface’s automatic record ID attribute and value assignment behavior, when the component
is invoked in a record context.
quickContact.cmp
<aura:component controller="QuickContactController"
implements="force:lightningQuickActionWithoutHeader,force:hasRecordId">
<aura:attribute name="account" type="Account" />

<aura:attribute name="newContact" type="Contact"
default="{ 'sobjectType': 'Contact' }" /> 
<aura:handler name="init" value="{!this}" action="{!c.doInit}" />


<div class="slds-page-header" role="banner">
<p class="slds-text-heading_label">{!v.account.Name}</p>
<h1 class="slds-page-header__title slds-m-right_small
slds-truncate slds-align-left">Create New Contact</h1>
</div>


<lightning:input aura:id="contactField" name="firstName" label="First Name"
value="{!v.newContact.FirstName}" required="true"/>
<lightning:input aura:id="contactField" name="lastname" label="Last Name"
153
value="{!v.newContact.LastName}" required="true"/>
<lightning:input aura:id="contactField" name="title" label="Title"

value="{!v.newContact.Title}" />
<lightning:input aura:id="contactField" type="phone" name="phone" label="Phone

Number"
pattern="^(1?(-?\d{3})-?)?(\d{3})(-?\d{4})$"
messageWhenPatternMismatch="The phone number must contain 7, 10,
or 11 digits. Hyphens are optional."
value="{!v.newContact.Phone}" required="true"/>
<lightning:input aura:id="contactField" type="email" name="email" label="Email"

value="{!v.newContact.Email}" />
<lightning:button label="Cancel" onclick="{!c.handleCancel}"

class="slds-m-top_medium" />
<lightning:button label="Save Contact" onclick="{!c.handleSaveContact}"
variant="brand" class="slds-m-top_medium"/>
</aura:component>
The component defines the following attributes, which are used as member variables.
• account—holds the full account record, after it’s loaded in the init handler
• newContact—an empty contact, used to capture the form field values
The rest of the component definition is a standard form that displays an error on the field if the required fields are empty or the
phone field doesn’t match the specified pattern.
The component’s controller has all of the interesting code, in three action handlers.
quickContactController.js
({
// Prepare the action to load account record

var action = component.get("c.getAccount");
action.setParams({"accountId": component.get("v.recordId")});
// Configure response handler

if(state === "SUCCESS") {
component.set("v.account", response.getReturnValue());
} else {
console.log('Problem getting account, response state: ' + state);
}
});
},
handleSaveContact: function(component, event, helper) {

if(helper.validateContactForm(component)) {
154
// Prepare the action to create the new contact

var saveContactAction = component.get("c.saveContactWithAccount");
saveContactAction.setParams({
"contact": component.get("v.newContact"),
"accountId": component.get("v.recordId")
});
// Configure the response handler for the action

saveContactAction.setCallback(this, function(response) {
if(state === "SUCCESS") {
// Prepare a toast UI message

"title": "Contact Saved",
"message": "The new contact was created."
});
// Update the UI: close panel, show toast, refresh account page
$A.get("e.force:closeQuickAction").fire();
$A.get("e.force:refreshView").fire();
}
else if (state === "ERROR") {
console.log('Problem saving contact, response state: ' + state);
}
else {
console.log('Unknown problem, response state: ' + state);
}
});
// Send the request to create the new contact

$A.enqueueAction(saveContactAction);
}
},
handleCancel: function(component, event, helper) {

}
})
The first action handler, doInit, is an init handler. Its job is to use the record ID that’s provided via the force:hasRecordId
interface and load the full account record. Note that there’s nothing to stop this component from being used in an action on
another object, like a lead, opportunity, or custom object. In that case, doInit will fail to load a record, but the form will still
display.
The handleSaveContact action handler validates the form by calling a helper function. If the form isn’t valid, the field-level
errors are displayed. If the form is valid, then the action handler:
• Prepares the server action to save the new contact.
• Defines a callback function, called the response handler, for when the server completes the action. The response handler is
discussed in a moment.
155
• Enqueues the server action.

The server action’s response handler does very little itself. If the server action was successful, the response handler:
• Closes the action panel by firing the force:closeQuickAction event.
• Displays a “toast” message that the contact was created by firing the force:showToast event.
• Updates the record page by firing the force:refreshView event, which tells the record page to update itself.
This last item displays the new record in the list of contacts, once that list updates itself in response to the refresh event.
The handleCancel action handler closes the action panel by firing the force:closeQuickAction event.
The component helper provided here is minimal, sufficient to illustrate its use. You’ll likely have more work to do in any production
quality form validation code.
quickContactHelper.js
({
validateContactForm: function(component) {
var validContact = true;
// Show error messages if required fields are blank

var allValid = component.find('contactField').reduce(function (validFields,
inputCmp) {
inputCmp.showHelpMessageIfInvalid();
return validFields && inputCmp.get('v.validity').valid;
}, true);
if (allValid) {
// Verify we have an account to attach it to
var account = component.get("v.account");
if($A.util.isEmpty(account)) {
validContact = false;
console.log("Quick action context doesn't have a valid account.");
}
return(validContact);
}
}
})
Finally, the Apex class used as the server-side controller for this component is deliberately simple to the point of being obvious.
QuickContactController.apxc
public with sharing class QuickContactController {
@AuraEnabled
public static Account getAccount(Id accountId) {
// Perform isAccessible() checks here
return [SELECT Name, BillingCity, BillingState FROM Account WHERE Id =
:accountId];
}
@AuraEnabled
public static Contact saveContactWithAccount(Contact contact, Id accountId) {
// Perform isAccessible() and isUpdateable() checks here
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Using Components Override Standard Actions with Aura Components
contact.AccountId = accountId;
upsert contact;
return contact;
}
One method retrieves an account based on the record ID. The other associates a new contact record with an account, and then
saves it to the database.
SEE ALSO:
Override Standard Actions with Aura Components

Add the lightning:actionOverride interface to an Aura component to enable the component to be used to override a
standard action on an object. You can override the View, New, Edit, and Tab standard actions on most standard and all custom components.
Overriding standard actions allows you to customize your org using Lightning components, including completely customizing the way
you view, create, and edit records.
Overriding an action with an Aura component closely parallels overriding an action with a Visualforce page. Choose a Lightning component
instead of a Visualforce page in the Override Properties for an action.
157
However, there are important differences from Visualforce in how you create Lightning components that can be used as action overrides,
and significant differences in how Salesforce uses them. You’ll want to read the details thoroughly before you get started, and test
carefully in your sandbox or Developer Edition org before deploying to production.
IN THIS SECTION:
Standard Actions and Overrides Basics
There are six standard actions available on most standard and all custom objects: Tab, List, View, Edit, New, and Delete. In Salesforce
Classic, these are all distinct actions.
Override a Standard Action with an Aura Component
You can override a standard action with an Aura component in both Lightning Experience and mobile.
Creating an Aura Component for Use as an Action Override
Add the lightning:actionOverride interface to an Aura component to allow it to be used as an action override in
Lightning Experience or the Salesforce mobile app. Only components that implement this interface appear in the Lightning
component menu of an object action Override Properties panel.
Packaging Action Overrides
Action overrides for custom objects are automatically packaged with the custom object. Action overrides for standard objects can’t
be packaged.
Standard Actions and Overrides Basics

There are six standard actions available on most standard and all custom objects: Tab, List, View, Edit, New, and Delete. In Salesforce
Classic, these are all distinct actions.
Lightning Experience and the Salesforce mobile app combine the Tab and List actions into one action, Object Home. However, Object
Home is reached via the Tab action in Lightning Experience, and the List action in the Salesforce mobile app. Finally, the Salesforce
mobile app has a unique Search action (reached via Tab). (Yes, it’s a bit awkward and complicated.)
This table lists the standard actions you can override for an object as the actions are named in Setup, and the resulting action that’s
overridden in the three different user experiences.
Override in Setup Salesforce Classic Lightning Experience Mobile

Tab object tab object home search
List object list n/a object home
View record view record home record home
Edit record edit record edit record edit
New record create record create record create
Delete record delete record delete record delete
Note:
• “n/a” doesn’t mean you can’t access the standard behavior, and it doesn’t mean you can’t override the standard behavior. It
means you can’t access the override. It’s the override’s functionality that’s not available.
• There are two additional standard actions, Accept and Clone. These actions are more complex, and overriding them is an
advanced project. Overriding them isn’t supported.
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• Action overrides aren’t supported in communities.
How and Where You Can Use Action Overrides

Aura components can be used to override the View, New, New Event, Edit, and Tab standard actions in Lightning Experience and the
Salesforce mobile app. You can use an Aura component as an override in Lightning Experience and mobile, but not Salesforce Classic.

You can override a standard action with an Aura component in both Lightning Experience and mobile.
You need at least one Aura component in your org that implements the lightning:actionOverride interface. You can use
a custom component of your own, or a component from a managed package.
Go to the object management settings for the object with the action you plan to override.
1. Select Buttons, Links, and Actions.
2. Select Edit for the action you want to override.
3. Select Lightning component for the area you want to set the override.
4. From the drop-down menu, select the name of the Lightning component to use as the action override.
5. Select Save.
Note: Users won’t see changes to action overrides until they reload Lightning Experience or the Salesforce mobile app.
SEE ALSO:
Salesforce Help: Find Object Management Settings
Salesforce Help: Override Standard Buttons and Tab Home Pages
Creating an Aura Component for Use as an Action Override

Add the lightning:actionOverride interface to an Aura component to allow it to be used as an action override in Lightning
Experience or the Salesforce mobile app. Only components that implement this interface appear in the Lightning component menu
of an object action Override Properties panel.
<aura:component
implements="lightning:actionOverride,force:hasRecordId,force:hasSObjectName">
<article class="slds-card">
<div class="slds-card__header slds-grid">
<header class="slds-media slds-media_center slds-has-flexi-truncate">
<div class="slds-media__body">
<h2><span class="slds-text-heading_small">Expense Details</span></h2>
</div>
</header>
<div class="slds-no-flex">
<lightning:button label="Edit" onclick="{!c.handleEdit}"/>
</div>
</div>
<div class="slds-card__body">(expense details go here)</div>
159
</article>
</aura:component>
In Lightning Experience, the standard Tab and View actions display as a page, while the standard New and Edit actions display in an
overlaid panel. When used as action overrides, Aura components that implement the lightning:actionOverride interface
replace the standard behavior completely. However, overridden actions always display as a page, not as a panel. Your component displays
without controls, except for the main Lightning Experience navigation bar. Your component is expected to provide a complete user
interface for the action, including navigation or actions beyond the navigation bar.
One important difference from Visualforce that’s worth noting is how components are added to the Lightning component menu. The
Visualforce page menu lists pages that either use the standard controller for the specific object, or that don’t use a standard controller
at all. This filtering means that the menu options vary from object to object, and offer only pages that are specific to the object, or
completely generic.
The Lightning component menu includes every component that implements the lightning:actionOverride interface. A
component that implements lightning:actionOverride can’t restrict an admin to overriding only certain actions, or only
for certain objects. We recommend that your organization adopt processes and component naming conventions to ensure that
components are used to override only the intended actions on intended objects. Even so, it’s your responsibility as the component
developer to ensure that components that implement the lightning:actionOverride interface gracefully respond to being
used with any action on any object.
Access Current Record Details

Components you plan to use as action overrides usually need details about the object type they’re working with, and often the ID of the
current record. Your component can implement the following interfaces to access those object and record details.
force:hasRecordId
record. The current record ID is useful if the component is used on a Lightning record page, as an object-specific custom action or
action override in Lightning Experience or the Salesforce app, and so on.
force:hasSObjectName
Add the force:hasSObjectName interface to an Aura component to enable the component to be assigned the API name of
current record’s sObject type. The sObject name is useful if the component can be used with records of different sObject types, and
needs to adapt to the specific type of the current record.
Note: As of Spring ’19 (API version 45.0), you can build Lightning components using two programming models: the Lightning
Web Components model, and the original Aura Components model. Lightning web components are custom HTML elements built
using HTML and modern JavaScript. Lightning web components and Aura components can coexist and interoperate on a page.
As of API version 45.0, when we say Lightning components, we mean both Aura components and Lightning web components.
Packaging Action Overrides

Action overrides for custom objects are automatically packaged with the custom object. Action overrides for standard objects can’t be
packaged.
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Using Components Navigate Across Your Apps with Page References
When you package a custom object, overrides on that object’s standard actions are packaged with it. This includes any Lightning
components used by the overrides. Your experience should be “it just works.”
However, standard objects can’t be packaged. As a consequence, there’s no way to package overrides on the object’s standard actions.
To override standard actions on standard objects in a package, do the following:
• Manually package any Lightning components that are used by the overrides.
• Provide instructions for subscribing orgs to manually override the relevant standard actions on the affected standard objects.
SEE ALSO:
Metadata API Developer Guide : ActionOverride
Navigate Across Your Apps with Page References

The pageReference JavaScript object represents a URL for a page. You can use a pageReference instead of parsing or creating
a URL directly. This approach helps you avoid broken navigation if Salesforce changes URL formats in the future.
These navigation resources are supported only in Lightning Experience, Lightning Communities, and the Salesforce mobile app. They’re
not supported in other containers, such as Lightning Components for Visualforce, or Lightning Out. This is true even if you access these
containers inside Lightning Experience or the Salesforce mobile app.
IN THIS SECTION:
Basic Navigation
The pageReference JavaScript object represents a URL for a page. You can use a pageReference instead of parsing or
creating a URL directly. This approach helps you avoid broken navigation if Salesforce changes URL formats in the future.
Add Links to Lightning Pages from Your Custom Components
To link to Lightning Experience pages, use lightning:formattedUrl in your custom component.
Thelightning:formattedUrl component displays a URL as a hyperlink.
Add Query Parameters
To add query parameters to the URL, update the PageReference state property. The key-value pairs of the state property are
serialized to URL query parameters. The query parameters describe the page and form a more specific URL that the user can save or
bookmark.
Navigate to a Web Page
The navigation service supports different kinds of pages in Lightning. Each page reference type supports a different set of attributes
and state properties.
Migrate to lightning:isUrlAddressable from force:navigateToComponent
The pageReference JavaScript object represents a URL for a page. You can use a pageReference instead of parsing or
creating a URL directly. This approach helps you avoid broken navigation if Salesforce changes URL formats in the future.
pageReference Types
To navigate in Lightning Experience, Lightning Communities, or the Salesforce mobile app, define a PageReference object.
The pageReference type generates a unique URL format and defines attributes that apply to all pages of that type.
161
Using Components Basic Navigation
Basic Navigation
Use the following resources to simplify navigation across your apps. URLs for components using these resources are case-sensitive. For
examples, see the Component Library.
lightning:navigation
To navigate to a page or component, use the navigate() method in lightning:navigation. This approach is a substitute
for a navigateTo* event, and both are supported.
To generate a URL in your component, use the generateUrl() method in lightning:navigation to resolve the URL.
Note: generateUrl() returns a promise, which calls back with the resulting URL.
lightning:isUrlAddressable
To enable a component to navigate directly via a URL, add the lightning:isUrlAddressable interface to your component.
Tip: pageReference and lightning:isUrlAddressable replace the force:navigateToComponent

event for navigating directly to a component. Unlike the force:navigateToComponent event information-mapping
protocol, the only attribute populated through the navigation dispatching system is the pageReference attribute.
Information is passed to the addressed component through the state properties on the target page reference.
lightning:isUrlAddressable doesn’t automatically set attributes on the target component. Get parameters from
v.pageReference.state and manually set them using the target component’s init handler.
pageReference provides a well-defined structure that describes the page type and its corresponding attributes. pageReference
supports the following properties.
Property Type Description Required?

type String The API name of the pageReference type, for example, Y
standard__objectPage.
attributes Object Values for each attribute specified by the page definition, for example, Y
objectAPIName or actionName.
state Object Parameters that are tied to the query string of the URL in Lightning
Experience, such as filterName. The routing framework doesn’t depend
on state to render a page.
Note: Lightning Communities don’t support the state property.
Add Links to Lightning Pages from Your Custom Components

To link to Lightning Experience pages, use lightning:formattedUrl in your custom component.
Thelightning:formattedUrl component displays a URL as a hyperlink.
If you use raw anchor tags or the ui:outputUrl component for links, the page does a full reload each time you click the link. To
avoid full page reloads, replace your link components with lightning:formattedUrl.
For examples, see the Component Library.
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Using Components Add Query Parameters
Migrate from ui:outputUrl to lightning:formattedUrl

Copy the attributes from the ui:outputUrl component.
<aura:component>
<ui:outputURL value="https://my/path" label="Contact ID" />
</aura:component>
Paste the same attributes into the lightning:formattedUrl component. lightning:formattedUrl supports more
attributes, like tooltip.
<aura:component>
<div aura:id="container">
<p><lightning:formattedUrl value="https://my/path" label="Contact ID" tooltip="Go
to Contact's recordId" /></p>
</div>
</aura:component>
SEE ALSO:
Component Library: lightning:formattedUrl Reference
Add Query Parameters

To add query parameters to the URL, update the PageReference state property. The key-value pairs of the state property are
serialized to URL query parameters. The query parameters describe the page and form a more specific URL that the user can save or
bookmark.
Note: Lightning communities don’t support the state property.
Keep these behaviors in mind when working with the state property.
• You can’t directly change the pageReference object. To update the state, create a new pageReference object, and
copy the values using Object.assign({}, pageReference).
• state parameters must be namespaced. For example, a managed package with the namespace abc with a parameter
accountId is represented as abc__accountId. The namespace for custom components is c__.Parameters without a
namespace are reserved for Salesforce use. This namespace restriction is introduced under a critical update in Winter ’19 and enforced
in Summer ’19.
• Since the key-value pairs of PageReference.state are serialized to URL query parameters, all the values must be strings.
• Code that consumes values from state must parse the value into its proper format.
• To delete a value from the state object, define it as undefined.
If your component uses the lightning:hasPageReference or lightning:isUrlAddressable interfaces, always
implement a change handler. When the target of a navigation action maps to the same component, the routing container might simply
update the pageReference attribute value instead of recreating the component. In this scenario, a change handler ensures that
your component reacts correctly.
Navigate to a Web Page

The navigation service supports different kinds of pages in Lightning. Each page reference type supports a different set of attributes and
state properties.
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Using Components Migrate to lightning:isUrlAddressable from
force:navigateToComponent
Instead of using force:navigateToURL, we recommend navigating to web pages using the lightning:navigate
component with the standard__webPage page type.
This code shows examples of navigating to a web page using the old force:navigateToURL event.
// Old way to navigate to a web page
$A.get("markup://force:navigateToURL").setParams({
url: 'http://salesforce.com',
}).fire();
Replace the previous code that uses force:navigateToURL with the following code. This example shows how to navigate to a
web page using the standard__webPage page type. It assumes that you added <lightning:navigation
aura:id="navigationService" /> in your component markup.
cmp.find("navigationService").navigate({
type: "standard__webPage",
attributes: {
url: 'http://salesforce.com'
}
});
Migrate to lightning:isUrlAddressable from

force:navigateToComponent
If you’re currently using the force:navigateToComponent event, you can provide backward compatibility for bookmarked
links by redirecting requests to a component that uses lightning:isUrlAddressable.
First, copy your original component, including its definition, controller, helper, renderer, and CSS. Make the new component implement
the lightning:isUrlAddressable interface.
Change the new component to read the values passed through the navigation request from
cmp.get("v.pageReference").state.
Note: You can’t use two-way binding to map values from pageReference.state to a subcomponent that sets those
values. You can’t modify the state object. As a workaround, copy the values from pageReference.state into your own
component’s attribute using a handler.
// Add a handler to your component

<aura:handler name="init" value="{!this}" action="{!c.init}" />
// Controller example
({
init: function(cmp, event, helper) {
var pageReference = cmp.get("v.pageReference");
cmp.set("v.myAttr", pageReference.state.c__myAttr);
// myAttr can be modified, but isn’t reflected in the URL
}
})
164
Using Components pageReference Types
In the new component, remove the attributes mapped from the URL that aren’t used to copy values from the page state in the component’s
init handler.
Change the instances that navigate to your old component to the new API and address of your new component. For example, remove
instances of force:navigateToComponent, like
$A.get("e.force:navigateToComponent").setParams({componentDef: "c:oldCmp", attributes:
{"myAttr": "foo"}}).fire();.
Add <lightning:navigation aura:id="navigationService" /> to your component markup, and update it to
use navigationService. Pass in a pageReference.
cmp.find("navigationService").navigate({
type: "standard__component",
attributes: {
componentName: "c__myCmpCopy"
},
state: {
"c__myAttr": "foo"
}
});
In the original component’s init handler, send a navigation redirect request to navigate to the new component. Pass the third
argument in the navigate API call as true. This argument indicates that the request replaces the current entry in the browser history
and avoids an extra entry when using a browser’s navigation buttons.
({
init: function(cmp, event, helper) {
cmp.find("navigation").navigate({
type: "standard__component",
attributes: {
componentName: "c__componentB" },
state: {
c__myAttr: cmp.get("v.myAttr")
}
}, true); // replace = true
}
})
Remove all other code from the original component’s definition, controller, helper, renderer, and CSS. Leave only the navigation redirect
call.
pageReference Types
To navigate in Lightning Experience, Lightning Communities, or the Salesforce mobile app, define a PageReference object. The
pageReference type generates a unique URL format and defines attributes that apply to all pages of that type.
The following types are supported.
• Lightning Component (must implement lightning:isUrlAddressable)
• Knowledge Article
• Login Page
• Named Page
• Navigation Item Page
• Object Page
165
• Record Page
• Record Relationship Page
• Web Page
Note: PageReference objects are supported on a limited basis for Lightning Communities, as noted for each type.
Lightning Component Type

A Lightning component that implements the lightning:isUrlAddressable interface, which enables the component to be
navigated directly via URL.
Type
standard__component
Experience
Lightning Experience, Salesforce Mobile App
Type Attributes

componentName String The Lightning component name in the format Y
namespace__componentName.
Example
{
"type": "standard__component",
"attributes": {
"componentName": "c__MyLightningComponent"
},
"state": {
"myAttr": "attrValue"
}
}
URL Format
/cmp/{componentName}?myAttr=attrValue
Login Page Type

An authentication for a community.
Type
comm__loginPage
Experience
Lightning Communities
166
Type Attributes
Property Type Description Required

actionName String A login-related action to be performed. Possible values are: Yes
• login
• logout
Example
{
type: “comm__loginPage”,
attributes: {
actionName: “login”
}
}
Knowledge Article Page Type

A page that interacts with a Knowledge Article record.
Type
standard__knowledgeArticlePage
Experience
Lightning Experience, Lightning Communities, Salesforce Mobile App
Type Attributes

articleType String The ArticleType API name of the Knowledge Article record. Y
In Communities, articleType is ignored.
urlName String The value of the urlName field on the target KnowledgeArticleVersion Y
record. The urlName is the article's URL.
Example
{
"type": "standard__knowledgeArticlePage",
"attributes": {
"articleType": "Briefings",
"urlName": "February-2017"
}
}
URL Format
/articles/{articleType}/{urlName}
167
URL Format (Communities)

/article/{urlName}
Named Page Type

A standard page with a unique name. If an error occurs, the error view loads and the URL isn’t updated. .
Type
standard__namedPage
comm__namedPage
Experience
Type Attributes

pageName String The unique name of the page. Y
In Lightning Experience and the Salesforce mobile app, possible values
are:
• home
• chatter
• today
• dataAssessment
• filePreview
In Communities, the value for pageName is the URL value for a supported
page. For instance, the default URL value for the Account Management
page is /account-management, so the value for pageName would
be account-management.
The value of home is reserved for the landing page of any community in
your org.
However, because pages in communities are different than pages in
Lightning Experience, we’ve moved them to their own namespace for
better management and clarity. standard__namedPage is
deprecated in communities. Use comm__namedPage instead.
Supported pages in Communities are:
• Home
• Account management
• Contact support
• Error
• Login
• Top Articles
• Topic Catalog
168

• Custom pages
Lightning Experience Example

{
"type": "standard__namedPage",
"attributes": {
"pageName": "home"
}
}
Lightning Communities Example

{
type: "comm__namedPage",
attributes: {
pageName: "home"
}
}
URL Format
/page/{pageName}

/{pageName}
Navigation Item Page Type

A page that displays the content mapped to a CustomTab. Visualforce tabs, web tabs, Lightning Pages, and Lightning Component tabs
are supported.
Type
standard__navItemPage
Experience
Type Attributes

apiName String The unique name of the CustomTab. Y
Example
{
"type": "standard__navItemPage",
"attributes": {
"apiName": "MyCustomTabName"
169
}
}
URL Format
/n/{devName}
Object Page Type

A page that interacts with a standard or custom object in the org and supports standard actions for that object.
Note: The standard__objectPage type replaces the force:navigateToObjectHome and the

force:navigateToList events.
Type
standard__objectPage
Experience
Type Attributes

actionName String The action name to invoke. Valid values include home, list, and new. Y
In Communities, list and home are the same.
objectApiName String The API name of the standard or custom object. For custom objects that Y
are part of a managed package, prefix the custom object with ns__.
Standard Object Example

{
"type": "standard__objectPage",
"attributes": {
"objectApiName": "Case",
"actionName": "home"
}
}
{
type: "standard__objectPage",
attributes: {
objectApiName: "Account",
actionName: "list"
},
state: {
filterName: "RecentlyViewedAccounts"
}
}
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Navigate to a Specific List View Example

{
"type": "standard__objectPage",
"attributes": {
"objectApiName": "ns__Widget__c",
"actionName": "list"
},
"state": {
"filterName": "RecentlyViewedAccounts"
}
}
URL Format
/o/{objectApiName}/{actionName}
/o/{objectApiName}/{actionName}?filterName=Recent

/recordlist/{objectApiName}
/{baseUrl}/{objectApiName}
Record Page Type

A page that interacts with a record in the org and supports standard actions for that record.
Note: The standard__recordPage type replaces the force:navigateToSObject event.
Type
standard__recordPage
Experience
Type Attributes

actionName String The action name to invoke. Valid values include clone, edit, and Y
view.
Communities doesn’t support the values clone or edit.
objectApiName String The API name of the record’s object. Optional for lookups.
recordId String The 18 character record ID. Y
Example
{
"type": "standard__recordPage",
"attributes": {
"recordId": "001xx000003DGg0AAG",
171
"objectApiName": "PersonAccount",
"actionName": "view"
}
}
URL Format
/r/{objectApiName}/{recordId}/{actionName}
/r/{recordId}/{actionName}

/detail/{recordId}
/{baseUrl}/{recordId}
Record Relationship Page Type

A page that interacts with a relationship on a particular record in the org. Only related lists are supported.
Note: The standard__recordRelationshipPage type replaces the force:navigateToRelatedList event.
Type
standard__recordRelationshipPage
Experience
Type Attributes

actionName String The action name to invoke. Only view is supported. Y
objectApiName String The API name of the object that defines the relationship. Optional for
lookups.
recordId String The 18 character record ID of the record that defines the relationship. Y
relationshipApiName String The API name of the object’s relationship field
Example
{
"type": "standard__recordRelationshipPage",
"attributes": {
"recordId": "500xx000000Ykt4AAC",
"objectApiName": "Case",
"relationshipApiName": "CaseComments",
"actionName": "view"
}
}
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Using Components Get Your Aura Components Ready to Use on Lightning Pages
URL Format
/r/{objectApiName}/{recordId}/related/{relationshipApiName}/{actionName}
/r/{recordId}/related/{relationshipApiName}/{actionName}

/relatedlist/{recordId}/{relationshipApiName}
/{baseUrl}/related/{recordId}/{relationshipApiName}
Web Page
An external URL.
Note: The standard__webPage type replaces the force:navigateToURL event.
Type
standard__webPage
Experience
Attributes
Property Type Description Required

url String The URL of the page you are navigating to. Yes
Example
{
"type": "standard__webPage",
"attributes": {
"url": "http://salesforce.com"
}
},
{
replace: true
}
To replace the current page with this URL in your browser’s session history, set replace to true. The current page is not saved
in session history, meaning the user can’t navigate back to it. The replace attribute is ignored for external links.
URL Format
A web page opens as is in a new tab, so it doesn’t have a URL format.
Get Your Aura Components Ready to Use on Lightning Pages

Custom Aura components don’t work on Lightning pages or in the Lightning App Builder right out of the box. To use a custom component
in either of these places, configure the component and its component bundle so that they’re compatible.
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Using Components Configure Components for Lightning Pages and the Lightning
App Builder
IN THIS SECTION:
There are a few steps to take before you can use your custom Aura components in either Lightning pages or the Lightning App
Builder.
After your component is set up to work on Lightning pages and in the Lightning App Builder, use these guidelines to configure the
component so it works on record pages in Lightning Experience.
Create Components for the Outlook and Gmail Integrations
Create custom Aura components that are available to add to the email application pane for the Outlook and Gmail integrations.
Create Dynamic Picklists for Your Custom Components
You can expose a component property as a picklist when the component is configured in the Lightning App Builder. The picklist’s
values are provided by an Apex class that you create.
Create a Custom Lightning Page Template Component
Every standard Lightning page is associated with a default template component, which defines the page’s regions and what
components the page includes. Custom Lightning page template components let you create page templates to fit your business
needs with the structure and components that you define. Once implemented, your custom template is available in the Lightning
App Builder’s new page wizard for your page creators to use.
Lightning Page Template Component Best Practices
Keep these best practices and limitations in mind when creating Lightning page template components.
Make Your Lightning Page Components Width-Aware with lightning:flexipageRegionInfo
When you add a component to a region on a page in the Lightning App Builder, the lightning:flexipageRegionInfo
sub-component passes the width of that region to its parent component. With lightning:flexipageRegionInfo and
some strategic CSS, you can tell the parent component to render in different ways in different regions at runtime.
Keep these guidelines in mind when creating components and component bundles for Lightning pages and the Lightning App
Builder.
There are a few steps to take before you can use your custom Aura components in either Lightning pages or the Lightning App Builder.
1. Deploy My Domain in Your Org

Deploy My Domain in your org if you want to use Aura components in Lightning tabs, Lightning pages, as custom Lightning page
templates, or as standalone apps.
For more information about My Domain, see Salesforce Help.
2. Add a New Interface to Your Component

To appear in the Lightning App Builder or on a Lightning page, a component must implement one of these interfaces.
Interface Description
flexipage:availableForAllPageTypes Makes your component available for record pages and any other
type of page, including a Lightning app’s utility bar.
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Using Components Configure Components for Lightning Pages and the Lightning
App Builder
Interface Description
flexipage:availableForRecordHome If your component is designed for record pages only, implement
this interface instead of
flexipage:availableForAllPageTypes.
clients:availableForMailAppAppPage Enables your component to appear on a Mail App Lightning page

in the Lightning App Builder and in the Outlook and Gmail
integrations.
Here’s the sample code for a simple “Hello World” component.

<aura:component implements="flexipage:availableForAllPageTypes" access="global">
<aura:attribute name="greeting" type="String" default="Hello" access="global" />
<aura:attribute name="subject" type="String" default="World" access="global" />
<div style="box">
<span class="greeting">{!v.greeting}</span>, {!v.subject}!
</div>
</aura:component>
Note: Mark your resources, such as a component, with access="global" to make the resource usable outside of your own
org. For example, if you want a component to be usable in an installed package or by a Lightning App Builder user or a Community
Builder user in another org.
3. Add a Design Resource to Your Component Bundle

Use a design resource to control which attributes are exposed to builder tools like the Lightning App Builder, Community Builder, or
Flow Builder. A design resource lives in the same folder as your .cmp resource, and describes the design-time behavior of the Aura
component—information that visual tools need to display the component in a page or app.
For example, if you want to restrict a component to one or more objects, set a default value on an attribute, or make an Aura component
attribute available for administrators to edit in the Lightning App Builder, you need a design resource in your component bundle.
Here’s the design resource that goes in the bundle with the “Hello World” component.
want to greet" />
</design:component>
Design resources must be named componentName.design.
Optional: Add an SVG Resource to Your Component Bundle

You can use an SVG resource to define a custom icon for your component when it appears in the Lightning App Builder’s component
pane. Include it in the component bundle.
Here’s a simple red circle SVG resource to go with the “Hello World” component.
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<!DOCTYPE svg PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD SVG 1.1//EN"
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Using Components Configure Components for Lightning Experience Record Pages
"http://www.w3.org/Graphics/SVG/1.1/DTD/svg11.dtd">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
width="400" height="400">
<circle cx="100" cy="100" r="50" stroke="black"
stroke-width="5" fill="red" />
</svg>
SVG resources must be named componentName.svg.
SEE ALSO:
Component Bundles

After your component is set up to work on Lightning pages and in the Lightning App Builder, use these guidelines to configure the
component so it works on record pages in Lightning Experience.
Record pages are different from app pages in a key way: they have the context of a record. To make your components display content
that is based on the current record, use a combination of an interface and an attribute.
• If your component is available for both record pages and any other type of page, implement
flexipage:availableForAllPageTypes.
• If your component is designed only for record pages, implement the flexipage:availableForRecordHome interface
instead of flexipage:availableForAllPageTypes.
• If your component needs the record ID, also implement the force:hasRecordId interface.
Note: Don’t expose the recordId attribute to the Lightning App Builder—don’t put it in the component’s design resource.
You don’t want admins supplying a record ID.
• If your component needs the object’s API name, also implement the force:hasSObjectName interface.
Note: If your managed component implements the flexipage or forceCommunity interfaces, its upload is blocked if
the component and its attributes aren’t set to access="global". For more information on access checks, see Controlling
Access.
Note: When you use the Lightning App Builder, there is a known limitation when you edit a group page. Your changes appear
when you visit the group from the Groups tab. Your changes don’t appear when you visit the group from the Recent Groups list
on the Chatter tab.
SEE ALSO:
Create Components for the Outlook and Gmail Integrations

Create custom Aura components that are available to add to the email application pane for the Outlook and Gmail integrations.
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Using Components Create Components for the Outlook and Gmail Integrations
To add a component to email application panes in the Outlook or Gmail integration, implement the
clients:availableForMailAppAppPage interface.
To allow the component access to email or calendar events, implement the clients:hasItemContext interface.
The clients:hasItemContext interface adds attributes to your component that it can use to implement record- or context-specific
logic. The attributes included are:
• The source attribute, which indicates the email or appointment source. Possible values include email and event.
<aura:attribute name="source" type="String" />
• The mode attribute, which indicates viewing or composing an email or event. Possible values include view and edit.
<aura:attribute name="mode" type="String" />
• The people attribute indicates recipients’ email addresses on the current email or appointment.
<aura:attribute name="people" type="Object" />
The shape of the people attribute changes according to the value of the source attribute.
When the source attribute is set to email, the people object contains the following elements.
{
to: [ { name: nameString, email: emailString }, ... ],
cc: [ ... ],
from: [ { name: senderName, email: senderEmail } ],
}
When the source attribute is set to event, the people object contains the following elements.
{
requiredAttendees: [ { name: attendeenameString, email: emailString }, ... ],
optionalAttendees: [ { name: optattendeenameString, email: emailString }, ... ],
organizer: [ { name: organizerName, email: senderEmail } ],
}
• The subject indicates the subject on the current email.

<aura:attribute name="subject" type="String" />
• The messageBody indicates the email message on the current email.

<aura:attribute name="messageBody" type="String" />
To provide the component with an event’s date or location, implement the clients:hasEventContext interface.
dates: {
"start": value (String),
"end": value (String),
}
The Outlook and Gmail integrations don’t support the following events:
• force:navigateToList
• force:navigateToRelatedList
• force:navigateToObjectHome
177
• force:refreshView
Note: To ensure that custom components appear correctly, enable them to adjust to variable widths.
IN THIS SECTION:
Sample Custom Components for Outlook and Gmail Integration
Review samples of custom Aura components that you can implement in the email application pane for Outlook integration and
Gmail Integration.
Sample Custom Components for Outlook and Gmail Integration

Review samples of custom Aura components that you can implement in the email application pane for Outlook integration and Gmail
Integration.
Here’s an example of a custom Aura component you can include in your email application pane for the Outlook or Gmail integration.
This component applies the context of the selected email or appointment.
<aura:component implements="clients:availableForMailAppAppPage,clients:hasItemContext">

<div id="content">
<aura:if isTrue="{!v.mode == 'edit'}">
You are composing the following Item: <br/>
You are reading the following Item: <br/>
</aura:set>
</aura:if>
<h1><b>Email subject</b></h1>
<span id="subject">{!v.subject}</span>
<h1>To:</h1>
<aura:iteration items="{!v.people.to}" var="to">
{!to.name} - {!to.email} <br/>
</aura:iteration>
<h1>From:</h1>
{!v.people.from.name} - {!v.people.from.email}
<h1>CC:</h1>
<aura:iteration items="{!v.people.cc}" var="cc">
{!cc.name} - {!cc.email} <br/>
</aura:iteration>
<span class="greeting">New Email Arrived</span>, {!v.subject}!

</div>
</aura:component>
178
In this example, the custom component displays account and opportunity information based on the email recipients’ email addresses.
The component calls a JavaScript controller function, handlePeopleChange(), on initialization. The JavaScript controller calls
methods on an Apex server-side controller to query the information and compute the accounts ages and opportunities days until closing.
The Apex controller, JavaScript controller, and helper are listed next.

<aura:component
implements="clients:availableForMailAppAppPage,clients:hasItemContext"
controller="ComponentController">
<aura:handler name="init" value="{!this}" action="{!c.handlePeopleChange}" />

<aura:attribute name="accounts" type="List" />
<aura:attribute name="opportunities" type="List" />
<aura:iteration items="{!v.accounts}" var="acc">
{!acc.name} => {!acc.age}
</aura:iteration>
<aura:iteration items="{!v.opportunities}" var="opp">
{!opp.name} => {!opp.closesIn} Days till closing
</aura:iteration>
</aura:component>
/*
On the server side, the Apex controller includes
Aura-enabled methods that accept a list of emails as parameters.
*/
public class ComponentController {

/*
This method searches for Contacts with matching emails in the email list,
and includes Account information in the fields. Then, it filters the
information to return a list of objects to use on the client side.
*/
@AuraEnabled
public static List<Map<String, Object>> findAccountAges(List<String> emails) {
List<Map<String, Object>> ret = new List<Map<String, Object>>();
List<Contact> contacts = [SELECT Name, Account.Name, Account.CreatedDate
FROM Contact
WHERE Contact.Email IN :emails];
for (Contact c: contacts) {
Map<String, Object> item = new Map<String, Object>();
item.put('name', c.Account.Name);
item.put('age',
Date.valueOf(c.Account.CreatedDate).daysBetween(
System.Date.today()));
179
ret.add(item);
}
return ret;
}
/*
This method searches for OpportunityContactRoles with matching emails
in the email list.
Then, it calculates the number of days until closing to return a list
of objects to use on the client side.
*/
@AuraEnabled
public static List<Map<String, Object>> findOpportunityCloseDateTime(List<String>
emails) {
List<Map<String, Object>> ret = new List<Map<String, Object>>();
List<OpportunityContactRole> contacts =
[SELECT Opportunity.Name, Opportunity.CloseDate
FROM OpportunityContactRole
WHERE isPrimary=true AND Contact.Email IN :emails];
for (OpportunityContactRole c: contacts) {
Map<String, Object> item = new Map<String, Object>();
item.put('name', c.Opportunity.Name);
item.put('closesIn',
System.Date.today().daysBetween(
Date.valueOf(c.Opportunity.CloseDate)));
ret.add(item);
}
return ret;
}
}
({
/*
This JavaScript controller is called on component initialization and relies
on the helper functionality to build a list of email addresses from the
available people. It then makes a caller to the server to run the actions to
display information.
Once the server returns the values, it sets the appropriate values to display
on the client side.
*/
handlePeopleChange: function(component, event, helper){
var people = component.get("v.people");
var peopleEmails = helper.filterEmails(people);
var action = component.get("c.findOpportunityCloseDateTime");
action.setParam("emails", peopleEmails);
action.setCallback(this, function(response){
if(state === "SUCCESS"){
component.set("v.opportunities", response.getReturnValue());
} else{
component.set("v.opportunities",[]);
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Using Components Create Dynamic Picklists for Your Custom Components
}
});
var action = component.get("c.findAccountAges");
action.setParam("emails", peopleEmails);
if(state === "SUCCESS"){
component.set("v.accounts", response.getReturnValue());
} else{
component.set("v.accounts",[]);
}
});
}
})
({
/*
This helper function filters emails from objects.
*/
filterEmails : function(people){
return this.getEmailsFromList(people.to).concat(
this.getEmailsFromList(people.cc));
},
getEmailsFromList : function(list){
var ret = [];
for (var i in list) {
ret.push(list[i].email);
}
return ret;
}
})
Create Dynamic Picklists for Your Custom Components

You can expose a component property as a picklist when the component is configured in the Lightning App Builder. The picklist’s values
are provided by an Apex class that you create.
For example, let’s say you’re creating a component for the Home page to display a custom Company Announcement record. You can
use an Apex class to put the titles of all Company Announcement records in a picklist in the component’s properties in the Lightning
App Builder. Then, when admins add the component to a Home page, they can easily select the appropriate announcement to place
on the page.
1. Create a custom Apex class to use as a datasource for the picklist. The Apex class must extend the
VisualEditor.DynamicPickList abstract class.
2. Add an attribute to your design file that specifies your custom Apex class as the datasource.
Here’s a simple example.
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Using Components Create Dynamic Picklists for Your Custom Components
Create an Apex Class

global class MyCustomPickList extends VisualEditor.DynamicPickList{
global override VisualEditor.DataRow getDefaultValue(){

VisualEditor.DataRow defaultValue = new VisualEditor.DataRow('red', 'RED');
return defaultValue;
}
global override VisualEditor.DynamicPickListRows getValues() {
VisualEditor.DataRow value1 = new VisualEditor.DataRow('red', 'RED');
VisualEditor.DataRow value2 = new VisualEditor.DataRow('yellow', 'YELLOW');
VisualEditor.DynamicPickListRows myValues = new VisualEditor.DynamicPickListRows();
myValues.addRow(value1);
myValues.addRow(value2);
return myValues;
}
}
Note: Although VisualEditor.DataRow allows you to specify any Object as its value, you can specify a datasource only
for String attributes. The default implementation for isValid() and getLabel() assumes that the object passed in the
parameter is a String for comparison.
For more information on the VisualEditor.DynamicPickList abstract class, see the Apex Developer Guide.
Add the Apex Class to Your Design File

To specify an Apex class as a datasource in an existing component, add the datasource property to the attribute with a value consisting
of the Apex namespace and Apex class name.
<design:component>
<design:attribute name="property1" datasource="apex://MyCustomPickList"/>
</design:component>
Dynamic Picklist Tips and Considerations

• You can use VisualEditor.DesignTimePageContext to give your picklist the context of the page that the component
resides on.
• Specifying the Apex datasource as public isn’t respected in managed packages. If an Apex class is public and part of a managed
package, it can be used as a datasource for custom components in the subscriber org.
• Profile access on the Apex class isn’t respected when the Apex class is used as a datasource. If an admin’s profile doesn’t have access
to the Apex class but does have access to the custom component, the admin sees values provided by the Apex class on the component
in the Lightning App Builder.
SEE ALSO:
Apex Developer Guide: DesignTimePageContext Class
182
Using Components Create a Custom Lightning Page Template Component
Create a Custom Lightning Page Template Component

Every standard Lightning page is associated with a default template component, which defines the page’s regions and what components
the page includes. Custom Lightning page template components let you create page templates to fit your business needs with the
structure and components that you define. Once implemented, your custom template is available in the Lightning App Builder’s new
page wizard for your page creators to use.
Note: My Domain must be enabled in your org before you can use custom template components in the Lightning App Builder.
Custom Lightning page template components are supported for record pages, app pages, and Home pages. Each page type has a
different interface that the template component must implement.
• lightning:appHomeTemplate
• lightning:homeTemplate
• lightning:recordHomeTemplate
Important: Each template component should implement only one template interface. Template components shouldn’t implement
any other type of interface, such as flexipage:availableForAllPageTypes or force:hasRecordId. A template
component can’t multi-task as a regular component. It’s either a template, or it’s not.
1. Build the Template Component Structure

A custom template is an Aura component bundle that should include at least a .cmp resource and a design resource. The .cmp resource
must implement a template interface, and declare an attribute of type Aura.Component[] for each template region. The
Aura.Component[] type defines the attribute as a collection of components.
Note: The Aura.Component[] attribute is interpreted as a region only if it’s also specified as a region in the design resource.
Here’s an example of a two-column app page template .cmp resource that uses the lightning:layout component and the
Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) for styling.
When the template is viewed on a desktop, its right column takes up 30% (4 SLDS columns). The left column takes up the remaining
70% of the page width. On non-desktop form factors, the columns display as 50/50.
<aura:component implements="lightning:appHomeTemplate" description="Main column
and right sidebar. On a phone, the regions are of equal width">
<aura:attribute name="left" type="Aura.Component[]" />
<aura:attribute name="right" type="Aura.Component[]" />
<div>
<lightning:layout>
<lightning:layoutItem flexibility="grow"
class="slds-m-right_small">
{!v.left}
<lightning:layoutItem size="{! $Browser.isDesktop ? '4' : '6' }"
class="slds-m-left_small">
{!v.right}
</lightning:layout>
</div>
</aura:component>
183
The description attribute on the aura:component tag is optional, but recommended. If you define a description, it displays
as the template description beneath the template image in the Lightning App Builder new page wizard.
2. Configure Template Regions and Components in the Design Resource

The design resource controls what kind of page can be built on the template. The design resource specifies:
• What regions a page that uses the template must have.
• What kinds of components can be put into the page’s regions.
• How much space the component takes on the page based on the type of device that it renders on.
• What device form factors the component supports.
Regions inherit the interface assignments that you set for the overall page, as set in the .cmp resource.
Specify regions and components using these tags:
flexipage:template
This tag has no attributes and acts as a wrapper for the flexipage:region tag. Text literals are not allowed.
flexipage:region
This tag defines a region on the template and has these attributes. Text literals are not allowed.
name The name of an attribute in the .cmp resource marked type Aura.Component[]. Flags the
attribute as a region.
label The label of your region. This label appears in the template switching wizard in the Lightning App
Builder when users map region content to a new template.
defaultWidth Specifies the default width of the region. This attribute is required for all regions. Valid values are:
Small, Medium, Large, and Xlarge.
flexipage:formFactor
Use this tag to specify how much space the component takes on the page based on the type of device that it renders on. Add this
tag as a child of the flexipage:region tag. Use multiple flexipage:formFactor tags per flexipage:region
to define flexible behavior across form factors.
type The type of form factor or device the template renders on, such as a desktop or tablet. Valid values
are: Medium (tablet), and Large (desktop). Because the only reasonable width value for a
Small form factor (phone) is Small, you don’t have to specify a Small type. Salesforce
takes care of that association automatically.
width The available size of the area that the component in this region has to render in. Valid values are:
Small, Medium, Large, and Xlarge.
184
For example, in this code snippet, the region has a large width to render in when the template is rendered on a large form factor.
The region has a small width to render in when the template is rendered on a medium form factor.
<flexipage:region name="right" label="Right Region" defaultWidth="Large">
<flexipage:formFactor type="Large" width="Large" />
<flexipage:formFactor type="Medium" width="Small" />
</flexipage:region>
Tip: You can use the lightning:flexipageRegionInfo subcomponent to pass region width information to a
component. Doing so lets you configure your page components to render differently based on what size region they display in.
Here’s the design file that goes with the sample .cmp resource. The label text in the design file displays as the name of the template in
the new page wizard.
<design:component label="Two Region Custom App Page Template">
<flexipage:template >

<flexipage:region name="left" label="Left Region" defaultWidth="MEDIUM">
<flexipage:formfactor type="MEDIUM" width="SMALL" />
</flexipage:region>
<flexipage:region name="right" label="Right Region" defaultWidth="SMALL" />
</flexipage:template>
</design:component>
Specify supported devices for an app page template component with the <design:suppportedFormFactors> tag set. When
you create a custom template component for an App page, you must assign it both the Large (desktop) and Small (phone) form
factors.
Note: Record and Home pages support the Large form factor only.
Here’s the same app page template design file, with support configured for both desktop and phone.
<design:component label="Two Region Custom App Page Template">
<flexipage:template >

<flexipage:region name="left" label="Left Region" defaultWidth="MEDIUM">
<flexipage:formfactor type="MEDIUM" width="SMALL" />
</flexipage:region>
<flexipage:region name="right" label="Right Region" defaultWidth="SMALL" />
</flexipage:template>
</design:component>
3. (Optional) Add a Template Image

If you added a description to your .cmp resource, both it and the template image display when a user selects your template in the
Lightning App Builder new page wizard.
You can use an SVG resource to define the custom template image.
185
Using Components Lightning Page Template Component Best Practices
We recommend that your SVG resource is no larger than 150 KB, and no more than 160 px high and 560 px wide.
SEE ALSO:
Make Your Lightning Page Components Width-Aware with lightning:flexipageRegionInfo

Keep these best practices and limitations in mind when creating Lightning page template components.
• Don’t add custom background styling to a template component. It interferes with Salesforce’s Lightning Experience page themes.
• We strongly recommend including supported form factor information in the design file of all of your components. If you don’t, the
component might behave in unexpected ways.
• Template component supported form factors must be equal to, or a subset of, the supported form factors of its page type.
• Once a component is in use on a Lightning page, you can only increase the supported form factors for the component, not decrease
them.
• Including scrolling regions in your template component can cause problems when you try to view it in the Lightning App Builder.
• Custom templates can’t be extensible nor extended—you can’t extend a template from anything else, nor can you extend other
things from a template.
• Using getters to get the regions as variables works at design time but not at run time. Here’s an example of what we mean.
<aura:component implements="lightning:appHomeTemplate">
<aura:attribute name="region" type="Aura.Component[]" />
<div>
{!v.region}
</div>
186
Using Components Make Your Lightning Page Components Width-Aware with
lightning:flexipageRegionInfo
</aura:component>
{
init : function(component, event, helper) {
var region = cmp.get('v.region'); // This will fail at run time.
...
}
}
• You can remove regions from a template if it’s not being used by a Lightning page, and if it’s not set to access=global. You can add
regions at any time.
• A region can be used more than once in the code, but only one instance of the region should render at run time.
• A template component can contain up to 25 regions.
• The order that you list the regions in a page template is the order that the regions appear in when admins migrate region content
using the template switching wizard in the Lightning App Builder. We recommend that you label the regions and list them in a
logical order in your template, such as top to bottom or left to right.
Make Your Lightning Page Components Width-Aware with

lightning:flexipageRegionInfo
When you add a component to a region on a page in the Lightning App Builder, the lightning:flexipageRegionInfo
sub-component passes the width of that region to its parent component. With lightning:flexipageRegionInfo and some
strategic CSS, you can tell the parent component to render in different ways in different regions at runtime.
For example, the List View component renders differently in a large region than it does in a small region as it’s a width-aware component.
187
Using Components Tips and Considerations for Configuring Components for
Lightning Pages and the Lightning App Builder
Valid region width values are: Small, Medium, Large, and Xlarge.
You can use CSS to style your component and to help determine how your component renders. Here’s an example.
This simple component has two fields, field1 and field2. The component renders with the fields side by side, filling 50% of the region’s
available width when not in a small region. When the component is in a small region, the fields render as a list, using 100% of the region’s
width.
<aura:component implements="flexipage:availableForAllPageTypes">
<aura:attribute name="width" type="String"/>
<lightning:flexipageRegionInfo width="{!v.width}"/>
<div class="{! 'container' + (v.width=='SMALL'?' narrowRegion':'')}">
<div class="{! 'eachField f1' + (v.width=='SMALL'?' narrowRegion':'')}">
<lightning:input name="field1" label="First Name"/>
</div>
<div class="{! 'eachField f2' + (v.width=='SMALL'?' narrowRegion':'')}">
<lightning:input name="field2" label="Last Name"/>
</div>
</div>
</aura:component>
Here’s the CSS file that goes with the component.

.THIS .eachField.narrowRegion{
width:100%;
}
.THIS .eachField{
width:50%;
display:inline-block;
}
Tips and Considerations for Configuring Components for Lightning Pages

and the Lightning App Builder
Keep these guidelines in mind when creating components and component bundles for Lightning pages and the Lightning App Builder.
Components
• Set a friendly name for the component using the label attribute in the element in the design file, such as <design:component
label="foo">.
• Make your components fill 100% of the width (including margins) of the region that they display in.
• Don’t set absolute width values on your components.
• If components require interaction, they must provide an appropriate placeholder behavior in declarative tools.
• A component must never display a blank box. Think of how other sites work. For example, Facebook displays an outline of the feed
before the actual feed items come back from the server. The outline improves the user’s perception of UI responsiveness.
• If the component depends on a fired event, then give it a default state that displays before the event fires.
• Style components in a manner consistent with the styling of Lightning Experience and consistent with the Salesforce Design System.
188
Using Components Use Aura Components in Community Builder
• The Lightning App Builder manages spacing between components automatically. Don't add margins to your component CSS, and
avoid adding padding.
• Don’t use float or position: absolute in your CSS properties. These properties break the component out of the page
structure and, as a result, break the page.
• If your org doesn’t have My Domain enabled and you activate a Lightning page with a custom component, the component is
dropped from the page at run time.
Attributes
• Use the design file to control which attributes are exposed to the Lightning App Builder.
• Make your attributes easy to use and understandable to an administrator. Don’t expose SOQL queries, JSON objects, or Apex class
names.
• Give your required attributes default values. When a component that has required attributes with no default values is added to the
App Builder, it appears invalid, which is a poor user experience.
• Use basic supported types (string, integer, boolean) for any exposed attributes.
• Specify a min and max attribute for integer attributes in the <design:attribute> element to control the range of accepted
values.
• String attributes can provide a data source with a set of predefined values allowing the attribute to expose its configuration as a
picklist.
• Give all attributes a label with a friendly display name.
• Provide descriptions to explain the expected data and any guidelines, such as data format or expected range of values. Description
text appears as a tooltip in the Property Editor.
• To delete a design attribute for a component that implements the flexipage:availableForAllPageTypes or
forceCommunity:availableForAllPageTypes interface, first remove the interface from the component before
deleting the design attribute. Then reimplement the interface. If the component is referenced in a Lightning page, you must remove
the component from the page before you can change it.
Limitations
• The Lightning App Builder doesn’t support the Map, Object, or java:// complex types.
• When you use the Lightning App Builder, there is a known limitation when you edit a group page. Your changes appear when you
visit the group from the Groups tab. Your changes don’t appear when you visit the group from the Recent Groups list on the Chatter
tab.
SEE ALSO:
Use Aura Components in Community Builder

To use a custom Aura component in Community Builder, you must configure the component and its component bundle so that they’re
compatible.
189
Using Components Configure Components for Communities
IN THIS SECTION:
Make your custom Aura components available to drag to the Lightning Components pane in Community Builder.
Create Custom Theme Layout Components for Communities
Create a custom theme layout to transform the appearance and overall structure of the pages in the Customer Service template.
Create Custom Component for Guest User Flows
Allow flows for your community guest users to provide alternative user registration screens, complex decision trees, and conditional
forms to gather user information. The following example uses the Site Class API. For more information, see “Site Class” in the Salesforce
Apex Developer Guide.
Create Custom Search and Profile Menu Components for Communities
Create custom components to replace the Customer Service template’s standard Profile Header and Search & Post Publisher
components in Community Builder.
Create Custom Content Layout Components for Communities
Community Builder includes several ready-to-use layouts that define the content regions of your page, such as a two-column layout
with a 2:1 ratio. However, if you need a layout that’s customized for your community, create a custom content layout component
to use when building new pages in Community Builder. You can also update the content layout of the default pages that come with
your community template.

Make your custom Aura components available to drag to the Lightning Components pane in Community Builder.
Add a New Interface to Your Component

To appear in Community Builder, a component must implement the forceCommunity:availableForAllPageTypes
interface.
<aura:component implements="forceCommunity:availableForAllPageTypes" access="global">
<div style="box">
</div>
</aura:component>
Next, add a design resource to your component bundle. A design resource describes the design-time behavior of an Aura
component—information that visual tools need to allow adding the component to a page or app. It contains attributes that are available
for administrators to edit in Community Builder.
Adding this resource is similar to adding it for the Lightning App Builder. For more information, see Configure Components for Lightning
Pages and the Lightning App Builder.
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Using Components Create Custom Theme Layout Components for Communities
Important: When you add custom components to your community, they can bypass the object- and field-level security (FLS)
you set for the guest user profile. Lightning components don’t automatically enforce CRUD and FLS when referencing objects or
retrieving the objects from an Apex controller. This means that the framework continues to display records and fields for which
users don’t have CRUD permissions and FLS visibility. You must manually enforce CRUD and FLS in your Apex controllers.
SEE ALSO:
Component Bundles
Standard Design Tokens for Communities

Create a custom theme layout to transform the appearance and overall structure of the pages in the Customer Service template.
A theme layout component is the top-level layout (1) for the template pages in your community. Theme layout components are organized
and applied to your pages through theme layouts. A theme layout component includes the common header and footer (2), and often
includes navigation, search, and the user profile menu. In contrast, the content layout (3) defines the content regions of your pages. The
next image shows a two-column content layout.
A theme layout type categorizes the pages in your community that share the same theme layout.
When you create a custom theme layout component in the Developer Console, it appears in Community Builder in the Settings >
Theme area. Here you can assign it to new or existing theme layout types. Then you apply the theme layout type—and thereby the
theme layout—in the page’s properties.
1. Add an Interface to Your Theme Layout Component

A theme layout component must implement the forceCommunity:themeLayout interface to appear in Community Builder
in the Settings > Theme area.
Explicitly declare {!v.body} in your code to ensure that your theme layout includes the content layout. Add {!v.body} wherever
you want the page’s contents to appear within the theme layout.
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Using Components Create Custom Theme Layout Components for Communities
You can add components to the regions in your markup or leave regions open for users to drag-and-drop components into. Attributes
declared as Aura.Component[] and included in your markup are rendered as open regions in the theme layout that users can
add components to.
In Customer Service, the Template Header consists of these locked regions:
• search, which contains the Search Publisher component
• profileMenu, which contains the User Profile Menu component
• navBar, which contains the Navigation Menu component
To create a custom theme layout that reuses the existing components in the Template Header region, declare search, profileMenu,
or navBar as the attribute name value, as appropriate. For example:
<aura:attribute name="navBar" type="Aura.Component[]" required="false" />
Tip: If you create a custom profile menu or a search component, declaring the attribute name value also lets users select the
custom component when using your theme layout.
Here’s the sample code for a simple theme layout.
<aura:component implements="forceCommunity:themeLayout" access="global" description="Sample
Custom Theme Layout">
<aura:attribute name="search" type="Aura.Component[]" required="false"/>
<aura:attribute name="profileMenu" type="Aura.Component[]" required="false"/>
<aura:attribute name="navBar" type="Aura.Component[]" required="false"/>
<aura:attribute name="newHeader" type="Aura.Component[]" required="false"/>
<div>
<div class="searchRegion">
{!v.search}
</div>
<div class="profileMenuRegion">
{!v.profileMenu}
</div>
<div class="navigation">
{!v.navBar}
</div>
<div class="newHeader">
{!v.newHeader}
</div>
<div class="mainContentArea">
{!v.body}
</div>
</div>
</aura:component>
2. Add a Design Resource to Include Theme Properties

You can expose theme layout properties in Community Builder by adding a design resource to your bundle.
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Using Components Create Custom Component for Guest User Flows
This example adds two checkboxes to a theme layout called Small Header.
<design:component label="Small Header">
<design:attribute name="blueBackground" label="Blue Background"/>
<design:attribute name="smallLogo" label="Small Logo"/>
</design:component>
The design resource only exposes the properties. You must implement the properties in the component.
<aura:component implements="forceCommunity:themeLayout" access="global" description="Small
Header">
<aura:attribute name="blueBackground" type="Boolean" default="false"/>
<aura:attribute name="smallLogo" type="Boolean" default="false" />
...
Design resources must be named componentName.design.
3. Add a CSS Resource to Avoid Overlapping Issues

Add a CSS resource to your bundle to style the theme layout as needed.
To avoid overlapping issues with positioned elements, such as dialog boxes or hovers:
• Apply CSS styles.
.THIS {
position: relative;
z-index: 1;
}
• Wrap the elements in your custom theme layout in a div tag.

<div class="mainContentArea">
{!v.body}
</div>
Note: For custom theme layouts, SLDS is loaded by default.
CSS resources must be named componentName.css.
SEE ALSO:
Salesforce Help: Custom Theme Layouts and Theme Layout Types
Create Custom Component for Guest User Flows

Allow flows for your community guest users to provide alternative user registration screens, complex decision trees, and conditional
forms to gather user information. The following example uses the Site Class API. For more information, see “Site Class” in the Salesforce
Apex Developer Guide.
193
1. Create a Custom Aura Component

Using Guest User Flows for login or self registration requires a custom component that implements
lightning:availableForFlowScreens.
Here’s the sample code for a simple data collection preferences flow.
<aura:component implements="lightning:availableForFlowScreens"
controller="CommunitySelfRegController">
<aura:attribute name="email" type="String" default=""/>
<aura:attribute name="fname" type="String" default=""/>
<aura:attribute name="lname" type="String" default=""/>
<aura:attribute name="starturl" type="String" default=""/>
<aura:attribute name="password" type="String" default=""/>
<aura:attribute name="hasOptedTracking" type="Boolean" default="false"/>
<aura:attribute name="hasOptedSolicit" type="Boolean" default="false"/>
<aura:attribute name="op_url" type="String" default="" description="login url after
user is created. "/>
<aura:if isTrue="{! (empty(v.op_url))}">


<h3> Registering user. Please wait. </h3>

<h3> Success! Your account has been created. </h3>
<button class="slds-button slds-button_neutral"

onclick="{!c.login}">Login</button>
</aura:set>
</aura:if>
</aura:component>
Controller file:
({
init : function(cmp) {
let email = cmp.get("v.email"),
fname = cmp.get("v.fname"),
lname = cmp.get("v.lname"),
pass = cmp.get("v.password"),
startUrl = cmp.get("v.starturl"),
hasOptedSolicit = cmp.get("v.hasOptedSolicit"),
hasOptedTracking = cmp.get("v.hasOptedTracking");
let action = cmp.get("c.createExternalUser");

action.setParams(
{
username: email,
password: pass,
startUrl: startUrl,
fname: fname,
lname: lname,
hasOptedTracking: hasOptedTracking,
194
hasOptedSolicit: hasOptedSolicit
});
action.setCallback(this, function(res) {
if (action.getState() === "SUCCESS") {
cmp.set("v.op_url", res.getReturnValue());
}
});
},
login: function(cmp){
let url = cmp.get("v.op_url");
window.location.href = url;
}
})
Design file:
<design:component>
<design:attribute name="email" />
<design:attribute name="fname" />
<design:attribute name="lname" />
<design:attribute name="password" />
<design:attribute name="hasOptedTracking" />
<design:attribute name="hasOptedSolicit" />
</design:component>
2. Create an Apex Class

The following example creates a class, CommunitySelfRegController, which is used with your Aura component to register
new community users.
Note: Adding self registration with a flow requires the following:

• The UserPreferencesHideS1BrowserUI preference should be set to True. This prevents the mobile UI from
defaulting to the Salesforce Mobile App interface rather than your community.
• CommunityNickname is required and must be a unique value.
• The self registration preference should be enabled in your community with a valid profile and account.
public class CommunitySelfRegController {

@AuraEnabled
public static String createExternalUser(
String username, String password, String startUrl, String fname,
String lname, Boolean hasOptedTracking, Boolean hasOptedSolicit) {
Savepoint sp = null;
try {
sp = Database.setsavepoint();
system.debug(sp);
// Creating a user object.

User u = new User();
u.Username = username;
u.Email = username;
195
u.FirstName = fname;
u.LastName = lname;
// Default UI for mobile is set to S1 for user created using site object.
// Enable this perm to change it to community.

u.UserPreferencesHideS1BrowserUI = true;
// Generating unique value for community nickname.

String nickname = ((fname != null && fname.length() > 0) ? fname.substring(0,1) : ''
) + lname.substring(0,1);
nickname += String.valueOf(Crypto.getRandomInteger()).substring(1,7);
u.CommunityNickname = nickname;
System.debug('creating user');
// Creating portal user.

// Passing in null account ID forces the system to read this from the
network setting (set using Community Workspaces).
String userId = Site.createPortalUser(u, null, password);
// Setting consent selection values.

// For this, GDPR (Individual and Consent Management) needs to be enabled
in the org.
Individual ind = new Individual();
ind.LastName = lname;
ind.HasOptedOutSolicit = !hasOptedSolicit;
ind.HasOptedOutTracking = !hasOptedTracking;
insert(ind);
// Other contact information can be updated here.

Contact contact = new Contact();
contact.Id = u.ContactId;
contact.IndividualId = ind.Id;
update(contact);
// return login url.

if (userId != null && password != null && password.length() > 1) {
ApexPages.PageReference lgn = Site.login(username, password, startUrl);
return lgn.getUrl();
}
}
catch (Exception ex) {
Database.rollback(sp);
System.debug(ex.getMessage());
return null;
}
return null;
}
}
Collapse
196
Using Components Create Custom Search and Profile Menu Components for
Communities
SEE ALSO:
Salesforce Help: Allow Guest Users to Access Flows

Create custom components to replace the Customer Service template’s standard Profile Header and Search & Post Publisher components
in Community Builder.
forceCommunity:profileMenuInterface
Add the forceCommunity:profileMenuInterface interface to an Aura component to allow it to be used as a custom
profile menu component for the Customer Service community template. After you create a custom profile menu component, admins
can select it in Community Builder in Settings > Theme to replace the template’s standard Profile Header component.
Here’s the sample code for a simple profile menu component.
<aura:component implements="forceCommunity:profileMenuInterface" access="global">
<aura:attribute name="options" type="String[]" default="Option 1, Option 2"/>
<ui:menu >
<ui:menuTriggerLink aura:id="trigger" label="Profile Menu"/>
<ui:menuList class="actionMenu" aura:id="actionMenu">
<aura:iteration items="{!v.options}" var="itemLabel">
<ui:actionMenuItem label="{!itemLabel}" click="{!c.handleClick}"/>
</aura:iteration>
</ui:menuList>
</ui:menu>
</aura:component>
forceCommunity:searchInterface
Add the forceCommunity:searchInterface interface to an Aura component to allow it to be used as a custom search
component for the Customer Service community template. After you create a custom search component, admins can select it in
Community Builder in Settings > Theme to replace the template’s standard Search & Post Publisher component.
Here’s the sample code for a simple search component.
<aura:component implements="forceCommunity:searchInterface" access="global">
<div class="search">
<div class="search-wrapper">
<form class="search-form">
<div class="search-input-wrapper">
<input class="search-input" type="text" placeholder="My Search"/>
</div>
<input type="hidden" name="language" value="en" />
</form>
</div>
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Using Components Create Custom Content Layout Components for Communities
</div>
</aura:component>
SEE ALSO:
Salesforce Help: Custom Theme Layouts and Theme Layout Types
Create Custom Content Layout Components for Communities

Community Builder includes several ready-to-use layouts that define the content regions of your page, such as a two-column layout
with a 2:1 ratio. However, if you need a layout that’s customized for your community, create a custom content layout component to use
when building new pages in Community Builder. You can also update the content layout of the default pages that come with your
community template.
When you create a custom content layout component in the Developer Console, it appears in Community Builder in the New Page and
the Change Layout dialog boxes.
1. Add a New Interface to Your Content Layout Component

To appear in the New Page and the Change Layout dialog boxes in Community Builder, a content layout component must implement
the forceCommunity:layout interface.
Here’s the sample code for a simple two-column content layout.
<aura:component implements="forceCommunity:layout" description=”Custom Content Layout”
access="global">
<aura:attribute name="column1" type="Aura.Component[]" required="false"></aura:attribute>
198
Using Components Create Custom Content Layout Components for Communities
<aura:attribute name="column2" type="Aura.Component[]" required="false"></aura:attribute>
<div class="contentPanel">
<div class="left">
{!v.column1}
</div>
<div class="right">
{!v.column2}
</div>
</div>
</div>
</aura:component>
2. Add a CSS Resource to Your Component Bundle

Next, add a CSS resource to style the content layout as needed.
Here’s the sample CSS for our simple two-column content layout.
.THIS .contentPanel:before,
.THIS .contentPanel:after {
content: " ";
display: table;
}
.THIS .contentPanel:after {
clear: both;
}
.THIS .left {
float: left;
width: 50%;
}
.THIS .right {
float: right;
width: 50%;
}
CSS resources must be named componentName.css.
3. Optional: Add an SVG Resource to Your Component Bundle

You can include an SVG resource in your component bundle to define a custom icon for the content layout component when it appears
in the Community Builder.
The recommended image size for a content layout component in Community Builder is 170px by 170px. However, if the image has
different dimensions, Community Builder scales the image to fit.
199
Using Components Use Aura Components with Flows
SVG resources must be named componentName.svg.
SEE ALSO:
Component Bundles
Use Aura Components with Flows

Customize the look-and-feel and functionality of your flows by adding Lightning components to them. Or wrap a flow in an Aura
component to configure the flow at runtime, such as to control how a paused flow is resumed.
IN THIS SECTION:
Considerations for Configuring Components for Flows
Before you configure an Aura component for a flow, determine whether it should be available in flow screens or as flow actions and
understand how to map data types between a flow and an Aura component. Then review some considerations for defining attributes
and how components behave in flows at runtime.
Customize Flow Screens Using Aura Components
To customize the look and feel of your flow screen, build a custom Aura component. Configure the component and its design
resource so that they’re compatible with flow screens. Then in Flow Builder, add a screen component to the screen.
Create Flow Local Actions Using Aura Components
To execute client-side logic in your flow, build or modify custom Aura components to use as local actions in flows. For example, get
data from third-party systems without going through the Salesforce server, or open a URL in another browser tab. Once you configure
the Aura component’s markup, client-side controller, and design resource, it’s available in Flow Builder as a Core Action element.
Embed a Flow in a Custom Aura Component
Once you embed a flow in an Aura component, use JavaScript and Apex code to configure the flow at run time. For example, pass
values into the flow or to control what happens when the flow finishes. lightning:flow supports only screen flows and
autolaunched flows.
Display Flow Stages with an Aura Component
If you’ve added stages to your flow, display them to flow users with an Aura component, such as
lightning:progressindicator.
Considerations for Configuring Components for Flows

Before you configure an Aura component for a flow, determine whether it should be available in flow screens or as flow actions and
understand how to map data types between a flow and an Aura component. Then review some considerations for defining attributes
and how components behave in flows at runtime.
Note:
• Lightning components in flows must comply with Lightning Locker restrictions.
• Flows that include Lightning components are supported only in Lightning runtime.
200
Using Components Considerations for Configuring Components for Flows
IN THIS SECTION:
Flow Screen Components vs. Flow Action Components
You can make your Aura component available in flow screens or as a flow action. When choosing between the flow interfaces,
consider what purpose the component serves in the flow.
Which Aura Attribute Types Are Supported in Flows?
Not all Aura data types are supported in flows. You can map only these types and their associated collection types between flows
and Aura components.
Design Attribute Considerations for Flow Screen Components and Local Actions
To expose an attribute in Flow Builder, define a corresponding design:attribute in the component bundle's design resource.
Keep these guidelines in mind when defining design attributes for flows.
Runtime Considerations for Flows That Include Aura Components
Depending on where you run your flow, Aura components may look or behave differently than expected. The flow runtime app
that's used for some distribution methods doesn't include all the necessary resources from the Lightning Component framework.
When a flow is run from Flow Builder or a direct flow URL (https://yourDomain.my.salesforce.com/flow/MyFlowName), force
and lightning events aren’t handled.
SEE ALSO:
Component Library: lightning:availableForFlowScreens Interface
Component Library: lightning:availableForFlowActions Interface
What is Lightning Locker?
Flow Screen Components vs. Flow Action Components

You can make your Aura component available in flow screens or as a flow action. When choosing between the flow interfaces, consider
what purpose the component serves in the flow.
For this use case... Create a...

Provide UI for the user to interact with Flow screen component
Update the screen in real time Flow screen component
Prevent the flow from continuing until the component is done Flow action component
Make direct data queries to on-premise or private cloud data Flow action component
SEE ALSO:

Not all Aura data types are supported in flows. You can map only these types and their associated collection types between flows and
Aura components.
201
Flow Data Type Aura Attribute Valid Values

Type
Apex Custom Apex Class Apex classes that define @AuraEnabled fields. Supported data types in an Apex class
are Boolean, Integer, Long, Decimal, Double, Date, DateTime, and String. Single values as
well as Lists are supported for each data type. For data types that aren’t supported in a
flow, the flow preserves the value. The flow can then pass the value to another Aura
component or Apex class to operate on the value.
Boolean Boolean • True values: true, 1, or equivalent expression

• False values: false, 0, or equivalent expression
Currency Number Numeric value or equivalent expression
Date Date "YYYY-MM-DD" or equivalent expression
Date/Time (API DateTime "YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ" or equivalent expression

name is DateTime)
Number Number Numeric value or equivalent expression
Multi-Select Picklist String String value or equivalent expression using this format:
(API name is "Blue; Green; Yellow"
Multi-Select Picklist.)
Picklist String String value or equivalent expression
Record, with a The API name of the Map of key-value pairs or equivalent expression.
specified object specified object, Flow record values map only to attributes whose type is the specific object. For example,
(API name is such as Account or an account record variable can be mapped only to an attribute whose type is Account.
SObject.) Case Flow data types aren’t compatible with attributes whose type is Object.
Text String String value or equivalent expression

(API name is Text.)
SEE ALSO:
Component Library: lightning:flow Component
Design Attribute Considerations for Flow Screen Components and Local Actions
To expose an attribute in Flow Builder, define a corresponding design:attribute in the component bundle's design resource.
Keep these guidelines in mind when defining design attributes for flows.
Supported Attributes on design:attribute Nodes
In a design:attribute node, Flow Builder supports only the name, label, description, and default attributes.
The other attributes, like min and max, are ignored.
202
For example, for this design attribute definition, Flow Builder ignores required and placeholder.
<design:attribute name="greeting" label="Greeting" placeholder="Hello" required="true"/>
Calculating Minimum and Maximum Values for an Attribute

To validate min and max lengths for a component attribute, use a flow formula or the component's client-side controller.
Modifying or Deleting design:attribute Nodes
If a component’s attribute is referenced in a flow, you can’t change the attribute’s type or remove it from the design resource. This
limitation applies to all flow versions, not just active ones. Remove references to the attribute in all flow versions, and then edit or
delete the attribute in the design resource.
SEE ALSO:
Runtime Considerations for Flows That Include Aura Components

Depending on where you run your flow, Aura components may look or behave differently than expected. The flow runtime app that's
used for some distribution methods doesn't include all the necessary resources from the Lightning Component framework. When a flow
is run from Flow Builder or a direct flow URL (https://yourDomain.my.salesforce.com/flow/MyFlowName), force and lightning
events aren’t handled.
To verify the behavior of your Aura components, test your flow in a way that handles force and lightning events, such as
force:showToast. You can also add the appropriate event handlers directly to your component.
Distribution Method Handles force and lightning

Events
Direct flow URL
Run and Debug buttons in Flow Builder
Run links on the flow detail and list pages
Web tab
Custom button or link
Lightning page
Lightning community page
Flow action
Utility bar
flow:interview Visualforce component
203
Using Components Customize Flow Screens Using Aura Components
Distribution Method Handles force and lightning

Events
lightning:flow Aura component Depends on where you embed the
component or whether your component
includes the appropriate event handlers
SEE ALSO:
Events Handled in the Salesforce Mobile App and Lightning Experience

To customize the look and feel of your flow screen, build a custom Aura component. Configure the component and its design resource
so that they’re compatible with flow screens. Then in Flow Builder, add a screen component to the screen.
IN THIS SECTION:
Configure Components for Flow Screens
Make your custom Aura components available to flow screens in Flow Builder by implementing the
lightning:availableForFlowScreens interface.
Control Flow Navigation from an Aura Component
By default, users navigate a flow by clicking standard buttons at the bottom of each screen. The
lightning:availableForFlowScreens interface provides two attributes to help you fully customize your screen's
navigation. To figure out which navigation actions are available for the screen, loop through the availableActions attribute.
To programmatically trigger one of those actions, call the navigateFlow action from your JavaScript controller.
Customize the Flow Header with an Aura Component
To replace the flow header with an Aura component, use the screenHelpText parameter from the
Dynamically Update a Flow Screen with an Aura Component
To conditionally display a field on your screen, build an Aura component that uses aura:if to check when parts of the component
should appear.
SEE ALSO:
Configure Components for Flow Screens

Make your custom Aura components available to flow screens in Flow Builder by implementing the
204

<aura:component implements="lightning:availableForFlowScreens" access="global">
<aura:attribute name="greeting" type="String" access="global" />
<aura:attribute name="subject" type="String" access="global" />
<div style="box">
</div>
</aura:component>
Note: Mark your resources with access="global" to make it usable outside of your own org, such as to make a component
usable by a flow admin in another org.
To make an attribute’s value customizable in Flow Builder, add it to the component's design resource. That way, flow admins can pass
values between that attribute and the flow when they configure the Core Action element. That way, flow admins can pass values between
that attribute and the flow when they configure the screen component.
With this sample design resource, flow admins can customize the values for the “Hello World” component’s attributes.
<design:attribute name="subject" label="Subject" />
</design:component>
A design resource describes the design-time behavior of a Lightning component—information that visual tools need to allow adding
the component to a page or app. Adding this resource is similar to adding it for the Lightning App Builder.
When admins reference this component in a flow, they can set each attribute using values from the flow. And they can store each
attribute’s output value in a flow variable.
SEE ALSO:

By default, users navigate a flow by clicking standard buttons at the bottom of each screen. The
lightning:availableForFlowScreens interface provides two attributes to help you fully customize your screen's navigation.
To figure out which navigation actions are available for the screen, loop through the availableActions attribute. To
programmatically trigger one of those actions, call the navigateFlow action from your JavaScript controller.
When you override the screen's navigation with an Aura component, remember to hide the footer so that the screen has only one
navigation model.
IN THIS SECTION:
Flow Navigation Actions
The availableActions attribute lists the valid navigation actions for that screen.
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Customize the Flow Footer with an Aura Component

To replace the flow footer with an Aura component, use the parameters that the lightning:availableForFlowScreens
interface provides. The availableActions array lists which actions are available for the screen, and the navigateFlow
action lets you invoke one of the available actions.
Build a Custom Navigation Model for Your Flow Screens
Since Aura components have access to a flow screen’s navigation actions, you can fully customize how the user moves between
screens. For example, hide the default navigation buttons and have the flow move to the next screen when the user selects a choice.
SEE ALSO:
Flow Navigation Actions

The availableActions attribute lists the valid navigation actions for that screen.
A screen’s available actions are determined by:
• Where in the flow the screen is. For example, Previous isn't supported on the first screen in a flow, Finish is supported for only the
last screen in a flow, and you can never have both Next and Finish.
• Whether the flow creator opted to hide any of the actions in the screen's Control Navigation settings. For example, if Pause is
de-selected, the Pause action isn't included in availableActions.
Here are the possible actions, their default button label, and what's required for that action to be valid.
Action Button Label Description

NEXT Next Navigates to the next screen
BACK Previous Navigates to the previous screen
PAUSE Pause Saves the interview in its current state to the database, so that the user can resume it later
RESUME Resume Resumes a paused interview
FINISH Finish Finishes the interview. This action is available only before the final screen in the flow.
SEE ALSO:

To replace the flow footer with an Aura component, use the parameters that the lightning:availableForFlowScreens
interface provides. The availableActions array lists which actions are available for the screen, and the navigateFlow action
lets you invoke one of the available actions.
By default, the flow footer displays the available actions as standard buttons. Next and Finish use the brand variant style, and Previous
and Pause use the neutral variant. Also, Pause floats left, while the rest of the buttons float right.
Example: This component (c:flowFooter) customizes the default flow footer in two ways.
• It swaps the Pause and Previous buttons, so that Previous floats to the left and Pause floats to the right with Next or Finish.
• It changes the label for the Finish button to Done.
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c:flowFooter Component
Since the component implements lightning:availableForFlowScreens, it has access to the availableActions
attribute, which contains the valid actions for the screen. The declared attributes, like canPause and canBack, determine
which buttons to display. Those attributes are set by the JavaScript controller when the component initializes.
<aura:component access="global" implements="lightning:availableForFlowScreens">


<aura:attribute name="canPause" type="Boolean" />
<aura:attribute name="canBack" type="Boolean" />
<aura:attribute name="canNext" type="Boolean" />
<aura:attribute name="canFinish" type="Boolean" />
<div aura:id="actionButtonBar" class="slds-clearfix slds-p-top_medium">


<div class="slds-float_left">
<aura:if isTrue="{!v.canBack}">
<lightning:button aura:id="BACK" label="Previous"
variant="neutral" onclick="{!c.onButtonPressed}" />
</aura:if>
</div>
<div class="slds-float_right">

<aura:if isTrue="{!v.canPause}">
<lightning:button aura:id="PAUSE" label="Pause"
variant="neutral" onclick="{!c.onButtonPressed}" />
</aura:if>
<aura:if isTrue="{!v.canNext}">
<lightning:button aura:id="NEXT" label="Next"
variant="brand" onclick="{!c.onButtonPressed}" />
</aura:if>
<aura:if isTrue="{!v.canFinish}">
<lightning:button aura:id="FINISH" label="Done"
variant="brand" onclick="{!c.onButtonPressed}" />
</aura:if>
</div>
</div>
</aura:component>
c:flowFooter Controller
The init function loops through the screen's available actions and determines which buttons the component should show.
When the user clicks one of the buttons in the footer, the onButtonPressed function calls the navigateFlow action to
perform that action.
({
init : function(cmp, event, helper) {
// Figure out which buttons to display
207
var availableActions = cmp.get('v.availableActions');

for (var i = 0; i < availableActions.length; i++) {
if (availableActions[i] == "PAUSE") {
cmp.set("v.canPause", true);
} else if (availableActions[i] == "BACK") {
cmp.set("v.canBack", true);
} else if (availableActions[i] == "NEXT") {
cmp.set("v.canNext", true);
} else if (availableActions[i] == "FINISH") {
cmp.set("v.canFinish", true);
}
}
},
onButtonPressed: function(cmp, event, helper) {

// Figure out which action was called
var actionClicked = event.getSource().getLocalId();
// Fire that action
var navigate = cmp.get('v.navigateFlow');
navigate(actionClicked);
}
})
Control Screen Navigation from a Child Component

If you're using a child component to handle the screen's navigation, pass the navigateFlow action and the availableActions
attribute down from the parent component – the one that implements lightning:availableForFlowScreens. You can
pass the available actions by setting the child component's attributes, but you can’t pass the action. Instead, use a custom event to send
the selected action up to the parent component.
Example: c:navigateFlow Event

Create an event with an action attribute, so that you can pass the selected action into the event.
<aura:event type="APPLICATION" >
<aura:attribute name="action" type="String"/>
</aura:event>
c:flowFooter Component
In your component, before the handler:
• Define an attribute to pass the screen's available actions from the parent component
• Register an event to pass the navigateFlow action to the parent component
<aura:attribute name="availableActions" type="String[]" />
<aura:registerEvent name="navigateFlowEvent" type="c:navigateFlow"/>
c:flowFooter Controller
Since navigateFlow is only available in the parent component, the onButtonPressed function fails. Update the
onButtonPressed function so that it fires navigateFlowEvent instead.
onButtonPressed: function(cmp, event, helper) {

// Figure out which action was called
var actionClicked = event.getSource().getLocalId();
208
// Call that action

var navigate = cmp.getEvent("navigateFlowEvent");
navigate.setParam("action", actionFired);
navigate.fire();
}
c:flowParent Component
In the parent component's markup, pass availableActions into the child component's availableActions attribute
and the handleNavigate function into the child component's navigateFlowEvent event.
<c:flowFooter availableActions="{!v.availableActions}"
navigateFlowEvent="{!c.handleNavigate}"/>
c:flowParent Controller
When navigateFlowEvent fires in the child component, the handleNavigate function calls the parent component’s
navigateFlow action, using the action selected in the child component.
handleNavigate: function(cmp, event) {

var navigate = cmp.get("v.navigateFlow");
navigate(event.getParam("action"));
}
SEE ALSO:
Build a Custom Navigation Model for Your Flow Screens

Since Aura components have access to a flow screen’s navigation actions, you can fully customize how the user moves between screens.
For example, hide the default navigation buttons and have the flow move to the next screen when the user selects a choice.
Example: This component (c:choiceNavigation) displays a script and a choice in the form of buttons.
209
c:choiceNavigation Component
<aura:component implements="lightning:availableForFlowScreens" access="global" >


<aura:attribute name="scriptText" type="String" required="true" />

<aura:attribute name="value" type="String" />


<div class="script-container">
<div class="slds-card__header slds-grid slds-p-bottom_small slds-m-bottom_none">
<div class="slds-media slds-media_center slds-has-flexi-truncate" >

<div class="slds-media__figure slds-align-top">
<h2><lightning:icon iconName="utility:quotation_marks"
title="Suggested script" /></h2>
</div>
<ui:outputRichText class="script" value="{!v.scriptText}"/>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

<div class="slds-p-top_large slds-p-bottom_large">
<p><lightning:formattedText value="Customer Response"
class="slds-text-body_small" /></p>
<lightning:buttongroup >
<lightning:button label="Yes" aura:id="Participate_Yes"
variant="neutral" onclick="{!c.handleChange}"/>
<lightning:button label="No" aura:id="Participate_No"
variant="neutral" onclick="{!c.handleChange}"/>
</lightning:buttongroup>
</div>
</aura:component>
c:choiceNavigation Design
The design resource includes the scriptText attribute, so you can set the script from the flow.
<design:component>
<design:attribute name="scriptText" label="Script Text"
description="What the agent should say to the customer" />
</design:component>
c:choiceNavigation Style
.THIS.script-container {
border: t(borderWidthThick) solid t(colorBorderBrand);
border-radius: t(borderRadiusMedium);
}
.THIS .script {
font-size: 1.125rem; /*t(fontSizeTextLarge)*/
font-weight: t(fontWeightRegular);
210
line-height: t(lineHeightHeading);
}
c:choiceNavigation Controller
When the user clicks either of the buttons, the JavaScript controller calls navigateFlow(“NEXT”), which is the equivalent
of the user clicking Next.
({
handleChange : function(component, event, helper) {
// When an option is selected, navigate to the next screen
var response = event.getSource().getLocalId();
component.set("v.value", response);
var navigate = component.get("v.navigateFlow");
navigate("NEXT");
}
})
defaultTokens.tokens
The script in c:choiceNavigation uses tokens to stay in sync with the Salesforce Lightning Design System styles.
<aura:tokens extends="force:base" >
</aura:tokens>
SEE ALSO:

To replace the flow header with an Aura component, use the screenHelpText parameter from the
By default, the flow header includes the title of the flow that's running and a button, where users can access screen-level help.
Example: Instead of displaying the flow title and the help button, this component (c:flowHeader) displays the company
logo and the help button. The help text appears in a tooltip when the user hovers, instead of in a modal when the user clicks.
c:flowHeader Component
Since the component implements lightning:availableForFlowScreens, it has access to the screenHelpText
attribute, which contains the screen's help text if it has any.
<div class="slds-p-top_medium slds-clearfix">

<div class="slds-float_left">

211
<h2><img src="{!$Resource.Logo}" alt="A.W. Computing logo"/></h2>

</div>
<div class="slds-float_right" style="position:relative;">
<aura:if isTrue="{!v.screenHelpText ne null}">

<lightning:helptext content="{!v.screenHelpText}" />
</aura:if>
</div>
</div>
</aura:component>
SEE ALSO:

To conditionally display a field on your screen, build an Aura component that uses aura:if to check when parts of the component
should appear.
Example: This component (c:flowDynamicScreen) displays a custom script component and a group of radio buttons.
The component gets the contact's existing phone number from the flow, and uses that value to fill in the script.
If the user selects the No radio button, the component displays an input, where the user can enter the new phone number.
212
c:flowDynamicScreen Component

<aura:attribute name="oldPhone" type="String" />
<aura:attribute name="newPhone" type="String" />
<aura:attribute name="radioOptions" type="List" default="[
{'label': 'Yes', 'value': 'false'},
{'label': 'No', 'value': 'true'} ]"/>
<aura:attribute name="radioValue" type="Boolean" />


<div class="script-container">
<div class="slds-card__header slds-grid slds-p-bottom_small slds-m-bottom_none">
<div class="slds-media slds-media_center slds-has-flexi-truncate" >

<div class="slds-media__figure slds-align-top">
<h2><lightning:icon iconName="utility:quotation_marks"
title="Suggested script" /></h2>
</div>

<ui:outputRichText class="script" value="{!'Let me verify your phone
number.
Is ' + v.oldPhone + ' still a good phone number to reach you?'}"/>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

<div class="slds-p-top_medium slds-p-bottom_medium">
<lightning:radioGroup aura:id="rbg_correct" name="rbg_correct"
label="Is the phone number correct?"
options="{! v.radioOptions }" value="{! v.radioValue }" />

<aura:if isTrue="{!v.radioValue}">
<lightning:input type="tel" aura:id="phone_updated" label="Phone"
onblur="{!c.handleNewPhone}" class="slds-p-top_small"/>
</aura:if>
</div>
</aura:component>
c:flowDynamicScreen Style
.THIS.script-container {
border: t(borderWidthThick) solid t(colorBorderBrand);
border-radius: t(borderRadiusMedium);
}
.THIS .script {
font-size: 1.125rem; /*t(fontSizeTextLarge)*/
font-weight: t(fontWeightRegular);
line-height: t(lineHeightHeading);
}
213
Using Components Create Flow Local Actions Using Aura Components
c:flowDynamicScreen Controller
When the user tabs out, or otherwise removes focus from the Phone input, the controller sets the newPhone attribute to the
input value, so that you can reference the new number in the flow.
({
handleNewPhone: function(cmp, event, helper) {
cmp.set("v.newPhone", cmp.find('phone_updated').get('v.value'));
}
})
defaultTokens.tokens
The script in c:flowDynamicScreen uses tokens to stay in sync with the Salesforce Lightning Design System styles.
<aura:tokens extends="force:base" >
</aura:tokens>
SEE ALSO:

To execute client-side logic in your flow, build or modify custom Aura components to use as local actions in flows. For example, get data
from third-party systems without going through the Salesforce server, or open a URL in another browser tab. Once you configure the
Aura component’s markup, client-side controller, and design resource, it’s available in Flow Builder as a Core Action element.
Note:
• Lightning components in flows must comply with Lightning Locker restrictions.
• Flows that include Lightning components are supported only in Lightning runtime.
• Lightning components require a browser context to run, so flow action components are supported only in screen flows.
Example: Here’s a sample “c:helloWorld” component and its client-side controller, which triggers a JavaScript alert that says
Hello, World. In Flow Builder, local actions are available from the Core Action element.
<aura:component implements="lightning:availableForFlowActions" access="global">

</aura:component>
({
// When a flow executes this component, it calls the invoke method
invoke : function(component, event, helper) {
alert(component.get("v.greeting") + ", " + component.get("v.subject"));
}
})
214
IN THIS SECTION:
Configure the Component Markup and Design Resource for a Flow Action
Make your custom Aura components available as flow local actions by implementing the
lightning:availableForFlowActions interface.
Configure the Client-Side Controller for a Flow Local Action
When a component is executed as a flow local action, the flow calls the invoke method in the client-side controller. To run the
code asynchronously in your client-side controller, such as when you're making an XML HTTP request (XHR), return a Promise. When
the method finishes or the Promise is fulfilled, control is returned back to the flow.
Cancel an Asynchronous Request in a Flow Local Action
If an asynchronous request times out, the flow executes the local action's fault connector and sets $Flow.FaultMessage to
the error message. However, the original request isn't automatically canceled. To abort an asynchronous request, use the
cancelToken parameter available in the invoke method.
SEE ALSO:
Configure the Component Markup and Design Resource for a Flow Action
Make your custom Aura components available as flow local actions by implementing the
lightning:availableForFlowActions interface.
Tip: We recommend that you omit markup from local actions. Local actions tend to execute quickly, and any markup you add to
them will likely disappear before the user can make sense of it. If you want to display something to users, check out Customize
Flow Screens Using Aura Components instead.
Here’s sample code for a simple “Hello World” component that sets a couple of attributes.
<aura:component implements="lightning:availableForFlowActions" access="global">
<aura:attribute name="greeting" type="String" access="global" />
<aura:attribute name="subject" type="String" access="global" />
</aura:component>
Note: Mark your resources with access="global" to make it usable outside of your own org, such as to make a component
usable by a flow admin in another org.
To make an attribute’s value customizable in Flow Builder, add it to the component's design resource. That way, flow admins can pass
values between that attribute and the flow when they configure the Core Action element. That way, flow admins can pass values between
that attribute and the flow when they configure the corresponding Core Action element.
With this sample design resource, flow admins can customize the values for the “Hello World” component’s attributes.
<design:component>
<design:attribute name="subject" label="Subject" />
</design:component>
A design resource describes the design-time behavior of a Lightning component—information that visual tools need to allow adding
the component to a page or app. Adding this resource is similar to adding it for the Lightning App Builder.
215
When admins reference this component in a flow, they can pass data between the flow and the Aura component. Use the Set Input
Values tab to set an attribute using values from the flow. Use the Store Output Values tab to store an attribute’s value in a flow variable.
SEE ALSO:

When a component is executed as a flow local action, the flow calls the invoke method in the client-side controller. To run the code
asynchronously in your client-side controller, such as when you're making an XML HTTP request (XHR), return a Promise. When the
method finishes or the Promise is fulfilled, control is returned back to the flow.
Asynchronous Code
When a Promise is resolved, the next element in the flow is executed. When a Promise is rejected or hits the timeout, the flow takes the
local action's fault connector and sets $Flow.FaultMessage to the error message.
By default, the error message is “An error occurred when the elementName element tried to execute the c:myComponent component.”
To customize the error message in $Flow.FaultMessage, return it as a new Error object in the reject() call.
({
return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) {
// Do something asynchronously, like get data from
// an on-premise database
// Complete the call and return to the flow

if (/* request was successful */) {
// Set output values for the appropriate attributes
resolve();
} else {
reject(new Error("My error message")); }
});
}
})
Note: If you’re making callouts to an external server, whitelist the external server in your org and enable or configure CORS in the
external server.
Synchronous Code
When the method finishes, the next element in the flow is executed.
({
// Do something synchronously, like open another browser tab
// with a specified URL
// Set output values for the appropriate attributes
216
}
})
SEE ALSO:
Using External JavaScript Libraries
Create CSP Trusted Sites to Access Third-Party APIs

If an asynchronous request times out, the flow executes the local action's fault connector and sets $Flow.FaultMessage to the
error message. However, the original request isn't automatically canceled. To abort an asynchronous request, use the cancelToken
parameter available in the invoke method.
Note: By default, requests time out after 120 seconds. To override the default, assign a different Integer to the component's
timeout attribute.
Example: In this client-side controller, the invoke method returns a Promise. When the method has done all it needs to do,
it completes the call and control returns to the flow.
• If the request is successful, the method uses resolve() to execute the next element in the flow after this action.
• If the request isn't successful, it uses reject() to execute the local action’s fault connector and sets
$Flow.FaultMessage to “My error message”.
• If the request takes too long, it uses cancelToken.promise.then to abort the request.
({
var cancelToken = event.getParam("arguments").cancelToken;
return new Promise(function(resolve, reject) {

var xhttp = new XMLHttpRequest();
// Do something, like get data from

// a database behind your firewall
xhttp.onreadystatechange = $A.getCallback(function() {
if (/* request was successful */) {
// Complete the call and return to the flow
resolve();
} else {
reject(new Error("My error message"));
}
});
// If the Promise times out, abort the request and

// pass set $Flow.FaultMessage to "Request timed out"
cancelToken.promise.then(function(error) {
xhttp.abort();
reject(new Error("Request timed out."));
});
217
Using Components Embed a Flow in a Custom Aura Component
});
}
})
SEE ALSO:
Embed a Flow in a Custom Aura Component

Once you embed a flow in an Aura component, use JavaScript and Apex code to configure the flow at run time. For example, pass values
into the flow or to control what happens when the flow finishes. lightning:flow supports only screen flows and autolaunched
flows.
A flow is an application, built with Flow Builder, that collects, updates, edits, and creates Salesforce information.
To embed a flow in your Aura component, add the <lightning:flow> component to it.
<aura:component>
<lightning:flow aura:id="flowData" />
</aura:component>
({
init : function (component) {
// Find the component whose aura:id is "flowData"
var flow = component.find("flowData");
// In that component, start your flow. Reference the flow's API Name.
flow.startFlow("myFlow");
},
})
Note: When a page loads that includes a flow component, such as Lightning App Builder or an active Lightning page, the flow
runs. Make sure that the flow doesn’t perform any actions – such as create or delete records – before the first screen.
IN THIS SECTION:
Reference Flow Output Variable Values in a Wrapper Aura Component
When you embed a flow in an Aura component, you can display or reference the flow’s variable values. Use the onstatuschange
action to get values from the flow's output variables. Output variables are returned as an array.
Set Flow Input Variable Values from a Wrapper Aura Component
When you embed a flow in a custom Aura component, give the flow more context by initializing its variables. In the component's
controller, create a list of maps, then pass that list to the startFlow method.
Control a Flow’s Finish Behavior by Wrapping the Flow in a Custom Aura Component
By default, when a flow user clicks Finish, a new interview starts and the user sees the first screen of the flow again. By embedding
a flow in a custom Aura component, you can shape what happens when the flow finishes by using the onstatuschange action.
To redirect to another page, use one of the force:navigateTo* events such as force:navigateToObjectHome or
force:navigateToUrl.
218
Resume a Flow Interview from an Aura Component

By default, users can resume interviews that they paused from the Paused Interviews component on their home page. To customize
how and where users can resume their interviews, embed the lightning:flow component in a custom Aura component. In
your client-side controller, pass the interview ID into the resumeFlow method.
SEE ALSO:
Reference Flow Output Variable Values in a Wrapper Aura Component

When you embed a flow in an Aura component, you can display or reference the flow’s variable values. Use the onstatuschange
action to get values from the flow's output variables. Output variables are returned as an array.
Note: The variable must allow output access. If you reference a variable that doesn’t allow output access, attempts to get the
variable are ignored.
Example: This example uses the JavaScript controller to pass the flow's accountName and numberOfEmployees variables into
attributes on the component. Then, the component displays those values in output components.
<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="accountName" type="String" />
<aura:attribute name="numberOfEmployees" type="Decimal" />
<p><lightning:formattedText value="{!v.accountName}" /></p>

<p><lightning:formattedNumber style="decimal" value="{!v.numberOfEmployees}" /></p>
<aura:handler name="init" value="{!this}" action="{!c.init}"/>

<lightning:flow aura:id="flowData" onstatuschange="{!c.handleStatusChange}" />
</aura:component>
({
// In that component, start your flow. Reference the flow's API Name.
flow.startFlow("myFlow");
},
handleStatusChange : function (component, event) {

if(event.getParam("status") === "FINISHED") {
// Get the output variables and iterate over them
var outputVariables = event.getParam("outputVariables");
var outputVar;
for(var i = 0; i < outputVariables.length; i++) {
outputVar = outputVariables[i];
// Pass the values to the component's attributes
if(outputVar.name === "accountName") {
component.set("v.accountName", outputVar.value);
} else {
component.set("v.numberOfEmployees", outputVar.value);
}
}
219
}
},
})
SEE ALSO:
Set Flow Input Variable Values from a Wrapper Aura Component

When you embed a flow in a custom Aura component, give the flow more context by initializing its variables. In the component's
controller, create a list of maps, then pass that list to the startFlow method.
Note: You can set variables only at the beginning of an interview, and the variables you set must allow input access. If you
reference a variable that doesn’t allow input access, attempts to set the variable are ignored.
For each variable you set, provide the variable's name, type, and value. For type, use the API name for the flow data type. For
example, for a record variable use SObject, and for a text variable use String.
{
name : "varName",
type : "flowDataType",
value : valueToSet
},
{
name : "varName",
type : "flowDataType",
value : [ value1, value2]
}, ...
Example: This JavaScript controller sets values for a number variable, a date collection variable, and a couple of record variables.
The Record data type in Flow Builder corresponds to SObject here.
({
var inputVariables = [
{ name : "numVar", type : "Number", value: 30 },
{ name : "dateColl", type : "String", value: [ "2016-10-27", "2017-08-01" ]
},
// Sets values for fields in the account record (sObject) variable. Id uses
the
// value of the component's accountId attribute. Rating uses a string.
{ name : "account", type : "SObject", value: {
"Id" : component.get("v.accountId"),
"Rating" : "Warm"
}
},
// Set the contact record (sObject) variable to the value of the component's
contact
// attribute. We're assuming the attribute contains the entire sObject for
// a contact record.
220
{ name : "contact", type : "SObject", value: component.get("v.contact") }

},
];
flow.startFlow("myFlow", inputVariables);
}
})
Example: Here's an example of a component that gets an account via an Apex controller. The Apex controller passes the data
to the flow's record variable through the JavaScript controller.
<aura:component controller="AccountController" >
<aura:attribute name="account" type="Account" />
<lightning:flow aura:id="flowData"/>
</aura:component>
public with sharing class AccountController {

@AuraEnabled
public static Account getAccount() {
return [SELECT Id, Name, LastModifiedDate FROM Account LIMIT 1];
}
}
({
// Create action to find an account
var action = component.get("c.getAccount");
// Add callback behavior for when response is received

// Pass the account data into the component's account attribute
component.set("v.account", response.getReturnValue());
// Set the account record (sObject) variable to the value of the component's
// account attribute.
var inputVariables = [
{
name : "account",
type : "SObject",
value: component.get("v.account")
}
];
// In the component whose aura:id is "flowData, start your flow

// and initialize the account record (sObject) variable. Reference the
flow's
// API name.
flow.startFlow("myFlow", inputVariables);
}
else {
console.log("Failed to get account date.");
221
}
});
// Send action to be executed

}
})
SEE ALSO:
Control a Flow’s Finish Behavior by Wrapping the Flow in a Custom Aura Component
By default, when a flow user clicks Finish, a new interview starts and the user sees the first screen of the flow again. By embedding a
flow in a custom Aura component, you can shape what happens when the flow finishes by using the onstatuschange action. To
redirect to another page, use one of the force:navigateTo* events such as force:navigateToObjectHome or
force:navigateToUrl.
Tip: To control a flow’s finish behavior at design time, make your custom Aura component available as a flow action by using the
lightning:availableForFlowActions interface. To control what happens when an autolaunched flow finishes,
check for the FINISHED_SCREEN status.
<lightning:flow aura:id="flowData" onstatuschange="{!c.handleStatusChange}" />
</aura:component>
// init function here

// Redirect to another page in Salesforce, or
// Redirect to a page outside of Salesforce, or
// Show a toast, or...
}
}
Example: This function redirects the user to a case created in the flow by using the force:navigateToSObject event.
var outputVariables = event.getParam("outputVariables");
var outputVar;
for(var i = 0; i < outputVariables.length; i++) {
outputVar = outputVariables[i];
if(outputVar.name === "redirect") {
var urlEvent = $A.get("e.force:navigateToSObject");
urlEvent.setParams({
"recordId": outputVar.value,
"isredirect": "true"
});
urlEvent.fire();
222
}
}
}
}
SEE ALSO:
Resume a Flow Interview from an Aura Component

By default, users can resume interviews that they paused from the Paused Interviews component on their home page. To customize
how and where users can resume their interviews, embed the lightning:flow component in a custom Aura component. In your
client-side controller, pass the interview ID into the resumeFlow method.
({
// In that component, resume a paused interview. Provide the method with

// the ID of the interview that you want to resume.
flow.resumeFlow("pausedInterviewId");
},
})
Example: This example shows how you can resume an interview—or start a new one. When users click Survey Customer from
a contact record, the Aura component does one of two things.
• If the user has any paused interviews for the Survey Customers flow, it resumes the first one.
• If the user doesn’t have any paused interviews for the Survey Customers flow, it starts a new one.
<aura:component controller="InterviewsController">
<lightning:flow aura:id="flowData" />
</aura:component>
This Apex controller gets a list of paused interviews by performing a SOQL query. If nothing is returned from the query,
getPausedId() returns a null value, and the component starts a new interview. If at least one interview is returned from the
query, the component resumes the first interview in that list.
public class InterviewsController {
@AuraEnabled
public static String getPausedId() {
// Get the ID of the running user
String currentUser = UserInfo.getUserId();
// Find all of that user's paused interviews for the Survey customers flow
List<FlowInterview> interviews =
[ SELECT Id FROM FlowInterview
WHERE CreatedById = :currentUser AND InterviewLabel LIKE '%Survey
customers%'];
223
Using Components Display Flow Stages with an Aura Component
if (interviews == null || interviews.isEmpty()) {

return null; // early out
}
// Return the ID for the first interview in the list
return interviews.get(0).Id;
}
}
If the Apex controller returned an interview ID, the client-side controller resumes that interview. If the Apex controller returned a
null interview ID, the component starts a new interview.
({
//Create request for interview ID
var action = component.get("c.getPausedId");
var interviewId = response.getReturnValue();
// If an interview ID was returned, resume it in the component
// whose aura:id is "flowData".
if ( interviewId !== null ) {
flow.resumeFlow(interviewID);
}
// Otherwise, start a new interview in that component. Reference
// the flow's API Name.
else {
flow.startFlow("Survey_customers");
}
});
//Send request to be enqueued
},
})
SEE ALSO:

If you’ve added stages to your flow, display them to flow users with an Aura component, such as lightning:progressindicator.
To add a progress indicator component to your flow, you have two options:
• Wrap the progress indicator with a lightning:flow component in a parent component.
<aura:component>
<lightning:progressindicator/>
<lightning:flow/>
</aura:component>
• Add the progress indicator to your flow screen directly, by using a screen component.
224
IN THIS SECTION:
Display Flow Stages by Wrapping a Progress Indicator
If you’re tracking stages in your flow, display them at runtime by creating a custom component that wraps a progress indicator with
the lightning:flow component. Use the progress indicator to display the flow’s active stages and current stage, and use the
lightning:flow component to display the flow’s screens. To pass the flow’s active stages and current stage to the progress
indicator, use the lightning:flow component's onstatuschange action.
Display Flow Stages By Adding a Progress Indicator to a Flow Screen
If you’re tracking stages in your flow, display them at runtime by adding a custom component to the flow’s screens. Create a progress
indicator component that displays the flow’s active stages and current stage, and make sure that it’s available as for flow screens.
When you add the component to each flow screen, pass the $Flow.ActiveStages and $Flow.CurrentStage global
variables into the component’s attributes.
SEE ALSO:
Salesforce Help: Show Users Progress Through a Flow with Stages
Display Flow Stages by Wrapping a Progress Indicator

If you’re tracking stages in your flow, display them at runtime by creating a custom component that wraps a progress indicator with the
lightning:flow component. Use the progress indicator to display the flow’s active stages and current stage, and use the
lightning:flow component to display the flow’s screens. To pass the flow’s active stages and current stage to the progress
indicator, use the lightning:flow component's onstatuschange action.
Example: This c:flowStages_global component uses lightning:progressindicator to display the flow’s

stages and lightning:flow to display the flow.
c:flowStages_global Component
<aura:component implements="flexipage:availableForAllPageTypes" access="global" >

<aura:attribute name="currentStage" type="Object"/>
<aura:attribute name="activeStages" type="Object[]"/>

<aura:attribute name="flowName" type="String"/>

<article class="slds-card">
<lightning:progressIndicator aura:id="progressIndicator"
currentStep="{!v.currentStage.name}" type="path"/>
<lightning:flow aura:id="flow" onstatuschange="{!c.statusChange}"/>
</article>
</aura:component>
c:flowStages_global Design
225
The design resource includes the flowName attribute, so you can specify which flow to start from Lightning App Builder.
<design:component>
<design:attribute name="flowName" label="Flow Name"/>
</design:component>
c:flowStages_global Style
.THIS .slds-path__nav { margin-right: 0; }

.THIS .slds-path__item:only-child { border-radius: 15rem; }
c:flowStages_global Controller
The controller uses the flowName attribute to determine which flow to start.
Each time a new screen loads, the onstatuschange action fires, which gives the controller access to a handful of parameters
about the flow. The currentStage and activeStages parameters return the labels and names of the relevant stages.
When onstatuschange fires in this component, it calls the controller's statusChange method. That method passes the
flow's currentStage and activeStages parameters into the component's attributes. For each item in the
activeStages attribute, the method adds a lightning:progressStep component to the component markup.
({
var flow = component.find("flow");
flow.startFlow(component.get("v.flowName"));
},
// When each screen loads ...

statusChange : function(component, event, helper) {
// Pass $Flow.ActiveStages into the activeStages attribute
// and $Flow.CurrentStage into the currentStage attribute
component.set("v.currentStage", event.getParam("currentStage"));
component.set("v.activeStages", event.getParam("activeStages"));
var progressIndicator = component.find("progressIndicator");

var body = [];
for(let stage of component.get("v.activeStages")) {

// For each stage in activeStages...
$A.createComponent(
"lightning:progressStep",
{
// Create a progress step where label is the
// stage label and value is the stage name
"aura:id": "step_" + stage.name,
"label": stage.label,
"value": stage.name
},
function(newProgressStep, status, errorMessage) {
//Add the new step to the progress array
if (status === "SUCCESS") {
body.push(newProgressStep);
}
else if (status === "INCOMPLETE") {
// Show offline error
console.log("No response from server or client is offline.")
226
}
else if (status === "ERROR") {
// Show error message
console.log("Error: " + errorMessage);
}
}
);
}
progressIndicator.set("v.body", body);
}
})
SEE ALSO:

If you’re tracking stages in your flow, display them at runtime by adding a custom component to the flow’s screens. Create a progress
indicator component that displays the flow’s active stages and current stage, and make sure that it’s available as for flow screens. When
you add the component to each flow screen, pass the $Flow.ActiveStages and $Flow.CurrentStage global variables
into the component’s attributes.
Pass the $Flow.ActiveStages and $Flow.CurrentStage global variables to the component’s attributes. Then use those
attributes to display the flow’s active stages and select the current one.
Example: The c:flowStages_field component uses lightning:progressindicator to display the flow’s

stages.
c:flowStages_field Component
<aura:component implements="lightning:availableForFlowScreens">

<aura:attribute name="stages" type="String[]"/>
<aura:attribute name="currentStage" type="String"/>

<lightning:progressIndicator aura:id="progressIndicator"
currentStep="{!v.currentStage}"
type="path"/>
</aura:component>
c:flowStages_field Design
227
The design resource includes the stages and currentStage attributes so that they’re available in Flow Builder. In the flow
screen, pass $Flow.ActiveStages into the stages attribute, and pass $Flow.CurrentStage into the
currentStage attribute.
<design:component>
<design:attribute name="stages" label="Stages" description="What stages are active"/>
<design:attribute name="currentStage" label="Current Stage" description="What is

the current stage?"/>
</design:component>
c:flowStages_field Style
.THIS .slds-path__nav { margin-right: 0; }

.THIS .slds-path__item:only-child { border-radius: 15rem; }
c:flowStages_field Controller
When you add this component to a flow screen, you pass $Flow.ActiveStages into the stages attribute and
$Flow.CurrentStage into the currentStage attribute. As a result, the component's attributes contain the relevant
stages' labels but not the associated names. Each step in the progress indicator requires a label and a value, so this example sets
both label and value to the stage label.
Tip: Make sure that none of your flow’s stages have the same label.
For each item in the stages attribute, the init method adds a lightning:progressStep component to the
c:flowStages_field component markup.
({
var progressIndicator = component.find('progressIndicator');
for (let step of component.get('v.stages')) {
$A.createComponent(
"lightning:progressStep",
{
"aura:id": "step_" + step,
"label": step,
"value": step
},
function(newProgressStep, status, errorMessage){
// Add the new step to the progress array
var body = progressIndicator.get("v.body");
body.push(newProgressStep);
progressIndicator.set("v.body", body);
}
console.log("No response from server, or client is offline.")
}
}
}
);
228
Using Components Add Components to Apps
}
}
})
SEE ALSO:
Add Components to Apps

When you’re ready to add components to your app, you should first look at the out-of-the-box components that come with the framework.
You can also leverage these components by extending them or using composition to add them to custom components that you’re
building.
Note: For all the out-of-the-box components, see the Components folder at
https://<myDomain>.lightning.force.com/docs/component-library, where <myDomain> is the
name of your custom Salesforce domain. The ui namespace includes many components that are common on Web pages.
Components are encapsulated and their internals stay private, while their public shape is visible to consumers of the component. This
strong separation gives component authors freedom to change the internal implementation details and insulates component consumers
from those changes.
The public shape of a component is defined by the attributes that can be set and the events that interact with the component. The
shape is essentially the API for developers to interact with the component. To design a new component, think about the attributes that
you want to expose and the events that the component should initiate or respond to.
Once you have defined the shape of any new components, developers can work on the components in parallel. This is a useful approach
if you have a team working on an app.
To add a new custom component to your app, see Using the Developer Console on page 4.
SEE ALSO:
Using Object-Oriented Development
Integrate Your Custom Apps into the Chatter Publisher

Use the Chatter Rich Publisher Apps API to integrate your custom apps into the Chatter publisher. The Rich Publisher Apps API enables
developers to attach any custom payload to a feed item. Rich Publisher Apps uses Lightning components for composition and rendering.
We provide two Lightning interfaces and a Lightning event to assist with integration. You can package your apps and upload them to
AppExchange. A community admin page provides a selector for choosing which five of your apps to add to the Chatter publisher for
that community.
229
Using Components Integrate Your Custom Apps into the Chatter Publisher
Note: Rich Publisher Apps are available to Lightning communities in topics, group, and profile feeds and in direct messages.
Use the lightning:availableForChatterExtensionComposer and

lightning:availableForChatterExtensionRenderer interfaces with the
lightning:sendChatterExtensionPayload event to integrate your custom apps into the Chatter publisher and carry
your apps’ payload into a Chatter feed.
Note: The payload must be an object.
Example: Example of a Custom App Integrated into a Chatter Publisher

This example shows a Chatter publisher with three custom app integrations. There are icons for a video meeting app (1), an emoji
app (2), and an app for selecting a daily quotation (3).
Example of a Custom App Payload in a Chatter Feed Post

This example shows the custom app’s payload included in a Chatter feed.
230
The next sections describe how we integrated the custom quotation app with the Chatter publisher.
1. Set Up the Composer Component

For the composer component, we created component, controller, helper, and style files.
Here is the component markup in quotesCompose.cmp. In this file, we implement the
lightning:availableForChatterExtensionComposer interface.
<aura:component implements="lightning:availableForChatterExtensionComposer">
<span class="quote" aura:id="quote"></span>
<span class="author" aura:id="author"></span>
<ui:button label="Get next Quote" press="{!c.getQuote}"/>
</div>
</aura:component>
Use your controller and helper to initialize the composer component and to get the quote from a source. Once you get the quote, fire
the event sendChatterExtensionPayload. Firing the event enables the Add button so the platform can associate the app’s
payload with the feed item. You can also add a title and description as metadata for the payload. The title and description are shown in
a non-Lightning context, like Salesforce Classic.
getQuote: function(cmp, event, helper) {
// get quote from the source
var compEvent = cmp.getEvent("sendChatterExtensionPayload");
compEvent.setParams({
"payload" : "<payload object>",
"extensionTitle" : "<title to use when extension is rendered>",
"extensionDescription" : "<description to use when extension is rendered>"
});
compEvent.fire();
}
Add a CSS resource to your component bundle to style your composition component.
231
2. Set Up the Renderer Component

For the renderer component, we created component, controller, and style files.
Here is the component markup in quotesRender.cmp. In this file, we implement the
lightning:availableForChatterExtensionRenderer interface, which provides the payload as an attribute in the
component.
<aura:component implements="lightning:availableForChatterExtensionRenderer">
<aura:attribute name="_quote" type="String"/>
<aura:attribute name="_author" type="String"/>
<span class="quote" aura:id="quote">{!v._quote}</span>
<span class="author" aura:id="author">--- {!v._author} ---</span>
</div>
</aura:component>
You have a couple of ways of dealing with the payload. You can use the payload directly in the component {!v.payload}. You can
use your controller to parse the payload provided by the lightning:availableForChatterExtensionRenderer
interface and set its attributes yourself. Add a CSS resource to your renderer bundle to style your renderer component.
3. Set Up a New ChatterExtension Entity

After you create these components, go to Workbench (or install your own instance). Make sure that you’re using at least API version
41.0. Log in to your org, and create a ChatterExtension entity.
From the Data menu, select Insert.
From the Object Type list, select ChatterExtension.
In the Value column, provide values for ChatterExtension fields (see ChatterExtension for values and descriptions).
232
Get the IconId for the file asset. Go to Workbench > utilities > REST Explorer and make a new POST request for
creating a file asset with a fileId from your org.
Note: Rich Publisher Apps information is cached, so there can be a 5-minute wait before your app appears in the publisher.
4. Package Your App and Upload It to the AppExchange

The ISVforce Guide provides useful information about packaging your apps and uploading them to the AppExchange.
233
Using Components Using Background Utility Items
5. Select the Apps to Embed in the Chatter Publisher

An admin page is available in each community for selecting and arranging the apps to show in the Chatter publisher. Select up to five
apps, and arrange them in the order you like. The order you set here controls the order the app icons appear in the publisher.
In your community, go to Community Workspaces and open the Administration page. Click Rich Publisher Apps to open the page.
After you move apps to the Selected Items column and click Save, the selected apps appear in the Chatter Publisher.
Using Background Utility Items

Implement the lightning:backgroundUtilityItem interface to create a component that fires and responds to events
without rendering in the utility bar.
This component implements lightning:backgroundUtilityItem and listens for lightning:tabCreated events
when the app loads. The component prevents more than 5 tabs from opening.
<aura:component implements="lightning:backgroundUtilityItem">
<aura:attribute name="limit" default="5" type="Integer" />
<aura:handler event="lightning:tabCreated" action="{!c.onTabCreated}" />
<lightning:workspaceAPI aura:id="workspace" />
</aura:component>
When a tab is created, the event handler calls onTabCreated in the component’s controller and checks how many tabs are open.
If the number of tabs is more than 5, the newly created tab automatically closes.
({
onTabCreated: function(cmp) {
var workspace = cmp.find("workspace");
var limit = cmp.get("v.limit");
workspace.getAllTabInfo().then(function (tabInfo) {
if (tabInfo.length > limit) {
workspace.closeTab({
tabId: tabInfo[0].tabId
});
}
});
234
Using Components Use Lightning Components in Visualforce Pages
}
})
Background utility items are added to an app the same way normal utility items are, but they don’t appear in the utility bar. The icon
appears next to background utility items on the utility item list.
Use Lightning Components in Visualforce Pages

Add Aura components to your Visualforce pages to combine features you’ve built using both solutions. Implement new functionality
using Aura components and then use it with existing Visualforce pages.
Important: Lightning Components for Visualforce is based on Lightning Out, a powerful and flexible feature that lets you embed
Aura components into almost any web page. When used with Visualforce, some of the details become simpler. For example, you
don’t need to deal with authentication, and you don’t need to configure a Connected App.
In other ways using Lightning Components for Visualforce is just like using Lightning Out. Refer to the Lightning Out section of
this guide for additional details.
There are three steps to add Aura components to a Visualforce page.

1. Add the Lightning Components for Visualforce JavaScript library to your Visualforce page using the
<apex:includeLightning/> component.
2. Create and reference a Lightning app that declares your component dependencies.
3. Write a JavaScript function that creates the component on the page using $Lightning.createComponent().
Add the Lightning Components for Visualforce JavaScript Library

Add <apex:includeLightning/> at the beginning of your page. This component loads the JavaScript file used by Lightning
Components for Visualforce.
Create and Reference a Lightning Dependency App

To use Lightning Components for Visualforce, define component dependencies by referencing a Lightning dependency app. This app
is globally accessible and extends ltng:outApp. The app declares dependencies on any Lightning definitions (like components)
that it uses.
Here’s an example of a Lightning app named lcvfTest.app. The app uses the <aura:dependency> tag to indicate that it
uses the standard Lightning component, lightning:button.
<aura:application access="GLOBAL" extends="ltng:outApp">
<aura:dependency resource="lightning:button"/>
</aura:application>
Note: Extending from ltng:outApp adds SLDS resources to the page to allow your Lightning components to be styled with
the Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS). If you don’t want SLDS resources added to the page, extend from
ltng:outAppUnstyled instead.
To reference this app on your page, use the following JavaScript code, where theNamespace is the namespace prefix for the app.
That is, either your org’s namespace, or the namespace of the managed package that provides the app.
$Lightning.use("theNamespace:lcvfTest", function() {});
235
Using Components Use Lightning Components in Visualforce Pages
If the app is defined in your org (that is, not in a managed package), you can use the default “c” namespace instead, as shown in the
next example. If your org doesn’t have a namespace defined, you must use the default namespace.
For further details about creating a Lightning dependency app, see Lightning Out Dependencies.
Creating a Component on a Page

Finally, add your top-level component to a page using $Lightning.createComponent(String type, Object
attributes, String domLocator, function callback). This function is similar to $A.createComponent(),
but includes an additional parameter, domLocator, which specifies the DOM element where you want the component inserted.
Let’s look at a sample Visualforce page that creates a lightning:button using the lcvfTest.app from the previous example.
<apex:page>
<apex:includeLightning />
<div id="lightning" />
<script>
$Lightning.use("c:lcvfTest", function() {
$Lightning.createComponent("lightning:button",
{ label : "Press Me!" },
"lightning",
function(cmp) {
console.log("button was created");
// do some stuff
}
);
});
</script>
</apex:page>
The $Lightning.createComponent() call creates a button with a “Press Me!” label. The button is inserted in a DOM element
with the ID “lightning”. After the button is added and active on the page, the callback function is invoked and executes a
console.log() statement. The callback receives the component created as its only argument. In this simple example, the button
isn't configured to do anything.
Important: You can call $Lightning.use() multiple times on a page, but all calls must reference the same Lightning
dependency app.
For further details about using $Lightning.use() and $Lightning.createComponent(), see Lightning Out Markup.
Limitations
If a Visualforce page contains an Aura component, you can’t render the Visualforce page as a PDF.
SEE ALSO:
Lightning Out Dependencies
Add Aura Components to Any App with Lightning Out (Beta)
Lightning Out Markup
Share Lightning Out Apps with Non-Authenticated Users
Lightning Out Considerations and Limitations
236
Using Components Add Aura Components to Any App with Lightning Out (Beta)
Add Aura Components to Any App with Lightning Out (Beta)

Use Lightning Out to run Aura component apps outside of Salesforce servers. Whether it’s a Node.js app running on Heroku, a department
server inside the firewall, or even SharePoint, build your custom app with Lightning Platform and run it wherever your users are.
Note: This release contains a beta version of Lightning Out, which means it’s a high quality feature with known limitations. You
can provide feedback and suggestions for Lightning Out on the IdeaExchange.
Developing Aura components that you can deploy anywhere is for the most part the same as developing them to run within Salesforce.
Everything you already know about Aura component development still applies. The only real difference is how you embed your app in
the remote web container, or origin server.
Lightning Out is added to external apps in the form of a JavaScript library you include in the page on the origin server, and markup you
add to configure and activate your Lightning components app. Once initialized, Lightning Out pulls in your Lightning components app
over a secure connection, spins it up, and inserts it into the DOM of the page it’s running on. Once it reaches this point, your “normal”
Lightning components code takes over and runs the show.
Note: This approach is quite different from embedding an app using an iframe. Aura components running via Lightning Out are
full citizens on the page. If you choose to, you can enable interaction between your Lightning components app and the page or
app you’ve embedded it in. This interaction is handled using Lightning events.
In addition to some straightforward markup, there’s a modest amount of setup and preparation within Salesforce to enable the secure
connection between Salesforce and the origin server. And, because the origin server is hosting the app, you need to manage authentication
with your own code.
This setup process is similar to what you’d do for an application that connects to Salesforce using the Lightning Platform REST API, and
you should expect it to require an equivalent amount of work.
IN THIS SECTION:
Lightning Out Requirements
Deploying a Lightning components app using Lightning Out has a few modest requirements to ensure connectivity and security.
Create a special Lightning dependency app to describe the component dependencies of a Lightning components app to be deployed
using Lightning Out or Lightning Components for Visualforce.
Lightning Out requires some simple markup on the page, and is activated using two straightforward JavaScript functions.
Authentication from Lightning Out
Lightning Out doesn’t handle authentication. Instead, you manually provide a Salesforce session ID or authentication token when
you initialize a Lightning Out app.
Add the ltng:allowGuestAccess interface to your Lightning Out dependency app to make it available to users without
requiring them to authenticate with Salesforce. This interface lets you build your app with Aura components, and deploy it anywhere
and to anyone. If a user is authenticated with the Lightning Out endpoint, the session must be set in $Lightning.use().
237
Using Components Lightning Out Requirements

Creating an app using Lightning Out is, for the most part, much like creating any app with Lightning components. However, because
your components are running “outside” of Salesforce, there are a few issues you want to be aware of. And it’s possible there are
changes you might need to make to your components or your app.
SEE ALSO:
Idea Exchange: Lightning Components Anywhere / Everywhere
Lightning Out Requirements

Deploying a Lightning components app using Lightning Out has a few modest requirements to ensure connectivity and security.
The remote web container, or origin server, must support the following.
• Ability to modify the markup served to the client browser, including both HTML and JavaScript. You need to be able to add the
Lightning Out markup.
• Ability to acquire a valid Salesforce session ID. This will most likely require you to configure a Connected App for the origin server.
• Ability to access your Salesforce instance. For example, if the origin server is behind a firewall, it needs permission to access the
Internet, at least to reach Salesforce.
Your Salesforce org must be configured to allow the following.
• The ability for the origin server to authenticate and connect. This will most likely require you to configure a Connected App for the
origin server.
• The origin server must be added to the Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) whitelist.
Finally, you create a special Lightning components app that contains dependency information for the Lightning components to be
hosted on the origin server. This app is only used by Lightning Out or Lightning Components for Visualforce.

Create a special Lightning dependency app to describe the component dependencies of a Lightning components app to be deployed
using Lightning Out or Lightning Components for Visualforce.
When a Lightning components app is initialized using Lightning Out, Lightning Out loads the definitions for the components in the app.
To do this efficiently, Lightning Out requires you to specify the component dependencies in advance, so that the definitions can be
loaded once, at startup time.
The mechanism for specifying dependencies is a Lightning dependency app. A dependency app is simply an <aura:application>
with a few attributes, and the dependent components described using the <aura:dependency> tag. A Lightning dependency
app isn’t one you’d ever actually deploy as an app for people to use directly. A Lightning dependency app is used only to specify
the dependencies for Lightning Out. (Or for Lightning Components for Visualforce, which uses Lightning Out under the covers.)
A basic Lightning dependency app looks like the following.
<aura:application access="GLOBAL" extends="ltng:outApp">
<aura:dependency resource="c:myAppComponent"/>
</aura:application>
A Lightning dependency app must do the following.

• Set access control to GLOBAL.
• Extend from either ltng:outApp or ltng:outAppUnstyled.
• List as a dependency every component that is referenced in a call to $Lightning.createComponent().
238
Using Components Lightning Out Markup
In this example, <c:myAppComponent> is the top-level component for the Lightning components app you are planning to create
on the origin server using $Lightning.createComponent(). Create a dependency for each different component you add to
the page with $Lightning.createComponent().
Note: Don’t worry about components used within the top-level component. The Lightning Component framework handles
dependency resolution for child components.
Defining a Styling Dependency

You have two options for styling your Lightning Out apps: Salesforce Lightning Design System and unstyled. Lightning Design System
styling is the default, and Lightning Out automatically includes the current version of the Lightning Design System onto the page that’s
using Lightning Out. To omit Lightning Design System resources and take full control of your styles, perhaps to match the styling of the
origin server, set your dependency app to extend from ltng:outAppUnstyled instead of ltng:outApp.
Usage Notes
A Lightning dependency app isn’t a normal Lightning app, and you shouldn’t treat it like one. Use it only to specify the dependencies
for your Lightning Out app.
In particular, note the following.
• You can’t add a template to a Lightning dependency app.
• Content you add to the body of the Lightning dependency app won’t be rendered.
SEE ALSO:
Create a Connected App
Use CORS to Access Salesforce Resources from Web Browsers
aura:dependency
Using the Salesforce Lightning Design System in Apps

Lightning Out requires some simple markup on the page, and is activated using two straightforward JavaScript functions.
The markup and JavaScript functions in the Lightning Out library are the only things specific to Lightning Out. Everything else is the
Lightning components code you already know and love.
Adding the Lightning Out Library to the Page

Enable an origin server for use with Lightning Out by including the Lightning Out JavaScript library in the app or page hosting your
Lightning components app. Including the library requires a single line of markup.
<script src="https://myDomain.my.salesforce.com/lightning/lightning.out.js"></script>
Important: Use your custom domain for the host. Don’t copy-and-paste someone else’s instance from example source code. If
you do this, your app will break whenever there’s a version mismatch between your Salesforce instance and the instance from
which you’re loading the Lightning Out library. This happens at least three times a year, during regular upgrades of Salesforce.
Don’t do it!
239
Using Components Lightning Out Markup
Loading and Initializing Your Lightning Components App

Load and initialize the Lightning Component framework and your Lightning components app with the $Lightning.use()
function.
The $Lightning.use() function takes four arguments.
Name Type Description

appName string Required. The name of your Lightning dependency app, including the
namespace. For example, "c:expenseAppDependencies".
callback function A function to call once the Lightning Component framework and your app
have fully loaded. The callback receives no arguments.
This callback is usually where you call
$Lightning.createComponent() to add your app to the page
(see the next section). You might also update your display in other ways, or
otherwise respond to your Lightning components app being ready.
lightningEndPointURI string The URL for the Lightning domain on your Salesforce instance. For example,
https://myDomain.lightning.force.com.
authToken string The session ID or OAuth access token for a valid, active Salesforce session.
Note: You must obtain this token in your own code. Lightning Out
doesn’t handle authentication for you. See Authentication from
Lightning Out.
appName is required. The other three parameters are optional. In normal use you provide all four parameters.
Note: You can’t use more than one Lightning dependency app on a page. You can call $Lightning.use() more than
once, but you must reference the same dependency app in every call.
Adding Your Aura Components to the Page

Add to and activate your Aura components on the page with the $Lightning.createComponent() function.
The $Lightning.createComponent() function takes four arguments.

componentName string Required. The name of the Aura component to add to the page, including
the namespace. For example, "c:newExpenseForm".
attributes Object Required. The attributes to set on the component when it’s created. For
example, { name: theName, amount: theAmount }. If the
component doesn’t require any attributes, pass in an empty object, { }.
domLocator Element or string Required. The DOM element or element ID that indicates where on the page
to insert the created component.
callback function A function to call once the component is added to and active on the page.
The callback receives the component created as its only argument.
240
Using Components Authentication from Lightning Out
Note: You can add more than one Aura component to a page. That is, you can call $Lightning.createComponent()
multiple times, with multiple DOM locators, to add components to different parts of the page. Each component created this way
must be specified in the page’s Lightning dependency app.
Behind the scenes $Lightning.createComponent() calls the standard $A.createComponent() function. Except for
the DOM locator, the arguments are the same. And except for wrapping the call in some Lightning Out semantics, the behavior is the
same, too.
SEE ALSO:

Lightning Out doesn’t handle authentication. Instead, you manually provide a Salesforce session ID or authentication token when you
initialize a Lightning Out app.
There are two supported ways to obtain an authentication token for use with Lightning Out.
• On a Visualforce page, using Lightning Components for Visualforce, you can obtain the current Visualforce session ID using the
expression {! $Api.Session_ID }. Sessions initiated using the session ID are intended for use only on Visualforce pages.
• Elsewhere, an authenticated session is obtained using OAuth, following the same process you’d use to obtain an authenticated
session to use with the REST API. In this case, you obtain an OAuth token, and can use it anywhere.
Important: Lightning Out isn’t in the business of authentication. The $Lightning.use() function simply passes along to
the security subsystem whatever authentication token you provide. For most organizations, the token is a session ID or an OAuth
token.
Lightning Out has the same privileges as the session from which you obtain the authentication token. For Visualforce using {!
$Api.Session_ID }, the session has the privileges of the current user. For OAuth it’s whatever OAuth scope setting that
the OAuth Connected App is defined with. Usually, using Lightning Out with OAuth requires you to grant “Full Access” scope to
the Connected App returning the OAuth token.
When a Lightning Out authenticated session is granted with a session access token, the session persists access to any
lightning.force.com domain running in the active browser session. Once a user is logged in with a valid access token, the session
credentials are validated across all Salesforce applications running in the active browser session.
To prevent session persistence, system administrators can lock the session to the originating IP address. To select this option,
navigate to:
Setup > Security > Session Settings
Activate the Lock sessions to the IP address from which they originated check box.
241
Using Components Share Lightning Out Apps with Non-Authenticated Users

Add the ltng:allowGuestAccess interface to your Lightning Out dependency app to make it available to users without requiring
them to authenticate with Salesforce. This interface lets you build your app with Aura components, and deploy it anywhere and to
anyone. If a user is authenticated with the Lightning Out endpoint, the session must be set in $Lightning.use().
A Lightning Out dependency app with the ltng:allowGuestAccess interface can be used with Lightning Components for
Visualforce and with Lightning Out.
• Using Lightning Components for Visualforce, you can add your Lightning app to a Visualforce page, and then use that page in
Salesforce Tabs and Visualforce communities. Then you can allow public access to that page.
• Using Lightning Out, you can deploy your Lightning app anywhere Lightning Out is supported—which is almost anywhere!
The ltng:allowGuestAccess interface is only usable in orgs that have Communities enabled, and your Lightning Out app is
associated with all community endpoints that you’ve defined in your org.
Important: When you make a Lightning app accessible to guest users by adding the ltng:allowGuestAccess interface,
it’s available through every community in your org, whether that community is enabled for public access or not. You can’t prevent
it from being accessible via community URLs, and you can’t make it available for some communities but not others.
Warning: Be extremely careful about apps you open for guest access. Apps enabled for guest access bypass the object- and
field-level security (FLS) you set for your community’s guest user profile. Aura components don’t automatically enforce CRUD and
FLS in an Apex controller when you reference or retrieve objects. This means that the framework continues to display records and
fields for which users don’t have CRUD access and FLS visibility. A mistake in code used in an app enabled for guest access can
open your org’s data to the world.
Lightning Out Lightning Components for Visualforce
Usage
To begin with, add the ltng:allowGuestAccess interface to your Lightning Out dependency app. For example:
<aura:application access="GLOBAL" extends="ltng:outApp"
implements="ltng:allowGuestAccess">
<aura:dependency resource="c:storeLocatorMain"/>
</aura:application>
Note: You can only add the ltng:allowGuestAccess interface to Lightning apps, not to individual components.
Next, add the Lightning Out JavaScript library to your page.

• With Lightning Components for Visualforce, simply add the <apex:includeLightning /> tag anywhere on your page.
• With Lightning Out, add a <script> tag that references the library directly, using a community endpoint URL. For example:
<script
src="https://yourCommunityDomain/communityURL/lightning/lightning.out.js"></script>
For example, https://universalcontainers.force.com/ourstores/lightning/lightning.out.js
242
Using Components Lightning Out Considerations and Limitations
Finally, add the JavaScript code to load and activate your Lightning app. This code is standard Lightning Out, with the important addition
that you must use one of your org’s community URLs for the endpoint. The endpoint URL takes the form
https://yourCommunityDomain/communityURL/. The relevant line is emphasized in the following sample.
<script>
$Lightning.use("c:locatorApp", // name of the Lightning app
function() { // Callback once framework and app loaded
$Lightning.createComponent(
"c:storeLocatorMain", // top-level component of your app
{ }, // attributes to set on the component when created
"lightningLocator", // the DOM location to insert the component
function(cmp) {
// callback when component is created and active on the page
}
);
},
'https://universalcontainers.force.com/ourstores/' // Community endpoint
);
</script>
SEE ALSO:
Salesforce Help: Create Communities

Creating an app using Lightning Out is, for the most part, much like creating any app with Lightning components. However, because
your components are running “outside” of Salesforce, there are a few issues you want to be aware of. And it’s possible there are changes
you might need to make to your components or your app.
The issues you should be aware of can be divided into two categories.
Considerations for Using Lightning Out

Because Lightning Out apps run outside of any Salesforce container, there are things you need to keep in mind, and possibly address.
First, Lightning components depend on setting cookies in a user’s browser. Since Lightning Out runs Lightning components outside of
Salesforce, those cookies are “third-party” cookies. Your users need to allow third-party cookies in their browser settings.
The most significant and obvious issue is authentication. There’s no Salesforce container to handle authentication for you, so you have
to handle it yourself. This essential topic is discussed in detail in “Authentication from Lightning Out.”
Another important consideration is more subtle. Many important actions your apps support are accomplished by firing various Lightning
events. But events are sort of like that tree that falls in the forest. If no one’s listening, does it have an effect? In the case of many core
Lightning events, the “listener” is the Lightning Experience or Salesforce app container, one.app. And if one.app isn’t there to
handle the events, they indeed have no effect. Firing those events silently fails.
Standard events are listed in the Component Library. Events not supported in Lightning Out include text similar to the following in the
Documentation tab:
Note: This event is handled by the one.app container. It’s supported in Lightning Experience and Salesforce app only.
Lightning Out doesn’t support the Lightning Console JavaScript API.
243
Using Components Lightning Container
Limitations With Standard Components

While the core Lightning Out functionality is stable and complete, there are a few interactions with other Salesforce features that we’re
still working on.
Chief among these is the standard components built into the Lightning Component framework. Many standard components don’t
behave correctly when used in a stand-alone context, such as Lightning Out, and Lightning Components for Visualforce, which is based
on Lightning Out. This is because the components implicitly depend on resources available in the one.app container.
Avoid this issue with your own components by making all of their dependencies explicit. Use ltng:require to reference all required
JavaScript and CSS resources that aren’t embedded in the component itself.
If you’re using standard components in your apps, they might not be fully styled, or behave as documented, when they’re used in
Lightning Out or Lightning Components for Visualforce.
SEE ALSO:
Component Library
Lightning Container
Upload an app developed with a third-party framework as a static resource, and host the content in an Aura component using
lightning:container. Use lightning:container to use third-party frameworks like AngularJS or React within your
Lightning pages.
The lightning:container component hosts content in an iframe. You can implement communication to and from the framed
application, allowing it to interact with the Lightning component. lightning:container provides the message() method,
which you can use in the JavaScript controller to send messages to the application. In the component, specify a method for handling
messages with the onmessage attribute.
IN THIS SECTION:
Lightning Container Component Limits
Understand the limits of lightning:container.
The Lightning Realty App
The Lightning Realty App is a more robust example of messaging between the Lightning Container Component and Salesforce.
lightning-container NPM Module Reference
Use methods included in the lightning-container NPM module in your JavaScript code to send and receive messages to and from
your custom Aura component, and to interact with the Salesforce REST API.
Using a Third-Party Framework

lightning:container allows you to use an app developed with a third-party framework, such as AngularJS or React, in an Aura
component. Upload the app as a static resource.
Your application must have a launch page, which is specified with the lightning:container src attribute. By convention, the
launch page is index.html, but you can specify another launch page by adding a manifest file to your static resource. The following
244
Using Components Using a Third-Party Framework
example shows a simple Aura component that references myApp, an app uploaded as a static resource, with a launch page of
index.html.
<aura:component>
<lightning:container src="{!$Resource.myApp + '/index.html'}" />
</aura:component>
The contents of the static resource are up to you. It should include the JavaScript that makes up your app, any associated assets, and a
launch page.
As in other Aura components, you can specify custom attributes. This example references the same static resource, myApp, and has
three attributes, messageToSend, messageReceived, and error. Because this component includes
implements="flexipage:availableForAllPageTypes", it can be used in the Lightning App Builder and added to
Lightning pages.
Note: The examples in this section are accessible on the Developerforce Github Repository.
<aura:component access="global" implements="flexipage:availableForAllPageTypes" >

<aura:attribute access="private" name="messageToSend" type="String" default=""/>
<aura:attribute access="private" name="messageReceived" type="String" default=""/>
<aura:attribute access="private" name="error" type="String" default=""/>
<div>
<lightning:input name="messageToSend" value="{!v.messageToSend}" label="Message
to send to React app: "/>
<lightning:button label="Send" onclick="{!c.sendMessage}"/>
<br/>
<lightning:textarea value="{!v.messageReceived}" label="Message received from React
app: "/>
<br/>
<aura:if isTrue="{! !empty(v.error)}">
<lightning:textarea name="errorTextArea" value="{!v.error}" label="Error: "/>
</aura:if>
<lightning:container aura:id="ReactApp"
src="{!$Resource.SendReceiveMessages + '/index.html'}"
onmessage="{!c.handleMessage}"
onerror="{!c.handleError}"/>
</div>
</aura:component>
The component includes a lightning:input element, allowing users to enter a value for messageToSend. When a user hits
Send, the component calls the controller method sendMessage. This component also provides methods for handling messages
and errors.
This snippet doesn’t include the component’s controller or other code, but don’t worry. We’ll dive in, break it down, and explain how to
implement message and error handling as we go in Sending Messages from the Lightning Container Component and Handling Errors
in Your Container.
SEE ALSO:
Lightning Container
Sending Messages from the Lightning Container Component
Handling Errors in Your Container
245

Use the onmessage attribute of lightning:container to specify a method for handling messages to and from the contents
of the component—that is, the embedded app. The contents of lightning:container are wrapped within an iframe, and this
method allows you to communicate across the frame boundary.
This example shows an Aura component that includes lightning:container and has three attributes, messageToSend,
messageReceived, and error.
This example uses the same code as the one in Using a Third-Party Framework. You can download the complete version of this example
from the Developerforce Github Repository.
<div>
to send to React app: "/>
<lightning:button label="Send" onclick="{!c.sendMessage}"/>
<br/>
<lightning:textarea value="{!v.messageReceived}" label="Message received from React
app: "/>
<br/>
</aura:if>
</div>
</aura:component>
messageToSend represents a message sent from Salesforce to the framed app, while messageReceived represents a message
sent by the app to the Aura component. lightning:container includes the required src attribute, an aura:id, and the
onmessage attribute. The onmessage attribute specifies the message-handling method in your JavaScript controller, and the
aura:id allows that method to reference the component.
This example shows the component’s JavaScript controller.
({
sendMessage : function(component, event, helper) {
var msg = {
name: "General",
value: component.get("v.messageToSend")
};
component.find("ReactApp").message(msg);
},
handleMessage: function(component, message, helper) {

var payload = message.getParams().payload;
246
var name = payload.name;

if (name === "General") {
var value = payload.value;
component.set("v.messageReceived", value);
}
else if (name === "Foo") {
// A different response
}
},
handleError: function(component, error, helper) {

var e = error;
}
})
This code does a couple of different things. The sendMessage action sends a message from the enclosing Aura component to the
embedded app. It creates a variable, msg, that has a JSON definition including a name and a value. This definition of the message
is user-defined—the message’s payload can be a value, a structured JSON response, or something else. The messageToSend attribute
of the Aura component populates the value of the message. The method then uses the component’s aura:id and the message()
function to send the message back to the Aura component.
The handleMessage method receives a message from the embedded app and handles it appropriately. It takes a component, a
message, and a helper as arguments. The method uses conditional logic to parse the message. If this is the message with the name
and value we’re expecting, the method sets the Aura component’s messageReceived attribute to the value of the message.
Although this code only defines one message, the conditional statement allows you to handle different types of message, which are
defined in the sendMessage method.
The handler code for sending and receiving messages can be complicated. It helps to understand the flow of a message between the
Aura component, its controller, and the app. The process begins when user enters a message as the messageToSend attribute.
When the user clicks Send, the component calls sendMessage. sendMessage defines the message payload and uses the
message() method to send it to the app. Within the static resource that defines the app, the specified message handler function
receives the message. Specify the message handling function within your JavaScript code using the lightning-container module’s
addMessageHandler() method. See the lightning-container NPM Module Reference for more information.
When lightning:container receives a message from the framed app, it calls the component controller’s handleMessage
method, as set in the onmessage attribute of lightning:container. The handleMessage method takes the message,
and sets its value as the messageReceived attribute. Finally, the component displays messageReceived in a
lightning:textarea.
This is a simple example of message handling across the container. Because you implement the controller-side code and the functionality
of the app, you can use this functionality for any kind of communication between Salesforce and the app embedded in
lightning:container.
Important: Don't send cryptographic secrets like an API key in a message. It's important to keep your API key secure.
SEE ALSO:
Lightning Container
247
Sending Messages to the Lightning Container Component

Use the methods in the lightning-container NPM module to send messages from the JavaScript code framed by
lightning:container.
The Lightning-container NPM module provides methods to send and receive messages between your JavaScript app and the Lightning
container component. You can see the lightning-container module on the NPM website.
Add the lightning-container module as a dependency in your code to implement the messaging framework in your app.
import LCC from 'lightning-container';
lightning-container must also be listed as a dependency in your app’s package.json file.

The code to send a message to lightning:container from the app is simple. This code corresponds to the code samples in
Sending Messages from the Lightning Container Component and Handling Errors in Your Container, and can be downloaded from the
Developerforce Github Repository.
sendMessage() {
LCC.sendMessage({name: "General", value: this.state.messageToSend});
}
This code, part of the static resource, sends a message as an object containing a name and a value, which is user-defined.
When the app receives a message, it’s handled by the function mounted by the addMessageHandler() method. In a React app,
functions must be mounted to be part of the document-object model and rendered in the output.
The lightning-container module provides similar methods for defining a function to handle errors in the messaging framework. For more
information, see lightning-container NPM Module Reference
Important: Don't send cryptographic secrets like an API key in a message. It's important to keep your API key secure.

Handle errors in Lightning container with a method in your component’s controller.
This example uses the same code as the examples in Using a Third-Party Framework and Sending Messages from the Lightning Container
Component.
In this component, the onerror attribute of lightning:container specifies handleError as the error handling method.
To display the error, the component markup uses a conditional statement, and another attribute, error, for holding an error message.

<div>
to send to React app: "/><lightning:button label="Send" onclick="{!c.sendMessage}"/>
<br/>
<lightning:textarea name="messageReceived" value="{!v.messageReceived}"

label="Message received from React app: "/>
<br/>
248

<lightning:textarea name="errorMessage" value="{!v.error}" label="Error: "/>
</aura:if>
</div>
</aura:component>
This is the component’s controller.

({
sendMessage : function(component, event, helper) {
var msg = {
name: "General",
value: component.get("v.messageToSend")
};
component.find("ReactApp").message(msg);
},

component.set("v.messageReceived", value);
}
}
},

var description = error.getParams().description;
component.set("v.error", description);
}
})
If the Lightning container application throws an error, the error handling function sets the error attribute. Then, in the component
markup, the conditional expression checks if the error attribute is empty. If it isn’t, the component populates a lightning:textarea
element with the error message stored in error.
SEE ALSO:
Lightning Container
249
Using Apex Services from Your Container

Use the lightning-container NPM module to call Apex methods from your Lightning container component.
To call Apex methods from lightning:container, you must set the CSP level to low in the manifest.json file. A CSP
level of low allows the Lightning container component load resources from outside of the Lightning domain.
This is an Aura component that includes a Lightning container component that uses Apex services:
<aura:component access="global" implements="flexipage:availableForAllPageTypes">
<div>
</aura:if>
src="/ApexController/index.html"
</div>
</aura:component>
This is the component’s controller:

({
var description = error.getParams().description;
component.set("v.error", description);
}
})
Note: You can download the complete version of this example from the Developerforce Github Repository.
There’s not a lot going on in the component’s JavaScript controller—the real action is in the JavaScript app, uploaded as a static resource,
that the Lightning container references.
import React, { Component } from 'react';
import LCC from "lightning-container";
import logo from './logo.svg';
import './App.css';
class App extends Component {
callApex() {
LCC.callApex("lcc1.ApexController.getAccount",
this.state.name,
this.handleAccountQueryResponse,
{escape: true});
}
handleAccountQueryResponse(result, event) {
if (event.status) {
this.setState({account: result});
250
Using Components Lightning Container Component Limits
}
else if (event.type === "exception") {
console.log(event.message + " : " + event.where);
}
}
render() {
var account = this.state.account;
return (
<div className="App">
<div className="App-header">
<img src={logo} className="App-logo" alt="logo" />
<h2>Welcome to LCC</h2>
</div>
<p className="App-intro">
Account Name: <input type="text" id="accountName" value={this.state.name}
onChange={e => this.onAccountNameChange(e)}/><br/>
<input type="submit" value="Call Apex Controller" onClick={this.callApex}/><br/>
Id: {account.Id}<br/>
Phone: {account.Phone}<br/>
Type: {account.Type}<br/>
Number of Employees: {account.NumberOfEmployees}<br/>
</p>
</div>
);
}
constructor(props) {
super(props);
this.state = {
name: "",
account: {}
};
this.handleAccountQueryResponse = this.handleAccountQueryResponse.bind(this);
this.onAccountNameChange = this.onAccountNameChange.bind(this);
this.callApex = this.callApex.bind(this);
}
onAccountNameChange(e) {
this.setState({name: e.target.value});
}
}
export default App;
The first function, callApex(), uses the LCC.callApex method to call getAccount, an Apex method that gets and displays
an account’s information.
Lightning Container Component Limits

Understand the limits of lightning:container.
251
Using Components Lightning Container Component Limits
lightning:container has known limitations. You might observe performance and scrolling issues associated with the use of
iframes. This component isn’t designed for the multi-page model, and it doesn’t integrate with browser navigation history.
If you navigate away from the page and a lightning:container component is on, the component doesn’t automatically
remember its state. The content within the iframe doesn’t use the same offline and caching schemes as the rest of Lightning Experience.
Creating a Lightning app that loads a Lightning container static resource from another namespace is not supported. If you install a
package, your apps should use the custom Lightning components published by that package, not their static resources directly. Any
static resource you use as the lightning:container src attribute should have your own namespace.
Previous versions of lightning:container allowed developers to specify the Content Security Policy (CSP) of the iframed content.
We removed this functionality for security reasons. The CSP level of all pages is now set to high. This value provides the greatest security,
because content can only be loaded from secure, approved domains. When lightning:container is used in Communities, the
CSP setting in that community will be respected.
Apps that use lightning:container should work with data, not metadata. Don’t use the session key for your app to manage
custom objects or fields. You can use the session key to create and update object records.
Content in lightning:container is served from the Lightning container domain and is available in Lightning Experience,
Lightning Communities, and the Salesforce mobile app. lightning:container can’t be used in Lightning pages that aren’t
served from the Lightning domain, such as Visualforce pages or in external apps through Lightning Out.
IN THIS SECTION:
Lightning Container Component Security Requirements
Ensure that your Lightning container components meet security requirements.
SEE ALSO:
Lightning Container
Salesforce Help: Content Security Policy in Communities
Lightning Container Component Security Requirements

Ensure that your Lightning container components meet security requirements.
Namespace Validity
The Lightning container component’s security measures check the validity of its namespaces. Suppose that you develop a
<lightning:container> component with the namespace “vendor1.” The static resource’s namespace must also be “vendor1.”
If they don’t match, an error message appears.
<aura:component>
<lightning:container
src="{!$Resource.vendor1__resource + '/code_belonging_to_vendor1'}"
onmessage="{!c.vendor1__handles}"/>
<aura:component>
252
Using Components The Lightning Realty App
Static Resource Content Access

You can’t use raw <iframe> elements to access a Lightning container component. The <lightning:container> component
enforces this requirement with the query parameter _CONFIRMATIONTOKEN, which generates a unique ID for each user session.
The following code isn’t permitted, because the <iframe> src attribute doesn’t contain a _CONFIRMATIONTOKEN query parameter.
<aura:component>
<iframe
src="https://domain--vendor2.container.lightning.com/lcc/123456/vendor2__resource/index.html"/>
</aura:component>
Instead, use the $Resource global value provider to build the resource URL for the <lightning:container> component.
<aura:component>
<lightning:container
src="{!$Resource.vendor2__resource + '/index.html' }"/>
</aura:component>
Distribution Requirements
To upload a package to AppExchange, you must supply all the Lightning container component’s original sources and dependencies.
When you provide minified or transpiled code, you must also include the source files for that code and the source map (.js.map) files for
the minified code.
The Lightning Realty App

The Lightning Realty App is a more robust example of messaging between the Lightning Container Component and Salesforce.
The Lightning realty app’s messaging framework relies on code in an Aura component, the component’s handler, and the static resource
referenced by lightning:container. The Lightning container component points to the message handling function in the Aura
component’s JavaScript controller. The message handling function takes in a message sent by the source JavaScript, which uses a method
provided by the lightning-container NPM module.
See Install the Example Lightning Realty App for instructions to install this example in your development org.
Let’s look at the Aura component first. Although the code that defines the Realty component is simple, it allows the JavaScript of the
realty app to communicate with Salesforce and load sample data.
<aura:attribute access="global" name="mainTitle" type="String" required="true"

default="My Properties"/>

<div>
<aura:if isTrue="{! !empty(v.messageReceived)}">
<lightning:textarea name="messageReceivedTextArea" value="{!v.messageReceived}"
label=" "/>
</aura:if>

253
</aura:if>
src="{!$Resource.Realty + '/index.html?mainTitle=' +
v.mainTitle}"
</div>
</aura:component>
This code is similar to the example code in Sending Messages from the Lightning Container Component and Handling Errors in Your
Container.
There’s also code in the Aura component’s controller and in the source JavaScript that allows the iframed app to communicate with
Salesforce. In PropertyHome.js, part of the source, the realty app calls LCC.sendMessage. This segment of code filters the
list of properties, then creates a message to send back to the container that includes the selected property’s address, price, city, state,
zip code, and description.
saveHandler(property) {
let filteredProperty = propertyService.filterProperty(property);
propertyService.createItem(filteredProperty).then(() => {
propertyService.findAll(this.state.sort).then(properties => {
let filteredProperties = propertyService.filterFoundProperties(properties);
this.setState({addingProperty: false, properties:filteredProperties});
});
let message = {};
message.address = property.address;
message.price = property.price;
message.city = property.city;
message.state = property.state;
message.zip = property.zip;
message.description = property.description;
LCC.sendMessage({name: "PropertyCreated", value: message});
});
},
Then, the JavaScript calls LCC.sendMessage with a name-value pair. This code uses the sendMessage method, which is part
of the messaging API provided by the lightning-container NPM module. For more information, see Sending Messages to the Lightning
Container Component.
The last bit of action happens in the component’s controller, in the handleMessage() function.
if (name === "PropertyCreated") {
var messageToUser;
if (value.price > 1000000) {
messageToUser = "Big Real Estate Opportunity in " + value.city + ", " +
value.state + " : $" + value.price;
}
else {
messageToUser = "Small Real Estate Opportunity in " + value.city + ", " +
value.state + " : $" + value.price;
254
}
var log = component.get("v.log");
log.push(messageToUser);
component.set("v.log", log);
}
},
This function takes a message as an argument, and checks that the name is "PropertyCreated". This is the same name set by
LCC.sendMessage in the app’s JavaScript.
This function takes the message payload—in this case, a JSON array describing a property—and checks the value of the property. If the
value is over $1 million, it sends a message to the user telling him or her that there’s a big real estate opportunity. Otherwise, it returns
a message telling the user that there’s a smaller real estate opportunity.
IN THIS SECTION:
Install the Example Lightning Realty App
See further examples of lightning:container in the Developerforce Git repository.
Install the Example Lightning Realty App

See further examples of lightning:container in the Developerforce Git repository.
Implement a more in-depth example of lightning:container with the code included in
https://github.com/developerforce/LightningContainerExamples. This example uses React and lightning:container to show
a real estate listing app in a Lightning page.
To implement this example, use npm. The easiest way to install npm is by installing node.js. Once you’ve installed npm, install the latest
version by running npm install --save latest-version from the command line.
To create custom Lightning components, you also need to have enabled My Domain in your org. For more information on My Domain,
see My Domain in the Salesforce Help.
1. Clone the Git repository. From the command line, enter git clone
https://github.com/developerforce/LightningContainerExamples
2. From the command line, navigate to LightningContainerExamples/ReactJS/Javascript/Realty and build
the project’s dependencies by entering npm install.
3. From the command line, build the app by entering npm run build.
4. Edit package.json and add your Salesforce login credentials where indicated.
5. From the command line, enter npm run deploy.
6. Log in to Salesforce and activate the new Realty Lightning page in the Lightning App Builder by adding it to a Lightning app.
7. To upload sample data to your org, enter npm run load from the command line.
See the Lightning realty app in action in your org. The app uses lightning:container to embed a React app in a Lightning
page, displaying sample real estate listing data.
255
Using Components lightning-container NPM Module Reference
The component and handler code are similar to the examples in Sending Messages from the Lightning Container Component and
Handling Errors in Your Container.
lightning-container NPM Module Reference

Use methods included in the lightning-container NPM module in your JavaScript code to send and receive messages to and from your
custom Aura component, and to interact with the Salesforce REST API.
IN THIS SECTION:
addErrorHandler()
Mounts an error handling function, to be called when the messaging framework encounters an error.
addMessageHandler()
Mounts a message handling function, used to handle messages sent from the Aura component to the framed JavaScript app.
callApex()
Makes an Apex call.
getRESTAPISessionKey()
Returns the Salesforce REST API session key.
removeErrorHandler()
Unmounts the error handling function.
removeMessageHandler()
Unmounts the message-handling function.
256
sendMessage()
Sends a message from the framed JavaScript code to the Aura component.
addErrorHandler()
Mounts an error handling function, to be called when the messaging framework encounters an error.
Sample
Used within a JavaScript app uploaded as a static resource and referenced by lightning:container, this example mounts a
message error handling function. In a React app, functions must be mounted to be part of the document-object model and rendered
in the output.
componentDidMount() {
LCC.addErrorHandler(this.onMessageError);
}
You can view and download this example in the Developerforce Github Repository.
Arguments

handler: (errorMsg: function The function that handles error messages encountered in
string) => void) the messaging framework.
Response
None.
addMessageHandler()
Mounts a message handling function, used to handle messages sent from the Aura component to the framed JavaScript app.
Sample
Used within a JavaScript app uploaded as a static resource and referenced by lightning:container, this example mounts a
message handling function. In a React app, functions must be mounted to be part of the document-object model and rendered in the
output.
LCC.addMessageHandler(this.onMessage);
}
onMessage(msg) {
let name = msg.name;
let value = msg.value;
this.setState({messageReceived: value});
}
257

}
}
Arguments

handler: (userMsg: any) function The function that handles messages sent from the Aura
=> void component.
Response
None.
callApex()
Makes an Apex call.
Sample
Used within a JavaScript app uploaded as a static resource and referenced by lightning:container, this example calls the Apex
method getAccount.
callApex() {
LCC.callApex("lcc1.ApexController.getAccount",
this.state.name,
this.handleAccountQueryResponse,
{escape: true});
}
Arguments

fullyQualifiedApexMethodName string The name of the Apex method.
apexMethodParameters array A JSON array of arguments for the Apex method.
callbackFunction function A callback function.
apexCallConfiguration array Configuration parameters for the Apex call.
Response
None.
258
getRESTAPISessionKey()
Returns the Salesforce REST API session key.
Use this method when your embedded app needs to interact with the Salesforce REST API, such as executing a SOQL query.
Don’t use the session key to manage custom objects or fields. You can use the session key to create and update object records. Apps
that use lightning:container should work with data, not metadata.
Important: It's important to keep your API key secure. Don't give this key to code you don't trust, and don't include it in URLs or
hyperlinks, even to another page in your app.
Salesforce uses the no-referrer policy to protect against leaking your app's URL to outside servers, such as image hosts. However,
this policy doesn't protect some browsers, meaning your app's URLs could be included in outside requests.
Sample
Used within a JavaScript app uploaded as a static resource and referenced by lightning:container, this example gets the REST
API session key and uses it to execute a SOQL query.
let sid = LCC.getRESTAPISessionKey();
let conn = new JSForce.Connection({accessToken: sid});
conn.query("SELECT Id, Name from Account LIMIT 50", this.handleAccountQueryResponse);
}
Arguments
None.
Response

key string The REST API session key.
removeErrorHandler()
Unmounts the error handling function.
When using React, it’s necessary to unmount functions to remove them from the DOM and perform necessary cleanup.
Sample
Used within a JavaScript app uploaded as a static resource and referenced by lightning:container, this example unmounts a
message error handling function. In a React app, functions must be mounted to be part of the document-object model and rendered
in the output.
componentWillUnmount() {
LCC.removeErrorHandler(this.onMessageError);
}
259
Arguments

handler: (errorMsg: function The function that handles error messages encountered in
string) => void) the messaging framework.
Response
None.
removeMessageHandler()
Unmounts the message-handling function.
When using React, it’s necessary to unmount functions to remove them from the DOM and perform necessary cleanup.
Sample
Used within a JavaScript app uploaded as a static resource and referenced by lightning:container, this example unmounts a
message handling function.
componentWillUnmount() {
LCC.removeMessageHandler(this.onMessage);
}
Arguments

handler: (userMsg: any) function The function that handles messages sent from the Aura
=> void component.
Response
None.
sendMessage()
Sends a message from the framed JavaScript code to the Aura component.
260
Sample
Used within a JavaScript app uploaded as a static resource and referenced by lightning:container, this example sends a
message from the app to lightning:container.
sendMessage() {
LCC.sendMessage({name: "General", value: this.state.messageToSend});
}
Arguments

userMsg any While the data sent in the message is entirely under your
control, by convention it’s an object with name and value
fields.
Response
None.
261
CHAPTER 5 Communicating with Events
In this chapter ... The framework uses event-driven programming. You write handlers that respond to interface events as
they occur. The events may or may not have been triggered by user interaction.
• Actions and Events
In the Aura Components programming model, events are fired from JavaScript controller actions. Events
• Handling Events with
can contain attributes that can be set before the event is fired and read when the event is handled.
Client-Side
Controllers Events are declared by the aura:event tag in a .evt resource, and they can have one of two types:
• Component Events component or application.
• Application Events Component Events
• Event Handling A component event is fired from an instance of a component. A component event can be handled
Lifecycle by the component that fired the event or by a component in the containment hierarchy that receives
the event.
• Advanced Events
Example Application Events
• Firing Events from Application events follow a traditional publish-subscribe model. An application event is fired from
Non-Aura Code an instance of a component. All components that provide a handler for the event are notified.
• Events Best Practices Note: Always try to use a component event instead of an application event, if possible. Component
• Events Fired During events can only be handled by components above them in the containment hierarchy so their
the Rendering usage is more localized to the components that need to know about them. Application events
Lifecycle are best used for something that should be handled at the application level, such as navigating
• Events Handled in to a specific record. Application events allow communication between components that are in
the Salesforce Mobile separate parts of the application and have no direct containment relationship.
App and Lightning
Experience
• System Events
262
Communicating with Events Actions and Events
Actions and Events

The framework uses events to communicate data between components. Events are usually triggered by a user action.
Actions
User interaction with an element on a component or app. User actions trigger events, but events aren’t always explicitly triggered
by user actions. This type of action is not the same as a client-side JavaScript controller, which is sometimes known as a controller
action. The following button is wired up to a browser onclick event in response to a button click.
<lightning:button label = "Click Me" onclick = "{!c.handleClick}" />
Clicking the button invokes the handleClick method in the component’s client-side controller.
Events
A notification by the browser regarding an action. Browser events are handled by client-side JavaScript controllers, as shown in the
previous example. A browser event is not the same as a framework component event or application event, which you can create and
fire in a JavaScript controller to communicate data between components. For example, you can wire up the click event of a checkbox
to a client-side controller, which fires a component event to communicate relevant data to a parent component.
Another type of event, known as a system event, is fired automatically by the framework during its lifecycle, such as during component
initialization, change of an attribute value, and rendering. Components can handle a system event by registering the event in the
component markup.
The following diagram describes what happens when a user clicks a button that requires the component to retrieve data from the server.
1. User clicks a button or interacts with a component, triggering a browser event. For example, you want to save data from the server
when the button is clicked.
2. The button click invokes a client-side JavaScript controller, which provides some custom logic before invoking a helper function.
3. The JavaScript controller invokes a helper function. A helper function improves code reuse but it’s optional for this example.
4. The helper function calls an Apex controller method and queues the action.
5. The Apex method is invoked and data is returned.
6. A JavaScript callback function is invoked when the Apex method completes.
7. The JavaScript callback function evaluates logic and updates the component’s UI.
263
Communicating with Events Handling Events with Client-Side Controllers
8. User sees the updated component.
SEE ALSO:
Calling a Server-Side Action
Events Fired During the Rendering Lifecycle

A client-side controller handles events within a component. It’s a JavaScript resource that defines the functions for all of the component’s
actions.
A client-side controller is a JavaScript object in object-literal notation containing a map of name-value pairs. Each name corresponds to
a client-side action. Its value is the function code associated with the action. Client-side controllers are surrounded by parentheses and
curly braces. Separate action handlers with commas (as you would with any JavaScript map).
({
myAction : function(cmp, event, helper) {
// add code for the action
},
anotherAction : function(cmp, event, helper) {

// add code for the action
}
})
Each action function takes in three parameters:

1. cmp—The component to which the controller belongs.
2. event—The event that the action is handling.
3. helper—The component’s helper, which is optional. A helper contains functions that can be reused by any JavaScript code in
the component bundle.
Creating a Client-Side Controller

A client-side controller is part of the component bundle. It is auto-wired via the naming convention,
componentNameController.js.
To create a client-side controller using the Developer Console, click CONTROLLER in the sidebar of the component.
Calling Client-Side Controller Actions

The following example component creates two buttons to contrast an HTML button with <lightning:button>, which is a
standard Lightning component. Clicking on these buttons updates the text component attribute with the specified values.
target.get("v.label") refers to the label attribute value on the button.
264
Communicating with Events Handling Events with Client-Side Controllers
Component source
<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="text" type="String" default="Just a string. Waiting for change."/>
<input type="button" value="Flawed HTML Button"

onclick="alert('this will not work')"/>
<br/>
<lightning:button label="Framework Button" onclick="{!c.handleClick}"/>
<br/>
{!v.text}
</aura:component>
If you know some JavaScript, you might be tempted to write something like the first "Flawed" button because you know that HTML tags
are first-class citizens in the framework. However, the "Flawed" button won't work because arbitrary JavaScript, such as the alert()
call, in the component is ignored.
The framework has its own event system. DOM events are mapped to Lightning events, since HTML tags are mapped to Lightning
components.
Any browser DOM element event starting with on, such as onclick or onkeypress, can be wired to a controller action. You can
only wire browser events to controller actions.
The "Framework" button wires the onclick attribute in the <lightning:button> component to the handleClick action
in the controller.
Client-side controller source
({
handleClick : function(cmp, event) {
var attributeValue = cmp.get("v.text");
console.log("current text: " + attributeValue);
var target = event.getSource();

cmp.set("v.text", target.get("v.label"));
}
})
The handleClick action uses event.getSource() to get the source component that fired this component event. In this
case, the source component is the <lightning:button> in the markup.
The code then sets the value of the text component attribute to the value of the button’s label attribute. The text component
attribute is defined in the <aura:attribute> tag in the markup.
Tip: Use unique names for client-side and server-side actions in a component. A JavaScript function (client-side action) with the
same name as an Apex method (server-side action ) can lead to hard-to-debug issues. In debug mode, the framework logs a
browser console warning about the clashing client-side and server-side action names.
Handling Framework Events

Handle framework events using actions in client-side component controllers. Framework events for common mouse and keyboard
interactions are available with out-of-the-box components.
265
Communicating with Events Component Events
Accessing Component Attributes

In the handleClick function, notice that the first argument to every action is the component to which the controller belongs. One
of the most common things you'll want to do with this component is look at and change its attribute values.
cmp.get("v.attributeName") returns the value of the attributeName attribute.
cmp.set("v.attributeName", "attribute value") sets the value of the attributeName attribute.
Invoking Another Action in the Controller

To call an action method from another method, put the common code in a helper function and invoke it using
helper.someFunction(cmp).
SEE ALSO:
Event Handling Lifecycle
Creating Server-Side Logic with Controllers
Component Events
A component event is fired from an instance of a component. A component event can be handled by the component that fired the
event or by a component in the containment hierarchy that receives the event.
IN THIS SECTION:
Component Event Propagation
The framework supports capture and bubble phases for the propagation of component events. These phases are similar to DOM
handling patterns and provide an opportunity for interested components to interact with an event and potentially control the
behavior for subsequent handlers.
Create Custom Component Events
Create a custom component event using the <aura:event> tag in a .evt resource. Events can contain attributes that can
be set before the event is fired and read when the event is handled.
Fire Component Events
Fire a component event to communicate data to another component. A component event can be handled by the component that
fired the event or by a component in the containment hierarchy that receives the event.
266
Communicating with Events Component Event Propagation
Handling Component Events

A component event can be handled by the component that fired the event or by a component in the containment hierarchy that
receives the event.
SEE ALSO:
aura:method
Application Events
Advanced Events Example
What is Inherited?

The framework supports capture and bubble phases for the propagation of component events. These phases are similar to DOM handling
patterns and provide an opportunity for interested components to interact with an event and potentially control the behavior for
subsequent handlers.
The component that fires an event is known as the source component. The framework allows you to handle the event in different phases.
These phases give you flexibility for how to best process the event for your application.
The phases are:
Capture
The event is captured and trickles down from the application root to the source component. The event can be handled by a component
in the containment hierarchy that receives the captured event.
Event handlers are invoked in order from the application root down to the source component that fired the event.
Any registered handler in this phase can stop the event from propagating, at which point no more handlers are called in this phase
or the bubble phase.
Bubble
The component that fired the event can handle it. The event then bubbles up from the source component to the application root.
The event can be handled by a component in the containment hierarchy that receives the bubbled event.
Event handlers are invoked in order from the source component that fired the event up to the application root.
Any registered handler in this phase can stop the event from propagating, at which point no more handlers are called in this phase.
Here’s the sequence of component event propagation.
1. Event fired—A component event is fired.
2. Capture phase—The framework executes the capture phase from the application root to the source component until all components
are traversed. Any handling event can stop propagation by calling stopPropagation() on the event.
3. Bubble phase—The framework executes the bubble phase from the source component to the application root until all components
are traversed or stopPropagation() is called.
Note: Application events have a separate default phase. There’s no separate default phase for component events. The default
phase is the bubble phase.
267
Communicating with Events Create Custom Component Events
Create Custom Component Events

Create a custom component event using the <aura:event> tag in a .evt resource. Events can contain attributes that can be set
before the event is fired and read when the event is handled.
Use type="COMPONENT" in the <aura:event> tag for a component event. For example, this c:compEvent component
event has one attribute with a name of message.

<aura:event type="COMPONENT">

<aura:attribute name="message" type="String"/>
</aura:event>
The component that fires an event can set the event’s data. To set the attribute values, call event.setParam() or
event.setParams(). A parameter name set in the event must match the name attribute of an <aura:attribute> in the
event. For example, if you fire c:compEvent, you could use:
event.setParam("message", "event message here");
The component that handles an event can retrieve the event data. To retrieve the attribute value in this event, call
event.getParam("message") in the handler’s client-side controller.

Fire a component event to communicate data to another component. A component event can be handled by the component that fired
the event or by a component in the containment hierarchy that receives the event.
Register an Event
A component registers that it may fire an event by using <aura:registerEvent> in its markup. For example:
<aura:registerEvent name="sampleComponentEvent" type="c:compEvent"/>
We’ll see how the value of the name attribute is used for firing and handling events.
Fire an Event
To get a reference to a component event in JavaScript, use cmp.getEvent("evtName") where evtName matches the name
attribute in <aura:registerEvent>.
Use fire() to fire the event from an instance of a component. For example, in an action function in a client-side controller:
var compEvent = cmp.getEvent("sampleComponentEvent");
// Optional: set some data for the event (also known as event shape)
// A parameter’s name must match the name attribute
// of one of the event’s <aura:attribute> tags
// compEvent.setParams({"myParam" : myValue });
compEvent.fire();
SEE ALSO:
Fire Application Events
268
Communicating with Events Handling Component Events

A component event can be handled by the component that fired the event or by a component in the containment hierarchy that receives
the event.
Use <aura:handler> in the markup of the handler component. For example:
<aura:handler name="sampleComponentEvent" event="c:compEvent"
action="{!c.handleComponentEvent}"/>
The name attribute in <aura:handler> must match the name attribute in the <aura:registerEvent> tag in the
component that fires the event.
The action attribute of <aura:handler> sets the client-side controller action to handle the event.
The event attribute specifies the event being handled. The format is namespace:eventName.
In this example, when the event is fired, the handleComponentEvent client-side controller action is called.
Event Handling Phases

Component event handlers are associated with the bubble phase by default. To add a handler for the capture phase instead, use the
phase attribute.
<aura:handler name="sampleComponentEvent" event="ns:eventName"

action="{!c.handleComponentEvent}" phase="capture" />
Get the Source of an Event

In the client-side controller action for an <aura:handler> tag, use evt.getSource() to find out which component fired the
event, where evt is a reference to the event. To retrieve the source element, use evt.getSource().getElement().
IN THIS SECTION:
Component Handling Its Own Event
A component can handle its own event by using the <aura:handler> tag in its markup.
Handle Component Event of Instantiated Component
A parent component can set a handler action when it instantiates a child component in its markup.
Handling Bubbled or Captured Component Events
Event propagation rules determine which components in the containment hierarchy can handle events by default in the bubble or
capture phases. Learn about the rules and how to handle events in the bubble or capture phases.
Handling Component Events Dynamically
A component can have its handler bound dynamically via JavaScript. This is useful if a component is created in JavaScript on the
client-side.
SEE ALSO:
Handling Application Events
269

A component can handle its own event by using the <aura:handler> tag in its markup.
The action attribute of <aura:handler> sets the client-side controller action to handle the event. For example:
action="{!c.handleSampleEvent}"/>
Note: The name attributes in <aura:registerEvent> and <aura:handler> must match, since each event is
defined by its name.
SEE ALSO:

A parent component can set a handler action when it instantiates a child component in its markup.
Let’s a look at an example. c:child registers that it may fire a sampleComponentEvent event by using
<aura:registerEvent> in its markup.


<aura:component>
</aura:component>
c:parent sets a handler for this event when it instantiates c:child in its markup.


<aura:component>
<c:child sampleComponentEvent="{!c.handleChildEvent}"/>
</aura:component>
Note how c:parent uses the following syntax to set a handler for the sampleComponentEvent event fired by c:child.
<c:child sampleComponentEvent="{!c.handleChildEvent}"/>
The syntax looks similar to how you set an attribute called sampleComponentEvent. However, in this case,
sampleComponentEvent isn’t an attribute. sampleComponentEvent matches the event name declared in c:child.
The preceding syntax is a convenient shortcut for the normal way that a component declares a handler for an event. The parent component
can only use this syntax to handle events from a direct descendent. If you want to be more explicit in c:parent that you’re handling
an event, or if the event might be fired by a component further down the component hierarchy, use an <aura:handler> tag
instead of declaring the handler within the <c:child> tag.

<aura:component>
action="{!c.handleSampleEvent}"/>
<c:child />
</aura:component>
270
The two versions of c:parent markup behave the same. However, using <aura:handler> makes it more obvious that you’re
handling a sampleComponentEvent event.
SEE ALSO:

The framework supports capture and bubble phases for the propagation of component events. These phases are similar to DOM handling
patterns and provide an opportunity for interested components to interact with an event and potentially control the behavior for
subsequent handlers. The capture phase executes before the bubble phase.
Default Event Propagation Rules

By default, every parent in the containment hierarchy can’t handle an event during the capture and bubble phases. Instead, the event
propagates to every owner in the containment hierarchy.
A component’s owner is the component that is responsible for its creation. For declaratively created components, the owner is the
outermost component containing the markup that references the component firing the event. For programmatically created components,
the owner component is the component that invoked $A.createComponent to create it.
The same rules apply for the capture phase, although the direction of event propagation (down) is the opposite of the bubble phase
(up).
Confused? It makes more sense when you look at an example in the bubbling phase.
c:owner contains c:container, which in turn contains c:eventSource.

<aura:component>
<c:container>
<c:eventSource />
</c:container>
</aura:component>
If c:eventSource fires an event, it can handle the event itself. The event then bubbles up the containment hierarchy.
c:container contains c:eventSource but it’s not the owner because it’s not the outermost component in the markup, so it
can’t handle the bubbled event.
c:owner is the owner because c:container is in its markup. c:owner can handle the event.
Propagation to All Container Components

The default behavior doesn’t allow an event to be handled by every parent in the containment hierarchy. Some components contain
other components but aren’t the owner of those components. These components are known as container components. In the example,
c:container is a container component because it’s not the owner for c:eventSource. By default, c:container can’t
handle events fired by c:eventSource.
271
A container component has a facet attribute whose type is Aura.Component[], such as the default body attribute. The container
component includes those components in its definition using an expression, such as {!v.body}. The container component isn’t the
owner of the components rendered with that expression.
To allow a container component to handle the event, add includeFacets="true" to the <aura:handler> tag of the
container component. For example, adding includeFacets="true" to the handler in the container component, c:container,
enables it to handle the component event bubbled from c:eventSource.
<aura:handler name="bubblingEvent" event="c:compEvent" action="{!c.handleBubbling}"
includeFacets="true" />
Handle Bubbled Event

A component that fires a component event registers that it fires the event by using the <aura:registerEvent> tag.
<aura:component>
<aura:registerEvent name="compEvent" type="c:compEvent" />
</aura:component>
A component handling the event in the bubble phase uses the <aura:handler> tag to assign a handling action in its client-side
controller.
<aura:component>
<aura:handler name="compEvent" event="c:compEvent" action="{!c.handleBubbling}"/>
</aura:component>
Note: The name attribute in <aura:handler> must match the name attribute in the <aura:registerEvent> tag
in the component that fires the event.
Handle Captured Event

A component handling the event in the capture phase uses the <aura:handler> tag to assign a handling action in its client-side
controller.
<aura:component>
<aura:handler name="compEvent" event="c:compEvent" action="{!c.handleCapture}"
phase="capture" />
</aura:component>
The default handling phase for component events is bubble if no phase attribute is set.
Stop Event Propagation

Use the stopPropagation() method in the Event object to stop the event propagating to other components.
Pausing Event Propagation for Asynchronous Code Execution

Use event.pause() to pause event handling and propagation until event.resume() is called. This flow-control mechanism
is useful for any decision that depends on the response from the execution of asynchronous code. For example, you might make a
decision about event propagation based on the response from an asynchronous call to native mobile code.
You can call pause() or resume() in the capture or bubble phases.
272
Event Bubbling Example

Let’s look at an example so you can play around with it yourself.

<aura:component>
<c:eventBubblingChild>
<c:eventBubblingGrandchild />
</c:eventBubblingChild>
</aura:component>
Note: This sample code uses the default c namespace. If your org has a namespace, use that namespace instead.
First, we define a simple component event.



</aura:event>
c:eventBubblingEmitter is the component that fires c:compEvent.

<aura:component>
<aura:registerEvent name="bubblingEvent" type="c:compEvent" />
<lightning:button onclick="{!c.fireEvent}" label="Start Bubbling"/>
</aura:component>
Here’s the controller for c:eventBubblingEmitter. When you press the button, it fires the bubblingEvent event registered
in the markup.
/*eventBubblingEmitterController.js*/
{
fireEvent : function(cmp) {
var cmpEvent = cmp.getEvent("bubblingEvent");
cmpEvent.fire();
}
}
c:eventBubblingGrandchild contains c:eventBubblingEmitter and uses <aura:handler> to assign a handler

for the event.

<aura:component>
<aura:handler name="bubblingEvent" event="c:compEvent" action="{!c.handleBubbling}"/>
<div class="grandchild">
<c:eventBubblingEmitter />
</div>
</aura:component>
Here’s the controller for c:eventBubblingGrandchild.

/*eventBubblingGrandchildController.js*/
{
handleBubbling : function(component, event) {
273
console.log("Grandchild handler for " + event.getName());

}
}
The controller logs the event name when the handler is called.
Here’s the markup for c:eventBubblingChild. We will pass c:eventBubblingGrandchild in as the body of
c:eventBubblingChild when we create c:eventBubblingParent later in this example.

<aura:component>
<div class="child">
{!v.body}
</div>
</aura:component>
Here’s the controller for c:eventBubblingChild.

/*eventBubblingChildController.js*/
{
console.log("Child handler for " + event.getName());
}
}
c:eventBubblingParent contains c:eventBubblingChild, which in turn contains c:eventBubblingGrandchild.

<aura:component>
<div class="parent">
<c:eventBubblingChild>
<c:eventBubblingGrandchild />
</c:eventBubblingChild>
</div>
</aura:component>
Here’s the controller for c:eventBubblingParent.

/*eventBubblingParentController.js*/
{
console.log("Parent handler for " + event.getName());
}
}
Now, let’s see what happens when you run the code.
1. In your browser, navigate to c:eventBubblingParent. Create a .app resource that contains
<c:eventBubblingParent />.
2. Click the Start Bubbling button that is part of the markup in c:eventBubblingEmitter.
274
Communicating with Events Component Event Example
3. Note the output in your browser’s console:

Grandchild handler for bubblingEvent
Parent handler for bubblingEvent
The c:compEvent event is bubbled to c:eventBubblingGrandchild and c:eventBubblingParent as they are

owners in the containment hierarchy. The event is not handled by c:eventBubblingChild as c:eventBubblingChild
is in the markup for c:eventBubblingParent but it’s not an owner as it’s not the outermost component in that markup.
Now, let’s see how to stop event propagation. Edit the controller for c:eventBubblingGrandchild to stop propagation.
/*eventBubblingGrandchildController.js*/
{
console.log("Grandchild handler for " + event.getName());
event.stopPropagation();
}
}
Now, navigate to c:eventBubblingParent and click the Start Bubbling button.

Note the output in your browser’s console:
Grandchild handler for bubblingEvent
The event no longer bubbles up to the c:eventBubblingParent component.
SEE ALSO:
Handling Component Events Dynamically

A component can have its handler bound dynamically via JavaScript. This is useful if a component is created in JavaScript on the client-side.
For more information, see Dynamically Adding Event Handlers To a Component on page 377.
Component Event Example

Here’s a simple use case of using a component event to update an attribute in another component.
1. A user clicks a button in the notifier component, ceNotifier.cmp.
2. The client-side controller for ceNotifier.cmp sets a message in a component event and fires the event.
3. The handler component, ceHandler.cmp, contains the notifier component, and handles the fired event.
4. The client-side controller for ceHandler.cmp sets an attribute in ceHandler.cmp based on the data sent in the event.
Note: The event and components in this example use the default c namespace. If your org has a namespace, use that namespace
instead.
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Communicating with Events Component Event Example
Component Event
The ceEvent.evt component event has one attribute. We’ll use this attribute to pass some data in the event when it’s fired.

</aura:event>
Notifier Component
The c:ceNotifier component uses aura:registerEvent to declare that it may fire the component event.
The button in the component contains an onclick browser event that is wired to the fireComponentEvent action in the
client-side controller. The action is invoked when you click the button.

<aura:component>
<aura:registerEvent name="cmpEvent" type="c:ceEvent"/>
<h1>Simple Component Event Sample</h1>

<p><lightning:button
label="Click here to fire a component event"
onclick="{!c.fireComponentEvent}" />
</p>
</aura:component>
The client-side controller gets an instance of the event by calling cmp.getEvent("cmpEvent"), where cmpEvent matches
the value of the name attribute in the <aura:registerEvent> tag in the component markup. The controller sets the message
attribute of the event and fires the event.
/* ceNotifierController.js */
{
fireComponentEvent : function(cmp, event) {
// Get the component event by using the
// name value from aura:registerEvent
var cmpEvent = cmp.getEvent("cmpEvent");
cmpEvent.setParams({
"message" : "A component event fired me. " +
"It all happened so fast. Now, I'm here!" });
cmpEvent.fire();
}
}
Handler Component
The c:ceHandler handler component contains the c:ceNotifier component. The <aura:handler> tag uses the same
value of the name attribute, cmpEvent, from the <aura:registerEvent> tag in c:ceNotifier. This wires up
c:ceHandler to handle the event bubbled up from c:ceNotifier.
When the event is fired, the handleComponentEvent action in the client-side controller of the handler component is invoked.

<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="messageFromEvent" type="String"/>
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Communicating with Events Application Events
<aura:attribute name="numEvents" type="Integer" default="0"/>

<aura:handler name="cmpEvent" event="c:ceEvent" action="{!c.handleComponentEvent}"/>


<c:ceNotifier />
<p>{!v.messageFromEvent}</p>
<p>Number of events: {!v.numEvents}</p>
</aura:component>
The controller retrieves the data sent in the event and uses it to update the messageFromEvent attribute in the handler component.
/* ceHandlerController.js */
{
handleComponentEvent : function(cmp, event) {
var message = event.getParam("message");
// set the handler attributes based on event data

cmp.set("v.messageFromEvent", message);
var numEventsHandled = parseInt(cmp.get("v.numEvents")) + 1;
cmp.set("v.numEvents", numEventsHandled);
}
}
Put It All Together

Add the c:ceHandler component to a c:ceHandlerApp application. Navigate to the application and click the button to fire
the component event.
https://<myDomain>.lightning.force.com/c/ceHandlerApp.app, where <myDomain> is the name of your
custom Salesforce domain.
If you want to access data on the server, you could extend this example to call a server-side controller from the handler’s client-side
controller.
SEE ALSO:
Component Events
Application Event Example
Application Events
Application events follow a traditional publish-subscribe model. An application event is fired from an instance of a component. All
components that provide a handler for the event are notified.
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Communicating with Events Application Event Propagation
IN THIS SECTION:
Application Event Propagation
The framework supports capture, bubble, and default phases for the propagation of application events. The capture and bubble
phases are similar to DOM handling patterns and provide an opportunity for interested components to interact with an event and
potentially control the behavior for subsequent handlers. The default phase preserves the framework’s original handling behavior.
Create Custom Application Events
Create a custom application event using the <aura:event> tag in a .evt resource. Events can contain attributes that can be
set before the event is fired and read when the event is handled.
Use <aura:handler> in the markup of the handler component.
SEE ALSO:
Component Events

The framework supports capture, bubble, and default phases for the propagation of application events. The capture and bubble phases
are similar to DOM handling patterns and provide an opportunity for interested components to interact with an event and potentially
control the behavior for subsequent handlers. The default phase preserves the framework’s original handling behavior.
The component that fires an event is known as the source component. The framework allows you to handle the event in different phases.
These phases give you flexibility for how to best process the event for your application.
The phases are:
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Communicating with Events Create Custom Application Events
Capture
The event is captured and trickles down from the application root to the source component. The event can be handled by a component
in the containment hierarchy that receives the captured event.
Event handlers are invoked in order from the application root down to the source component that fired the event.
Any registered handler in this phase can stop the event from propagating, at which point no more handlers are called in this phase
or the bubble phase. If a component stops the event propagation using event.stopPropagation(), the component
becomes the root node used in the default phase.
Any registered handler in this phase can cancel the default behavior of the event by calling event.preventDefault(). This
call prevents execution of any of the handlers in the default phase.
Bubble
The component that fired the event can handle it. The event then bubbles up from the source component to the application root.
The event can be handled by a component in the containment hierarchy that receives the bubbled event.
Event handlers are invoked in order from the source component that fired the event up to the application root.
Any registered handler in this phase can stop the event from propagating, at which point no more handlers will be called in this
phase. If a component stops the event propagation using event.stopPropagation(), the component becomes the root
node used in the default phase.
Any registered handler in this phase can cancel the default behavior of the event by calling event.preventDefault(). This
call prevents execution of any of the handlers in the default phase.
Default
Event handlers are invoked in a non-deterministic order from the root node through its subtree. The default phase doesn’t have the
same propagation rules related to component hierarchy as the capture and bubble phases. The default phase can be useful for
handling application events that affect components in different sub-trees of your app.
If the event’s propagation wasn’t stopped in a previous phase, the root node defaults to the application root. If the event’s propagation
was stopped in a previous phase, the root node is set to the component whose handler invoked event.stopPropagation().
Here is the sequence of application event propagation.
1. Event fired—An application event is fired. The component that fires the event is known as the source component.
2. Capture phase—The framework executes the capture phase from the application root to the source component until all components
are traversed. Any handling event can stop propagation by calling stopPropagation() on the event.
3. Bubble phase—The framework executes the bubble phase from the source component to the application root until all components
are traversed or stopPropagation() is called.
4. Default phase—The framework executes the default phase from the root node unless preventDefault() was called in the
capture or bubble phases. If the event’s propagation wasn’t stopped in a previous phase, the root node defaults to the application
root. If the event’s propagation was stopped in a previous phase, the root node is set to the component whose handler invoked
event.stopPropagation().
Create Custom Application Events

Create a custom application event using the <aura:event> tag in a .evt resource. Events can contain attributes that can be set
before the event is fired and read when the event is handled.
Use type="APPLICATION" in the <aura:event> tag for an application event. For example, this c:appEvent application
event has one attribute with a name of message.

<aura:event type="APPLICATION">
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Communicating with Events Fire Application Events

</aura:event>
The component that fires an event can set the event’s data. To set the attribute values, call event.setParam() or
event.setParams(). A parameter name set in the event must match the name attribute of an <aura:attribute> in the
event. For example, if you fire c:appEvent, you could use:
event.setParam("message", "event message here");
The component that handles an event can retrieve the event data. To retrieve the attribute in this event, call
event.getParam("message") in the handler’s client-side controller.

Register an Event
A component registers that it may fire an application event by using <aura:registerEvent> in its markup. The name attribute
is required but not used for application events. The name attribute is only relevant for component events. This example uses
name="appEvent" but the value isn’t used anywhere.
<aura:registerEvent name="appEvent" type="c:appEvent"/>
Fire an Event
Use $A.get("e.myNamespace:myAppEvent") in JavaScript to get an instance of the myAppEvent event in the
myNamespace namespace.
Note: The syntax to get an instance of an application event is different than the syntax to get a component event, which is
cmp.getEvent("evtName").
Use fire() to fire the event.
var appEvent = $A.get("e.c:appEvent");
// Optional: set some data for the event (also known as event shape)
// A parameter’s name must match the name attribute
// of one of the event’s <aura:attribute> tags
//appEvent.setParams({ "myParam" : myValue });
appEvent.fire();
Events Fired on App Rendering

Some events are automatically fired when an app is rendering. For more information, see Events Fired During the Rendering Lifecycle
on page 293.
SEE ALSO:
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Communicating with Events Handling Application Events

Use <aura:handler> in the markup of the handler component.
For example:
<aura:handler event="c:appEvent" action="{!c.handleApplicationEvent}"/>
Note: The handler for an application event won’t work if you set the name attribute in <aura:handler>. Use the name
attribute only when you’re handling component events.
In this example, when the event is fired, the handleApplicationEvent client-side controller action is called.
Event Handling Phases

The framework allows you to handle the event in different phases. These phases give you flexibility for how to best process the event
for your application.
Application event handlers are associated with the default phase. To add a handler for the capture or bubble phases instead, use the
phase attribute.
Get the Source of an Event

In the client-side controller action for an <aura:handler> tag, use evt.getSource() to find out which component fired the
event, where evt is a reference to the event. To retrieve the source element, use evt.getSource().getElement().
IN THIS SECTION:
Handling Bubbled or Captured Application Events
SEE ALSO:
Handling Bubbled or Captured Application Events

The framework supports capture, bubble, and default phases for the propagation of application events. The capture and bubble phases
are similar to DOM handling patterns and provide an opportunity for interested components to interact with an event and potentially
control the behavior for subsequent handlers. The default phase preserves the framework’s original handling behavior.
Default Event Propagation Rules

By default, every parent in the containment hierarchy can’t handle an event during the capture and bubble phases. Instead, the event
propagates to every owner in the containment hierarchy.
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Communicating with Events Handling Application Events
A component’s owner is the component that is responsible for its creation. For declaratively created components, the owner is the
outermost component containing the markup that references the component firing the event. For programmatically created components,
the owner component is the component that invoked $A.createComponent to create it.
The same rules apply for the capture phase, although the direction of event propagation (down) is the opposite of the bubble phase
(up).
Confused? It makes more sense when you look at an example in the bubbling phase.
c:owner contains c:container, which in turn contains c:eventSource.

<aura:component>
<c:container>
<c:eventSource />
</c:container>
</aura:component>
If c:eventSource fires an event, it can handle the event itself. The event then bubbles up the containment hierarchy.
c:container contains c:eventSource but it’s not the owner because it’s not the outermost component in the markup, so it
can’t handle the bubbled event.
c:owner is the owner because c:container is in its markup. c:owner can handle the event.
Propagation to All Container Components

The default behavior doesn’t allow an event to be handled by every parent in the containment hierarchy. Some components contain
other components but aren’t the owner of those components. These components are known as container components. In the example,
c:container is a container component because it’s not the owner for c:eventSource. By default, c:container can’t
handle events fired by c:eventSource.
A container component has a facet attribute whose type is Aura.Component[], such as the default body attribute. The container
component includes those components in its definition using an expression, such as {!v.body}. The container component isn’t the
owner of the components rendered with that expression.
To allow a container component to handle the event, add includeFacets="true" to the <aura:handler> tag of the
container component. For example, adding includeFacets="true" to the handler in the container component, c:container,
enables it to handle the component event bubbled from c:eventSource.
<aura:handler name="bubblingEvent" event="c:compEvent" action="{!c.handleBubbling}"
includeFacets="true" />
Handle Bubbled Event

To add a handler for the bubble phase, set phase="bubble".
<aura:handler event="c:appEvent" action="{!c.handleBubbledEvent}"
phase="bubble" />
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Communicating with Events Application Event Example
Handle Captured Event

To add a handler for the capture phase, set phase="capture".
<aura:handler event="c:appEvent" action="{!c.handleCapturedEvent}"
phase="capture" />

Use the stopPropagation() method in the Event object to stop the event propagating to other components.
Pausing Event Propagation for Asynchronous Code Execution

Use event.pause() to pause event handling and propagation until event.resume() is called. This flow-control mechanism
is useful for any decision that depends on the response from the execution of asynchronous code. For example, you might make a
decision about event propagation based on the response from an asynchronous call to native mobile code.
You can call pause() or resume() in the capture or bubble phases.

Here’s a simple use case of using an application event to update an attribute in another component.
1. A user clicks a button in the notifier component, aeNotifier.cmp.
2. The client-side controller for aeNotifier.cmp sets a message in a component event and fires the event.
3. The handler component, aeHandler.cmp, handles the fired event.
4. The client-side controller for aeHandler.cmp sets an attribute in aeHandler.cmp based on the data sent in the event.
Note: The event and components in this example use the default c namespace. If your org has a namespace, use that namespace
instead.
Application Event
The aeEvent.evt application event has one attribute. We’ll use this attribute to pass some data in the event when it’s fired.

</aura:event>
Notifier Component
The aeNotifier.cmp notifier component uses aura:registerEvent to declare that it may fire the application event. The
name attribute is required but not used for application events. The name attribute is only relevant for component events.
The button in the component contains a onclick browser event that is wired to the fireApplicationEvent action in the
client-side controller. Clicking this button invokes the action.

<aura:component>
<aura:registerEvent name="appEvent" type="c:aeEvent"/>
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Communicating with Events Application Event Example
<h1>Simple Application Event Sample</h1>

<p><lightning:button
label="Click here to fire an application event"
onclick="{!c.fireApplicationEvent}" />
</p>
</aura:component>
The client-side controller gets an instance of the event by calling $A.get("e.c:aeEvent"). The controller sets the message
attribute of the event and fires the event.
/* aeNotifierController.js */
{
fireApplicationEvent : function(cmp, event) {
// Get the application event by using the
// e.<namespace>.<event> syntax
var appEvent = $A.get("e.c:aeEvent");
appEvent.setParams({
"message" : "An application event fired me. " +
"It all happened so fast. Now, I'm everywhere!" });
appEvent.fire();
}
}
Handler Component
The aeHandler.cmp handler component uses the <aura:handler> tag to register that it handles the application event.
Note: The handler for an application event won’t work if you set the name attribute in <aura:handler>. Use the name
attribute only when you’re handling component events.
When the event is fired, the handleApplicationEvent action in the client-side controller of the handler component is invoked.

<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="messageFromEvent" type="String"/>
<aura:attribute name="numEvents" type="Integer" default="0"/>
<aura:handler event="c:aeEvent" action="{!c.handleApplicationEvent}"/>
<p>{!v.messageFromEvent}</p>
<p>Number of events: {!v.numEvents}</p>
</aura:component>
The controller retrieves the data sent in the event and uses it to update the messageFromEvent attribute in the handler component.
/* aeHandlerController.js */
{
handleApplicationEvent : function(cmp, event) {
var message = event.getParam("message");
// set the handler attributes based on event data

cmp.set("v.messageFromEvent", message);
var numEventsHandled = parseInt(cmp.get("v.numEvents")) + 1;
cmp.set("v.numEvents", numEventsHandled);
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Communicating with Events Event Handling Lifecycle
}
}
Container Component
The aeContainer.cmp container component contains the notifier and handler components. This is different from the component
event example where the handler contains the notifier component.

<aura:component>
<c:aeNotifier/>
<c:aeHandler/>
</aura:component>
Put It All Together

You can test this code by adding <c:aeContainer> to a sample aeWrapper.app application and navigating to the application.
https://<myDomain>.lightning.force.com/c/aeWrapper.app, where <myDomain> is the name of your custom
Salesforce domain.
If you want to access data on the server, you could extend this example to call a server-side controller from the handler’s client-side
controller.
SEE ALSO:
Application Events

The following chart summarizes how the framework handles events.
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Communicating with Events Event Handling Lifecycle
1 Detect Firing of Event

The framework detects the firing of an event. For example, the event could be triggered by a button click in a notifier component.
2 Determine the Event Type
2.1 Component Event
The parent or container component instance that fired the event is identified. This container component locates all relevant event
handlers for further processing.
2.2 Application Event
Any component can have an event handler for this event. All relevant event handlers are located.
3 Execute each Handler
3.1 Executing a Component Event Handler
Each of the event handlers defined in the container component for the event are executed by the handler controller, which can also:
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Communicating with Events Advanced Events Example
• Set attributes or modify data on the component (causing a re-rendering of the component).
• Fire another event or invoke a client-side or server-side action.
3.2 Executing an Application Event Handler
All event handlers are executed. When the event handler is executed, the event instance is passed into the event handler.
4 Re-render Component (optional)
After the event handlers and any callback actions are executed, a component might be automatically re-rendered if it was modified
during the event handling process.
SEE ALSO:
Create a Custom Renderer

This example builds on the simpler component and application event examples. It uses one notifier component and one handler
component that work with both component and application events. Before we see a component wired up to events, let's look at the
individual resources involved.
This table summarizes the roles of the various resources used in the example. The source code for these resources is included after the
table.
Resource Resource Name Usage

Event files Component event (compEvent.evt) Defines the component and application events in
and application event (appEvent.evt) separate resources. eventsContainer.cmp
shows how to use both component and application
events.
Notifier Component (eventsNotifier.cmp) The notifier contains an onclick browser event to

and its controller initiate the event. The controller fires the event.
(eventsNotifierController.js)
Handler Component (eventsHandler.cmp) The handler component contains the notifier

and its controller component (or a <aura:handler> tag for
(eventsHandlerController.js) application events), and calls the controller action that
is executed after the event is fired.
Container Component eventsContainer.cmp Displays the event handlers on the UI for the complete
demo.
The definitions of component and application events are stored in separate .evt resources, but individual notifier and handler
component bundles can contain code to work with both types of events.
The component and application events both contain a context attribute that defines the shape of the event. This is the data that is
passed to handlers of the event.
287
Component Event
Here is the markup for compEvent.evt.


<aura:attribute name="context" type="String"/>
</aura:event>
Application Event
Here is the markup for appEvent.evt.


<aura:attribute name="context" type="String"/>
</aura:event>
Notifier Component
The eventsNotifier.cmp notifier component contains buttons to initiate a component or application event.
The notifier uses aura:registerEvent tags to declare that it may fire the component and application events. Note that the
name attribute is required but the value is only relevant for the component event; the value is not used anywhere else for the application
event.
The parentName attribute is not set yet. We will see how this attribute is set and surfaced in eventsContainer.cmp.

<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="parentName" type="String"/>
<aura:registerEvent name="componentEventFired" type="c:compEvent"/>
<div>
<h3>This is {!v.parentName}'s eventsNotifier.cmp instance</h3>
<p><ui:button
label="Click here to fire a component event"
press="{!c.fireComponentEvent}" />
</p>
<p><ui:button
label="Click here to fire an application event"
press="{!c.fireApplicationEvent}" />
</p>
</div>
</aura:component>
CSS source
The CSS is in eventsNotifier.css.
/* eventsNotifier.css */
.cEventsNotifier {
288
display: block;
margin: 10px;
padding: 10px;
border: 1px solid black;
}

The eventsNotifierController.js controller fires the event.
/* eventsNotifierController.js */
{
fireComponentEvent : function(cmp, event) {
var parentName = cmp.get("v.parentName");
// Look up event by name, not by type

var compEvents = cmp.getEvent("componentEventFired");
compEvents.setParams({ "context" : parentName });

compEvents.fire();
},
fireApplicationEvent : function(cmp, event) {

var parentName = cmp.get("v.parentName");
// note different syntax for getting application event

appEvent.setParams({ "context" : parentName });

appEvent.fire();
}
}
You can click the buttons to fire component and application events but there is no change to the output because we haven't wired up
the handler component to react to the events yet.
The controller sets the context attribute of the component or application event to the parentName of the notifier component
before firing the event. We will see how this affects the output when we look at the handler component.
Handler Component
The eventsHandler.cmp handler component contains the c:eventsNotifier notifier component and <aura:handler>
tags for the application and component events.

<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="name" type="String"/>
<aura:attribute name="mostRecentEvent" type="String" default="Most recent event handled:"/>
<aura:attribute name="numComponentEventsHandled" type="Integer" default="0"/>

<aura:attribute name="numApplicationEventsHandled" type="Integer" default="0"/>
<aura:handler event="c:appEvent" action="{!c.handleApplicationEventFired}"/>

<aura:handler name="componentEventFired" event="c:compEvent"
action="{!c.handleComponentEventFired}"/>
289
<div>
<h3>This is {!v.name}</h3>
<p>{!v.mostRecentEvent}</p>
<p># component events handled: {!v.numComponentEventsHandled}</p>
<p># application events handled: {!v.numApplicationEventsHandled}</p>
<c:eventsNotifier parentName="{#v.name}" />
</div>
</aura:component>
Note: {#v.name} is an unbound expression. This means that any change to the value of the parentName attribute in
c:eventsNotifier doesn’t propagate back to affect the value of the name attribute in c:eventsHandler. For more
information, see Data Binding Between Components on page 44.
CSS source
The CSS is in eventsHandler.css.
/* eventsHandler.css */
.cEventsHandler {
display: block;
margin: 10px;
padding: 10px;
border: 1px solid black;
}

The client-side controller is in eventsHandlerController.js.
/* eventsHandlerController.js */
{
handleComponentEventFired : function(cmp, event) {
var context = event.getParam("context");
cmp.set("v.mostRecentEvent",
"Most recent event handled: COMPONENT event, from " + context);
var numComponentEventsHandled =
parseInt(cmp.get("v.numComponentEventsHandled")) + 1;
cmp.set("v.numComponentEventsHandled", numComponentEventsHandled);
},
handleApplicationEventFired : function(cmp, event) {

var context = event.getParam("context");
cmp.set("v.mostRecentEvent",
"Most recent event handled: APPLICATION event, from " + context);
var numApplicationEventsHandled =
parseInt(cmp.get("v.numApplicationEventsHandled")) + 1;
cmp.set("v.numApplicationEventsHandled", numApplicationEventsHandled);
}
}
The name attribute is not set yet. We will see how this attribute is set and surfaced in eventsContainer.cmp.
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Communicating with Events Firing Events from Non-Aura Code
You can click buttons and the UI now changes to indicate the type of event. The click count increments to indicate whether it's a
component or application event. We aren't finished yet though. Notice that the source of the event is undefined as the event context
attribute hasn't been set .
Container Component
Here is the markup for eventsContainer.cmp.

<aura:component>
<c:eventsHandler name="eventsHandler1"/>
<c:eventsHandler name="eventsHandler2"/>
</aura:component>
The container component contains two handler components. It sets the name attribute of both handler components, which is passed
through to set the parentName attribute of the notifier components. This fills in the gaps in the UI text that we saw when we looked
at the notifier or handler components directly.
Add the c:eventsContainer component to a c:eventsContainerApp application. Navigate to the application.
https://<myDomain>.lightning.force.com/c/eventsContainerApp.app, where <myDomain> is the name
of your custom Salesforce domain.
Click the Click here to fire a component event button for either of the event handlers. Notice that the # component events handled
counter only increments for that component because only the firing component's handler is notified.
Click the Click here to fire an application event button for either of the event handlers. Notice that the # application events handled
counter increments for both the components this time because all the handling components are notified.
SEE ALSO:
Firing Events from Non-Aura Code

You can fire Aura events from JavaScript code outside an Aura app. For example, your Aura app might need to call out to some non-Aura
code, and then have that code communicate back to your Aura app once it's done.
For example, you could call external code that needs to log into another system and return some data to your Aura app by firing an Aura
event. Let's call this event mynamespace:externalEvent. The external code fires this event when it’s ready to communicate
with an Aura app.
var myExternalEvent;
if(window.$A &&
(myExternalEvent = window.$A.get("e.mynamespace:externalEvent"))) {
myExternalEvent.setParams({isOauthed:true});
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Communicating with Events Events Best Practices
myExternalEvent.fire();
}
SEE ALSO:
Application Events
Modifying Components Outside the Framework Lifecycle
Events Best Practices

Here are some best practices for working with events.
Use Component Events Whenever Possible

Always try to use a component event instead of an application event, if possible. Component events can only be handled by components
above them in the containment hierarchy so their usage is more localized to the components that need to know about them. Application
events are best used for something that should be handled at the application level, such as navigating to a specific record. Application
events allow communication between components that are in separate parts of the application and have no direct containment
relationship.
Separate Low-Level Events from Business Logic Events

It's a good practice to handle low-level events, such as a click, in your event handler and refire them as higher-level events, such as an
approvalChange event or whatever is appropriate for your business logic.
Dynamic Actions based on Component State

If you need to invoke a different action on a click event depending on the state of the component, try this approach:
1. Store the component state as a discrete value, such as New or Pending, in a component attribute.
2. Put logic in your client-side controller to determine the next action to take.
3. If you need to reuse the logic in your component bundle, put the logic in the helper.
For example:
1. Your component markup contains <ui:button label="do something" press="{!c.click}" />.
2. In your controller, define the click function, which delegates to the appropriate helper function or potentially fires the correct
event.
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Communicating with Events Events Anti-Patterns
Using a Dispatcher Component to Listen and Relay Events

If you have a large number of handler component instances listening for an event, it may be better to identify a dispatcher component
to listen for the event. The dispatcher component can perform some logic to decide which component instances should receive further
information and fire another component or application event targeted at those component instances.
SEE ALSO:
Events Anti-Patterns
Events Anti-Patterns
These are some anti-patterns that you should avoid when using events.
Don't Fire an Event in a Renderer

Firing an event in a renderer can cause an infinite rendering loop.
Don’t do this!
afterRender: function(cmp, helper) {
this.superAfterRender();
$A.get("e.myns:mycmp").fire();
}
Instead, use the init hook to run a controller action after component construction but before rendering. Add this code to your
component:
For more details, see .Invoking Actions on Component Initialization on page 344.
Don’t Use onclick and ontouchend Events

You can’t use different actions for onclick and ontouchend events in a component. The framework translates touch-tap events
into clicks and activates any onclick handlers that are present.
SEE ALSO:
Events Best Practices
Events Fired During the Rendering Lifecycle

A component is instantiated, rendered, and rerendered during its lifecycle. A component is rerendered only when there’s a programmatic
or value change that would require a rerender, such as when a browser event triggers an action that updates its data.
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Communicating with Events Events Fired During the Rendering Lifecycle
Component Creation
The component lifecycle starts when the client sends an HTTP request to the server and the component configuration data is returned
to the client. No server trip is made if the component definition is already on the client from a previous request and the component has
no server dependencies.
Let’s look at an app with several nested components. The framework instantiates the app and goes through the children of the v.body
facet to create each component, First, it creates the component definition, its entire parent hierarchy, and then creates the facets within
those components. The framework also creates any component dependencies on the server, including definitions for attributes, interfaces,
controllers, and actions.
The following image lists the order of component creation.
After creating a component instance, the serialized component definitions and instances are sent down to the client. Definitions are
cached but not the instance data. The client deserializes the response to create the JavaScript objects or maps, resulting in an instance
tree that’s used to render the component instance. When the component tree is ready, the init event is fired for all the components,
starting from the children component and finishing in the parent component.
Component Rendering
The rendering lifecycle happens once in the lifetime of a component unless the component gets explicitly unrendered. When you create
a component:
1. The component service that constructs the components fires the init event to signal that initialization has completed.
You can customize the init handler and add your own controller logic before the component starts rendering. For more information,
see Invoking Actions on Component Initialization on page 344.
2. For each component in the tree, the base implementation of render() or your custom renderer is called to start component
rendering. For more information, see Create a Custom Renderer on page 361. Similar to the component creation process, rendering
starts at the root component, its children components and their super components, if any, and finally the subchildren components.
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Communicating with Events Events Handled in the Salesforce Mobile App and Lightning
Experience
3. Once your components are rendered to the DOM, afterRender() is called to signal that rendering is completed for each of
these component definitions. It enables you to interact with the DOM tree after the framework rendering service has created the
DOM elements.
4. To indicate that the client is done waiting for a response to the server request XHR, the aura:doneWaiting event is fired. You
can handle this event by adding a handler wired to a client-side controller action.
Note: The aura:doneWaiting event is deprecated. The aura:doneWaiting application event is fired for every
server response, even for responses from other components in your app. Unless your component is running in complete
isolation in a standalone app and not included in Lightning Experience or the Salesforce app, the container app may trigger
your event handler multiple times. This behavior makes it difficult to handle each event appropriately.
5. The framework fires a render event, enabling you to interact with the DOM tree after the framework’s rendering service has
inserted DOM elements. Handling the render event is preferred to creating a custom renderer and overriding afterRender().
For more information, see Handle the render Event.
6. Finally, the aura:doneRendering event is fired at the end of the rendering lifecycle.
Note: The aura:doneRendering event is deprecated. Unless your component is running in complete isolation in a
standalone app and not included in complex apps, such as Lightning Experience or the Salesforce app, the container app may
trigger your event handler multiple times. This behavior makes it difficult to handle each event appropriately.
Rendering Nested Components

Let’s say that you have an app myApp.app that contains a component myCmp.cmp with a ui:button component.
During initialization, the init() event is fired in this order: ui:button, ui:myCmp, and myApp.app.
SEE ALSO:
Events Handled in the Salesforce Mobile App and Lightning Experience

The Salesforce mobile app and Lightning Experience handle some events, which you can fire in your Aura component.
If you fire one of these force or lightning events in your Lightning apps or components outside of the Salesforce app or Lightning
Experience:
• You must handle the event by using the <aura:handler> tag in the handling component.
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Communicating with Events Events Handled in the Salesforce Mobile App and Lightning
Experience
• Use the <aura:registerEvent> or <aura:dependency> tags to ensure that the event is sent to the client, when
needed.
Event Name Description

force:closeQuickAction Closes a quick action panel. Only one quick action panel can be open in the app
at a time.
force:createRecord Opens a page to create a record for the specified entityApiName, for example,
“Account” or “myNamespace__MyObject__c”.
force:editRecord Opens the page to edit the record specified by recordId.
force:navigateToComponent (Beta) Navigates from one Aura component to another.
force:navigateToList Navigates to the list view specified by listViewId.
force:navigateToObjectHome Navigates to the object home specified by the scope attribute.
force:navigateToRelatedList Navigates to the related list specified by parentRecordId.
force:navigateToSObject Navigates to an sObject record specified by recordId.
force:navigateToURL Navigates to the specified URL.
force:recordSave Saves a record.
force:recordSaveSuccess Indicates that the record has been successfully saved.
force:refreshView Reloads the view.
force:showToast Displays a toast notification with a message. (Not available on login pages.)
lightning:openFiles Opens one or more file records from the ContentDocument and ContentHubItem
objects.
Customizing Client-Side Logic for the Salesforce app, Lightning Experience,

and Standalone Apps
Since the Salesforce app and Lightning Experience automatically handle many events, you have to do extra work if your component
runs in a standalone app. Instantiating the event using $A.get() can help you determine if your component is running within the
Salesforce app and Lightning Experience or a standalone app. For example, you want to display a toast when a component loads in the
Salesforce app and Lightning Experience. You can fire the force:showToast event and set its parameters for the Salesforce app
and Lightning Experience, but you have to create your own implementation for a standalone app.
displayToast : function (component, event, helper) {
var toast = $A.get("e.force:showToast");
if (toast){
//fire the toast event in Salesforce app and Lightning Experience
toast.setParams({
"title": "Success!",
"message": "The component loaded successfully."
});
toast.fire();
} else {
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Communicating with Events System Events
//your toast implementation for a standalone app here

}
}
SEE ALSO:
aura:dependency
System Events
The framework fires several system events during its lifecycle.
You can handle these events in your Lightning apps or components, and within the Salesforce mobile app.
For examples, see the Component Library.

aura:doneRendering (deprecated) Indicates that the initial rendering of the root application has completed.
Note: The aura:doneRendering event is deprecated. Unless your

component is running in complete isolation in a standalone app and not
included in complex apps, such as Lightning Experience or the Salesforce
app, the container app may trigger your event handler multiple times. This
behavior makes it difficult to handle each event appropriately.
aura:doneWaiting (deprecated) Indicates that the app is done waiting for a response to a server request. This
event is preceded by an aura:waiting event.
Note: The aura:doneWaiting event is deprecated. The

aura:doneWaiting application event is fired for every server
response, even for responses from other components in your app. Unless
your component is running in complete isolation in a standalone app and
not included in Lightning Experience or the Salesforce app, the container
app may trigger your event handler multiple times. This behavior makes
it difficult to handle each event appropriately.
aura:locationChange Indicates that the hash part of the URL has changed.
aura:noAccess Indicates that a requested resource is not accessible due to security constraints
on that resource.
aura:systemError Indicates that an error has occurred.
aura:valueChange Indicates that an attribute value has changed.
aura:valueDestroy Indicates that a component has been destroyed.
aura:valueInit Indicates that an app or component has been initialized.
aura:valueRender Indicates that an app or component has been rendered or rerendered.
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Communicating with Events System Events

aura:waiting (deprecated) Indicates that the app is waiting for a response to a server request.
Note: The aura:waiting event is deprecated. The

aura:waiting application event is fired for every server request, even
for requests from other components in your app. Unless your component
is running in complete isolation in a standalone app and not included in
Lightning Experience or the Salesforce app, the container app may trigger
your event handler multiple times. This behavior makes it difficult to handle
each event appropriately.
298
CHAPTER 6 Creating Apps
In this chapter ... Components are the building blocks of an app. This section shows you a typical workflow to put the
pieces together to create a new app.
• App Overview
First, you should decide whether you’re creating a component for a standalone app or for Salesforce
• Designing App UI
apps, such as Lightning Experience or Salesforce for Android, iOS, and mobile web. Both components
• Creating App can access your Salesforce data, but only a component created for Lightning Experience or Salesforce
Templates for Android, iOS, and mobile web can automatically handle Salesforce events that take advantage of
• Using the AppCache record create and edit pages, among other benefits.
• Distributing The Quick Start on page 6 walks you through creating components for a standalone app and
Applications and components for Salesforce for Android, iOS, and mobile web to help you determine which one you need.
Components
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Creating Apps App Overview
App Overview
An app is a special top-level component whose markup is in a .app resource.
On a production server, the .app resource is the only addressable unit in a browser URL. Access an app using the URL:
https://<myDomain>.lightning.force.com/<namespace>/<appName>.app, where <myDomain> is the
name of your custom Salesforce domain
SEE ALSO:
aura:application
Supported HTML Tags
Designing App UI
Design your app's UI by including markup in the .app resource. Each part of your UI corresponds to a component, which can in turn
contain nested components. Compose components to create a sophisticated app.
An app’s markup starts with the <aura:application> tag.
Note: Creating a standalone app enables you to host your components outside of Salesforce for Android, iOS, and mobile web
or Lightning Experience, such as with Lightning Out or Lightning components in Visualforce pages. To learn more about the
<aura:application> tag, see aura:application.
Let's look at a sample.app file, which starts with the <aura:application> tag.
<aura:application extends="force:slds">
<lightning:layout>
<lightning:layoutItem padding="around-large">
<h1 class="slds-text-heading_large">Sample App</h1>
</lightning:layout>
<lightning:layout>
Sidebar

Content

</lightning:layout>
</aura:application>
The sample.app file contains HTML tags, such as <h1>, as well as components, such as <lightning:layout>. We won't go
into the details for all the components here but note how simple the markup is. The <lightning:layoutItem> component
can contain other components or HTML markup.
SEE ALSO:
aura:application
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Creating Apps Creating App Templates
Creating App Templates

An app template bootstraps the loading of the framework and the app. Customize an app’s template by creating a component that
extends the default aura:template template.
A template must have the isTemplate system attribute in the <aura:component> tag set to true. This informs the framework
to allow restricted items, such as <script> tags, which aren't allowed in regular components.
For example, a sample app has a np:template template that extends aura:template. np:template looks like:
<aura:component isTemplate="true" extends="aura:template">
<aura:set attribute="title" value="My App"/>
...
</aura:component>
Note how the component extends aura:template and sets the title attribute using aura:set.
The app points at the custom template by setting the template system attribute in <aura:application>.
<aura:application template="np:template">
...
</aura:application>
A template can only extend a component or another template. A component or an application can't extend a template.
Using the AppCache

AppCache support is deprecated. Browser vendors have deprecated AppCache, so we followed their lead. Remove the useAppcache
attribute in the <aura:application> tag of your standalone apps (.app resources) to avoid cross-browser support issues due
to deprecation by browser vendors.
If you don’t currently set useAppcache in an <aura:application> tag, you don’t have to do anything because the default
value of useAppcache is false.
Note: See an introduction to AppCache for more information.
SEE ALSO:
aura:application
Distributing Applications and Components

As an ISV or Salesforce partner, you can package and distribute applications and components to other Salesforce users and organizations,
including those outside your company.
Publish applications and components to and install them from AppExchange. When adding an application or component to a package,
all definition bundles referenced by the application or component are automatically included, such as other components, events, and
interfaces. Custom fields, custom objects, list views, page layouts, and Apex classes referenced by the application or component are also
included. However, when you add a custom object to a package, the application and other definition bundles that reference that custom
object must be explicitly added to the package. Other dependencies that must be explicitly added to a package include the following.
• CSP Trusted Sites
• Remote Site Settings
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Creating Apps Distributing Applications and Components
A managed package ensures that your application and other resources are fully upgradeable. To create and work with managed packages,
you must use a Developer Edition organization and register a namespace prefix. A managed package includes your namespace prefix
in the component names and prevents naming conflicts in an installer’s organization. An organization can create a single managed
package that can be downloaded and installed by other organizations. After installation from a managed package, the application or
component names are locked, but the following attributes are editable.
• API Version
• Description
• Label
• Language
• Markup
Any Apex that is included as part of your definition bundle must have at least 75% cumulative test coverage. When you upload your
package to AppExchange, all tests are run to ensure that they run without errors. The tests are also run when the package is installed.
For more information on packaging and distributing, see the ISVforce Guide.
SEE ALSO:
Testing Your Apex Code
302
CHAPTER 7 Styling Apps
In this chapter ... An app is a special top-level component whose markup is in a .app resource. Just like any other
component, you can put CSS in its bundle in a resource called <appName>.css.
• Using the Salesforce
Lightning Design For example, if the app markup is in notes.app, its CSS is in notes.css.
System in Apps When viewed in Salesforce for Android, iOS, and mobile web and Lightning Experience, the UI components
• Using External CSS include styling that matches those visual themes. For example, the ui:button includes the
• More Readable button--neutral class to display a neutral style. The input components that extend ui:input
Styling Markup with include the uiInput--input class to display the input fields using a custom font in addition to
the join Expression other styling.
• Tips for CSS in Note: Styles added to UI components in Salesforce for Android, iOS, and mobile web and Lightning
Components Experience don’t apply to components in standalone apps.
• Vendor Prefixes
• Styling with Design SEE ALSO:
Tokens
CSS in Components
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Styling Apps Using the Salesforce Lightning Design System in Apps
Using the Salesforce Lightning Design System in Apps

The Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) provides a look and feel that’s consistent with Lightning Experience. Use Lightning
Design System styles to give your custom stand-alone Lightning applications a UI that is consistent with Salesforce, without having to
reverse-engineer our styles.
Your application automatically gets Lightning Design System styles and design tokens if it extends force:slds. This method is the
easiest way to stay up to date and consistent with Lightning Design System enhancements.
To extend force:slds:
<aura:application extends="force:slds">

</aura:application>
Using a Static Resource

When you extend force:slds, the version of Lightning Design System styles is automatically updated whenever the CSS changes.
If you want to use a specific Lightning Design System version, download the version and add it to your org as a static resource.
Note: We recommend extending force:slds instead so that you automatically get the latest Lightning Design System styles.
If you stick to a specific Lightning Design System version, your app’s styles will gradually start to drift from later versions in Lightning
Experience or incur the cost of duplicate CSS downloads.
To download a version of Lightning Design System that doesn’t exceed the maximum size for a static resource, go to the Lightning
Design System downloads page.
Salesforce recommends that you name the Lightning Design System archive static resource using the name format SLDS###, where
### is the Lightning Design System version number (for example, SLDS252). This lets you have multiple versions of the Lightning
Design System installed, and manage version usage in your components.
To use the static version of the Lightning Design System in a component, include it using <ltng:require/>. For example:
<aura:component>
<ltng:require
styles="{!$Resource.SLDS252 +
'/styles/salesforce-lightning-design-system.min.css'}" />
</aura:component>
SEE ALSO:
Using External CSS

To reference an external CSS resource that you’ve uploaded as a static resource, use a <ltng:require> tag in your .cmp or .app
markup.
Here’s an example of using <ltng:require>:
<ltng:require styles="{!$Resource.resourceName}" />
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Styling Apps Using External CSS
concatenation.
Here are some considerations for loading styles:
Loading Sets of CSS
Specify a comma-separated list of resources in the styles attribute to load a set of CSS.
Note: Due to a quirk in the way $Resource is parsed in expressions, use the join operator to include multiple
$Resource references in a single attribute. For example, if you have more than one style sheet to include into a component
the styles attribute should be something like the following.
styles="{!join(',',
$Resource.myStyles + '/stylesheetOne.css',
$Resource.myStyles + '/moreStyles.css')}"
Loading Order
The styles are loaded in the order that they are listed.
One-Time Loading
The styles load only once, even if they’re specified in multiple <ltng:require> tags in the same component or across different
components.
Encapsulation
To ensure encapsulation and reusability, add the <ltng:require> tag to every .cmp or .app resource that uses the CSS
resource.
<ltng:require> also has a scripts attribute to load a list of JavaScript libraries. The afterScriptsLoaded event enables
you to call a controller action after the scripts are loaded. It's only triggered by loading of the scripts and is never triggered
when the CSS in styles is loaded.
For more information on static resources, see “Static Resources” in the Salesforce online help.
Styling Components for Lightning Experience or Salesforce for Android, iOS,

and mobile web
To prevent styling conflicts in Lightning Experience or Salesforce for Android, iOS, and mobile web, prefix your external CSS with a unique
namespace. For example, if you prefix your external CSS declarations with .myBootstrap, wrap your component markup with a
<div> tag that specifies the myBootstrap class.
<ltng:require styles="{!$Resource.bootstrap}"/>
<div class="myBootstrap">
<c:myComponent />

</div>
Note: Prefixing your CSS with a unique namespace only applies to external CSS. If you’re using CSS within a component bundle,
the .THIS keyword becomes .namespaceComponentName during runtime.
SEE ALSO:
CSS in Components
$Resource
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Styling Apps More Readable Styling Markup with the join Expression
More Readable Styling Markup with the join Expression

Markup can get messy when you specify the class names to apply based on the component attribute values. Try using a join expression
for easier-to-read markup.
This example sets the class names based on the component attribute values. It’s readable, but the spaces between class names are easy
to forget.
<li class="{! 'calendarEvent ' +
v.zoomDirection + ' ' +
(v.past ? 'pastEvent ' : '') +
(v.zoomed ? 'zoom ' : '') +
(v.multiDayFragment ? 'multiDayFragment ' : '')}">

</li>
Sometimes, if the markup is not broken into multiple lines, it can hurt your eyes or make you mutter profanities under your breath.
<li class="{! 'calendarEvent ' + v.zoomDirection + ' ' + (v.past ? 'pastEvent ' : '') +
(v.zoomed ? 'zoom ' : '') + (v.multiDayFragment ? 'multiDayFragment ' : '')}">
</li>
Try using a join expression instead for easier-to-read markup. This example join expression sets ' ' as the first argument so that
you don’t have to specify it for each subsequent argument in the expression.
<li
class="{! join(' ',
'calendarEvent',
v.zoomDirection,
v.past ? 'pastEvent' : '',
v.zoomed ? 'zoom' : '',
v.multiDayFragment ? 'multiDayFragment' : ''
)}">
</li>
You can also use a join expression for dynamic styling.

<div style="{! join(';',
'top:' + v.timeOffsetTop + '%',
'left:' + v.timeOffsetLeft + '%',
'width:' + v.timeOffsetWidth + '%'
)}">
</div>
SEE ALSO:
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Styling Apps Tips for CSS in Components
Tips for CSS in Components

Here are some tips for configuring the CSS for components that you plan to use in Lightning pages, the Lightning App Builder, or the
Community Builder.
Components must be set to 100% width
Because they can be moved to different locations on a Lightning page, components must not have a specific width nor a left or
right margin. Components should take up 100% of whatever container they display in. Adding a left or right margin changes the
width of a component and can break the layout of the page.
Don’t remove HTML elements from the flow of the document
Some CSS rules remove the HTML element from the flow of the document. For example:
float: left;
float: right;
position: absolute;
position: fixed;
Because they can be moved to different locations on the page as well as used on different pages entirely, components must rely on
the normal document flow. Using floats and absolute or fixed positions breaks the layout of the page the component is on. Even if
they don’t break the layout of the page you’re looking at, they will break the layout of some page the component can be put on.
Child elements shouldn’t be styled to be larger than the root element
The Lightning page maintains consistent spacing between components, and can’t do that if child elements are larger than the root
element.
For example, avoid these patterns:
<div style="height: 100px">

</div>
</div>


<div style="height: 100px margin: 10px">

</div>
</div>
Vendor Prefixes
Vendor prefixes, such as —moz- and —webkit- among many others, are automatically added in Lightning.
You only need to write the unprefixed version, and the framework automatically adds any prefixes that are necessary when generating
the CSS output. If you choose to add them, they are used as-is. This enables you to specify alternative values for certain prefixes.
Example: For example, this is an unprefixed version of border-radius.

.class {
border-radius: 2px;
}
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Styling Apps Styling with Design Tokens
The previous declaration results in the following declarations.

.class {
-webkit-border-radius: 2px;
-moz-border-radius: 2px;
border-radius: 2px;
}

Capture the essential values of your visual design into named tokens. Define the token values once and reuse them throughout your
Lightning components CSS resources. Tokens make it easy to ensure that your design is consistent, and even easier to update it as your
design evolves.
Design tokens are visual design “atoms” for building a design for your components or apps. Specifically, they’re named entities that store
visual design attributes, such as pixel values for margins and spacing, font sizes and families, or hex values for colors. Tokens are a terrific
way to centralize the low-level values, which you then use to compose the styles that make up the design of your component or app.
IN THIS SECTION:
Tokens Bundles
Tokens are a type of bundle, just like components, events, and interfaces.
Create a Tokens Bundle
Create a tokens bundle in your org using the Developer Console.
Defining and Using Tokens
A token is a name-value pair that you specify using the <aura:token> component. Define tokens in a tokens bundle, and then
use tokens in your components’ CSS styles resources.
Using Expressions in Tokens
Tokens support a restricted set of expressions. Use expressions to reuse one token value in another token, or to combine tokens to
form a more complex style property.
Extending Tokens Bundles
Use the extends attribute to extend one tokens bundle from another.
Using Standard Design Tokens
Salesforce exposes a set of “base” tokens that you can access in your component style resources. Use these standard tokens to mimic
the look-and-feel of the Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) in your own custom components. As the SLDS evolves, components
that are styled using the standard design tokens will evolve along with it.
Tokens Bundles
Tokens are a type of bundle, just like components, events, and interfaces.
A tokens bundle contains only one resource, a tokens collection definition.
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Styling Apps Create a Tokens Bundle
Resource Resource Name Usage

Tokens Collection defaultTokens.tokens The only required resource in a tokens bundle. Contains markup
for one or more tokens. Each tokens bundle contains only one
tokens resource.
Note: You can’t edit the tokens bundle name or description in the Developer Console after you create it. The bundle’s
AuraBundleDefinition can be modified using the Metadata API.
A tokens collection starts with the <aura:tokens> tag. It can only contain <aura:token> tags to define tokens.
Tokens collections have restricted support for expressions; see Using Expressions in Tokens. You can’t use other markup, renderers,
controllers, or anything else in a tokens collection.
SEE ALSO:
Create a Tokens Bundle

Create a tokens bundle in your org using the Developer Console.
To create a tokens bundle:
1. In the Developer Console, select File > New > Lightning Tokens.
2. Enter a name for the tokens bundle.
Your first tokens bundle should be named defaultTokens. The tokens defined within defaultTokens are automatically
accessible in your Lightning components. Tokens defined in any other bundle won’t be accessible in your components unless you
import them into the defaultTokens bundle.
You have an empty tokens bundle, ready to edit.

<aura:tokens>
</aura:tokens>
Note: You can’t edit the tokens bundle name or description in the Developer Console after you create it. The bundle’s
AuraBundleDefinition can be modified using the Metadata API. Although you can set a version on a tokens bundle,
doing so has no effect.

A token is a name-value pair that you specify using the <aura:token> component. Define tokens in a tokens bundle, and then use
tokens in your components’ CSS styles resources.
Defining Tokens
Add new tokens as child components of the bundle’s <aura:tokens> component. For example:
<aura:tokens>
<aura:token name="myBodyTextFontFace"
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Styling Apps Using Expressions in Tokens
value="'Salesforce Sans', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"/>

<aura:token name="myBodyTextFontWeight" value="normal"/>
<aura:token name="myBackgroundColor" value="#f4f6f9"/>
<aura:token name="myDefaultMargin" value="6px"/>
</aura:tokens>
The only allowed attributes for the <aura:token> tag are name and value.
Using Tokens
Tokens created in the defaultTokens bundle are automatically available in components in your namespace. To use a design token,
reference it using the token() function and the token name in the CSS resource of a component bundle. For example:
.THIS p {
font-family: token(myBodyTextFontFace);
font-weight: token(myBodyTextFontWeight);
}
If you prefer a more concise function name for referencing tokens, you can use the t() function instead of token(). The two are
equivalent. If your token names follow a naming convention or are sufficiently descriptive, the use of the more terse function name
won’t affect the clarity of your CSS styles.

Tokens support a restricted set of expressions. Use expressions to reuse one token value in another token, or to combine tokens to form
a more complex style property.
Cross-Referencing Tokens
To reference one token’s value in another token’s definition, wrap the token to be referenced in standard expression syntax.
In the following example, we’ll reference tokens provided by Salesforce in our custom tokens. Although you can’t see the standard tokens
directly, we’ll imagine they look something like the following.

<aura:tokens>
...
<aura:token name="colorBackground" value="rgb(244, 246, 249)" />
<aura:token name="fontFamily" value="'Salesforce Sans', Arial, sans-serif" />
...
</aura:tokens>
With the preceding in mind, you can reference the standard tokens in your custom tokens, as in the following.

<aura:tokens extends="force:base">
<aura:token name="mainColor" value="{! colorBackground }" />
<aura:token name="btnColor" value="{! mainColor }" />
<aura:token name="myFont" value="{! fontFamily }" />
</aura:tokens>
You can only cross-reference tokens defined in the same file or a parent.
Expression syntax in tokens resources is restricted to references to other tokens.
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Styling Apps Extending Tokens Bundles
Combining Tokens
To support combining individual token values into more complex CSS style properties, the token() function supports string
concatenation. For example, if you have the following tokens defined:

<aura:tokens>
<aura:token name="defaultHorizonalSpacing" value="12px" />
<aura:token name="defaultVerticalSpacing" value="6px" />
</aura:tokens>
You can combine these two tokens in a CSS style definition. For example:
/* myComponent.css */
.THIS div.notification {
margin: token(defaultVerticalSpacing + ' ' + defaultHorizonalSpacing);
/* more styles here */
}
You can mix tokens with strings as much as necessary to create the right style definition. For example, use margin:
token(defaultVerticalSpacing + ' ' + defaultHorizonalSpacing + ' 3px'); to hard code the bottom
spacing in the preceding definition.
The only operator supported within the token() function is “+” for string concatenation.
SEE ALSO:

Use the extends attribute to extend one tokens bundle from another.
To add tokens from one bundle to another, extend the “child” tokens bundle from the “parent” tokens, like this.
<aura:tokens extends="yourNamespace:parentTokens">

</aura:tokens>
Overriding tokens values works mostly as you’d expect: tokens in a child tokens bundle override tokens with the same name from a
parent bundle. The exception is if you’re using standard tokens. You can’t override standard tokens in Lightning Experience or the
Salesforce app.
Important: Overriding standard token values is undefined behavior and unsupported. If you create a token with the same name
as a standard token, it overrides the standard token’s value in some contexts, and has no effect in others. This behavior will change
in a future release. Don’t use it.
SEE ALSO:
311
Styling Apps Using Standard Design Tokens

Salesforce exposes a set of “base” tokens that you can access in your component style resources. Use these standard tokens to mimic
the look-and-feel of the Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) in your own custom components. As the SLDS evolves, components
that are styled using the standard design tokens will evolve along with it.
To add the standard tokens to your org, extend a tokens bundle from the base tokens, like so.
<aura:tokens extends="force:base">

</aura:tokens>
Once added to defaultTokens (or another tokens bundle that defaultTokens extends) you can reference tokens from
force:base just like your own tokens, using the token() function and token name. For example:
.THIS p {
font-family: token(fontFamily);
font-weight: token(fontWeightRegular);
}
You can mix-and-match your tokens with the standard tokens. It’s a best practice to develop a naming system for your own tokens to
make them easily distinguishable from standard tokens. Consider prefixing your token names with “my”, or something else easily
identifiable.
IN THIS SECTION:
Overriding Standard Tokens (Developer Preview)
Standard tokens provide the look-and-feel of the Lightning Design System in your custom components. You can override standard
tokens to customize and apply branding to your Lightning apps.
Standard Design Tokens—force:base
The standard tokens available are a subset of the design tokens offered in the Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS). The
following tokens are available when extending from force:base.
Use a subset of the standard design tokens to make your components compatible with the Theme panel in Community Builder. The
Theme panel enables administrators to quickly style an entire community using these properties. Each property in the Theme panel
maps to one or more standard design tokens. When an administrator updates a property in the Theme panel, the system automatically
updates any Lightning components that use the tokens associated with that branding property.
SEE ALSO:
Overriding Standard Tokens (Developer Preview)

Standard tokens provide the look-and-feel of the Lightning Design System in your custom components. You can override standard
tokens to customize and apply branding to your Lightning apps.
Note: Overriding standard tokens is available as a developer preview. This feature isn’t generally available unless or until Salesforce
announces its general availability in documentation or in press releases or public statements. You can provide feedback and
suggestions for this feature on the IdeaExchange.
312
To override a standard token for your Lightning app, create a tokens bundle with a unique name, for example myOverrides. In the
tokens resource, redefine the value for a standard token:
<aura:tokens>
<aura:token name="colorTextBrand" value="#8d7d74"/>
</aura:tokens>
In your Lightning app, specify the tokens bundle in the tokens attribute:
<aura:application tokens="c:myOverrides">

</aura:application>
Token overrides apply across your app, including resources and components provided by Salesforce and components of your own that
use tokens.
Packaging apps that use the tokens attribute is unsupported.
Important: Overriding standard token values within defaultTokens.tokens, a required resource in a tokens bundle, is
unsupported. If you create a token with the same name as a standard token, it overrides the standard token’s value in some contexts,
and has no effect in others. Overrides should only be done in a separate resource as described above.
SEE ALSO:

The standard tokens available are a subset of the design tokens offered in the Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS). The following
tokens are available when extending from force:base.
Available Tokens
Important: The standard token values evolve along with SLDS. Available tokens and their values can change without notice.
Token values presented here are for example only.
Token Name Example Value

borderWidthThin 1px
borderWidthThick 2px
spacingXxxSmall 0.125rem
spacingXxSmall 0.25rem
spacingXSmall 0.5rem
spacingSmall 0.75rem
spacingMedium 1rem
spacingLarge 1.5rem
spacingXLarge 2rem
varSpacingXxSmall 0.25rem
313

varSpacingXSmall 0.5rem
varSpacingSmall 0.75rem
varSpacingMedium 1rem
varSpacingLarge 1.5rem
varSpacingXLarge 2rem
varSpacingXxLarge 3rem
varSpacingVerticalXxSmall 0.25rem
varSpacingVerticalXSmall 0.5rem
varSpacingVerticalSmall 0.75rem
varSpacingVerticalMedium 1rem
varSpacingVerticalLarge 1.5rem
varSpacingVerticalXLarge 2rem
varSpacingVerticalXxLarge 3rem
varSpacingHorizontalXxSmall 0.25rem
varSpacingHorizontalXSmall 0.5rem
varSpacingHorizontalSmall 0.75rem
varSpacingHorizontalMedium 1rem
varSpacingHorizontalLarge 1.5rem
varSpacingHorizontalXLarge 2rem
varSpacingHorizontalXxLarge 3rem
sizeXxSmall 6rem
sizeXSmall 12rem
sizeSmall 15rem
sizeMedium 20rem
sizeLarge 25rem
sizeXLarge 40rem
sizeXxLarge 60rem
squareIconUtilitySmall 1rem
squareIconUtilityMedium 1.25rem
squareIconUtilityLarge 1.5rem
314

squareIconLargeBoundary 3rem
squareIconLargeBoundaryAlt 5rem
squareIconLargeContent 2rem
squareIconMediumBoundary 2rem
squareIconMediumBoundaryAlt 2.25rem
squareIconMediumContent 1rem
squareIconSmallBoundary 1.5rem
squareIconSmallContent .75rem
squareIconXSmallBoundary 1.25rem
squareIconXSmallContent .5rem
fontWeightLight 300
fontWeightRegular 400
fontWeightBold 700
lineHeightHeading 1.25
lineHeightText 1.375
lineHeightReset 1
lineHeightTab 2.5rem
fontFamily 'Salesforce Sans', Arial, sans-serif
borderRadiusSmall .125rem
borderRadiusMedium .25rem
borderRadiusLarge .5rem
borderRadiusPill 15rem
borderRadiusCircle 50%
colorBorder rgb(216, 221, 230)
colorBorderBrand rgb(21, 137, 238)
colorBorderError rgb(194, 57, 52)
colorBorderSuccess rgb(75, 202, 129)
colorBorderWarning rgb(255, 183, 93)
colorBorderTabSelected rgb(0, 112, 210)
colorBorderSeparator rgb(244, 246, 249)
315

colorBorderSeparatorAlt rgb(216, 221, 230)
colorBorderSeparatorInverse rgb(42, 66, 108)
colorBorderRowSelected rgb(0, 112, 210)
colorBorderRowSelectedHover rgb(21, 137, 238)
colorBorderButtonBrand rgb(0, 112, 210)
colorBorderButtonBrandDisabled rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)
colorBorderButtonDefault rgb(216, 221, 230)
colorBorderButtonInverseDisabled rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.15)
colorBorderInput rgb(216, 221, 230)
colorBorderInputActive rgb(21, 137, 238)
colorBorderInputDisabled rgb(168, 183, 199)
colorBorderInputCheckboxSelectedCheckmark rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorBackground rgb(244, 246, 249)
colorBackgroundAlt rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorBackgroundAltInverse rgb(22, 50, 92)
colorBackgroundRowHover rgb(244, 246, 249)
colorBackgroundRowActive rgb(238, 241, 246)
colorBackgroundRowSelected rgb(240, 248, 252)
colorBackgroundRowNew rgb(217, 255, 223)
colorBackgroundInverse rgb(6, 28, 63)
colorBackgroundBrowser rgb(84, 105, 141)
colorBackgroundChromeMobile rgb(0, 112, 210)
colorBackgroundChromeDesktop rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorBackgroundHighlight rgb(250, 255, 189)
colorBackgroundModal rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorBackgroundModalBrand rgb(0, 112, 210)
colorBackgroundNotificationBadge rgb(194, 57, 52)
colorBackgroundNotificationBadgeHover rgb(0, 95, 178)
colorBackgroundNotificationBadgeFocus rgb(0, 95, 178)
colorBackgroundNotificationBadgeActive rgb(0, 57, 107)
316

colorBackgroundNotificationNew rgb(240, 248, 252)
colorBackgroundPayload rgb(244, 246, 249)
colorBackgroundShade rgb(224, 229, 238)
colorBackgroundStencil rgb(238, 241, 246)
colorBackgroundStencilAlt rgb(224, 229, 238)
colorBackgroundScrollbar rgb(224, 229, 238)
colorBackgroundScrollbarTrack rgb(168, 183, 199)
colorBrand rgb(21, 137, 238)
colorBrandDark rgb(0, 112, 210)
colorBackgroundModalButton rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.07)
colorBackgroundModalButtonActive rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.16)
colorBackgroundInput rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorBackgroundInputActive rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorBackgroundInputCheckbox rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorBackgroundInputCheckboxDisabled rgb(216, 221, 230)
colorBackgroundInputCheckboxSelected rgb(21, 137, 238)
colorBackgroundInputDisabled rgb(224, 229, 238)
colorBackgroundInputError rgb(255, 221, 225)
colorBackgroundPill rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorBackgroundToast rgba(84, 105, 141, 0.95)
colorBackgroundToastSuccess rgb(4, 132, 75)
colorBackgroundToastError rgba(194, 57, 52, 0.95)
shadowDrag 0 2px 4px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.40)
shadowDropDown 0 2px 3px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.16)
shadowHeader 0 2px 4px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.07)
shadowButtonFocus 0 0 3px #0070D2
shadowButtonFocusInverse 0 0 3px #E0E5EE
colorTextActionLabel rgb(84, 105, 141)
colorTextActionLabelActive rgb(22, 50, 92)
colorTextBrand rgb(21, 137, 238)
317

colorTextBrowser rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorTextBrowserActive rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.4)
colorTextDefault rgb(22, 50, 92)
colorTextError rgb(194, 57, 52)
colorTextInputDisabled rgb(84, 105, 141)
colorTextInputFocusInverse rgb(22, 50, 92)
colorTextInputIcon rgb(159, 170, 181)
colorTextInverse rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorTextInverseWeak rgb(159, 170, 181)
colorTextInverseActive rgb(94, 180, 255)
colorTextInverseHover rgb(159, 170, 181)
colorTextLink rgb(0, 112, 210)
colorTextLinkActive rgb(0, 57, 107)
colorTextLinkDisabled rgb(22, 50, 92)
colorTextLinkFocus rgb(0, 95, 178)
colorTextLinkHover rgb(0, 95, 178)
colorTextLinkInverse rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorTextLinkInverseHover rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.75)
colorTextLinkInverseActive rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5)
colorTextLinkInverseDisabled rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.15)
colorTextModal rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorTextModalButton rgb(84, 105, 141)
colorTextStageLeft rgb(224, 229, 238)
colorTextTabLabel rgb(22, 50, 92)
colorTextTabLabelSelected rgb(0, 112, 210)
colorTextTabLabelHover rgb(0, 95, 178)
colorTextTabLabelFocus rgb(0, 95, 178)
colorTextTabLabelActive rgb(0, 57, 107)
colorTextTabLabelDisabled rgb(224, 229, 238)
colorTextToast rgb(224, 229, 238)
318

colorTextWeak rgb(84, 105, 141)
colorTextIconBrand rgb(0, 112, 210)
colorTextButtonBrand rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorTextButtonBrandHover rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorTextButtonBrandActive rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorTextButtonBrandDisabled rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorTextButtonDefault rgb(0, 112, 210)
colorTextButtonDefaultHover rgb(0, 112, 210)
colorTextButtonDefaultActive rgb(0, 112, 210)
colorTextButtonDefaultDisabled rgb(216, 221, 230)
colorTextButtonDefaultHint rgb(159, 170, 181)
colorTextButtonInverse rgb(224, 229, 238)
colorTextButtonInverseDisabled rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.15)
colorTextIconDefault rgb(84, 105, 141)
colorTextIconDefaultHint rgb(159, 170, 181)
colorTextIconDefaultHover rgb(0, 112, 210)
colorTextIconDefaultActive rgb(0, 57, 107)
colorTextIconDefaultDisabled rgb(216, 221, 230)
colorTextIconInverse rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorTextIconInverseHover rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorTextIconInverseActive rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorTextIconInverseDisabled rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.15)
colorTextLabel rgb(84, 105, 141)
colorTextPlaceholder rgb(84, 105, 141)
colorTextPlaceholderInverse rgb(224, 229, 238)
colorTextRequired rgb(194, 57, 52)
colorTextPill rgb(0, 112, 210)
durationInstantly 0s
durationImmediately 0.05s
durationQuickly 0.1s
319

durationPromptly 0.2s
durationSlowly 0.4s
durationPaused 3.2s
colorBackgroundButtonBrand rgb(0, 112, 210)
colorBackgroundButtonBrandActive rgb(0, 57, 107)
colorBackgroundButtonBrandHover rgb(0, 95, 178)
colorBackgroundButtonBrandDisabled rgb(224, 229, 238)
colorBackgroundButtonDefault rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorBackgroundButtonDefaultHover rgb(244, 246, 249)
colorBackgroundButtonDefaultFocus rgb(244, 246, 249)
colorBackgroundButtonDefaultActive rgb(238, 241, 246)
colorBackgroundButtonDefaultDisabled rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorBackgroundButtonIcon rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)
colorBackgroundButtonIconHover rgb(244, 246, 249)
colorBackgroundButtonIconFocus rgb(244, 246, 249)
colorBackgroundButtonIconActive rgb(238, 241, 246)
colorBackgroundButtonIconDisabled rgb(255, 255, 255)
colorBackgroundButtonInverse rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)
colorBackgroundButtonInverseActive rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.24)
colorBackgroundButtonInverseDisabled rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)
lineHeightButton 1.875rem
lineHeightButtonSmall 1.75rem
colorBackgroundAnchor rgb(244, 246, 249)
For a complete list of the design tokens available in the SLDS, see Design Tokens on the Lightning Design System site.
SEE ALSO:
320

Use a subset of the standard design tokens to make your components compatible with the Theme panel in Community Builder. The
Theme panel enables administrators to quickly style an entire community using these properties. Each property in the Theme panel
maps to one or more standard design tokens. When an administrator updates a property in the Theme panel, the system automatically
updates any Lightning components that use the tokens associated with that branding property.
Available Tokens for Communities

For Communities using the Customer Service template, the following standard tokens are available when extending from
forceCommunity:base.
Important: The standard token values evolve along with SLDS. Available tokens and their values can change without notice.
321
These Branding panel properties... ...map to these standard design tokens

Text Color colorTextDefault
Detail Text Color • colorTextActionLabel

• colorTextLabel
• colorTextPlaceholder
• colorTextWeak
Action Color • colorBackgroundButtonBrand

• colorBorderBrand
• colorBorderButtonBrand
• colorBrand
• colorTextBrand
• colorTextTabLabelSelected
• colorTextActionLabelActive
Note: As of Summer ‘18 colorBackgroundHighlight is no longer

mapped to Action Color.
Link Color colorTextLink
Company Logo brandLogoImage
Overlay Text Color • colorTextButtonBrand

• colorTextButtonBrandHover
• colorTextInverse
Border Color • colorBorder

• colorBorderButtonDefault
• colorBorderInput
• colorBorderSeparatorAlt
Primary Font fontFamily
Text Case textTransform
In addition, the following standard tokens are available for derived theme properties in the Customer Service template. You can indirectly
access derived properties when you update the properties in the Theme panel. For example, if you change the Action Color property in
the Theme panel, the system automatically recalculates the Action Color Darker value based on the new value.
These derived branding properties... ...map to these standard design tokens

Action Color Darker • colorBackgroundButtonBrandActive
(Derived from Action Color) • colorBackgroundButtonBrandHover
322
These derived branding properties... ...map to these standard design tokens

Hover Color • colorBackgroundButtonDefaultHover
(Derived from Action Color) • colorBackgroundRowHover
• colorBackgroundRowSelected
• colorBackgroundShade
Link Color Darker • colorTextLinkActive

(Derived from Link Color) • colorTextLinkHover
For a complete list of the design tokens available in the SLDS, see Design Tokens on the Lightning Design System site.
SEE ALSO:
323
CHAPTER 8 Developing Secure Code
In this chapter ... The Lightning Locker architectural layer enhances security by isolating individual Lightning namespaces
in their own containers and enforcing coding best practices.
• What is Lightning
Locker?
The framework also uses JavaScript Strict mode to turn on native security features in the browser, and
Content Security Policy (CSP) rules to control the source of content that can be loaded on a page.
• Content Security
Policy Overview
• Freeze JavaScript
Prototypes
324
Developing Secure Code What is Lightning Locker?

Lightning Locker is a powerful security architecture for Lightning components. Lightning Locker enhances security by isolating Lightning
components that belong to one namespace from components in a different namespace. Lightning Locker also promotes best practices
that improve the supportability of your code by only allowing access to supported APIs and eliminating access to non-published
framework internals.
IN THIS SECTION:
JavaScript Strict Mode Enforcement
Lightning Locker implicitly enables JavaScript strict mode. You don’t need to specify "use strict" in your code. JavaScript
strict mode makes code more secure, robust and supportable.
DOM Access Containment
A component can only traverse the DOM and access elements created by a component in the same namespace. This behavior
prevents the anti-pattern of reaching into DOM elements owned by components in another namespace.
Secure Wrappers
For security, Lightning Locker restricts the use of global objects by hiding an object or by wrapping it in a secure version of the object.
For example, the secure version of window is SecureWindow. Locker intercepts calls to window and uses SecureWindow
instead. Some methods and properties have different behavior or aren’t available on the secure objects.
eval() Function is Limited by Lightning Locker
In Lightning Locker, use of the eval() function is supported to enable use of third-party libraries that evaluate code dynamically.
However, it is limited to work only in the global scope of the namespace. The eval() function can’t access the local variables
within the scope in which it’s called.
MIME Types Permitted
Lightning Locker analyzes the MIME types of files sent through the browser. Locker permits some MIME types, sanitizes some MIME
types, and blocks the rest.
Access to Supported JavaScript API Framework Methods Only
You can access published, supported JavaScript API framework methods only. These methods are published in the reference doc
app at https://<myDomain>.lightning.force.com/docs/component-library, where <myDomain> is
the name of your custom Salesforce domain. Previously, unsupported methods were accessible, which exposed your code to the
risk of breaking when unsupported methods were changed or removed.
What Does Lightning Locker Affect?
Find out what’s affected and what’s not affected by Lightning Locker.
Lightning Locker Tools
Lightning Locker tools help you develop more secure code that is compatible and runs efficiently with Lightning Locker.
Disabling Lightning Locker for a Component
You can disable Lightning Locker for a component by setting API version 39.0 or lower for the component. If a component is set to
at least API version 40.0, Lightning Locker is enabled. API version 40.0 corresponds to Summer ’17, when Lightning Locker was
enabled for all orgs.
For consistency and ease of debugging, we recommend that you set the same API version for all custom components in your app,
containment hierarchy (component within component), or extension hierarchy (component extending component).
325
Developing Secure Code JavaScript Strict Mode Enforcement

Lightning Locker relies on some JavaScript features in the browser: support for strict mode, the Map object, and the Proxy object.
If a browser doesn’t meet the requirements, Lightning Locker can’t enforce all its security features and is disabled.
SEE ALSO:
Modifying the DOM
Component Library
Salesforce Help: Supported Browsers for Lightning Experience

Lightning Locker implicitly enables JavaScript strict mode. You don’t need to specify "use strict" in your code. JavaScript strict
mode makes code more secure, robust and supportable.
When strict mode is enabled and unsafe actions are taken, JavaScript throws errors that would otherwise be suppressed. Examples of
unsafe actions include assigning values to non-writable properties and using a variable that hasn’t been declared. Reporting these actions
can catch situations when a variable name has been mistyped.
A few common stumbling points when using strict mode are:
• You must declare variables with the var keyword.
• You must explicitly attach a variable to the window object to create a global variable that’s available across components or libraries.
For more information, see Sharing JavaScript Code Across Components.
• The libraries that your components use must also work in strict mode.
For more information about JavaScript strict mode, see the Mozilla Developer Network.

A component can only traverse the DOM and access elements created by a component in the same namespace. This behavior prevents
the anti-pattern of reaching into DOM elements owned by components in another namespace.
Note: It’s an anti-pattern for any component to “reach into” another component, regardless of namespace, because it breaks
encapsulation. Lightning Locker only prevents cross-namespace access. Your good judgment should prevent cross-component
access within your own namespace as it makes components tightly coupled and more likely to break.
Let’s look at a sample component that demonstrates DOM containment.

<aura:component>
<div id="myDiv" aura:id="div1">
<p>See how Lightning Locker restricts DOM access</p>
</div>
<lightning:button name="myButton" label="Peek in DOM"
aura:id="button1" onclick="{!c.peekInDom}"/>
</aura:component>
The c:domLocker component creates a <div> element and a lightning:button component.
326
Developing Secure Code DOM Access Containment
Here’s the client-side controller that peeks around in the DOM.

({ /* domLockerController.js */
peekInDom : function(cmp, event, helper) {
console.log("cmp.getElements(): ", cmp.getElements());
// access the DOM in c:domLocker
console.log("div1: ", cmp.find("div1").getElement());
console.log("button1: ", cmp.find("button1"));
console.log("button name: ", event.getSource().get("v.name"));
// returns an error
//console.log("button1 element: ", cmp.find("button1").getElement());
}
})
Valid DOM Access

The following methods are valid DOM access because the elements are created by c:domLocker.
cmp.getElements()
Returns the elements in the DOM rendered by the component.
cmp.find()
Returns the div and button components, identified by their aura:id attributes.
cmp.find("div1").getElement()
Returns the DOM element for the div as c:domLocker created the div.
event.getSource().get("v.name")
Returns the name of the button that dispatched the event; in this case, myButton.
Invalid DOM Access

You can’t use cmp.find("button1").getElement() to access the DOM element created by lightning:button.
Lightning Locker doesn’t allow c:domLocker to access the DOM for lightning:button because the button is in the
lightning namespace and c:domLocker is in the c namespace.
If you uncomment the code for cmp.find("button1").getElement(), you’ll see an error:
c:domLocker$controller$peekInDom [cmp.find(...).getElement is not a function]
IN THIS SECTION:
How Lightning Locker Uses the Proxy Object
Lightning Locker uses the standard JavaScript Proxy object to filter a component’s access to underlying JavaScript objects. The
Proxy object ensures that a component only sees DOM elements created by a component in the same namespace.
SEE ALSO:
Using JavaScript
327
Developing Secure Code Secure Wrappers

Lightning Locker uses the standard JavaScript Proxy object to filter a component’s access to underlying JavaScript objects. The Proxy
object ensures that a component only sees DOM elements created by a component in the same namespace.
You can interact with a Proxy object in the same way as you interact with the raw JavaScript object, but the object shows up in the
browser’s console as a Proxy. It’s useful to understand Lightning Locker’s usage of Proxy if you drop into your browser’s debugger
and start poking around.
When a component creates a JavaScript object, Lightning Locker returns the raw JavaScript object. When Lightning Locker filters the
object, it returns a Proxy object. Some scenarios where Lightning Locker filters an object and returns a Proxy object are:
• Passing an object to a component in a different namespace.
• Passing an object from a component on API version less than 40.0 to the method of a component on API version greater than or
equal to 40.0.
• Calling cmp.get() to retrieve an attribute value that you set with the value of a native JavaScript object or array. The object or
array isn’t filtered when it’s originally created.
When you access these objects, Lightning Locker returns a Proxy object.
• Any object that implements the HTMLCollection interface
• A SecureElement object, which represents an HTML element.
For more information about standard JavaScript Proxy object, see the Mozilla Developer Network.
SEE ALSO:
Secure Wrappers
Secure Wrappers
For security, Lightning Locker restricts the use of global objects by hiding an object or by wrapping it in a secure version of the object.
For example, the secure version of window is SecureWindow. Locker intercepts calls to window and uses SecureWindow
instead. Some methods and properties have different behavior or aren’t available on the secure objects.
Lightning Locker also replaces instances of other objects, such as components and events, with secure wrapped versions. Here’s a list
of the most common wrappers that you encounter.
SecureAura
Secure wrapper for $A, which is the entry point for using the framework in JavaScript code.
SecureComponent
Secure wrapper for the Component object inside the same namespace.
SecureComponentRef
SecureComponentRef is a subset of SecureComponent that provides the external API for a component in a different
namespace.
When you’re in a controller or helper, you have access to a SecureComponent, essentially the this object. If you reference a
component in a different namespace, you get a SecureComponentRef instead. For example, if your markup includes a
lightning:button and you call cmp.find("buttonAuraId"), you get a SecureComponentRef as
lightning:button is in a different namespace from the component containing the button markup.
328
Developing Secure Code Secure Wrappers
SecureDocument
Secure wrapper for the document object, which represents the root node of the HTML document or page. The document
object is the entry point into the page’s content, which is the DOM tree.
SecureElement
Secure wrapper for the Element object, which represents various HTML elements. SecureElement is wrapped in a Proxy
object as a performance optimization so that its data can be lazily filtered when it’s accessed. Therefore, a Proxy object represents
the HTML element if you’re debugging in the browser console.
SecureObject
Secure wrapper for an object that is wrapped by Lightning Locker. When you see a SecureObject, it typically means that you
don’t have access to the underlying object and its properties aren’t available.
SecureWindow
Secure wrapper for the window object, which represents a window containing a DOM document.
Use the Locker API Viewer to quickly see the difference between the DOM APIs exposed by Lightning Locker versus the standard DOM
APIs for the most complex wrappers: SecureDocument, SecureElement, and SecureWindow.
Example
Let’s look at a sample component that demonstrates some of the secure wrappers.

<aura:component >
<div id="myDiv" aura:id="div1">
<p>See how Lightning Locker uses secure wrappers</p>
</div>
<lightning:button name="myButton" label="Peek in DOM"
aura:id="button1" onclick="{!c.peekInDom}"/>
</aura:component>
The c:secureWrappers component creates a <div> HTML element and a lightning:button component.
Here’s the client-side controller that peeks around in the DOM.
({ /* secureWrappersController.js */
peekInDom : function(cmp, event, helper) {
console.log("div1: ", cmp.find("div1").getElement());
console.log("button1: ", cmp.find("button1"));

console.log("button name: ", event.getSource().get("v.name"));
// add debugger statement for inspection
// always remove this from production code
debugger;
}
})
We use console.log() to look at the <div> element and the button. The <div> SecureElement is wrapped in a Proxy
object as a performance optimization so that its data can be lazily filtered when it’s accessed.
We put a debugger statement in the code so that we could inspect the elements in the browser console.
Type these expressions into the browser console and look at the results.
cmp
cmp+""
329
Developing Secure Code eval() Function is Limited by Lightning Locker
cmp.find("button1")
cmp.find("button1")+""
window
window+""
$A
$A+""
We add an empty string to some expressions so that the object is converted to a String. You could also use the toString()
method.
Here’s the output.
Let’s examine some of the output.

cmp+""
Returns a SecureComponent object for cmp, which represents the c:secureWrappers component.
cmp.find("button1")+""
Returns a SecureComponentRef, which represents the external API for a component in a different namespace. In this example,
the component is lightning:button.
window+""
Returns a SecureWindow object.
$A+""
Returns a SecureAura object.
SEE ALSO:
Lightning Locker API Viewer
eval() Function is Limited by Lightning Locker

In Lightning Locker, use of the eval() function is supported to enable use of third-party libraries that evaluate code dynamically.
However, it is limited to work only in the global scope of the namespace. The eval() function can’t access the local variables within
the scope in which it’s called.
330
Developing Secure Code MIME Types Permitted
Normally, eval() has two modes of execution. When you invoke eval() directly, it works in the local scope. When you invoke it
via a reference, it works in the global scope. Lightning Locker only supports the latter.
For example, suppose that you execute the following code:
window.foo = 1;
function bar() {
var foo = 2;
return eval("foo");
}
A call to bar() returns 2 when evaluation is performed in the local scope, and returns 1 when it’s performed in the global scope. If
you must use variables from the local scope, refactor your code. Use a Function(), declare the local variables as parameters, pass
them as arguments, and add a return statement:
window.foo = 1;
function bar() {
var foo = 2;
return Function("foo","return foo")(foo);
}
MIME Types Permitted

Lightning Locker analyzes the MIME types of files sent through the browser. Locker permits some MIME types, sanitizes some MIME
types, and blocks the rest.
These MIME types are allowed, or white-listed, by Lightning Locker.
• application/octet-stream — Default value for binary files
• application/json — JSON format
• application/pdf — Portable Document Format (.pdf)
• video/ — All video/* mime types
• audio/ — All audio/* mime types
• image/ — All image/* mime types
• font/ — All font/* mime types
• text/plain — Text (.txt)
• text/markdown — Markdown (.md)
• application/zip — Zip archive (.zip)
• application/x-bzip — Bzip archive (.bz)
• application/x-rar-compressed — RAR archive (.rar)
• application/x-tar — Tape archive (.tar)
Locker sanitizes text/html, image/svg+xml, and text/xml MIME types. These types are permitted but Locker removes
potentially malicious code.
Any other types are blocked with the error message Unsupported MIME type.
If you need to send binary files that are not explicitly permitted, specify the MIME type as application/octet-stream.
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Developing Secure Code Access to Supported JavaScript API Framework Methods Only
Access to Supported JavaScript API Framework Methods Only

You can access published, supported JavaScript API framework methods only. These methods are published in the reference doc app
at https://<myDomain>.lightning.force.com/docs/component-library, where <myDomain> is the name
of your custom Salesforce domain. Previously, unsupported methods were accessible, which exposed your code to the risk of breaking
when unsupported methods were changed or removed.
What Does Lightning Locker Affect?

Find out what’s affected and what’s not affected by Lightning Locker.
Lightning Locker enforces security and best practices for custom Lightning components you use in:
• Lightning Experience
• Salesforce app
• Lightning Communities
• Flows
• Standalone apps that you create (for example, myApp.app)
• Any other app where you can add a custom Lightning component, such as Salesforce Console in Lightning Experience
• Lightning Out
Lightning Locker doesn’t affect the following except for usage of Lightning components in Visualforce in these contexts:
• Salesforce Classic
• Visualforce-based communities
• Any apps for Salesforce Classic, such as Salesforce Console in Salesforce Classic
Lightning Locker Tools

Lightning Locker tools help you develop more secure code that is compatible and runs efficiently with Lightning Locker.
IN THIS SECTION:
The Lightning Locker API Viewer shows the DOM APIs exposed by Locker versus the standard DOM APIs for the most complex
wrappers: SecureDocument, SecureElement, and SecureWindow.
Locker Console Overview
Use Locker Console to check your JavaScript code’s compatibility with Lightning Locker, and compare how it runs with Lightning
Locker enabled and disabled.

The Lightning Locker API Viewer shows the DOM APIs exposed by Locker versus the standard DOM APIs for the most complex wrappers:
SecureDocument, SecureElement, and SecureWindow.
Access Locker API Viewer in the Component Library.
Locker API Viewer lets you quickly see the difference between the standard DOM APIs and the Locker APIs.
• A white row indicates an API that behaves the same in Lightning Locker.
• An orange row indicates an API that behaves differently in Lightning Locker.
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Developing Secure Code Lightning Locker Tools
• A red row means that the API isn’t supported in Lightning Locker.
There are several ways to validate your code to ensure compatibility with Aura component APIs. For more information, see Validations
for Aura Component Code.
Use the Locker Console to check JavaScript code’s compatibility with Lightning Locker.
Reference Doc App

The reference doc app lists the API for SecureComponent under JavaScript API > Component.
SecureAura is the wrapper for $A.
Access the reference doc app at:
SEE ALSO:
Secure Wrappers

Use Locker Console to check your JavaScript code’s compatibility with Lightning Locker, and compare how it runs with Lightning Locker
enabled and disabled.
Access Locker Console in the Component Library.
Locker Console enables you to quickly evaluate JavaScript code for issues or benchmark code, without requiring you to create an app
to test your component. You can evaluate only JavaScript code in Locker Console. You can't evaluate a complete component bundle
or component markup.
Here's an overview of the user interface of the Locker Console tool.
Code Console (1)

Paste or type your JavaScript code here to evaluate or benchmark it.
Toggles (2)
• Enable or disable Locker.
• Enable or disable Strict CSP.
Actions (3)
• Click Evaluate to run the code that’s displayed in the code console.
333
• Click Benchmark to run your code with and without Lightning Locker and view relative performance metrics.
• Click Clear Results to clear all the displayed results.
IN THIS SECTION:
Evaluate JavaScript Code Compatibility with Lightning Locker
Ensure that your code is compatible with Lightning Locker by running the code with Locker enabled. Run the code a second time
with Locker disabled to see if any errors are due to Lightning Locker restrictions.
Benchmark Lightning Locker Effect on JavaScript Code
Benchmark your JavaScript code with and without Lightning Locker and view relative performance metrics.
SEE ALSO:
Component Library
Stricter CSP Restrictions
Evaluate JavaScript Code Compatibility with Lightning Locker

Ensure that your code is compatible with Lightning Locker by running the code with Locker enabled. Run the code a second time with
Locker disabled to see if any errors are due to Lightning Locker restrictions.
Let's look at an example that uses a prohibited DOM API.
1. Paste this code into the console.
var controller = new AbortController();
controller;
2. Click Evaluate.
Note the error in the LOCKER ON column of the results window.
Error: AbortController is not a constructor
You get this error because AbortController is an experimental interface in the DOM API and is not allowed by Lightning
Locker.
The LOCKER OFF column shows N/A as this column isn't relevant when the Locker toggle is enabled.
3. Click the Locker toggle to disable Lightning Locker.

4. Click Evaluate to rerun the code sample with Lightning Locker disabled.
The second row of the results window shows there's no longer an error when Lightning Locker is disabled. The LOCKER OFF column
shows [object AbortController], which is the return value of the sample code.
334
Use the Locker API Viewer to see the DOM APIs exposed by Lightning Locker versus the standard DOM APIs for the most complex
wrappers: SecureDocument, SecureElement, and SecureWindow.
SEE ALSO:
Benchmark Lightning Locker Effect on JavaScript Code

Benchmark your JavaScript code with and without Lightning Locker and view relative performance metrics.
Benchmarking enables you to see the performance difference with Lightning Locker enabled and disabled, without requiring you to
create an app to test your component.
Example
Let’s look at an example where you study the performance of a series of nested loops.
1. Paste this code into the code console.
function build(count) {
var table = document.createElement("table");
for (var contact = 0; contact < count; contact++) {
for(var day = 0; day < 7; day++) {
var tr = document.createElement("tr");
var td = document.createElement("td");
td.textContent = contact;
tr.appendChild(td);
for(var hour = 6; hour < 22; hour++) {
td = document.createElement("td");
td.className = "officeDivider";
tr.appendChild(td);
td.className = "officeHourIn";
tr.appendChild(td);
tr.appendChild(td);
tr.appendChild(td);
tr.appendChild(td);
}
table.appendChild(tr);
}
}
return table;
};
335
build(10);
2. Click Benchmark.
The FASTEST column in the results window shows that the code runs 6.56 times faster when Lightning Locker is disabled. This
difference in speed is the cost of security, and whether the performance loss is acceptable depends on each specific case.
The benchmark action allows you to tweak your code and see how the change affects running time. This rapid iterative process is useful
when you're optimizing computationally intensive sections of the code.
Example with Improved Performance

To show how to reduce the overhead of Lightning Locker, let's build the same table using a string of HTML and benchmark to evaluate
the difference.
1. Paste this code into the code console.
function build(count) {
var html = "<body>"
for (var contact = 0; contact < count; contact++) {
for (var day = 0; day < 7; day++) {
html += "<td>" + contact + "</td>";
for (var hour = 6; hour < 22; hour++) {
html += "<td class='officeDivider'></td>";
html += "<td class='officeHourIn'></td>";
}
}
}
html += "</body>";
return html;
};
var div = document.createElement('div');

div.innerHTML = build(10);
2. Click Benchmark.
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Developing Secure Code Disabling Lightning Locker for a Component
Because there are no DOM API calls, such as document.createElement(), inside the loops in this example, the performance
of the build() function is similar whether Locker is on or off. The code runs 1.11 times faster when Lightning Locker is disabled, as
opposed to 6.56 times faster in the previous example that had multiple DOM API calls.
Plain JavaScript is generally much faster than the DOM API, and the more often a section of code connects to the DOM, the slower the
code runs. The DOM API causes most of the Locker overhead. Here, we accelerate the code by reducing the number of times we touch
the DOM, which also greatly reduces the overall Locker overhead.
SEE ALSO:

You can disable Lightning Locker for a component by setting API version 39.0 or lower for the component. If a component is set to at
least API version 40.0, Lightning Locker is enabled. API version 40.0 corresponds to Summer ’17, when Lightning Locker was enabled for
all orgs.
Lightning Locker is disabled for any component created before Summer ’17 because these components have an API version less than
40.0.
Component versioning enables you to associate a component with an API version. When you create a component, the default version
is the latest API version. In Developer Console, click Bundle Version Settings in the right panel to set the component version.
For consistency and ease of debugging, we recommend that you set the same API version for all components in your app, when possible.
SEE ALSO:

For consistency and ease of debugging, we recommend that you set the same API version for all custom components in your app,
containment hierarchy (component within component), or extension hierarchy (component extending component).
If you mix API versions in your containment or extension hierarchy and Lightning Locker is enabled for some components and disabled
for other components, your app will be harder to debug.
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Developing Secure Code Lightning Locker Disabled for Unsupported Browsers
Extension Hierarchy
Lightning Locker is enabled for a component or an application purely based on component version. The extension hierarchy for a
component doesn’t factor into Lightning Locker enforcement.
Let’s look at an example where a Car component extends a Vehicle component. Car has API version 39.0 so Lightning Locker is
disabled. Vehicle has API version 40.0 so Lightning Locker is enabled.
Now, let’s say that Vehicle adds an expando property, _counter, to the window object by assigning a value to
window._counter. Since Lightning Locker is enabled for Vehicle, the _counter property is added to SecureWindow,
the secure wrapper for window for the component’s namespace. The property isn’t added to the native window object.
Lightning Locker is disabled for Car so the component has access to the native window object. Car can’t see the _counter
property as it’s only available in the SecureWindow object.
This subtle behavior can cause much gnashing of teeth when your code doesn’t work as you expect. You’ll never get that debugging
time back! Save yourself some grief and use the same API version for all components in an extension hierarchy.
Containment Hierarchy
The containment hierarchy within an application or a component doesn’t factor into Lightning Locker enforcement.
Let’s look at an example where a Bicycle component contains a Wheel component. If Bicycle has API version 40.0, Lightning
Locker is enabled. If Wheel has API version 39.0, Lightning Locker is disabled for Wheel even though it’s contained in a component,
Bicycle, that has Lightning Locker enabled.
Due to the mix of component API versions, you’re likely to run into issues similar to those for the extension hierarchy. We recommend
that you set the same API version for all components in your app or component hierarchy, when possible.
SEE ALSO:
Secure Wrappers
Sharing JavaScript Code Across Components

Lightning Locker relies on some JavaScript features in the browser: support for strict mode, the Map object, and the Proxy object. If
a browser doesn’t meet the requirements, Lightning Locker can’t enforce all its security features and is disabled.
Lightning Locker is disabled for unsupported browsers. If you use an unsupported browser, you’re likely to encounter issues that won’t
be fixed. Make your life easier and your browsing experience more secure by using a supported browser.
Note: The Lightning Locker requirements align with the supported browsers for Lightning Experience, except for IE11. Lightning
Locker is disabled for IE11. We recommend using supported browsers other than IE11 for enhanced security.
SEE ALSO:
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Developing Secure Code Content Security Policy Overview

The Lightning Component framework uses Content Security Policy (CSP) to impose restrictions on content. The main objective is to help
prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) and other code injection attacks.
CSP is a W3C standard that defines rules to control the source of content that can be loaded on a page. All CSP rules work at the page
level, and apply to all components and libraries.
The framework enables these specific CSP rules:
JavaScript Libraries
All JavaScript libraries must be uploaded to Salesforce static resources. For more information, see Using External JavaScript Libraries
on page 349.
HTTPS Connections for Resources
All external fonts, images, frames, and CSS must use an HTTPS URL.
You can change the CSP policy and expand access to third-party resources by adding CSP Trusted Sites.
Inline JavaScript
Script tags can’t be used to load JavaScript, and event handlers can’t use inline JavaScript. For more details, see Stricter CSP Restrictions.
Browser Support
CSP isn’t enforced by all browsers. For a list of browsers that enforce CSP, see caniuse.com.
Note: IE11 doesn’t support CSP, so we recommend using other supported browsers for enhanced security.
Finding CSP Violations

CSP policy violations are logged in the browser’s developer console. The violations look like the following message.
Refused to load the script 'https://externaljs.docsample.com/externalLib.js'
because it violates the following Content Security Policy directive: ...
If your app’s functionality isn’t affected, you can ignore the CSP violation.
IN THIS SECTION:
The Lightning Component framework already uses Content Security Policy (CSP), which is a W3C standard, to control the source of
content that can be loaded on a page. The “Enable Stricter Content Security Policy” org setting tightens CSP to further mitigate the
risk of cross-site scripting attacks. The CSP rules work at the page level, and apply to all components and libraries, whether Lightning
Locker is enabled or not.
SEE ALSO:
Making API Calls from Components
Salesforce Help: Script Level Security in Communities
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Developing Secure Code Stricter CSP Restrictions

The Lightning Component framework already uses Content Security Policy (CSP), which is a W3C standard, to control the source of
content that can be loaded on a page. The “Enable Stricter Content Security Policy” org setting tightens CSP to further mitigate the risk
of cross-site scripting attacks. The CSP rules work at the page level, and apply to all components and libraries, whether Lightning Locker
is enabled or not.
Stricter CSP disallows unsafe-inline for script-src. Script tags can’t be used to load JavaScript, and event handlers can’t
use inline JavaScript. For example, this attempt to use an event handler to run an inline script is prevented:
<button onclick="doSomething()"></button>
When stricter CSP is enabled, you must ensure that all your code, including third-party libraries, respects the stricter CSP restrictions.
What Does Stricter CSP Affect?

Stricter CSP affects:
• Salesforce app
• Standalone apps that you create (for example, myApp.app)
Stricter CSP doesn’t affect:
• Salesforce Classic
• Any apps for Salesforce Classic, such as Salesforce Console in Salesforce Classic
• Communities
• Lightning Out, which allows you to run Lightning components in a container outside of Lightning apps, such as Lightning components
in Visualforce and Visualforce-based Communities. The container defines the CSP rules.
Note: CSP in Communities is controlled separately through each community’s settings.
Disable Stricter CSP

Stricter CSP is enabled by default. To disable it:
1. From Setup, enter Session in the Quick Find box, and then select Session Settings.
2. Deselect the checkbox for “Enable Stricter Content Security Policy”.
3. Click Save.
Freeze JavaScript Prototypes

Freeze JavaScript prototypes to prevent Aura component authors from modifying JavaScript prototypes of global objects that are shared
between namespaces. This restriction enables better code separation between components and prevents malicious or inadvertent
tampering of shared objects, such as the JavaScript APIs or DOM APIs.
In JavaScript, each object has a prototype object. An object inherits methods and properties from its prototype object. Prototypes enable
a JavaScript object to inherit features from another object. If a component author modifies a JavaScript prototype of a shared object, it
can introduce unexpected behavior and potential security issues. Freezing JavaScript prototypes eliminates this risk.
This setting is supported only in Lightning Experience and is disabled by default.
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Developing Secure Code Freeze JavaScript Prototypes
2. Select the checkbox for “Freeze JavaScript Prototypes”.
Note: Cisco Webex Teams and Meetings features aren't compatible with the Freeze JavaScript Prototypes setting. If you have
one of these Webex features enabled, you can’t enable this setting.
3. Click Save.
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CHAPTER 9 Using JavaScript
In this chapter ... Use JavaScript for client-side code. The $A namespace is the entry point for using the framework in
JavaScript code.
• Supported JavaScript
For all the methods available in $A, see the JavaScript API at
• Invoking Actions on
https://<myDomain>.lightning.force.com/docs/component-library, where
Component
<myDomain> is the name of your custom Salesforce domain.
Initialization
• Sharing JavaScript A component bundle can contain JavaScript code in a client-side controller, helper, or renderer. Client-side
Code in a controllers are the most commonly used of these JavaScript resources.
Component Bundle
• Sharing JavaScript
Code Across
Expressions in JavaScript Code
Components
In JavaScript, use string syntax to evaluate an expression. For example, this expression retrieves the
• Using External
label attribute in a component.
JavaScript Libraries
• Dynamically Creating var theLabel = cmp.get("v.label");
Components
Note: Only use the {! } expression syntax in markup in .app or .cmp resources.
• Detecting Data
Changes with
Change Handlers
SEE ALSO:
• Finding Components
by ID
• Working with
Attribute Values in
JavaScript
• Working with a
Component Body in
JavaScript
• Working with Events
in JavaScript
• Modifying the DOM
• Checking
Component Validity
• Modifying
Components Outside
the Framework
Lifecycle
• Validating Fields
• Throwing and
Handling Errors
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Using JavaScript
• Calling Component
Methods
• Dynamically Adding
Event Handlers To a
Component
• Dynamically Showing
or Hiding Markup
• Adding and
Removing Styles
• Which Button Was
Pressed?
• Formatting Dates in
JavaScript
• Using JavaScript
Promises
• Making API Calls
from Components
• Create CSP Trusted
Sites to Access
Third-Party APIs
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Using JavaScript Supported JavaScript
Supported JavaScript
The Aura Components programming model supports ES5 syntax and ES6 Promises.
For the most reliable experience, use ES5 to develop Aura components because the pipeline from authoring to serialization to execution
was built for ES5. Promises from ES6 are also available. Using any other syntax or feature is not supported, and does not work in IE11.
This developer guide explains how to develop Aura components and documents the JavaScript usage that's unique to the Aura
Components programming model.
If you want to use ES6 or later for development, use the Lightning Web Components programming model, which has been architected
for modern JavaScript development.
SEE ALSO:
Invoking Actions on Component Initialization

Use the init event to initialize a component or fire an event after component construction but before rendering.
If a component is contained in another component or app, the inner component is initialized first.
Let’s look at an example.
Component source
<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="setMeOnInit" type="String" default="default value" />
<p>This value is set in the controller after the component initializes and before
rendering.</p>
<p><b>{!v.setMeOnInit}</b></p>
</aura:component>

({
doInit: function(cmp) {
// Set the attribute value.
// You could also fire an event here instead.
cmp.set("v.setMeOnInit", "controller init magic!");
}
})
Let's look at the Component source to see how this works. The magic happens in this line.
This registers an init event handler for the component. init is a predefined event sent to every component. After the component
is initialized, the doInit action is called in the component's controller. In this sample, the controller action sets an attribute value, but
it could do something more interesting, such as firing an event.
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Using JavaScript Sharing JavaScript Code in a Component Bundle
Setting value="{!this}" marks this as a value event. You should always use this setting for an init event.
SEE ALSO:

Put functions that you want to reuse in the component’s helper. Helper functions also enable specialization of tasks, such as processing
data and firing server-side actions.
A helper function can be called from any JavaScript code in a component’s bundle, such as from a client-side controller or renderer.
Helper functions are similar to client-side controller functions in shape, surrounded by parentheses and curly braces to denote a JavaScript
object in object-literal notation containing a map of name-value pairs. A helper function can pass in any arguments required by the
function, such as the component it belongs to, a callback, or any other objects.
({
helperMethod1 : function() {
// logic here
},
helperMethod2 : function(component) {
// logic here
this.helperMethod3(var1, var2);
},
helperMethod3 : function(var1, var2) {

// do something with var1 and var2 here
}
})
To call another function in the same helper, use the syntax: this.methodName, where this is a reference to the helper itself. For
example, helperMethod2 calls helperMethod3 with this code.
this.helperMethod3(var1, var2);
Creating a Helper
A helper resource is part of the component bundle and is auto-wired via the naming convention, <componentName>Helper.js.
To create a helper using the Developer Console, click HELPER in the sidebar of the component. This helper file is valid for the scope of
the component to which it’s auto-wired.
Using a Helper in a Controller

Add a helper argument to a controller function to enable the function to use the helper. Specify (component, event,
helper) in the controller. These are standard parameters and you don't have to access them in the function. You can also pass in an
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Using JavaScript Sharing JavaScript Code in a Component Bundle
instance variable as a parameter, for example, createExpense: function(component, expense){...}, where

expense is a variable defined in the component.
The following code shows you how to call the updateItem helper function in a controller, which can be used with a custom event
handler.
/* controller */
({
newItemEvent: function(component, event, helper) {
helper.updateItem(component, event.getParam("item"));
}
})
Helper functions are local to a component, improve code reuse, and move the heavy lifting of JavaScript logic away from the client-side
controller where possible. The following code shows the helper function, which takes in the value parameter set in the controller via
the item argument. The code walks through calling a server-side action and returning a callback but you can do something else in
the helper function.
/* helper */
({
updateItem : function(component, item, callback) {
//Update the items via a server-side action
var action = component.get("c.saveItem");
action.setParams({"item" : item});
//Set any optional callback and enqueue the action
if (callback) {
action.setCallback(this, callback);
}
}
})
Using a Helper in a Renderer

Add a helper argument to a renderer function to enable the function to use the helper. In the renderer, specify (component,
helper) as parameters in a function signature to enable the function to access the component's helper. These are standard parameters
and you don't have to access them in the function. The following code shows an example on how you can override the afterRender()
function in the renderer and call open in the helper method.
detailsRenderer.js
({
afterRender : function(component, helper){
helper.open(component, null, "new");
}
})
detailsHelper.js
({
open : function(component, note, mode, sort){
if(mode === "new") {
//do something
}
// do something else, such as firing an event
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Using JavaScript Sharing JavaScript Code Across Components
}
})
SEE ALSO:
Component Bundles
Sharing JavaScript Code Across Components

You can build simple Lightning components that are entirely self-contained. However, if you build more complex applications, you
probably want to share code, or even client-side data, between components.
The <ltng:require> tag enables you to load external JavaScript libraries after you upload them as static resources. You can also
use <ltng:require> to import your own JavaScript libraries of utility methods.
Let’s look at a simple counter library that provides a getValue() method, which returns the current value of the counter, and an
increment() method, which increments the value of that counter.
Create the JavaScript Library

1. In the Developer Console, click File > New > Static Resource.
2. Enter counter in the Name field.
3. Select text/javascript in the MIME Type field.
4. Click Submit.
5. Enter this code and click File > Save.
window._counter = (function() {
var value = 0; // private
return { //public API

increment: function() {
value = value + 1;
return value;
},
getValue: function() {
return value;
}
};
}());
This code uses the JavaScript module pattern. Using this closure-based pattern, the value variable remains private to your library.
Components using the library can’t access value directly.
The most important line of the code to note is:
window._counter = (function() {
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Using JavaScript Sharing JavaScript Code Across Components
You must attach _counter to the window object as a requirement of JavaScript strict mode, which is implicitly enabled in Lightning
Locker. Even though window._counter looks like a global declaration, _counter is attached to the Lightning Locker secure
window object and therefore is a namespace variable, not a global variable.
If you use _counter instead of window._counter, _counter isn’t available. When you try to access it, you get an error similar
to:
Action failed: ... [_counter is not defined]
Use the JavaScript Library

Let’s use the library in a MyCounter component that has a simple UI to exercise the counter methods.

<ltng:require scripts="{!$Resource.counter}"
afterScriptsLoaded="{!c.getValue}"/>
<aura:attribute name="value" type="Integer"/>
<h1>MyCounter</h1>
<p>{!v.value}</p>
<lightning:button label="Get Value" onclick="{!c.getValue}"/>
<lightning:button label="Increment" onclick="{!c.increment}"/>
</aura:component>
The <ltng:require> tag loads the counter library and calls the getValue action in the component’s client-side controller after
the library is loaded.
Here’s the client-side controller.
/* MyCounterController.js */
({
getValue : function(component, event, helper) {
component.set("v.value", _counter.getValue());
},
increment : function(component, event, helper) {

component.set("v.value", _counter.increment());
}
})
You can access properties of the window object without having to type the window. prefix. Therefore, you can use
_counter.getValue() as shorthand for window._counter.getValue().
Click the buttons to get the value or increment it.
Our counter library shares the counter value between any components that use the library. If you need each component to have a
separate counter, you could modify the counter implementation. To see the per-component code and for more details, see this blog
post about Modularizing Code in Lightning Components.
SEE ALSO:
348
Using JavaScript Using External JavaScript Libraries

To reference a JavaScript library that you’ve uploaded as a static resource, use a <ltng:require> tag in your .cmp or .app
markup.
The framework’s content security policy mandates that external JavaScript libraries must be uploaded to Salesforce static resources. For
more information on static resources, see “Static Resources” in the Salesforce online help.
You can’t use a <script> tag in a component. This restriction mitigates the risk of cross-site scripting attacks. You can add a
<script> tag to an application’s template, which is a special type of component that extends aura:template.
Here’s an example of using <ltng:require>.
<ltng:require scripts="{!$Resource.resourceName}"
afterScriptsLoaded="{!c.afterScriptsLoaded}" />
concatenation.
The afterScriptsLoaded action in the client-side controller is called after the scripts are loaded and the component is rendered.
Don’t use the init event to access scripts loaded by <ltng:require>. These scripts load asynchronously and are most likely not
available when the init event handler is called.
Here are some considerations for loading scripts:
Loading Sets of Scripts
Specify a comma-separated list of resources in the scripts attribute to load a set of resources.
Note: Due to a quirk in the way $Resource is parsed in expressions, use the join operator to include multiple
$Resource references in a single attribute. For example, if you have more than one JavaScript library to include into a
component the scripts attribute should be something like the following.
scripts="{!join(',',
$Resource.jsLibraries + '/jsLibOne.js',
$Resource.jsLibraries + '/jsLibTwo.js')}"
Loading Order
The scripts are loaded in the order that they are listed.
One-Time Loading
Scripts load only once, even if they’re specified in multiple <ltng:require> tags in the same component or across different
components.
Parallel Loading
Use separate <ltng:require> tags for parallel loading if you have multiple sets of scripts that are not dependent on each
other.
Encapsulation
To ensure encapsulation and reusability, add the <ltng:require> tag to every .cmp or .app resource that uses the JavaScript
library.
<ltng:require> also has a styles attribute to load a list of CSS resources. You can set the scripts and styles attributes
in one <ltng:require> tag.
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Using JavaScript Dynamically Creating Components
If you’re using an external library to work with your HTML elements after rendering, use afterScriptsLoaded to wire up a
client-side controller. The following example sets up a chart using the Chart.js library, which is uploaded as a static resource.
<ltng:require scripts="{!$Resource.chart}"
afterScriptsLoaded="{!c.setup}"/>
<canvas aura:id="chart" id="myChart" width="400" height="400"/>
The component’s client-side controller sets up the chart after component initialization and rendering.
setup : function(component, event, helper) {
var data = {
labels: ["January", "February", "March"],
datasets: [{
data: [65, 59, 80, 81, 56, 55, 40]
}]
};
var el = component.find("chart").getElement();
var ctx = el.getContext("2d");
var myNewChart = new Chart(ctx).Line(data);
}
SEE ALSO:
Component Library
Using External CSS
$Resource
Creating App Templates

Create a component dynamically in your client-side JavaScript code by using the $A.createComponent() method. To create
multiple components, use $A.createComponents().
Note: Use $A.createComponent() instead of the deprecated $A.newCmp() and $A.newCmpAsync() methods.
Client-Side Versus Server-Side Component Creation

The $A.createComponent() and $A.createComponents() methods support both client-side (synchronous) and
server-side (asynchronous) component creation. For performance and other reasons, client-side creation is preferred.
To use $A.createComponent(), we need the component definition. If we don’t have the definition already on the client, the framework
makes a server trip to get it. You can avoid this server trip by adding an <aura:dependency> tag for the component you’re creating in
the markup of the component that calls $A.createComponent(). The tag ensures that the component definition is always
available on the client. The tradeoff is that the definition is always downloaded instead of only when it’s needed. This performance
tradeoff decision should depend on your use case.
If no server-side dependencies are found, the methods are executed synchronously on the client-side. The top-level component
determines whether a server request is necessary for component creation. A component with server-side dependencies must be created
on the server. Server-side dependencies include component definitions or dynamically loaded labels that aren’t already on the client,
and other elements that can’t be predetermined by static markup analysis.
350
Note: A server-side controller isn’t a server-side dependency for component creation because controller actions are only called
after the component has been created.
A single call to createComponent() or createComponents() can result in many components being created. The call creates
the requested component and all its child components. In addition to performance considerations, server-side component creation has
a limit of 10,000 components that can be created in a single request. If you hit this limit, ensure you’re explicitly declaring component
dependencies with the <aura:dependency> tag or otherwise pre-loading dependent elements, so that your component can be
created on the client side instead.
There’s no limit on component creation on the client side.
Note: Creating components where the top-level components don’t have server dependencies but nested inner components do
isn’t currently supported.
Syntax
The syntax is:
$A.createComponent(String type, Object attributes, function callback)
1. type—The type of component to create; for example, "lightning:button".

2. attributes—A map of attributes for the component, including the local Id (aura:id).
3. callback(cmp, status, errorMessage)—The callback to invoke after the component is created.
Tip: Component creation is asynchronous if it requires a server trip. You should follow good asynchronous practices, such as
only using the new component in the callback.
The callback has three parameters.
a. cmp—The component that was created. This enables you to do something with the new component, such as add it to the
body of the component that creates it. If there’s an error, cmp is null.
b. status—The status of the call. The possible values are SUCCESS, INCOMPLETE, or ERROR. Always check that the status
is SUCCESS before you try to use the component.
c. errorMessage—The error message if the status is ERROR.
Example
Let’s add a dynamically created button to this sample component.

<aura:component>
<p>Dynamically created button</p>

{!v.body}
</aura:component>
The client-side controller calls $A.createComponent() to create a lightning:button with a local ID (aura:id) and a
handler for the onclick attribute. The function(newButton, ...) callback appends the button to the body of
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c:createComponent. The newButton that’s dynamically created by $A.createComponent() is passed as the first
argument to the callback.
/*createComponentController.js*/
({
doInit : function(cmp) {
$A.createComponent(
"lightning:button",
{
"aura:id": "findableAuraId",
"label": "Press Me",
"onclick": cmp.getReference("c.handlePress")
},
function(newButton, status, errorMessage){
//Add the new button to the body array
var body = cmp.get("v.body");
body.push(newButton);
cmp.set("v.body", body);
}
}
}
}
);
},
handlePress : function(cmp) {
// Find the button by the aura:id value
console.log("button: " + cmp.find("findableAuraId"));
console.log("button pressed");
}
})
Note: c:createComponent contains a {!v.body} expression. When you use cmp.set("v.body", ...) to set
the component body, you must explicitly include {!v.body} in your component markup.
Creating Nested Components

To dynamically create a component in the body of another component, use $A.createComponents() to create the components.
In the function callback, nest the components by setting the inner component in the body of the outer component. This example
creates a ui:outputText component in the body of a ui:message component.
$A.createComponents([
["ui:message",{
"title" : "Sample Thrown Error",
"severity" : "error",
}],
["ui:outputText",{
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Using JavaScript Detecting Data Changes with Change Handlers
"value" : e.message
}]
],
function(components, status, errorMessage){
var message = components[0];
var outputText = components[1];
// set the body of the ui:message to be the ui:outputText
message.set("v.body", outputText);
}
}
}
}
);
Destroying Dynamically Created Components

After a component that is declared in markup is no longer in use, the framework automatically destroys it and frees up its memory.
If you create a component dynamically in JavaScript and that component isn't added to a facet (v.body or another attribute of type
Aura.Component[]), you have to destroy it manually using Component.destroy() to avoid memory leaks.
SEE ALSO:
aura:dependency
Dynamically Adding Event Handlers To a Component

Configure a component to automatically invoke a change handler, which is a client-side controller action, when a value in one of the
component's attributes changes.
When the value changes, the valueChange.evt event is automatically fired. The event has type="VALUE".
In the component, define a handler with name="change".
<aura:handler name="change" value="{!v.numItems}" action="{!c.itemsChange}"/>
The value attribute sets the component attribute that the change handler tracks.
The action attribute sets the client-side controller action to invoke when the attribute value changes.
A component can have multiple <aura:handler name="change"> tags to detect changes to different attributes.
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Using JavaScript Finding Components by ID
In the controller, define the action for the handler.

({
itemsChange: function(cmp, evt) {
console.log("numItems has changed");
}
})
The valueChange event gives you access to the previous value (oldValue) and the current value (value) in the handler action.
When a change occurs to a value that is represented by the change handler, the framework handles the firing of the event and
rerendering of the component.
SEE ALSO:
Retrieve a component by its ID in JavaScript code.
Use aura:id to add a local ID of button1 to the lightning:button component.
<lightning:button aura:id="button1" label="button1"/>
You can find the component by calling cmp.find("button1"), where cmp is a reference to the component containing the
button. The find() function has one parameter, which is the local ID of a component within the markup.
find() returns different types depending on the result.
• If the local ID is unique, find() returns the component.
• If there are multiple components with the same local ID, find() returns an array of the components.
• If there is no matching local ID, find() returns undefined.
SEE ALSO:
Component IDs
Value Providers
Working with Attribute Values in JavaScript

These common patterns are useful for working with attribute values in JavaScript.
component.get(String key) and component.set(String key, Object value) retrieves and assigns values
associated with the specified key on the component. Keys are passed in as an expression, which represents an attribute value.
To retrieve an attribute value of a component reference, use component.find("cmpId").get("v.value").
Similarly, to set the attribute value of a component reference, use component.find("cmpId").set("v.value", myValue).
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Using JavaScript Working with Attribute Values in JavaScript
This example shows how you can retrieve and set attribute values on a component reference, represented by the button with an ID of
button1.
<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="buttonLabel" type="String"/>
<lightning:button aura:id="button1" label="Button 1"/>
{!v.buttonLabel}
<lightning:button label="Get Label" onclick="{!c.getLabel}"/>
</aura:component>
This controller action retrieves the label attribute value of a button in a component and sets its value on the buttonLabel
attribute.
({
getLabel : function(component, event, helper) {
var myLabel = component.find("button1").get("v.label");
component.set("v.buttonLabel", myLabel);
}
})
In the following examples, cmp is a reference to a component in your JavaScript code.
Get an Attribute Value

To get the value of a component’s label attribute:
var label = cmp.get("v.label");
Set an Attribute Value

To set the value of a component’s label attribute:
cmp.set("v.label","This is a label");
Deep Set an Attribute Value

If an attribute has an object or collection type, such as Map, you can deep set properties in the attribute value using the dot notation
for expressions. For example, this code sets a value for the firstName property in the user attribute.
component.set("v.user.firstName", "Nina");
For deeply nested objects and attributes, continue adding dots to traverse the structure and access the nested values.
Let’s look at a component with a user attribute of type Map.
<aura:component >
<aura:attribute name="user" type="Map"
default="{
'id': 99,
'firstName': 'Eunice',
'lastName': 'Gomez'}" />
<p>First Name: {!v.user.firstName}</p>
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Using JavaScript Working with a Component Body in JavaScript
<lightning:button onclick="{!c.deepSet}" label="Deep Set" />

</aura:component>
When you click the button in the component, you call the deepSet action in the client-side controller.
({
deepSet : function(component, event, helper) {
console.log(component.get("v.user.firstName"));
component.set("v.user.firstName", "Nina");
console.log(component.get("v.user.firstName"));
}
})
The component.set("v.user.firstName", "Nina") line sets a value for the firstName property in the user
attribute.
Validate That an Attribute Value Is Defined

To determine if a component’s label attribute is defined:
var isDefined = !$A.util.isUndefined(cmp.get("v.label"));
Validate That an Attribute Value Is Empty

To determine if a component’s label attribute is empty:
var isEmpty = $A.util.isEmpty(cmp.get("v.label"));
SEE ALSO:

These are useful and common patterns for working with a component’s body in JavaScript.
In these examples, cmp is a reference to a component in your JavaScript code. It’s usually easy to get a reference to a component in
JavaScript code. Remember that the body attribute is an array of components, so you can use the JavaScript Array methods on it.
Note: When you use cmp.set("v.body", ...) to set the component body, you must explicitly include {!v.body}
in your component markup.
Replace a Component's Body

To replace the current value of a component’s body with another component:
// newCmp is a reference to another component
cmp.set("v.body", newCmp);
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Using JavaScript Working with Events in JavaScript
Clear a Component's Body

To clear or empty the current value of a component’s body:
cmp.set("v.body", []);
Append a Component to a Component's Body

To append a newCmp component to a component’s body:
// newCmp is a reference to another component
body.push(newCmp);
Prepend a Component to a Component's Body

To prepend a newCmp component to a component’s body:
body.unshift(newCmp);
Remove a Component from a Component's Body

To remove an indexed entry from a component’s body:
// Index (3) is zero-based so remove the fourth component in the body
body.splice(3, 1);
SEE ALSO:
Component Body
Working with Attribute Values in JavaScript
Working with Events in JavaScript

These are useful and common patterns for working with events in JavaScript.
Events communicate data across components. Events can contain attributes with values set before the event is fired and read when the
event is handled.
Fire an Event
Fire a component event or an application event that’s registered on a component.
//Fire a component event
var compEvent = cmp.getEvent("sampleComponentEvent");
357
compEvent.fire();
//Fire an application event

appEvent.fire();
For more information, see:

• Fire Component Events
• Fire Application Events
Get an Event Name

To get the name of the event that’s fired:
event.getSource().getName();
Get an Event Parameter

To get an attribute that’s passed into an event:
event.getParam("value");
Get Parameters on an Event

To get all attributes that are passed into an event:
event.getParams();
event.getParams() returns an object containing all event parameters.
Get the Current Phase of an Event

To get the current phase of an event:
event.getPhase();
If the event hasn’t been fired, event.getPhase() returns undefined. Possible return values for component and application
events are capture, bubble, and default. Value events return default. For more information, see:
• Component Event Propagation
• Application Event Propagation
Get the Source Component

To get the component that fired the event:
event.getSource();
To retrieve an attribute on the component that fired the event:

event.getSource().get("v.myName");
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Pause the Event

To pause the fired event:
event.pause();
If paused, the event is not handled until event.resume() is called. You can pause an event in the capture or bubble phase
only. For more information, see:
• Handling Bubbled or Captured Component Events
• Handling Bubbled or Captured Application Events
Prevent the Default Event Execution

To cancel the default action on the event:
event.preventDefault();
For example, you can prevent a lightning:button component from submitting a form when it’s clicked.
Resume a Paused Event

To resume event handling for a paused event:
event.resume();
You can resume a paused event in the capture or bubble phase only. For more information, see:
• Handling Bubbled or Captured Component Events
• Handling Bubbled or Captured Application Events
Set a Value for an Event Parameter

To set a value for an event parameter:
event.setParam("name", cmp.get("v.myName"));
If the event has already been fired, setting a parameter value has no effect on the event.
Set Values for Event Parameters

To set values for parameters on an event:
event.setParams({
key : value
});
If the event has already been fired, setting the parameter values has no effect on the event.
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Using JavaScript Modifying the DOM

To prevent further propagation of an event:
event.stopPropagation();
You can stop event propagation in the capture or bubble phase only.
Modifying the DOM

The Document Object Model (DOM) is the language-independent model for representing and interacting with objects in HTML and
XML documents. It’s important to know how to modify the DOM safely so that the framework’s rendering service doesn’t stomp on your
changes and give you unexpected results.
IN THIS SECTION:
Modifying DOM Elements Managed by the Aura Components Programming Model
The framework creates and manages the DOM elements owned by a component. If you want to modify these DOM elements created
by the framework, modify the DOM elements in the handler for the component’s render event or in a custom renderer. Otherwise,
the framework will override your changes when the component is rerendered.
Modifying DOM Elements Managed by External Libraries
You can use different libraries, such as a charting library, to create and manage DOM elements. You don’t have to modify these DOM
elements within the render event handler or a renderer because they are managed by the external library.
Modifying DOM Elements Managed by the Aura Components Programming

Model
The framework creates and manages the DOM elements owned by a component. If you want to modify these DOM elements created
by the framework, modify the DOM elements in the handler for the component’s render event or in a custom renderer. Otherwise,
the framework will override your changes when the component is rerendered.
For example, if you modify DOM elements directly from a client-side controller, the changes may be overwritten when the component
is rendered.
You can read from the DOM outside a render event handler or a custom renderer.
The simplest approach is to leave DOM updates to the framework. Update a component’s attribute and use an expression in the markup.
The framework’s rendering service takes care of the DOM updates.
You can modify CSS classes for a component outside a renderer by using the $A.util.addClass(), $A.util.removeClass(),
and $A.util.toggleClass() methods.
There are some use cases where you want to perform post-processing on the DOM or react to rendering or rerendering of a component.
For these use cases, there are a few options.
IN THIS SECTION:
Handle the render Event
When a component is rendered or rerendered, the aura:valueRender event, also known as the render event, is fired.
Handle this event to perform post-processing on the DOM or react to component rendering or rerendering. The event is preferred
and easier to use than the alternative of creating a custom renderer.
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Using JavaScript Modifying DOM Elements Managed by the Aura Components
Programming Model

The framework’s rendering service takes in-memory component state and creates and manages the DOM elements owned by the
component. If you want to modify DOM elements created by the framework for a component, you can modify the DOM elements
in the component’s renderer. Otherwise, the framework will override your changes when the component is rerendered.
SEE ALSO:
Using Expressions
Dynamically Showing or Hiding Markup
Handle the render Event

When a component is rendered or rerendered, the aura:valueRender event, also known as the render event, is fired. Handle
this event to perform post-processing on the DOM or react to component rendering or rerendering. The event is preferred and easier
to use than the alternative of creating a custom renderer.
The render event is fired after all methods in a custom renderer are invoked. For more details on the sequence in the rendering or
rerendering lifecycles, see Create a Custom Renderer.
Handling the aura:valueRender event is similar to handling the init hook. Add a handler to your component's markup.
<aura:handler name="render" value="{!this}" action="{!c.onRender}"/>
In this example, the onRender action in your client-side controller handles initial rendering and rerendering of the component. You
can choose any name for the action attribute.
SEE ALSO:

The framework’s rendering service takes in-memory component state and creates and manages the DOM elements owned by the
component. If you want to modify DOM elements created by the framework for a component, you can modify the DOM elements in
the component’s renderer. Otherwise, the framework will override your changes when the component is rerendered.
The DOM is the language-independent model for representing and interacting with objects in HTML and XML documents. The framework
automatically renders your components so you don’t have to know anything more about rendering unless you need to customize the
default rendering behavior for a component.
Note: It’s preferred and easier to handle the render event rather than the alternative of creating a custom renderer.
Base Component Rendering

The base component in the framework is aura:component. Every component extends this base component.
The renderer for aura:component is in componentRenderer.js. This renderer has base implementations for the four phases
of the rendering and rerendering cycles:
• render()
• rerender()
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Programming Model
• afterRender()
• unrender()
The framework calls these functions as part of the rendering and rerendering lifecycles and we will learn more about them soon. You
can override the base rendering functions in a custom renderer.
Rendering Lifecycle
The rendering lifecycle happens once in the lifetime of a component unless the component gets explicitly unrendered. When you create
a component:
1. The framework fires an init event, enabling you to update a component or fire an event after component construction but before
rendering.
2. The render() method is called to render the component’s body.
3. The afterRender() method is called to enable you to interact with the DOM tree after the framework’s rendering service has
inserted DOM elements.
4. The framework fires a render event, enabling you to interact with the DOM tree after the framework’s rendering service has
inserted DOM elements. Handling the render event is preferred to creating a custom renderer and overriding afterRender().
Rerendering Lifecycle
The rerendering lifecycle automatically handles rerendering of components whenever the underlying data changes. Here is a typical
sequence.
1. A browser event triggers one or more Lightning events.
2. Each Lightning event triggers one or more actions that can update data. The updated data can fire more events.
3. The rendering service tracks the stack of events that are fired.
4. The framework rerenders all the components that own modified data by calling each component’s rerender() method.
5. The framework fires a render event, enabling you to interact with the DOM tree after the framework rerenders a component.
Handling the render event is preferred to creating a custom renderer and overriding rerender().
The component rerendering lifecycle repeats whenever the underlying data changes as long as the component is valid and not explicitly
unrendered.
For more information, see Events Fired During the Rendering Lifecycle .
Custom Renderer
You don’t normally have to write a custom renderer, but it’s useful when you want to interact with the DOM tree after the framework’s
rendering service has inserted DOM elements. If you want to customize rendering behavior and you can’t do it in markup or by using
the init event, you can create a client-side renderer.
A renderer file is part of the component bundle and is auto-wired if you follow the naming convention,
<componentName>Renderer.js. For example, the renderer for sample.cmp would be in sampleRenderer.js.
Note: These guidelines are important when you customize rendering.

• Only modify DOM elements that are part of the component. Never break component encapsulation by reaching in to another
component and changing its DOM elements, even if you are reaching in from the parent component.
• Never fire an event as it can trigger new rendering cycles. An alternative is to use an init event instead.
• Don’t set attribute values on other components as these changes can trigger new rendering cycles.
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Programming Model
• Move as much of the UI concerns, including positioning, to CSS.
Customize Component Rendering

Customize rendering by creating a render() function in your component’s renderer to override the base render() function,
which updates the DOM.
The render() function returns a DOM node, an array of DOM nodes, or nothing. The base HTML component expects DOM nodes
when it renders a component.
You generally want to extend default rendering by calling superRender() from your render() function before you add your
custom rendering code. Calling superRender() creates the DOM nodes specified in the markup.
This code outlines a custom render() function.
render : function(cmp, helper) {
var ret = this.superRender();
// do custom rendering here
return ret;
},
Rerender Components
When an event is fired, it may trigger actions to change data and call rerender() on affected components. The rerender()
function enables components to update themselves based on updates to other components since they were last rendered. This function
doesn’t return a value.
If you update data in a component, the framework automatically calls rerender().
You generally want to extend default rerendering by calling superRerender() from your renderer() function before you
add your custom rerendering code. Calling superRerender() chains the rerendering to the components in the body attribute.
This code outlines a custom rerender() function.
rerender : function(cmp, helper){
this.superRerender();
// do custom rerendering here
}
Access the DOM After Rendering

The afterRender() function enables you to interact with the DOM tree after the framework’s rendering service has inserted DOM
elements. It’s not necessarily the final call in the rendering lifecycle; it’s simply called after render() and it doesn’t return a value.
You generally want to extend default after rendering by calling superAfterRender() function before you add your custom code.
This code outlines a custom afterRender() function.
afterRender: function (component, helper) {
this.superAfterRender();
// interact with the DOM here
},
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Unrender Components
The base unrender() function deletes all the DOM nodes rendered by a component’s render() function. It is called by the
framework when a component is being destroyed. Customize this behavior by overriding unrender() in your component’s renderer.
This method can be useful when you are working with third-party libraries that are not native to the framework.
You generally want to extend default unrendering by calling superUnrender() from your unrender() function before you
add your custom code.
This code outlines a custom unrender() function.
unrender: function () {
this.superUnrender();
// do custom unrendering here
}
SEE ALSO:
Modifying the DOM
Component Bundles

You can use different libraries, such as a charting library, to create and manage DOM elements. You don’t have to modify these DOM
elements within the render event handler or a renderer because they are managed by the external library.
A render event handler or a renderer are used only to customize DOM elements created and managed by the Aura Components
programming model.
To use external libraries, use <ltng:require>. The afterScriptsLoaded attribute enables you to interact with the DOM
after your libraries have loaded and the DOM is ready. <ltng:require> tag orchestrates the loading of your library of choice with
the rendering cycle of the Aura Components programming model to ensure that everything works in concert.
SEE ALSO:
Modifying DOM Elements Managed by the Aura Components Programming Model
Checking Component Validity

If you navigate elsewhere in the UI while asynchronous code is executing, the framework unrenders and destroys the component that
made the asynchronous request. You can still have a reference to that component, but it is no longer valid. The cmp.isValid()
call returns false for an invalid component.
If you call cmp.get() on an invalid component, cmp.get() returns null.
If you call cmp.set() on an invalid component, nothing happens and no error occurs. It’s essentially a no op.
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Using JavaScript Checking Component Validity
In many scenarios, the cmp.isValid() call isn’t necessary because a null check on a value retrieved from cmp.get() is
sufficient. The main reason to call cmp.isValid() is if you’re making multiple calls against the component and you want to avoid
a null check for each result.
Inside the Framework Lifecycle

You don’t need a cmp.isValid() check in the callback in a client-side controller when you reference the component associated
with the client-side controller. The framework automatically checks that the component is valid. Similarly, you don’t need a
cmp.isValid() check during event handling or in a framework lifecycle hook, such as the init event.
Let’s look at a sample client-side controller.
({
"doSomething" : function(cmp) {
var action = cmp.get("c.serverEcho");
if (cmp.get("v.displayResult)) {
alert("From server: " + response.getReturnValue());
}
}
// other state handling omitted for brevity
});
}
})
The component wired to the client-side controller is passed into the doSomething action as the cmp parameter. When
cmp.get("v.displayResult) is called, we don’t need a cmp.isValid() check.
However, if you hold a reference to another component that may not be valid despite your component being valid, you might need a
cmp.isValid() check for the other component. Let’s look at another example of a component that has a reference to another
component with a local ID of child.
({
"doSomething" : function(cmp) {
var child = cmp.find("child");
if (child.get("v.displayResult)) {
}
}
// other state handling omitted for brevity
});
}
})
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Using JavaScript Modifying Components Outside the Framework Lifecycle
This line in the previous example without the child component:

if (cmp.get("v.displayResult)) {
changed to:
if (child.get("v.displayResult)) {
You don’t need a child.isValid() call here as child.get("v.displayResult) will return null if the child component
is invalid. Add a child.isValid() check only if you’re making multiple calls against the child component and you want to avoid
a null check for each result.
Outside the Framework Lifecycle

If you reference a component in asynchronous code, such as setTimeout() or setInterval(), or when you use Promises, a
cmp.isValid() call checks that the component is still valid before processing the results of the asynchronous request. In many
scenarios, the cmp.isValid() call isn’t necessary because a null check on a value retrieved from cmp.get() is sufficient.
The main reason to call cmp.isValid() is if you’re making multiple calls against the component and you want to avoid a null
check for each result.
For example, you don’t need a cmp.isValid() check within this setTimeout() call as the cmp.set() call doesn’t do
anything when the component is invalid.
window.setTimeout(
$A.getCallback(function() {
cmp.set("v.visible", true);
}), 5000
);
SEE ALSO:

Use $A.getCallback() to wrap any code that modifies a component outside the normal rerendering lifecycle, such as in a
setTimeout() call. The $A.getCallback() call ensures that the framework rerenders the modified component and processes
any enqueued actions.
Note: $A.run() is deprecated. Use $A.getCallback() instead.
You don't need to use $A.getCallback() if your code is executed as part of the framework's call stack; for example, your code is
handling an event or in the callback for a server-side controller action. An exception is when you want to pass the callback to Lightning
Data Service, such as when you are creating a record using force:recordData. If the callback is passed in without being wrapped
in $A.getCallback(), any attempt to access private attributes of your component results in access check failures.
An example of where you need to use $A.getCallback() is calling window.setTimeout() in an event handler to execute
some logic after a time delay. This puts your code outside the framework's call stack.
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Using JavaScript Validating Fields
This sample sets the visible attribute on a component to true after a five-second delay.
window.setTimeout(
cmp.set("v.visible", true);
}), 5000
);
Note how the code updating a component attribute is wrapped in $A.getCallback(), which ensures that the framework rerenders
the modified component.
Note: You don't need a cmp.isValid() check within this setTimeout() call as the cmp.set() call doesn't do
anything when the component is invalid.
Warning: Don't save a reference to a function wrapped in $A.getCallback(). If you use the reference later to send actions,
the saved transaction state will cause the actions to be aborted.
SEE ALSO:
Creating a Record
Firing Events from Non-Aura Code
Validating Fields
Validate user input, handle errors, and display error messages on input fields.
Built-in field validation is available for the following components:
• lightning:checkboxGroup
• lightning:combobox
• lightning:input
• lightning:inputField
• lightning:radioGroup
• lightning:select
• lightning:slider
• lightning:textarea
• ui:input*
Components in the lightning namespace simplify input validation by providing attributes to define error conditions, enabling you
to handle errors by checking the component’s validity state. For example, you can set a minimum length for a field, display an error
message when the condition is not met, and handle the error based on the given validity state. For more information, see the lightning
namespace components in the https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/component-library.
Alternatively, input components in the ui namespace let you define and handle errors in a client-side controller, enabling you to iterate
through a list of errors.
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Using JavaScript Validating Fields
The following sections discuss error handling for ui:input* components in API version 45.0 and earlier.
Default Error Handling

The framework can handle and display errors using the default error component, ui:inputDefaultError. This component is
dynamically created when you set the errors using the inputCmp.set("v.errors",[{message:"my error
message"}]) syntax. The following example shows how you can handle a validation error and display an error message. Here is the
markup.

<aura:component>
Enter a number: <ui:inputNumber aura:id="inputCmp"/> <br/>
<lightning:button label="Submit" onclick="{!c.doAction}"/>
</aura:component>
Set and clear the error in your client-side controller.

/*errorHandlingController.js*/
{
doAction : function(component) {
var inputCmp = component.find("inputCmp");
var value = inputCmp.get("v.value");
// Is input numeric?
if (isNaN(value)) {
// Set error
inputCmp.set("v.errors", [{message:"Input not a number: " + value}]);
} else {
// Clear error
inputCmp.set("v.errors", null);
}
}
}
When you enter a value and click Submit, doAction in the controller validates the input and displays an error message if the input
is not a number. Entering a valid input clears the error. Add error messages to the input component using the errors attribute.
Custom Error Handling

ui:input and its child components can handle errors using the onError and onClearErrors events, which are wired to
your custom error handlers defined in a controller. onError maps to a ui:validationError event, and onClearErrors
maps to ui:clearErrors.
The following example shows how you can handle a validation error using custom error handlers and display the error message using
the default error component. Here is the markup.

<aura:component>
Enter a number: <ui:inputNumber aura:id="inputCmp" onError="{!c.handleError}"
onClearErrors="{!c.handleClearError}"/> <br/>
<ui:button label="Submit" press="{!c.doAction}"/>
</aura:component>
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Using JavaScript Throwing and Handling Errors
Here is the client-side controller.

/*errorHandlingCustomController.js*/
{
doAction : function(component, event) {
var inputCmp = component.find("inputCmp");
var value = inputCmp.get("v.value");
// is input numeric?
if (isNaN(value)) {
inputCmp.set("v.errors", [{message:"Input not a number: " + value}]);
} else {
inputCmp.set("v.errors", null);
}
},
handleError: function(component, event){

/* do any custom error handling
* logic desired here */
// get v.errors, which is an Object[]
var errorsArr = event.getParam("errors");
for (var i = 0; i < errorsArr.length; i++) {
console.log("error " + i + ": " + JSON.stringify(errorsArr[i]));
}
},
handleClearError: function(component, event) {

/* do any custom error handling
* logic desired here */
}
}
When you enter a value and click Submit, doAction in the controller executes. However, instead of letting the framework handle
the errors, we define a custom error handler using the onError event in <ui:inputNumber>. If the validation fails, doAction
adds an error message using the errors attribute. This automatically fires the handleError custom error handler.
Similarly, you can customize clearing the errors by using the onClearErrors event. See the handleClearError handler in
the controller for an example.
SEE ALSO:
Component Events
Throwing and Handling Errors

The framework gives you flexibility in handling unrecoverable and recoverable app errors in JavaScript code. For example, you can throw
these errors in a callback when handling an error in a server-side response.
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Using JavaScript Throwing and Handling Errors
Unrecoverable Errors
Use throw new Error("error message here") for unrecoverable errors, such as an error that prevents your app from
starting successfully. The error message is displayed.
Note: $A.error() is deprecated. Throw the native JavaScript Error object instead by using throw new Error().
This example shows you the basics of throwing an unrecoverable error in a JavaScript controller.

<aura:component>
<lightning:button label="throw error" onclick="{!c.throwError}"/>
</aura:component>
Here is the client-side controller source.

/*unrecoverableErrorController.js*/
({
throwError : function(component, event){
throw new Error("I can’t go on. This is the end.");
}
})
Recoverable Errors
To handle recoverable errors, use a component, such as ui:message, to tell users about the problem.
This sample shows you the basics of throwing and catching a recoverable error in a JavaScript controller.

<aura:component>
<p>Click the button to trigger the controller to throw an error.</p>
<div aura:id="div1"></div>
<lightning:button label="Throw an Error" onclick="{!c.throwErrorForKicks}"/>

</aura:component>
Here is the client-side controller source.

/*recoverableErrorController.js*/
({
throwErrorForKicks: function(cmp) {
// this sample always throws an error to demo try/catch
var hasPerm = false;
try {
if (!hasPerm) {
throw new Error("You don't have permission to edit this record.");
}
}
catch (e) {
$A.createComponents([
["ui:message",{
"title" : "Sample Thrown Error",
"severity" : "error",
}],
["ui:outputText",{
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Using JavaScript Calling Component Methods
"value" : e.message
}]
],
function(components, status, errorMessage){
var message = components[0];
var outputText = components[1];
// set the body of the ui:message to be the ui:outputText
message.set("v.body", outputText);
var div1 = cmp.find("div1");
// Replace div body with the dynamic component
div1.set("v.body", message);
}
}
}
}
);
}
}
})
The controller code always throws an error and catches it in this example. The message in the error is displayed to the user in a dynamically
created ui:message component. The body of the ui:message is a ui:outputText component containing the error text.
SEE ALSO:
Validating Fields
Calling Component Methods

Use <aura:method> to define a method as part of a component's API. This enables you to directly call a method in a component’s
client-side controller instead of firing and handling a component event. Using <aura:method> simplifies the code needed for a
parent component to call a method on a child component that it contains.
Communicate Between Components

Use aura:method to communicate down the containment hierarchy. For example, a parent component calls an aura:method
on a child component that it contains.
To communicate up the containment hierarchy, fire a component event in the child component and handle it in the parent component.
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Using JavaScript Calling Component Methods
Syntax
Use this syntax to call a method in JavaScript code.
cmp.sampleMethod(arg1, … argN);
cmp is a reference to the component.

sampleMethod is the name of the aura:method.
arg1, … argN is an optional comma-separated list of arguments passed to the method. Each argument corresponds to an
aura:attribute defined in the aura:method markup.
Using Inherited Methods

A sub component that extends a super component has access to any methods defined in the super component.
An interface can also include an <aura:method> tag. A component that implements the interface can access the method.
Example
Let's look at an example app.

<aura:application >
<c:auraMethodCaller />
</aura:application>
c:auraMethodCallerWrapper.app contains a c:auraMethodCaller component.


<aura:component >
<p>Parent component calls aura:method in child component</p>
<c:auraMethod aura:id="child" />
...
</aura:component>
c:auraMethodCaller is the parent component. c:auraMethodCaller contains the child component, c:auraMethod.
We'll show how c:auraMethodCaller calls an aura:method defined in c:auraMethod.
We'll use c:auraMethodCallerWrapper.app to see how to return results from synchronous and asynchronous code.
IN THIS SECTION:
Return Result for Synchronous Code
aura:method executes synchronously. A synchronous method finishes executing before it returns. Use the return statement
to return a value from synchronous JavaScript code.
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Using JavaScript Return Result for Synchronous Code
Return Result for Asynchronous Code

aura:method executes synchronously. Use the return statement to return a value from synchronous JavaScript code. JavaScript
code that calls a server-side action is asynchronous. Asynchronous code can continue to execute after it returns. You can’t use the
return statement to return the result of an asynchronous call because the aura:method returns before the asynchronous
code completes. For asynchronous code, use a callback instead of a return statement.
SEE ALSO:
aura:method
Component Events

aura:method executes synchronously. A synchronous method finishes executing before it returns. Use the return statement to
return a value from synchronous JavaScript code.
An asynchronous method can continue to execute after it returns. JavaScript code often uses the callback pattern to return a result after
asynchronous code completes. We’ll describe later how to return a result for an asynchronous action.
Step 1: Define aura:method in Markup

Let’s look at a logParam aura:method that executes synchronous code. We’ll use the c:auraMethodCallerWrapper.app
and components outlined in Calling Component Methods. Here’s the markup that defines the aura:method.

<aura:component>
<aura:method name="logParam"
description="Sample method with parameter">
<aura:attribute name="message" type="String" default="default message" />
</aura:method>
<p>This component has an aura:method definition.</p>

</aura:component>
The logParam aura:method has an aura:attribute with a name of message. This attribute enables you to set a
message parameter when you call the logParam method.
The name attribute of logParam configures the aura:method to invoke logParam() in the client-side controller.
An aura:method can have multiple aura:attribute tags. Each aura:attribute corresponds to a parameter that you
can pass into the aura:method. For more details on the syntax, see aura:method.
You don’t explicitly declare a return value in the aura:method markup. You just use a return statement in the JavaScript controller.
Step 2: Implement aura:method Logic in Controller

The logParam aura:method invokes logParam() in auraMethodController.js. Let’s look at that source.
/* auraMethodController.js */
({
logParam : function(cmp, event) {
var params = event.getParam('arguments');
if (params) {
var message = params.message;
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Using JavaScript Return Result for Synchronous Code
console.log("message: " + message);

return message;
}
},
})
logParam() simply logs the parameter passed in and returns the parameter value to demonstrate how to use the return statement.
If your code is synchronous, you can use a return statement; for example, you’re not making an asynchronous server-side action call.
Step 3: Call aura:method from Parent Controller

callAuraMethod() in the controller for c:auraMethodCaller calls the logParam aura:method defined in its child
component, c:auraMethod. Here’s the controller for c:auraMethodCaller.
/* auraMethodCallerController.js */
({
callAuraMethod : function(component, event, helper) {
var childCmp = component.find("child");
// call the aura:method in the child component
var auraMethodResult =
childCmp.logParam("message sent by parent component");
console.log("auraMethodResult: " + auraMethodResult);
},
})
callAuraMethod() finds the child component, c:auraMethod, and calls its logParam aura:method with an argument
for the message parameter of the aura:method.
childCmp.logParam("message sent by parent component");
auraMethodResult is the value returned from logParam.
Step 4: Add Button to Initiate Call to aura:method

The c:auraMethodCaller markup contains a lightning:button that invokes callAuraMethod() in
auraMethodCallerController.js. We use this button to initiate the call to aura:method in the child component.

<aura:component >
<lightning:button label="Call aura:method in child component"

onclick="{! c.callAuraMethod}" />
</aura:component>
SEE ALSO:
aura:method
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Using JavaScript Return Result for Asynchronous Code

aura:method executes synchronously. Use the return statement to return a value from synchronous JavaScript code. JavaScript
code that calls a server-side action is asynchronous. Asynchronous code can continue to execute after it returns. You can’t use the
return statement to return the result of an asynchronous call because the aura:method returns before the asynchronous code
completes. For asynchronous code, use a callback instead of a return statement.
Step 1: Define aura:method in Markup

Let’s look at an echo aura:method that uses a callback. We’ll use the c:auraMethodCallerWrapper.app and components
outlined in Calling Component Methods. Here’s the echo aura:method in the c:auraMethod component.

<aura:component controller="SimpleServerSideController">
<aura:method name="echo"
description="Sample method with server-side call">
<aura:attribute name="callback" type="Function" />
</aura:method>
<p>This component has an aura:method definition.</p>

</aura:component>
The echo aura:method has an aura:attribute with a name of callback. This attribute enables you to set a callback that’s
invoked by the aura:method after execution of the server-side action in SimpleServerSideController.
Step 2: Implement aura:method Logic in Controller

The echo aura:method invokes echo() in auraMethodController.js. Let’s look at the source.
/* auraMethodController.js */
({
echo : function(cmp, event) {
var callback;
if (params) {
callback = params.callback;
}

console.log("From server: " + response.getReturnValue());
// return doesn't work for async server action call
//return response.getReturnValue();
// call the callback passed into aura:method
if (callback) callback(response.getReturnValue());
}
else if (state === "INCOMPLETE") {
// do something
}
var errors = response.getError();
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Using JavaScript Return Result for Asynchronous Code
if (errors) {
if (errors[0] && errors[0].message) {
console.log("Error message: " +
errors[0].message);
}
} else {
console.log("Unknown error");
}
}
});
},
})
echo() calls the serverEcho() server-side controller action, which we’ll create next.
Note: You can’t return the result with a return statement. The aura:method returns before the asynchronous server-side
action call completes. Instead, we invoke the callback passed into the aura:method and set the result as a parameter in the
callback.
Step 3: Create Apex Server-Side Controller

The echo aura:method calls a server-side controller action called serverEcho. Here’s the source for the server-side controller.
public with sharing class SimpleServerSideController {
@AuraEnabled
public static String serverEcho() {
return ('Hello from the server');
}
}
The serverEcho() method returns a String.
Step 4: Call aura:method from Parent Controller

Here’s the controller for c:auraMethodCaller. It calls the echo aura:method in its child component, c:auraMethod.
/* auraMethodCallerController.js */
({
callAuraMethodServerTrip : function(component, event, helper) {
var childCmp = component.find("child");
// call the aura:method in the child component
childCmp.echo(function(result) {
console.log("callback for aura:method was executed");
console.log("result: " + result);
});
},
})
callAuraMethodServerTrip() finds the child component, c:auraMethod, and calls its echo aura:method. echo()
passes a callback function into the aura:method.
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Using JavaScript Dynamically Adding Event Handlers To a Component
The callback configured in auraMethodCallerController.js logs the result.

function(result) {
console.log("callback for aura:method was executed");
console.log("result: " + result);
}
Step 5: Add Button to Initiate Call to aura:method

The c:auraMethodCaller markup contains a lightning:button that invokes callAuraMethodServerTrip()
in auraMethodCallerController.js. We use this button to initiate the call to the aura:method in the child component.
Here’s the markup for c:auraMethodCaller.
<aura:component >
<lightning:button label="Call aura:method (server trip) in child component"

onclick="{! c.callAuraMethodServerTrip}" />
</aura:component>
SEE ALSO:
aura:method
Dynamically Adding Event Handlers To a Component

You can dynamically add a handler for an event that a component fires.
The addEventHandler() method in the Component object replaces the deprecated addHandler() method.
To add an event handler to a component dynamically, use the addEventHandler() method.
addEventHandler(String event, Function handler, String phase, String includeFacets)
event
The first argument is the name of the event that triggers the handler. You can’t force a component to start firing events that it doesn’t
fire, so make sure that this argument corresponds to an event that the component fires. The <aura:registerEvent> tag in
a component’s markup advertises an event that the component fires.
• For a component event, set this argument to match the name attribute of the <aura:registerEvent> tag.
• For an application event, set this argument to match the event descriptor in the format namespace:eventName.
handler
The second argument is the action that handles the event. The format is similar to the value you would put in the action attribute
in the <aura:handler> tag if the handler was statically defined in the markup. There are two options for this argument.
• To use a controller action, use the format: cmp.getReference("c.actionName").
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Using JavaScript Dynamically Adding Event Handlers To a Component
• To use an anonymous function, use the format:

function(auraEvent) {
// handling logic here
}
For a description of the other arguments, see the JavaScript API in the Aura Reference app.
You can also add an event handler to a component that is created dynamically in the callback function of $A.createComponent().
For more information, see Dynamically Creating Components.
Example
This component has buttons to fire and handle a component event and an application event.

<aura:component >
<aura:registerEvent name="compEvent" type="c:sampleEvent"/>
<h1>Add dynamic handler for event</h1>
<p>
<lightning:button label="Fire component event" onclick="{!c.fireEvent}" />
<lightning:button label="Add dynamic event handler for component event"
onclick="{!c.addEventHandler}" />
</p>
<p>
<lightning:button label="Fire application event" onclick="{!c.fireAppEvent}" />
<lightning:button label="Add dynamic event handler for application event"
onclick="{!c.addAppEventHandler}" />
</p>
</aura:component>
Here’s the client-side controller.

/* dynamicHandlerController.js */
({
fireEvent : function(cmp, event) {
// Get the component event by using the
// name value from <aura:registerEvent> tag
var compEvent = cmp.getEvent("compEvent");
compEvent.fire();
console.log("Fired a component event");
},
addEventHandler : function(cmp, event) {

// First param matches name attribute in <aura:registerEvent> tag
cmp.addEventHandler("compEvent", cmp.getReference("c.handleEvent"));
console.log("Added handler for component event");
},
handleEvent : function(cmp, event) {

alert("Handled the component event");
},
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Using JavaScript Dynamically Showing or Hiding Markup
fireAppEvent : function(cmp, event) {

appEvent.fire();
console.log("Fired an application event");
},
addAppEventHandler : function(cmp, event) {

// Can use cmp.getReference() or anonymous function for handler
// First param is event descriptor, "c:appEvent", for application events
cmp.addEventHandler("c:appEvent", cmp.getReference("c.handleAppEvent"));
// Can alternatively use anonymous function for handler
//cmp.addEventHandler("c:appEvent", function(auraEvent) {
// console.log("Handled the application event in anonymous function");
//});
console.log("Added handler for application event");
},
handleAppEvent : function(cmp, event) {

alert("Handled the application event");
}
})
Notice the first parameter of the addEventHandler() calls. The syntax for a component event is:
cmp.addEventHandler("compEvent", cmp.getReference("c.handleEvent"));
The syntax for an application event is:

cmp.addEventHandler("c:appEvent", cmp.getReference("c.handleAppEvent"));
For either a component or application event, you can use an anonymous function as a handler instead of using cmp.getReference()
for a controller action.
For example, the application event handler could be:
cmp.addEventHandler("c:appEvent", function(auraEvent) {
// add handler logic here
console.log("Handled the application event in anonymous function");
});
SEE ALSO:
Component Library
Dynamically Showing or Hiding Markup

You can use CSS to toggle markup visibility. However, <aura:if> is the preferred approach because it defers the creation and
rendering of the enclosed element tree until needed.
For an example using <aura:if>, see Best Practices for Conditional Markup.
379
Using JavaScript Adding and Removing Styles
This example uses $A.util.toggleClass(cmp, 'class') to toggle visibility of markup.


<aura:component>
<lightning:button label="Toggle" onclick="{!c.toggle}"/>
<p aura:id="text">Now you see me</p>
</aura:component>
/*toggleCssController.js*/
({
toggle : function(component, event, helper) {
var toggleText = component.find("text");
$A.util.toggleClass(toggleText, "toggle");
}
})
/*toggleCss.css*/
.THIS.toggle {
display: none;
}
Note: There’s no space in the .THIS.toggle selector because we’re using the rule to match a <p> tag, which is a top-level
element. For more information, see CSS in Components.
Add the c:toggleCss component to an app. To hide or show the text by toggling the CSS class, click the Toggle button.
SEE ALSO:

You can add or remove a CSS style on a component or element during runtime.
To retrieve the class name on a component, use component.find('myCmp').get('v.class'), where myCmp is the
aura:id attribute value.
To append and remove CSS classes from a component or element, use the $A.util.addClass(cmpTarget, 'class')
and $A.util.removeClass(cmpTarget, 'class') methods.
Component source
<aura:component>
<div aura:id="changeIt">Change Me!</div><br />
<lightning:button onclick="{!c.applyCSS}" label="Add Style" />
<lightning:button onclick="{!c.removeCSS}" label="Remove Style" />
</aura:component>
CSS source
.THIS.changeMe {
background-color:yellow;
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Using JavaScript Which Button Was Pressed?
width:200px;
}

{
applyCSS: function(cmp, event) {
var cmpTarget = cmp.find('changeIt');
$A.util.addClass(cmpTarget, 'changeMe');
},
removeCSS: function(cmp, event) {

var cmpTarget = cmp.find('changeIt');
$A.util.removeClass(cmpTarget, 'changeMe');
}
}
The buttons in this demo are wired to controller actions that append or remove the CSS styles. To append a CSS style to a component,
use $A.util.addClass(cmpTarget, 'class'). Similarly, remove the class by using
$A.util.removeClass(cmpTarget, 'class') in your controller. cmp.find() locates the component using the local
ID, denoted by aura:id="changeIt" in this demo.
Toggling a Class
To toggle a class, use $A.util.toggleClass(cmp, 'class'), which adds or removes the class.
The cmp parameter can be component or a DOM element.
Note: We recommend using a component instead of a DOM element. If the utility function is not used inside afterRender()
or rerender(), passing in cmp.getElement() might result in your class not being applied when the components are
rerendered. For more information, see Events Fired During the Rendering Lifecycle on page 293.
To hide or show markup dynamically, see Dynamically Showing or Hiding Markup on page 379.
To conditionally set a class for an array of components, pass in the array to $A.util.toggleClass().
mapClasses: function(arr, cssClass) {
for(var cmp in arr) {
$A.util.toggleClass(arr[cmp], cssClass);
}
}
SEE ALSO:
CSS in Components
Component Bundles
Which Button Was Pressed?

To find out which button was pressed in a component containing multiple buttons, use Component.getLocalId().
The framework provides two button components—ui:button and lightning:button.
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Using JavaScript Formatting Dates in JavaScript
Note: We recommend that you use lightning:button, a button component that comes with Lightning Design System
styling.
Let’s look at an example with multiple ui:button components. Each button has a unique local ID, set by an aura:id attribute.

<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="whichButton" type="String" />
<p>You clicked: {!v.whichButton}</p>
<ui:button aura:id="button1" label="Click me" press="{!c.nameThatButton}"/>

<ui:button aura:id="button2" label="Click me too" press="{!c.nameThatButton}"/>
</aura:component>
Use event.getSource() in the client-side controller to get the button component that was clicked. Call getLocalId() to
get the aura:id of the clicked button.
/* buttonPressedController.js */
({
nameThatButton : function(cmp, event, helper) {
var whichOne = event.getSource().getLocalId();
console.log(whichOne);
cmp.set("v.whichButton", whichOne);
}
})
If you’re using lightning:button, use the onclick event handler instead of the press event handler.
<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="whichButton" type="String" />
<p>You clicked: {!v.whichButton}</p>
<lightning:button aura:id="button1" name="buttonname1" label="Click me"

onclick="{!c.nameThatButton}"/>
<lightning:button aura:id="button2" name="buttonname2" label="Click me"
onclick="{!c.nameThatButton}"/>
</aura:component>
In the client-side controller, you can use one of the following methods to find out which button was clicked.
• event.getSource().getLocalId() returns the aura:id of the clicked button.
• event.getSource().get("v.name") returns the name of the clicked button.
SEE ALSO:
Component IDs
Formatting Dates in JavaScript

The AuraLocalizationService JavaScript API provides methods for formatting and localizing dates.
382
For example, the formatDate() method formats a date based on the formatString parameter set as the second argument.
formatDate (String | Number | Date date, String formatString)
The date parameter can be a String, Number, or most typically a JavaScript Date. If you provide a String value, use ISO 8601 format to
avoid parsing warnings.
The formatString parameter contains tokens to format a date and time. For example, "YYYY-MM-DD" formats 15th
January, 2017 as "2017-01-15". The default format string comes from the $Locale value provider.
This table shows the list of tokens supported in formatString.
Description Token Output

Day of month d 1 … 31
Day of month dd 01 … 31
Day of month. Deprecated. Use dd, which is DD 01 … 31

identical.
Day of week (number) E 0…6
Day of week (short name) EEE Sun … Sat
Day of week (long name) EEEE Sunday … Saturday
Month M 1 ... 12
Month MM 01 … 12
Month (short name) MMM Jan … Dec
Month (full name) MMMM January … December
Year (two digits) yy 17
Year (four digits) yyyy 2017
Year. Deprecated. Use yyyy, which is identical. y 2017
Year. Deprecated. Use yyyy, which is identical. Y 2017
Year. Deprecated. Use yy, which is identical. YY 17
Year. Deprecated. Use yyyy, which is identical. YYYY 2017
Hour of day (1-12) h 1 … 12
Hour of day (0-23) H 0 … 23
Hour of day (00-23) HH 00 … 23
Hour of day (1-24) k 1 … 24
Hour of day (01-24) kk 01 … 24
Minute m 0 … 59
Minute mm 00 … 59
383
Description Token Output

Second s 0 … 59
Second ss 00 … 59
Fraction of second SSS 000 … 999
AM or PM a AM or PM
AM or PM. Deprecated. Use a, which is identical. A AM or PM
Zone offset from UTC Z -12:00 … +14:00
Quarter of year Q 1…4
Week of year w 1 … 53
Week of year ww 01 … 53
There are similar methods that differ in their default output values.
• formatDateTime()—The default formatString outputs datetime instead of date.
• formatDateTimeUTC()—Formats a datetime in UTC standard time.
• formatDateUTC()—Formats a date in UTC standard time.
For more information on all the methods in AuraLocalizationService, see the JavaScript API in the Aura Reference Doc App.
Example: Use $A.localizationService to use the methods in AuraLocalizationService.

var now = new Date();
var dateString = "2017-01-15";
// Returns date in the format "Jun 8, 2017"

console.log($A.localizationService.formatDate(now));
// Returns date in the format "Jan 15, 2017"

console.log($A.localizationService.formatDate(dateString));
// Returns date in the format "2017 01 15"

console.log($A.localizationService.formatDate(dateString, "yyyy MM dd"));
// Returns date in the format "June 08 2017, 01:45:49 PM"

console.log($A.localizationService.formatDate(now, "MMMM dd yyyy, hh:mm:ss a"));
// Returns date in the format "Jun 08 2017, 01:48:26 PM"

console.log($A.localizationService.formatDate(now, "MMM dd yyyy, hh:mm:ss a"));
SEE ALSO:
Localization
384
Using JavaScript Using JavaScript Promises
Using JavaScript Promises

You can use ES6 Promises in JavaScript code. Promises can simplify code that handles the success or failure of asynchronous calls, or
code that chains together multiple asynchronous calls.
If the browser doesn’t provide a native version, the framework uses a polyfill so that promises work in all browsers supported for Lightning
Experience.
We assume that you are familiar with the fundamentals of promises. For a great introduction to promises, see
https://developers.google.com/web/fundamentals/getting-started/primers/promises.
Promises are an optional feature. Some people love them, some don’t. Use them if they make sense for your use case.
Create a Promise
This firstPromise function returns a Promise.
firstPromise : function() {
return new Promise($A.getCallback(function(resolve, reject) {
// do something
if (/* success */) {

resolve("Resolved");
}
else {
reject("Rejected");
}
}));
}
The promise constructor determines the conditions for calling resolve() or reject() on the promise.
Chaining Promises
When you need to coordinate or chain together multiple callbacks, promises can be useful. The generic pattern is:
firstPromise()
.then(
// resolve handler
$A.getCallback(function(result) {
return anotherPromise();
}),
// reject handler
$A.getCallback(function(error) {
console.log("Promise was rejected: ", error);
return errorRecoveryPromise();
})
)
.then(
// resolve handler
return yetAnotherPromise();
385
Using JavaScript Using JavaScript Promises
})
);
The then() method chains multiple promises. In this example, each resolve handler returns another promise.
then() is part of the Promises API. It takes two arguments:
1. A callback for a fulfilled promise (resolve handler)
2. A callback for a rejected promise (reject handler)
The first callback, function(result), is called when resolve() is called in the promise constructor. The result object in
the callback is the object passed as the argument to resolve().
The second callback, function(error), is called when reject() is called in the promise constructor. The error object in
the callback is the object passed as the argument to reject().
Note: The two callbacks are wrapped by $A.getCallback() in our example. What’s that all about? Promises execute their
resolve and reject functions asynchronously so the code is outside the Lightning event loop and normal rendering lifecycle. If the
resolve or reject code makes any calls to the Lightning Component framework, such as setting a component attribute, use
$A.getCallback() to wrap the code. For more information, see Modifying Components Outside the Framework Lifecycle
on page 366.
Always Use catch() or a Reject Handler

The reject handler in the first then() method returns a promise with errorRecoveryPromise(). Reject handlers are often
used "midstream" in a promise chain to trigger an error recovery mechanism.
The Promises API includes a catch() method to optionally catch unhandled errors. Always include a reject handler or a catch()
method in your promise chain.
Throwing an error in a promise doesn’t trigger window.onerror, which is where the framework configures its global error handler.
If you don't have a catch() method, keep an eye on your browser’s console during development for reports about uncaught errors
in a promise. To show an error message in a catch() method, use $A.reportError(). The syntax for catch() is:
promise.then(...)
.catch(function(error) {
$A.reportError("error message here", error);
});
For more information on catch(), see the Mozilla Developer Network.
Don’t Use Storable Actions in Promises

The framework stores the response for storable actions in client-side cache. This stored response can dramatically improve the performance
of your app and allow offline usage for devices that temporarily don’t have a network connection. Storable actions are only suitable for
read-only actions.
Storable actions might have their callbacks invoked more than once: first with cached data, then with updated data from the server. The
multiple invocations don't align well with promises, which are expected to resolve or reject only once.
SEE ALSO:
Storable Actions
386
Using JavaScript Making API Calls from Components

By default, you can’t make calls to third-party APIs from client-side code. Add a remote site as a CSP Trusted Site to allow client-side
component code to load assets from and make API requests to that site’s domain.
The Lightning Component framework uses Content Security Policy (CSP) to impose restrictions on content. The main objective is to help
prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) and other code injection attacks. Lightning apps are served from a different domain than Salesforce
APIs, and the default CSP policy doesn’t allow API calls from JavaScript code. You change the policy, and the content of the CSP header,
by adding CSP Trusted Sites.
Important: You can’t load JavaScript resources from a third-party site, even if it’s a CSP Trusted Site. To use a JavaScript library
from a third-party site, add it to a static resource, and then add the static resource to your component. After the library is loaded
from the static resource, you can use it as normal.
Sometimes, you have to make API calls from server-side controllers rather than client-side code. In particular, you can’t make calls to
Salesforce APIs from client-side Aura component code. For information about making API calls from server-side controllers, see Making
API Calls from Apex on page 443.
SEE ALSO:

The Lightning Component framework uses Content Security Policy (CSP) to impose restrictions on
EDITIONS
content. The main objective is to help prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) and other code injection
attacks. To use third-party APIs that make requests to an external (non-Salesforce) server or to use Available in: Salesforce
a WebSocket connection, add a CSP Trusted Site. Classic and Lightning
CSP is a W3C standard that defines rules to control the source of content that can be loaded on a Experience
page. All CSP rules work at the page level, and apply to all components and libraries. By default,
Available in: Developer,
the framework’s headers allow content to be loaded only from secure (HTTPS) URLs and forbid XHR Enterprise, Performance,
requests from JavaScript. and Unlimited
When you define a CSP Trusted Site, the site’s URL is added to the list of allowed sites for the following
directives in the CSP header.
USER PERMISSIONS
• connect-src
To create, read, update, and
• frame-src
delete:
• img-src • Customize Application
• style-src or Modify All Data
• font-src
• media-src
This change to the CSP header directives allows Lightning components to load resources, such as images, styles, and fonts, from the
site. It also allows client-side code to make requests to the site.
Important: You can’t load JavaScript resources from a third-party site, even if it’s a CSP Trusted Site. To use a JavaScript library
from a third-party site, add it to a static resource, and then add the static resource to your component. After the library is loaded
from the static resource, you can use it as normal.
387
Using JavaScript Create CSP Trusted Sites to Access Third-Party APIs
1. From Setup, enter CSP in the Quick Find box, then select CSP Trusted Sites.
This page displays a list of any CSP Trusted Sites already registered, and provides additional information about each site, including
site name and URL.
2. Select New Trusted Site.
3. Name the Trusted Site.
For example, enter Google Maps.
4. Enter the URL for the Trusted Site.

• The URL must include a domain name, and can include a port. For example, https://example.com:8080/path.
• For a third-party API, the URL must begin with https://. For example, https://example.com/apiserver.
• For a WebSocket connection, the URL must begin with wss://. For example, wss://example.com/socketserver.
The WebSocket API is a web standard for two-way communication between a user's browser and an external server. With this
API, you can send messages to a server and receive event-driven responses without having to poll the server for a reply.
Note: CSP requires secure (https or wss) connections for external resources because an insecure (http or ws) connection
would compromise the security of your org.
5. Optional: Enter a description for the Trusted Site.

6. Optional: To temporarily disable a Trusted Site without actually deleting it, deselect the Active checkbox.
7. Select the Context for this trusted site to control the scope of the approval.
Context Description
All (Default)CSP header is approved for both your organization’s Lightning Experience and Lightning
Communities.
LEX CSP header is approved only for your organization’s Lightning Experience.
Communities CSP header is approved only for your organization’s Lightning Communities.
Note: To enable corresponding access for Visualforce or Apex, create a Remote Site.
8. Select Save.
CSP isn’t enforced by all browsers. For a list of browsers that enforce CSP, see caniuse.com.
IE11 doesn’t support CSP, so we recommend using other supported browsers for enhanced security.
SEE ALSO:
Mozilla Developer Network: The WebSocket API
388
CHAPTER 10 Working with Salesforce Data
In this chapter ... To create, read, and update Salesforce data from an Aura component, use Lightning Data Service via the
form-based components or force:recordData. To delete Salesforce data, use
• Lightning Data force:recordData.
Service
• Using Apex to Work
with Salesforce
Records
389
Working with Salesforce Data Lightning Data Service
Lightning Data Service

Use Lightning Data Service to load, create, edit, or delete a record in your component without requiring Apex code. Lightning Data
Service handles sharing rules and field-level security for you. In addition to simplifying access to Salesforce data, Lightning Data Service
improves performance and user interface consistency.
At the simplest level, you can think of Lightning Data Service as the Lightning components version of the Visualforce standard controller.
While this statement is an over-simplification, it serves to illustrate a point. Whenever possible, use Lightning Data Service to read and
modify Salesforce data in your components.
Data access with Lightning Data Service is simpler than the equivalent using a server-side Apex controller. Read-only access can be
entirely declarative in your component’s markup. For code that modifies data, your component’s JavaScript controller is roughly the
same amount of code, and you eliminate the Apex entirely. All your data access code is consolidated into your component, which
significantly reduces complexity.
Lightning Data Service provides other benefits aside from the code. It’s built on highly efficient local storage that’s shared across all
components that use it. Records loaded in Lightning Data Service are cached and shared across components.
Note: Working with Lightning Data Service in Lightning Web Components? See the Lightning Web Components Developer
Guide.
Components accessing the same record see significant performance improvements, because a record is loaded only once, no matter
how many components are using it. Shared records also improve user interface consistency. When one component updates a record,
the other components using it are notified, and in most cases, refresh automatically.
Creating Components that Use Lightning Data Service

Lightning Data Service is available through several base components. To create a form for working with records, use
lightning:recordForm, lightning:recordEditForm, or lightning:recordViewForm. If you need more
customization than those components allow, consider the force:recordData component.
One advantage of using the form-based components is that you can achieve many of your record display needs entirely in markup
without JavaScript. Another powerful feature of the form-based components is automatic field mapping with field-level validation. The
form-based components use a base component that’s appropriate for the field type to render the field automatically.
force:recordData doesn’t include any UI elements; it’s simply logic and a way to communicate to the server. Here are the
components that use Lightning Data Service.
lightning:recordForm
Display, create, or edit records
lightning:recordViewForm
Display records with lightning:outputField
lightning:recordEditForm
Create or edit records with lightning:inputField
force:recordData
Display, create, edit, or delete records with granular customization
390
Working with Salesforce Data Loading a Record
IN THIS SECTION:
Loading a Record
Loading a record can be accomplished entirely in markup using lightning:recordForm. If you need a custom layout, use
lightning:recordViewForm. If you need more customization than the form-based components allow for viewing record
data, use force:recordData.
Editing a Record
The simplest way to create a form that enables you to edit a record is to use the lightning:recordForm component. If you
want to customize the form layout or preload custom values, use lightning:recordEditForm. If you want to customize
a form more than the form-based components allow, use force:recordData.
Creating a Record
The simplest way to create a form that enables users create a record is to use lightning:recordForm. If you want to customize
the form layout or preload custom values, use lightning:recordEditForm. If you need more customization than the
form-based components allow, use force:recordData.
Deleting a Record
To delete a record using Lightning Data Service, call deleteRecord on the force:recordData component, and pass in
a callback function to be invoked after the delete operation completes. The form-based components, such as
lightning:recordForm, don’t currently support deleting a record.
Record Changes
To perform more advanced tasks using force:recordData when the record changes, handle the recordUpdated event.
You can handle record loaded, updated, and deleted changes, applying different actions to each change type.
Handling Errors
Lightning Data Service returns an error when a resource, such as a record or an object, is inaccessible on the server.
Considerations
Lightning Data Service is powerful and simple to use. However, it’s not a complete replacement for writing your own data access
code. Here are some considerations to keep in mind when using it.
Lightning Action Example Using force:recordData
Here’s a longer, more detailed example of using force:recordData to create a Quick Contact action panel.
SaveRecordResult
Represents the result of a Lightning Data Service operation that makes a persistent change to record data.
Displaying the Create and Edit Record Modals
You can take advantage of built-in events to display modals that let you create or edit records via an Aura component.
Loading a Record
Loading a record can be accomplished entirely in markup using lightning:recordForm. If you need a custom layout, use
lightning:recordViewForm. If you need more customization than the form-based components allow for viewing record data,
use force:recordData.
Display a Record Using lightning:recordForm

To display a record using lightning:recordForm, provide the record ID and the object API name. Additionally, provide fields
using either the fields or layoutType attribute. You can display a record in two modes using the mode attribute.
391
view
Loads the form using output fields with inline editing enabled. Editable fields have edit icons. If a user clicks an edit icon, editable
fields in the form become editable, and the form displays Cancel and Save buttons. This is the default mode when a record ID is
provided.
readonly
Loads the form with output fields only. The form doesn’t include edit icons, Cancel and Save buttons.
This example displays an account record in view mode using the compact layout, which includes fewer fields than the full layout. The
columns attribute displays the record fields in two columns that are evenly sized. Update the record ID with your own.
<aura:component>
<lightning:recordForm
recordId="001XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
objectApiName="Account"
layoutType="Compact"
columns="2"/> />
</aura:component>
To display the field values on a record page, implement the flexipage:availableForRecordHome and
flexipage:hasRecordId. The component automatically inherits the record ID.
This example displays read-only values for the account’s Name and Industry fields. Add this example to an account record page.
<aura:component implements="flexipage:availableForRecordHome,force:hasRecordId">
<aura:attribute name="recordId" type="String" />
<lightning:recordForm recordId="{!v.recordId}"
mode="readonly"
fields="Name, Industry" />
If you provide both fields and layoutType attributes, the display order of the fields is not guaranteed. To specify the field order,
use fields without the layoutType attribute. Alternatively, use the lightning:recordViewForm component as shown
in the next section.
Display a Record with a Custom Layout Using lightning:recordViewForm

To display a read-only record with a custom layout, use the lightning:recordViewForm component. To compose a form field,
use lightning:outputField components, which maps to a Salesforce field by using the fieldName attribute. Including
individual fields lets you style a custom layout using the Lightning Design System utility classes, such as the grid system.
<aura:component>
<lightning:recordViewForm recordId="001XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX"
objectApiName="Account">
<div class="slds-grid">
<div class="slds-col slds-size_2-of-3">
<lightning:outputField fieldName="Name" />
<lightning:outputField fieldName="Phone" />
</div>
<lightning:outputField fieldName="Industry" />
<lightning:outputField fieldName="AnnualRevenue" />
</div>
</div>
392
</lightning:recordViewForm>
</aura:component>
If you require more customization when displaying a record than what lightning:recordForm and
lightning:recordViewForm allow, consider using force:recordData.
Display Record Data in a Custom User Interface Using force:recordData

force:recordData enables granular customization, including providing your own component to load data. To load a record using
Lightning Data Service, add the force:recordData tag to your component and specify:
• The ID of the record to load
• A component attribute to assign the loaded record
• A list of fields to load
To specify a list of fields to load, use the fields attribute. For example, fields="Name,BillingCity,BillingState".
Alternatively, you can specify a layout using the layoutType attribute. All fields on that layout are loaded for the record. The layout
depends on the page layout assignment for the profile. For example, if a user using the Marketing User profile is assigned the default
account layout, all fields on that layout are available to that user. Layouts are typically modified by administrators, so layoutType
isn’t as flexible as fields when you want to request specific fields. Loading record data using layoutType allows your component
to adapt to layout definitions. Valid values for layoutType are FULL and COMPACT.
To get a field from an object regardless of whether an admin has included it in a layout, use the fields attribute and request the field
by name. To guarantee that a field is always there for the component, specify the field in addition to getting all the fields on a layout.
targetRecord is populated with the current record, containing the fields relevant to the requested layoutType or the fields
listed in the fields attribute. targetFields is populated with a simplified view of the loaded record. For example, for the Name
field, v.targetRecord.fields.Name.value is equivalent to v.targetFields.Name.
Example: Loading a Record

The following example illustrates the essentials of loading a record using Lightning Data Service. This component can be added
to a record home page in the Lightning App Builder, or as a custom action. The record ID is supplied by the implicit recordId
attribute added by the force:hasRecordId interface.
ldsLoad.cmp
<aura:component implements="flexipage:availableForRecordHome,
force:lightningQuickActionWithoutHeader, force:hasRecordId">
<aura:attribute name="record" type="Object"/>

<aura:attribute name="simpleRecord" type="Object"/>
<aura:attribute name="recordError" type="String"/>
<force:recordData aura:id="recordLoader"
recordId="{!v.recordId}"
targetFields="{!v.simpleRecord}"
targetError="{!v.recordError}"
recordUpdated="{!c.handleRecordUpdated}"
/>

<div class="Record Details">
<lightning:card iconName="standard:account" title="{!v.simpleRecord.Name}" >
<div class="slds-p-horizontal--small">
393
<p class="slds-text-heading--small">
<lightning:formattedText title="Billing City"
value="{!v.simpleRecord.BillingCity}" /></p>
<lightning:formattedText title="Billing State"
value="{!v.simpleRecord.BillingState}" /></p>
</div>
</lightning:card>
</div>


<aura:if isTrue="{!not(empty(v.recordError))}">
<div class="recordError">
{!v.recordError}</div>
</aura:if>
</aura:component>
ldsLoadController.js
({
handleRecordUpdated: function(component, event, helper) {
var eventParams = event.getParams();
if(eventParams.changeType === "LOADED") {
// record is loaded (render other component which needs record data value)
console.log("Record is loaded successfully.");

console.log("You loaded a record in " +
component.get("v.simpleRecord.Industry"));
} else if(eventParams.changeType === "CHANGED") {
// record is changed
} else if(eventParams.changeType === "REMOVED") {
// record is deleted
} else if(eventParams.changeType === "ERROR") {
// there’s an error while loading, saving, or deleting the record
}
}
})
When the record loads or updates, to access the record fields in the JavaScript controller, use the
component.get("v.simpleRecord.fieldName") syntax.
force:recordData loads data asynchronously by design since it may go to the server to retrieve data. To track when the
record is loaded or changed, use the recordUpdated event as shown in the previous example. Alternatively, you can place
a change handler on the attribute provided to targetRecord or targetFields.
SEE ALSO:
Component Library: lightning:recordForm
Component Library: lightning:recordViewForm
394
Working with Salesforce Data Editing a Record
Editing a Record
The simplest way to create a form that enables you to edit a record is to use the lightning:recordForm component. If you
want to customize the form layout or preload custom values, use lightning:recordEditForm. If you want to customize a form
more than the form-based components allow, use force:recordData.
Edit a Record using lightning:recordForm

To edit a record using lightning:recordForm, provide the record ID and object API name. When you provide a record ID, view
mode is the default mode of this component, which displays fields with edit icons. If you click an edit icon, all fields in the form become
editable.
This example creates a form that lets users update fields on an account record when an edit icon is clicked. It displays the fields from the
compact layout in two columns. Add this example component to an account record page. The component inherits the record ID via
the force:hasRecordId interface.
<aura:component implements="flexipage:availableForRecordHome, force:hasRecordId">
recordId = "{!v.recordId}"
columns="2" />
</aura:component>
When the record is saved successfully, all components that contain the updated field values are refreshed automatically.
Add mode="edit" to transform the form to one that displays input fields for editing. The form displays a Save button that updates
the record, and a Cancel button that reverts changes.
mode="edit" />
</aura:component>
Customize Error Handling in lightning:recordForm

To customize the behavior when a record is saved successfully, use the onsuccess event handler. Errors are automatically handled
and displayed. To customize them, use the onerror event handler.


<lightning:notificationsLibrary aura:id="notifLib" />
mode="edit"
onsuccess="{!c.handleSuccess}"
</aura:component>
395
A toast notification is displayed when a record is saved successfully or when an error is encountered during save.
({
handleSuccess: function (cmp, event, helper) {
cmp.find('notifLib').showToast({
"title": "Record updated!",
"message": "The record "+ event.getParam("id") + " has been updated
successfully.",
"variant": "success"
});
},
handleError: function (cmp, event, helper) {

"title": "Something has gone wrong!",
"message": event.getParam("message"),
"variant": "error"
});
}
})
Note: For more information, see lightning:recordForm.
Edit a Record with a Custom Layout Using lightning:recordEditForm

To provide a custom layout for your form fields, use the lightning:recordEditForm component.
Pass in the fields to lightning:inputField, which displays an input control based on the record field type.
This example displays a form with two fields using a custom layout. Add this example component to an account record page.
<lightning:recordEditForm
objectApiName="Account">
<lightning:messages />
<lightning:inputField fieldName="Name"/>
</div>
<lightning:inputField fieldName="Industry"/>
</div>
</div>
<lightning:button class="slds-m-top_small" type="submit" label="Create new" />
</lightning:recordEditForm>
</aura:component>
When a server error is encountered, lightning:recordEditForm displays an error message above the form fields using the
lightning:messages component. Alternatively, provide your own error handling using the onerror event handler.
Another feature that lightning:recordEditForm provides that’s not available with lightning:recordForm is displaying
the form with custom field values, as shown in the next section.
396
Prepopulate Field Values

To provide a custom field value when the form displays, use the value attribute on lightning:inputField. If you're providing
a record ID, the value returned by the record on load does not override this custom value.
Alternatively, set the field value using this syntax.
cmp.find("nameField").set("v.value", "My New Account Name");
Note: For more information, see lightning:recordEditForm.
If you require more customization when creating a record than what lightning:recordForm and
lightning:recordEditForm allow, consider using force:recordData.
Edit a Record via a Custom User Interface Using force:recordData

To edit and save a record using force:recordData, call saveRecord and pass in a callback function to be invoked after the
save operation completes. The save operation is used in two cases.
• To save changes to an existing record
• To create and save a new record
To save changes to an existing record, load the record in EDIT mode and call saveRecord on the force:recordData component.
To save a new record, and thus create it, create the record from a record template, as described in Creating a Record. Then call
saveRecord on the force:recordData component.
Load a Record in EDIT Mode

To load a record that might be updated, set the force:recordData tag’s mode attribute to “EDIT”. Other than explicitly setting
the mode, loading a record for editing is the same as loading it for any other purpose.
Note: Since Lightning Data Service records are shared across multiple components, loading records provides the component
with a copy of the record instead of a direct reference. If a component loads a record in VIEW mode, Lightning Data Service
automatically overwrites that copy with a newer copy of the record when the record is changed. If a record is loaded in EDIT mode,
the record is not updated when the record is changed. This prevents unsaved changes from appearing in components that
reference the record while the record is being edited, and prevents any edits in progress from being overwritten. Notifications are
still sent in both modes.
Call saveRecord to Save Record Changes

To perform the save operation, call saveRecord on the force:recordData component from the appropriate controller action
handler. The saveRecord method takes one argument—a callback function to be invoked when the operation completes. This
callback function receives a SaveRecordResult as its only parameter. SaveRecordResult includes a state attribute that
indicates success or error, and other details you can use to handle the result of the operation.
Example: Saving a Record

The following example illustrates the essentials of saving a record using Lightning Data Service. It’s intended for use on a record
page. The record ID is supplied by the implicit recordId attribute added by the force:hasRecordId interface.
ldsSave.cmp
397
<aura:attribute name="record" type="Object"/>

<aura:attribute name="simpleRecord" type="Object"/>
<aura:attribute name="recordError" type="String"/>
<force:recordData aura:id="recordHandler"
layoutType="FULL"
targetRecord="{!v.record}"
mode="EDIT"
recordUpdated="{!c.handleRecordUpdated}"
/>

<lightning:card iconName="standard:account" title="{!v.simpleRecord.Name}" >
<lightning:formattedText title="Billing State"
value="{!v.simpleRecord.BillingState}" /></p>
<lightning:formattedText title="Billing City"
value="{!v.simpleRecord.BillingCity}" /></p>
</div>
</lightning:card>
</div>


<lightning:card iconName="action:edit" title="Edit Account">
<lightning:input label="Account Name" value="{!v.simpleRecord.Name}"/>
<br/>
<lightning:button label="Save Account" variant="brand"
onclick="{!c.handleSaveRecord}" />
</div>
</lightning:card>
</div>

</aura:if>
</aura:component>
Note: If you’re using this component with an object that has a first and last name, such as contacts, create a separate
lightning:input component for {!v.simpleRecord.FirstName} and
{!v.simpleRecord.LastName}.
This component loads a record using force:recordData set to EDIT mode, and provides a form for editing record values.
(In this simple example, just the record name field.)
398
ldsSaveController.js
({
handleSaveRecord: function(component, event, helper) {
component.find("recordHandler").saveRecord($A.getCallback(function(saveResult)
{
// use the recordUpdated event handler to handle generic logic when record
is changed
if (saveResult.state === "SUCCESS" || saveResult.state === "DRAFT") {
// handle component related logic in event handler
} else if (saveResult.state === "INCOMPLETE") {
console.log("User is offline, device doesn't support drafts.");
} else if (saveResult.state === "ERROR") {
console.log('Problem saving record, error: ' +
JSON.stringify(saveResult.error));
} else {
console.log('Unknown problem, state: ' + saveResult.state + ', error:
' + JSON.stringify(saveResult.error));
}
}));
},
/**
* Control the component behavior here when record is changed (via any component)
*/
if(eventParams.changeType === "CHANGED") {
// get the fields that changed for this record
var changedFields = eventParams.changedFields;
console.log('Fields that are changed: ' + JSON.stringify(changedFields));
// record is changed, so refresh the component (or other component logic)

"title": "Saved",
"message": "The record was updated."
});
} else if(eventParams.changeType === "LOADED") {

// record is loaded in the cache
// record is deleted and removed from the cache
// there’s an error while loading, saving or deleting the record
}
}
})
The handleSaveRecord action here is a minimal version. There’s no form validation or real error handling. Whatever is
entered in the form is attempted to be saved to the record.
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Working with Salesforce Data Creating a Record
If you are creating multiple instances of force:recordData on a page, provide your saveRecord and recordUpdated
handlers accordingly. For example, if you have two instances of force:recordData that updates the same record, assign a
different aura:id to each instance, such that saveRecord is called uniquely, and subsequently the recordUpdated
handler.
SEE ALSO:
Component Library: lightning:recordEditForm
SaveRecordResult
Creating a Record
The simplest way to create a form that enables users create a record is to use lightning:recordForm. If you want to customize
the form layout or preload custom values, use lightning:recordEditForm. If you need more customization than the form-based
components allow, use force:recordData.
Create a Record using lightning:recordForm

To create a record using lightning:recordForm, leave out the recordId attribute.
This example displays a form that creates an account record with a list of fields. The Cancel and Save buttons are displayed at the bottom
of the form.
<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="fields"
type="String[]"
default="['Name', 'Industry']"/>
<lightning:recordForm objectApiName="Account"
fields="{!v.fields}"/>
</aura:component>
When the record saves successfully, the fields display pencil icons to denote that inline editing is available. This view is displayed until
you refresh or reload the page. Then the form redisplays the record fields without data, ready to create a new record.
Alternatively, use the Full layout type, which loads all fields from the full layout to display a form that creates a record. The columns
attribute displays the record fields in two columns that are evenly sized.
<aura:component>
<lightning:recordForm objectApiName="Account"
layoutType="Full"
columns="2"/>
</aura:component>
Customize Error Handling in lightning:recordForm

When an error is encountered during save, lightning:recordForm displays an error message at the top of the form. You can
provide additional error handling using the onerror event handler.
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This example displays a toast message when an error is returned.

<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="fields"
type="String[]"
default="['Name', 'Industry']"/>


<lightning:notificationsLibrary aura:id="notifLib" />
fields="{!v.fields}"
</aura:component>
To return the error message, use event.getParam("message").

({
"title": "Something has gone wrong!",
"message": event.getParam("message"),
"variant": "error"
});
}
})
To customize the form behavior when a record saves successfully, use the onsuccess event handler.
If you want to provide a custom layout or load custom field values when the form displays, use the lightning:recordEditForm
component as shown in the next section.
Create a Record with a Custom Layout Using lightning:recordEditForm

To provide a custom layout for your form fields, use the lightning:recordEditForm component.
Pass in the fields to lightning:inputField, which displays an input control based on the record field type.
This example creates a custom layout using the Grid utility classes in Lightning Design System.
<aura:component>
<lightning:recordEditForm objectApiName="Account">
<lightning:messages />
<lightning:inputField fieldName="Name"/>
</div>
<lightning:inputField fieldName="Industry"/>
</div>
</div>
<lightning:button class="slds-m-top_small" type="submit" label="Create new" />
</lightning:recordEditForm>
</aura:component>
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When a server error is encountered,lightning:recordEditForm displays an error message above the form fields. To enable
automatic error handling, include the lightning:messages component. Alternatively, provide your own error handling using
the onerror event handler.
Another feature that lightning:recordEditForm provides that’s not available with lightning:recordForm is preset
custom field values, as shown in the next section.
Prepopulate Field Values

To provide a custom field value when the form displays, use the value attribute on lightning:inputField. If you're providing
a record ID, the value returned by the record on load does not override this custom value.
Alternatively, set the field value using this syntax.
cmp.find("nameField").set("v.value", "My New Account Name");
Note: For more information, see lightning:recordEditForm.
If you require more customization when creating a record than what lightning:recordForm and
lightning:recordEditForm allow, consider using force:recordData.
Create a Record via a Custom User Interface Using force:recordData

To create a record using force:recordData, leave out the recordId attribute. Load a record template by calling the
getNewRecord function on force:recordData. Finally, apply values to the new record, and save the record by calling the
saveRecord function on force:recordData.
1. Call getNewRecord to create an empty record from a record template. You can use this record as the backing store for a form
or otherwise have its values set to data intended to be saved.
2. Call saveRecord to commit the record. This is described in Editing a Record.
Create an Empty Record from a Record Template

To create an empty record from a record template, you can’t set a recordId on the force:recordData tag. Without a
recordId, Lightning Data Service doesn’t load an existing record.
In your component’s init or another handler, call the getNewRecord on force:recordData. getNewRecord takes the
following arguments.

objectApiName String The object API name for the new record.
recordTypeId String The 18 character ID of the record type for the new record.
If not specified, the default record type for the object is used, as defined in the
user’s profile.
skipCache Boolean Whether to load the record template from the server instead of the client-side
Lightning Data Service cache. Defaults to false.
callback Function A function invoked after the empty record is created. This function receives no
arguments.
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getNewRecord doesn’t return a result. It simply prepares an empty record and assigns it to the targetRecord attribute.
Example: Creating a Record

The following example illustrates the essentials of creating a record using Lightning Data Service. This example is intended to be
added to an account record Lightning page.
ldsCreate.cmp
<aura:attribute name="newContact" type="Object"/>

<aura:attribute name="simpleNewContact" type="Object"/>
<aura:attribute name="newContactError" type="String"/>
<force:recordData aura:id="contactRecordCreator"
layoutType="FULL"
targetRecord="{!v.newContact}"
targetFields="{!v.simpleNewContact}"
targetError="{!v.newContactError}" />

<div class="Create Contact">
<lightning:card iconName="action:new_contact" title="Create Contact">
<lightning:input aura:id="contactField" label="First Name"
value="{!v.simpleNewContact.FirstName}"/>
<lightning:input aura:id="contactField" label="Last Name"
value="{!v.simpleNewContact.LastName}"/>
<lightning:input aura:id="contactField" label="Title"
value="{!v.simpleNewContact.Title}"/>
<br/>
<lightning:button label="Save Contact" variant="brand"
onclick="{!c.handleSaveContact}"/>
</div>
</lightning:card>
</div>


<aura:if isTrue="{!not(empty(v.newContactError))}">
{!v.newContactError}</div>
</aura:if>
</aura:component>
This component doesn’t set the recordId attribute of force:recordData. This tells Lightning Data Service to expect a
new record. Here, that’s created in the component’s init handler.
ldsCreateController.js
({
doInit: function(component, event, helper) {
// Prepare a new record from template
component.find("contactRecordCreator").getNewRecord(
403
"Contact", // sObject type (objectApiName)

null, // recordTypeId
false, // skip cache?
var rec = component.get("v.newContact");
var error = component.get("v.newContactError");
if(error || (rec === null)) {
console.log("Error initializing record template: " + error);
return;
}
console.log("Record template initialized: " + rec.apiName);
})
);
},

component.set("v.simpleNewContact.AccountId", component.get("v.recordId"));
component.find("contactRecordCreator").saveRecord(function(saveResult) {
// record is saved successfully

"title": "Saved",
"message": "The record was saved."
});
} else if (saveResult.state === "INCOMPLETE") {

// handle the incomplete state
} else if (saveResult.state === "ERROR") {
// handle the error state
console.log('Problem saving contact, error: ' +
} else {
console.log('Unknown problem, state: ' + saveResult.state + ',
error: ' + JSON.stringify(saveResult.error));
}
});
}
}
})
The doInit init handler calls getNewRecord() on the force:recordData component, passing in a simple callback
handler. This call returns a Record object to create an empty contact record, which is used by the contact form in the component’s
markup.
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Working with Salesforce Data Deleting a Record
Note: The callback passed to getNewRecord() must be wrapped in $A.getCallback() to ensure correct access
context when the callback is invoked. If the callback is passed in without being wrapped in $A.getCallback(), any
attempt to access private attributes of your component results in access check failures.
Even if you’re not accessing private attributes, it’s a best practice to always wrap the callback function for getNewRecord()
in $A.getCallback(). Never mix (contexts), never worry.
The handleSaveContact handler is called when the Save Contact button is clicked. It’s a straightforward application of
saving the contact, as described in Editing a Record, and then updating the user interface.
Note: The helper function, validateContactForm, isn’t shown. It simply validates the form values. For an example
of this validation, see Lightning Action Example Using force:recordData.
SEE ALSO:
Component Library: lightning:recordEditForm
Editing a Record
Controlling Access
Deleting a Record
To delete a record using Lightning Data Service, call deleteRecord on the force:recordData component, and pass in a
callback function to be invoked after the delete operation completes. The form-based components, such as lightning:recordForm,
don’t currently support deleting a record.
Delete operations with Lightning Data Service are straightforward. The force:recordData tag can include minimal details. If you
don’t need any record data, set the fields attribute to just Id. If you know that the only operation is a delete, any mode can be
used.
To perform the delete operation, call deleteRecord on the force:recordData component from the appropriate controller
action handler. deleteRecord takes one argument, a callback function to be invoked when the operation completes. This callback
function receives a SaveRecordResult as its only parameter. SaveRecordResult includes a state attribute that indicates
success or error, and other details you can use to handle the result of the operation.
Example: Deleting a Record

The following example illustrates the essentials of deleting a record using Lightning Data Service. This component adds a Delete
Record button to a record page, which deletes the record being displayed. The record ID is supplied by the implicit recordId
attribute added by the force:hasRecordId interface.
ldsDelete.cmp
<aura:attribute name="recordError" type="String" access="private"/>
<force:recordData aura:id="recordHandler"
fields="Id"
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Working with Salesforce Data Deleting a Record
recordUpdated="{!c.handleRecordUpdated}" />


<div class="Delete Record">
<lightning:card iconName="action:delete" title="Delete Record">
<lightning:button label="Delete Record" variant="destructive"
onclick="{!c.handleDeleteRecord}"/>
</div>
</lightning:card>
</div>

</aura:if>
</aura:component>
Notice that the force:recordData tag includes only the recordId and a nearly empty fields list—the absolute
minimum required. If you want to display record values in the user interface, for example, as part of a confirmation message, define
the force:recordData tag as you would for a load operation instead of this minimal delete example.
ldsDeleteController.js
({
handleDeleteRecord: function(component, event, helper) {
component.find("recordHandler").deleteRecord($A.getCallback(function(deleteResult) {
// NOTE: If you want a specific behavior(an action or UI behavior) when
this action is successful
// then handle that in a callback (generic logic when record is changed
should be handled in recordUpdated event handler)
if (deleteResult.state === "SUCCESS" || deleteResult.state === "DRAFT") {
// record is deleted
console.log("Record is deleted.");
} else if (deleteResult.state === "INCOMPLETE") {
} else if (deleteResult.state === "ERROR") {
console.log('Problem deleting record, error: ' +
JSON.stringify(deleteResult.error));
} else {
console.log('Unknown problem, state: ' + deleteResult.state + ', error:
' + JSON.stringify(deleteResult.error));
}
}));
},
/**
* Control the component behavior here when record is changed (via any component)
*/
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Working with Salesforce Data Record Changes

if(eventParams.changeType === "CHANGED") {
// record is changed
} else if(eventParams.changeType === "LOADED") {
// record is loaded in the cache
// record is deleted, show a toast UI message
"title": "Deleted",
"message": "The record was deleted."
});

// there’s an error while loading, saving, or deleting the record
}
}
})
When the record is deleted, navigate away from the record page. Otherwise, you see a “record not found” error when the component
refreshes. Here the controller uses the objectApiName property in the SaveRecordResult provided to the callback
function, and navigates to the object home page.
SEE ALSO:
SaveRecordResult
Record Changes
To perform more advanced tasks using force:recordData when the record changes, handle the recordUpdated event.
You can handle record loaded, updated, and deleted changes, applying different actions to each change type.
If a component performs logic that’s specific to the record data, it must run that logic again when the record changes. A common
example is a business process in which the actions that apply to a record change depending on the record’s values. For example, different
actions apply to opportunities at different stages of the sales cycle.
Note: Lightning Data Service notifies listeners about data changes only if the changed fields are the same as in the listener’s fields
or layout.
Example: Declare that your component handles the recordUpdated event.
<force:recordData aura:id="forceRecord"
layoutType="FULL"
targetRecord="{!v._record}"
targetError="{!v._error}"
recordUpdated="{!c.recordUpdated}" />
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Working with Salesforce Data Handling Errors
Implement an action handler that handles the change.

({
recordUpdated: function(component, event, helper) {
var changeType = event.getParams().changeType;
if (changeType === "ERROR") { /* handle error; do this first! */ }

else if (changeType === "LOADED") { /* handle record load */ }
else if (changeType === "REMOVED") { /* handle record removal */ }
else if (changeType === "CHANGED") { /* handle record change */ }
})
When loading a record in edit mode, the record isn’t automatically updated to prevent edits currently in progress from being
overwritten. To update the record, use the reloadRecord method in the action handler.
layoutType="FULL"
mode="EDIT"
({
recordUpdated : function(component, event, helper) {

else if (changeType === "CHANGED") {
/* handle record change; reloadRecord will cause you to lose your current record,
including any changes you’ve made */
component.find("forceRecord").reloadRecord();}
}
})
Handling Errors
Lightning Data Service returns an error when a resource, such as a record or an object, is inaccessible on the server.
For example, an error occurs if you pass in an invalid input to the form-based components, such as an invalid record ID or missing required
fields. An error is also returned if the record isn’t in the cache and the server is offline. Also, a resource can become inaccessible on the
server when it’s deleted or has its sharing or visibility settings updated.
Handle Errors For Form-Based Components

Two types of errors—field-level errors and Lightning Data Service errors—are handled by lightning:recordForm,
lightning:recordEditForm, and lightning:recordViewForm. Field-validation errors display below a field and cannot
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Working with Salesforce Data Handling Errors
be customized. For example, an error is shown below a required field when it’s empty. Lightning Data Service errors are handled in the
following ways.
lightning:recordForm
Automatically displays an error message above the form fields. You can provide additional error handling using the onerror
event handler.
lightning:recordEditForm
To automatically display an error message above or below the form fields, include lightning:messages before or after your
lightning:inputField components.
You can provide additional error handling using the onerror event handler.
lightning:recordViewForm
To automatically display an error message above or below the form fields, include lightning:messages before or after your
lightning:outputField components.
The error object looks like this.
{
"message": "Disconnected or Canceled",
"detail": "",
"output": {
},
"error": {
"ok": false,
"status": 400,
"statusText": "Bad Request",
"body": {
"message": "Disconnected or Canceled"
}
}
}
Get the error object using this syntax.

var error = event.getParams();
// Get the error message

var errorMessage = event.getParam("message");
}
Handle Errors For force:recordData

To act when an error occurs, handle the recordUpdated event and handle the case where the changeType is “ERROR”.
Example: Declare that your component handles the recordUpdated event.
layoutType="FULL"
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Working with Salesforce Data Considerations
Implement an action handler that handles the error.

({
recordUpdated: function(component, event, helper) {

else if (changeType === "CHANGED") { /* handle record change */ }
})
If an error occurs when the record begins to load, targetError is set to a localized error message. An error occurs if:
• Input is invalid because of an invalid attribute value, or combination of attribute values. For example, an invalid recordId,
or omitting both the layoutType and the fields attributes.
• The record isn’t in the cache and the server is unreachable (offline).
If the record becomes inaccessible on the server, the recordUpdated event is fired with changeType set to "REMOVED."
No error is set on targetError, since records becoming inaccessible is sometimes the expected outcome of an operation.
For example, after lead convert the lead record becomes inaccessible.
Records can become inaccessible for the following reasons.
• Record or entity sharing or visibility settings restrict access.
• Record or entity is deleted.
When the record becomes inaccessible on the server, the record’s JavaScript object assigned to targetRecord is unchanged.
Considerations
Lightning Data Service is powerful and simple to use. However, it’s not a complete replacement for writing your own data access code.
Here are some considerations to keep in mind when using it.
Lightning Data Service is available in the following containers:
• Salesforce app
• Lightning Communities
• Lightning Out
• Lightning Components for Visualforce
• Standalone Lightning apps
• Lightning for Gmail
• Lightning for Outlook
Lightning Data Service supports primitive DML operations—create, read, update, and delete. It operates on one record at a time, which
you retrieve or modify using the record ID. Lightning Data Service supports spanned fields with a maximum depth of five levels. Support
for working with collections of records or for querying for a record by anything other than the record ID isn’t available. If you must support
higher-level operations or multiple operations in one transaction, use standard @AuraEnabled Apex methods.
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Lightning Data Service shared data storage provides notifications to all components that use a record whenever a component changes
that record. It doesn’t notify components if that record is changed on the server, for example, if someone else modifies it. Records
changed on the server aren’t updated locally until they’re reloaded. Lightning Data Service notifies listeners about data changes only if
the changed fields are the same as in the listener’s fields or layout.
Supported Objects
Lightning Data Service supports custom objects and the following.
• Account
• AccountContactRelation
• AccountPartner
• AccountTeamMember
• ActionCadence
• Asset
• AssetRelationship
• AssignedResource
• AttachedContentNote
• BusinessAccount
• Campaign
• CampaignMember
• CareBarrier
• CareBarrierType
• Case
• Contact
• ContactRequest
• ContentDocument
• ContentNote
• ContentVersion
• ContentWorkspace
• Contract
• ContractContactRole
• ContractLineItem
• Custom Object
• Entitlement
• EntityArchivingSetup
• EnvironmentHubMember
• Image
• Lead
• LicensingRequest
• MaintenanceAsset
• MaintenancePlan
411
• MarketingAction
• MarketingResource
• Note
• OperatingHours
• Opportunity
• OpportunityLineItem
• OpportunityPartner
• OpportunityTeamMember
• Order
• OrderItem
• OrderSummary
• Partner
• PersonAccount
• Pricebook2
• PricebookEntry
• Product2
• Quote
• QuoteDocument
• QuoteLineItem
• RecordType
• ResourceAbsence
• ResourcePreference
• RetailVisitKpi
• RetailVisitWorkTask
• ServiceAppointment
• ServiceContract
• ServiceCrew
• ServiceCrewMember
• ServiceResource
• ServiceResourceCapacity
• ServiceResourceSkill
• ServiceTerritory
• ServiceTerritoryLocation
• ServiceTerritoryMember
• Shift
• Shipment
• SkillRequirement
• SocialPost
• SurveyInvitation
• SurveyResponse
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Working with Salesforce Data Lightning Action Example Using force:recordData
• SurveySubject
• Tenant
• TimeSheet
• TimeSheetEntry
• TimeSlot
• UsageEntitlement
• UsageEntitlementPeriod
• User
• Visit
• WorkOrder
• WorkOrderLineItem
• WorkType
Lightning Action Example Using force:recordData

Here’s a longer, more detailed example of using force:recordData to create a Quick Contact action panel.
Example: This example is intended to be added as a Lightning action on the account object. Clicking the action’s button on the
account layout opens a panel to create a new contact.
This example is similar to the example provided in Configure Components for Record-Specific Actions. Compare the two examples
to better understand the differences between using @AuraEnabled Apex controllers and using Lightning Data Service.
413
ldsQuickContact.cmp
<aura:component implements="force:lightningQuickActionWithoutHeader,force:hasRecordId">
<aura:attribute name="account" type="Object"/>

<aura:attribute name="simpleAccount" type="Object"/>
<aura:attribute name="accountError" type="String"/>
<force:recordData aura:id="accountRecordLoader"
fields="Name,BillingCity,BillingState"
targetRecord="{!v.account}"
targetFields="{!v.simpleAccount}"
targetError="{!v.accountError}"
/>
<aura:attribute name="newContact" type="Object" access="private"/>

<aura:attribute name="simpleNewContact" type="Object" access="private"/>
<aura:attribute name="newContactError" type="String" access="private"/>
<force:recordData aura:id="contactRecordCreator"
layoutType="FULL"
targetRecord="{!v.newContact}"
targetFields="{!v.simpleNewContact}"
targetError="{!v.newContactError}"
/>


<div class="slds-page-header" role="banner">
<p class="slds-text-heading_label">{!v.simpleAccount.Name}</p>
<h1 class="slds-page-header__title slds-m-right_small
slds-truncate slds-align-left">Create New Contact</h1>
</div>

<aura:if isTrue="{!not(empty(v.accountError))}">
{!v.accountError}
</ui:message>
</div>
</aura:if>
<aura:if isTrue="{!not(empty(v.newContactError))}">
{!v.newContactError}
</ui:message>
</div>
</aura:if>

<lightning:input aura:id="contactField" name="firstName" label="First Name"
value="{!v.simpleNewContact.FirstName}" required="true"/>
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<lightning:input aura:id="contactField" name="lastname" label="Last Name"

value="{!v.simpleNewContact.LastName}" required="true"/>
<lightning:input aura:id="contactField" name="title" label="Title"

value="{!v.simpleNewContact.Title}" />
<lightning:input aura:id="contactField" type="phone" name="phone" label="Phone

Number"
pattern="^(1?(-?\d{3})-?)?(\d{3})(-?\d{4})$"
messageWhenPatternMismatch="The phone number must contain 7, 10,
or 11 digits. Hyphens are optional."
value="{!v.simpleNewContact.Phone}" required="true"/>
<lightning:input aura:id="contactField" type="email" name="email" label="Email"

value="{!v.simpleNewContact.Email}" />
<lightning:button label="Cancel" onclick="{!c.handleCancel}"

class="slds-m-top_medium" />
<lightning:button label="Save Contact" onclick="{!c.handleSaveContact}"
variant="brand" class="slds-m-top_medium"/>
</aura:component>
ldsQuickContactController.js
({
doInit: function(component, event, helper) {
component.find("contactRecordCreator").getNewRecord(
"Contact", // objectApiName
null, // recordTypeId
false, // skip cache?
var rec = component.get("v.newContact");
var error = component.get("v.newContactError");
if(error || (rec === null)) {
console.log("Error initializing record template: " + error);
}
else {
console.log("Record template initialized: " + rec.apiName);
}
})
);
},

component.set("v.simpleNewContact.AccountId", component.get("v.recordId"));
component.find("contactRecordCreator").saveRecord(function(saveResult) {
// Success! Prepare a toast UI message

415
"title": "Contact Saved",
"message": "The new contact was created."
});
// Update the UI: close panel, show toast, refresh account page
// Reload the view so components not using force:recordData

// are updated
$A.get("e.force:refreshView").fire();
}
else if (saveResult.state === "INCOMPLETE") {
}
else if (saveResult.state === "ERROR") {
console.log('Problem saving contact, error: ' +
}
else {
console.log('Unknown problem, state: ' + saveResult.state +
', error: ' + JSON.stringify(saveResult.error));
}
});
}
},
handleCancel: function(component, event, helper) {

},
})
Note: The callback passed to getNewRecord() must be wrapped in $A.getCallback() to ensure correct access
context when the callback is invoked. If the callback is passed in without being wrapped in $A.getCallback(), any
attempt to access private attributes of your component results in access check failures.
Even if you’re not accessing private attributes, it’s a best practice to always wrap the callback function for getNewRecord()
in $A.getCallback(). Never mix (contexts), never worry.
ldsQuickContactHelper.js
({
validateContactForm: function(component) {
var validContact = true;
// Show error messages if required fields are blank

var allValid = component.find('contactField').reduce(function (validFields,
inputCmp) {
inputCmp.showHelpMessageIfInvalid();
return validFields && inputCmp.get('v.validity').valid;
}, true);
if (allValid) {
// Verify we have an account to attach it to
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Working with Salesforce Data SaveRecordResult
var account = component.get("v.account");

if($A.util.isEmpty(account)) {
validContact = false;
console.log("Quick action context doesn't have a valid account.");
}
return(validContact);
}
}
})
SEE ALSO:
Controlling Access
SaveRecordResult
Represents the result of a Lightning Data Service operation that makes a persistent change to record data.
SaveRecordResult Object
Callback functions for the saveRecord and deleteRecord functions receive a SaveRecordResult object as their only
argument.

objectApiName String The object API name for the record.
entityLabel String The label for the name of the sObject of the record.
error String Error is one of the following.

• A localized message indicating what went wrong.
• An array of errors, including a localized message indicating what went wrong.
It might also include further data to help handle the error, such as field- or
page-level errors.
error is undefined if the save state is SUCCESS or DRAFT.
recordId String The 18-character ID of the record affected.
state String The result state of the operation. Possible values are:
• SUCCESS—The operation completed on the server successfully.
• DRAFT—The server wasn’t reachable, so the operation was saved locally as
a draft. The change is applied to the server when it’s reachable.
• INCOMPLETE—The server wasn’t reachable, and the device doesn’t support
drafts. (Drafts are supported only in the Salesforce app.) Try this operation
again later.
417
Working with Salesforce Data Displaying the Create and Edit Record Modals

• ERROR—The operation couldn’t be completed. Check the error attribute
for more information.
Displaying the Create and Edit Record Modals

You can take advantage of built-in events to display modals that let you create or edit records via an Aura component.
The force:createRecord and force:editRecord events display a create record page and edit record page in a modal
based on the default custom layout type for that object.
The following example contains a button that calls a client-side controller to display the edit record page. Add this example component
to a record page to inherit the record ID via the force:hasRecordId interface.
<aura:component implements="flexipage:availableForRecordHome,force:hasRecordId" >
<aura:attribute name="recordId" type="String" />
<lightning:button label="Edit Record" onclick="{!c.edit}"/>
</aura:component>
The client-side controller fires the force:editRecord event, which displays the edit record page for a given record ID.
edit : function(component, event, helper) {
var editRecordEvent = $A.get("e.force:editRecord");
editRecordEvent.setParams({
"recordId": component.get("v.recordId")
});
editRecordEvent.fire();
}
Firing this event on a record page is similar to clicking the default Edit button on a record page’s header. Records updated using the
force:editRecord event are persisted automatically.
Note: If you don’t need the edit record page to display in a modal or if you need to specify a subset of fields, consider using
Lightning Data Service via lightning:recordForm or lightning:recordEditForm instead.

Use Apex only if you need to customize your user interface to do more than what Lightning Data Service allows, such as using a SOQL
query to select certain records.
The term sObject refers to any object that can be stored in Lightning Platform. This could be a standard object, such as Account, or
a custom object that you create, such as a Merchandise object.
An sObject variable represents a row of data, also known as a record. To work with an object in Apex, declare it using the SOAP
API name of the object. For example:
Account a = new Account();
MyCustomObject__c co = new MyCustomObject__c();
For more information on working on records with Apex, see Working with Data in Apex.
418
Working with Salesforce Data Using Apex to Work with Salesforce Records
This example controller persists an updated Account record. Note that the update method has the @AuraEnabled annotation,
which enables it to be called as a server-side controller action.
public with sharing class AccountController {
@AuraEnabled
public static void updateAnnualRevenue(String accountId, Decimal annualRevenue) {
Account acct = [SELECT Id, Name, BillingCity FROM Account WHERE Id = :accountId];
acct.AnnualRevenue = annualRevenue;
// Perform isAccessible() and isUpdateable() checks here

update acct;
}
}
Loading Record Data from a Standard Object

Load records from a standard object in a server-side controller. The following server-side controller has methods that return a list of
opportunity records and an individual opportunity record.
public with sharing class OpportunityController {
@AuraEnabled
public static List<Opportunity> getOpportunities() {
List<Opportunity> opportunities =
[SELECT Id, Name, CloseDate FROM Opportunity];
return opportunities;
}
@AuraEnabled
public static Opportunity getOpportunity(Id id) {
Opportunity opportunity = [
SELECT Id, Account.Name, Name, CloseDate,
Owner.Name, Amount, Description, StageName
FROM Opportunity
WHERE Id = :id
];
// Perform isAccessible() check here

return opportunity;
}
}
This example component uses the previous server-side controller to display a list of opportunity records when you press a button.
<aura:component controller="OpportunityController">
<aura:attribute name="opportunities" type="Opportunity[]"/>
<lightning:button label="Get Opportunities" onclick="{!c.getOpps}"/>

<aura:iteration var="opportunity" items="{!v.opportunities}">
<p>{!opportunity.Name} : {!opportunity.CloseDate}</p>
</aura:iteration>
</aura:component>
419
Working with Salesforce Data Using Apex to Work with Salesforce Records
When you press the button, the following client-side controller calls the getOpportunities() server-side controller and sets the
opportunities attribute on the component. For more information about calling server-side controller methods, see Calling a
Server-Side Action on page 427.
({
getOpps: function(cmp){
var action = cmp.get("c.getOpportunities");
cmp.set("v.opportunities", response.getReturnValue());
}
});
}
})
Note: To load record data during component initialization, use the init handler.
Loading Record Data from a Custom Object

Load record data using an Apex controller and setting the data on a component attribute. This server-side controller returns records on
a custom object myObj__c.
public with sharing class MyObjController {
@AuraEnabled
public static List<MyObj__c> getObjects() {
// Perform isAccessible() checks here

return [SELECT Id, Name, myField__c FROM MyObj__c];
}
}
This example component uses the previous controller to display a list of records from the myObj__c custom object.
<aura:component controller="MyObjController">
<aura:attribute name="myObjects" type="namespace.MyObj__c[]"/>
<aura:iteration items="{!v.myObjects}" var="obj">
{!obj.Name}, {!obj.namespace__myField__c}
</aura:iteration>
</aura:component>
This client-side controller sets the myObjects component attribute with the record data by calling the getMyObjects() method
in the server-side controller. This step can also be done during component initialization using the init handler.
getMyObjects: function(cmp){
var action = cmp.get("c.getObjects");
cmp.set("v.myObjects", response.getReturnValue());
}
});
420
Working with Salesforce Data CRUD and Field-Level Security (FLS)
}
IN THIS SECTION:
CRUD and Field-Level Security (FLS)
Aura components don’t automatically enforce CRUD and FLS in an Apex controller when you reference or retrieve objects. This
means that the framework continues to display records and fields for which users don’t have CRUD access and FLS visibility.
SEE ALSO:

Aura components don’t automatically enforce CRUD and FLS in an Apex controller when you reference or retrieve objects. This means
that the framework continues to display records and fields for which users don’t have CRUD access and FLS visibility.
Note: To work with Salesforce records, we recommend using Lightning Data Service, which handles sharing rules, CRUD, and
field-level security for you.
You must manually enforce CRUD and FLS in your Apex controllers.
For example, including the with sharing keyword in an Apex controller ensures that users see only the records they have access
to in an Aura component. Additionally, you must explicitly check for isAccessible(), isCreateable(), isDeletable(),
and isUpdateable() prior to performing operations on records or objects.
This example shows the recommended way to query fields on a custom expense object.
public with sharing class ExpenseController {
// ns refers to namespace; leave out ns__ if not needed

// This method is vulnerable.
@AuraEnabled
public static List<ns__Expense__c> get_UNSAFE_Expenses() {
return [SELECT Id, Name, ns__Amount__c, ns__Client__c, ns__Date__c,
ns__Reimbursed__c, CreatedDate FROM ns__Expense__c];
}
// This method is recommended.

@AuraEnabled
public static List<ns__Expense__c> getExpenses() {
String [] expenseAccessFields = new String [] {'Id',
'Name',
'ns__Amount__c',
'ns__Client__c',
'ns__Date__c',
'ns__Reimbursed__c',
'CreatedDate'
};
// Obtain the field name/token map for the Expense object

Map<String,Schema.SObjectField> m = Schema.SObjectType.ns__Expense__c.fields.getMap();
421
Working with Salesforce Data CRUD and Field-Level Security (FLS)
for (String fieldToCheck : expenseAccessFields) {
// Check if the user has access to view field

if (!m.get(fieldToCheck).getDescribe().isAccessible()) {
// Pass error to client

throw new System.NoAccessException();
}
}
// Query the object safely

return [SELECT Id, Name, ns__Amount__c, ns__Client__c, ns__Date__c,
ns__Reimbursed__c, CreatedDate FROM ns__Expense__c];
}
}
Note: For more information, see Lightning Security.
422
CHAPTER 11 Using Apex
In this chapter ... Use Apex to write server-side code, such as controllers and test classes.
Server-side controllers handle requests from client-side controllers. For example, a client-side controller
• Creating Server-Side
Logic with Controllers
might handle an event and call a server-side controller action to persist a record. A server-side controller
can also load your record data.
• Testing Your Apex
Code
• Making API Calls
from Apex
• Make Long-Running
Callouts with
Continuations
• Creating
Components in Apex
423
Using Apex Creating Server-Side Logic with Controllers

The framework supports client-side and server-side controllers. An event is always wired to a client-side controller action, which can in
turn call a server-side controller action. For example, a client-side controller might handle an event and call a server-side controller action
to persist a record.
Server-side actions need to make a round trip, from the client to the server and back again, so they usually complete more slowly than
client-side actions.
For more details on the process of calling a server-side action, see Calling a Server-Side Action on page 427.
IN THIS SECTION:
Apex Server-Side Controller Overview
Create a server-side controller in Apex and use the @AuraEnabled annotation to enable access to the controller method.
The AuraEnabled annotation enables Lightning components to access Apex methods and properties.
Creating an Apex Server-Side Controller
Use the Developer Console to create an Apex server-side controller.
Call a server-side controller action from a client-side controller. In the client-side controller, you set a callback, which is called after
the server-side action is completed. A server-side action can return any object containing serializable JSON data.
Passing Data to an Apex Controller
Use action.setParams() in JavaScript to set data to pass to an Apex controller.
Return results from a server-side controller to a client-side controller using the return statement. Results data must be serializable
into JSON format.
Returning Errors from an Apex Server-Side Controller
Create and throw a System.AuraHandledException from your server-side controller to return a custom error message.
Queueing of Server-Side Actions
The framework queues up actions before sending them to the server. This mechanism is largely transparent to you when you’re
writing code but it enables the framework to minimize network traffic by batching multiple actions into one request (XHR).
Foreground and Background Actions
Foreground actions are the default. An action can be marked as a background action. This is useful when you want your app to
remain responsive to a user while it executes a low priority, long-running action. A rough guideline is to use a background action if
it takes more than five seconds for the response to return from the server.
Storable Actions
Enhance your component’s performance by marking actions as storable (cacheable) to quickly show cached data from client-side
storage without waiting for a server trip. If the cached data is stale, the framework retrieves the latest data from the server. Caching
is especially beneficial for users on high latency, slow, or unreliable connections such as 3G networks.
Abortable Actions
Mark an action as abortable to make it potentially abortable while it's queued to be sent to the server. An abortable action in the
queue is not sent to the server if the component that created the action is no longer valid, that is cmp.isValid() == false.
A component is automatically destroyed and marked invalid by the framework when it is unrendered.
424
Using Apex Apex Server-Side Controller Overview

Create a server-side controller in Apex and use the @AuraEnabled annotation to enable access to the controller method.
Only methods that you have explicitly annotated with @AuraEnabled are exposed. Calling server-side actions aren’t counted against
your org’s API limits. However, your server-side controller actions are written in Apex, and as such are subject to all the usual Apex limits.
This Apex controller contains a serverEcho action that prepends a string to the value passed in.
public with sharing class SimpleServerSideController {
//Use @AuraEnabled to enable client- and server-side access to the method

@AuraEnabled
public static String serverEcho(String firstName) {
return ('Hello from the server, ' + firstName);
}
}
In addition to using the @AuraEnabled annotation, your Apex controller must follow these requirements.
• Methods must be static and marked public or global. Non-static methods aren’t supported.
• If a method returns an object, instance methods that retrieve the value of the object’s instance field must be public.
• Use unique names for client-side and server-side actions in a component. A JavaScript function (client-side action) with the same
name as an Apex method (server-side action ) can lead to hard-to-debug issues. In debug mode, the framework logs a browser
console warning about the clashing client-side and server-side action names.
Tip: Don’t store component state in your controller (client-side or server-side). Store state in a component’s client-side attributes
instead.
For more information, see Classes in the Apex Developer Guide.
SEE ALSO:
The AuraEnabled annotation enables Lightning components to access Apex methods and properties.
The AuraEnabled annotation is overloaded, and is used for two separate and distinct purposes.
• Use @AuraEnabled on Apex class static methods to make them accessible as remote controller actions in your Lightning
components.
• Use @AuraEnabled on Apex instance methods and properties to make them serializable when an instance of the class is
returned as data from a server-side action.
Important:
• Don’t mix-and-match these different uses of @AuraEnabled in the same Apex class.
• Only static @AuraEnabled Apex methods can be called from client-side code. Visualforce-style instance properties and
getter/setter methods aren’t available. Use client-side component attributes instead.
Component Security Boundaries and Encapsulation
425
Using Apex AuraEnabled Annotation
In Apex, every method that is annotated @AuraEnabled should be treated as a webservice interface. That is, the developer should assume
that an attacker can call this method with any parameter, even if the developer's client-side code does not invoke the method or invokes
it using only sanitized parameters. Therefore the parameters of an @AuraEnabled method should:
• not be placed into a SOQL query unsanitized
• not be trusted to specify which fields and objects a user can access
Whenever an @AuraEnabled method modifies sObjects, full CRUD/FLS as well as sharing checks should be made to ensure that the
client does not elevate their privileges when invoking this method. These checks need to be performed on the server (in Apex). Note
that this is different than the situation with Visualforce, in which CRUD/FLS checks can be performed for you by the Visualforce presentation
layer. This means porting code from Visualforce to Lightning requires the addition of CRUD/FLS checks each time an sObject is accessed.
Because Lightning components are meant to be re-usable and shareable, each global or public attribute should be viewed as untrusted
from the point of view of the component's internal logic. In other words, don't take the contents of an attribute and render them directly
to the DOM via innerHTML or $().html(). It does not matter whether, in your app, the attributes are provided by another component you
control. When you need to perform a raw HTML write or set an href attribute, then the attribute must be marked sanitized in your
JavaScript code.
An important aspect to understand is how session authentication works for your AuraEnabled components. If a community user's session
expires, and the rendered page contains Lightning components that can invoke custom Apex methods (AuraEnabled), the methods are
invoked as the community site's guest user. Plan your implementation to either provide/revoke access to the site guest user or to monitor
for session time-outs to invoke login requests as needed.
Caching Method Results

To improve runtime performance, set @AuraEnabled(cacheable=true) to cache the method results on the client. To set
cacheable=true, a method must only get data. It can’t mutate data.
Marking a method as storable (cacheable) improves your component’s performance by quickly showing cached data from client-side
storage without waiting for a server trip. If the cached data is stale, the framework retrieves the latest data from the server. Caching is
especially beneficial for users on high latency, slow, or unreliable connections such as 3G networks.
To cache data returned from an Apex method for any component with an API version of 44.0 or higher, you must annotate the Apex
method with @AuraEnabled(cacheable=true). For example:
@AuraEnabled(cacheable=true)
// your code here
}
Prior to API version 44.0, to cache data returned from an Apex method, you had to call setStorable() in JavaScript code on every
action that called the Apex method. For API version of 44.0 or higher, you must mark the Apex method as storable (cacheable) and you
can get rid of any setStorable() calls in JavaScript code. The Apex annotation approach is better because it centralizes your
caching notation for a method in the Apex class.
Using Continuations
Use the Continuation class in Apex to make a long-running request to an external Web service.
Continuations use the @AuraEnabled annotation. Here are the rules for usage.
@AuraEnabled(continuation=true)
An Apex controller method that returns a continuation must be annotated with @AuraEnabled(continuation=true).
@AuraEnabled(continuation=true cacheable=true)
To cache the result of a continuation action, set cacheable=true on the annotation for the Apex callback method.
426
Using Apex Creating an Apex Server-Side Controller
Note: There’s a space, not a comma, between continuation=true cacheable=true.
SEE ALSO:
Storable Actions
@AuraEnabled Annotations for Continuations

Use the Developer Console to create an Apex server-side controller.
1. Open the Developer Console.
2. Click File > New > Apex Class.
3. Enter a name for your server-side controller.
4. Click OK.
5. Enter a method for each server-side action in the body of the class.
Add the @AuraEnabled annotation to a method to expose it as a server-side action. Additionally, server-side actions must be
static methods, and either global or public.
6. Click File > Save.

7. Open the component that you want to wire to the new controller class.
8. Add a controller system attribute to the <aura:component> tag to wire the component to the controller. For example:
SEE ALSO:
Salesforce Help: Open the Developer Console

Call a server-side controller action from a client-side controller. In the client-side controller, you set a callback, which is called after the
server-side action is completed. A server-side action can return any object containing serializable JSON data.
A client-side controller is a JavaScript object in object-literal notation containing a map of name-value pairs.
Let’s say that you want to trigger a server-call from a component. The following component contains a button that’s wired to a client-side
controller echo action. SimpleServerSideController contains a method that returns a string passed in from the client-side
controller.
<aura:attribute name="firstName" type="String" default="world"/>
<lightning:button label="Call server" onclick="{!c.echo}"/>
</aura:component>
427
Using Apex Calling a Server-Side Action
This client-side controller includes an echo action that executes a serverEcho method on a server-side controller.
Tip: Use unique names for client-side and server-side actions in a component. A JavaScript function (client-side action) with the
same name as an Apex method (server-side action ) can lead to hard-to-debug issues. In debug mode, the framework logs a
browser console warning about the clashing client-side and server-side action names.
({
"echo" : function(cmp) {
// create a one-time use instance of the serverEcho action
// in the server-side controller
action.setParams({ firstName : cmp.get("v.firstName") });
// Create a callback that is executed after

// the server-side action returns
// Alert the user with the value returned
// from the server
// You would typically fire a event here to trigger

// client-side notification that the server-side
// action is complete
}
// do something
}
if (errors) {
errors[0].message);
}
} else {
}
}
});
// optionally set storable, abortable, background flag here
// A client-side action could cause multiple events,

// which could trigger other events and
// other server-side action calls.
// $A.enqueueAction adds the server-side action to the queue.
}
})
In the client-side controller, we use the value provider of c to invoke a server-side controller action. We also use the c syntax in markup
to invoke a client-side controller action.
428
Using Apex Calling a Server-Side Action
The cmp.get("c.serverEcho") call indicates that we’re calling the serverEcho method in the server-side controller. The
method name in the server-side controller must match everything after the c. in the client-side call. In this case, that’s serverEcho.
The implementation of the serverEcho Apex method is shown in Apex Server-Side Controller Overview.
Use action.setParams() to set data to be passed to the server-side controller. The following call sets the value of the firstName
argument on the server-side controller’s serverEcho method based on the firstName attribute value.
action.setParams({ firstName : cmp.get("v.firstName") });
action.setCallback() sets a callback action that is invoked after the server-side action returns.
action.setCallback(this, function(response) { ... });
The server-side action results are available in the response variable, which is the argument of the callback.
response.getState() gets the state of the action returned from the server.
Note: You don’t need a cmp.isValid() check in the callback in a client-side controller when you reference the component
associated with the client-side controller. The framework automatically checks that the component is valid.
response.getReturnValue() gets the value returned from the server. In this example, the callback function alerts the user
with the value returned from the server.
$A.enqueueAction(action) adds the server-side controller action to the queue of actions to be executed. All actions that are
enqueued will run at the end of the event loop. Rather than sending a separate request for each individual action, the framework
processes the event chain and batches the actions in the queue into one request. The actions are asynchronous and have callbacks.
Tip: If your action is not executing, make sure that you’re not executing code outside the framework’s normal rerendering lifecycle.
For example, if you use window.setTimeout() in an event handler to execute some logic after a time delay, wrap your
code in $A.getCallback(). You don't need to use $A.getCallback() if your code is executed as part of the framework's
call stack; for example, your code is handling an event or in the callback for a server-side controller action.
Client Payload Data Limit

Use action.setParams() to set data for an action to be passed to a server-side controller.
The framework batches the actions in the queue into one server request. The request payload includes all of the actions and their data
serialized into JSON. The request payload limit is 4 MB.
IN THIS SECTION:
Action States
Call a server-side controller action from a client-side controller. The action can have different states during processing.
SEE ALSO:
Action States
429
Using Apex Passing Data to an Apex Controller
Action States
Call a server-side controller action from a client-side controller. The action can have different states during processing.
The possible action states are:
NEW
The action was created but is not in progress yet
RUNNING
The action is in progress
SUCCESS
The action executed successfully
ERROR
The server returned an error
INCOMPLETE
The server didn’t return a response. The server might be down or the client might be offline. The framework guarantees that an
action’s callback is always invoked as long as the component is valid. If the socket to the server is never successfully opened, or closes
abruptly, or any other network error occurs, the XHR resolves and the callback is invoked with state equal to INCOMPLETE.
ABORTED
The action was aborted. This action state is deprecated. A callback for an aborted action is never executed so you can’t do anything
to handle this state.
SEE ALSO:

Use action.setParams() in JavaScript to set data to pass to an Apex controller.
This example sets the value of the firstName argument on an Apex controller’s serverEcho method based on the firstName
attribute value.
action.setParams({ firstName : "Jennifer") });
The request payload includes the action data serialized into JSON.
Here's the Apex controller method.
@AuraEnabled
public static String serverEcho(String firstName) {
return ('Hello from the server, ' + firstName);
}
The framework deserializes the action data into the appropriate Apex type. In this example, we have a String parameter called
firstName.
430
Example with Different Data Types

Let's look at an application that sends data of various types to an Apex controller. Each button starts the sequence of passing data of a
different type.

<aura:application controller="ApexParamTypesController">
<lightning:button label="putboolean" onclick="{!c.putbooleanc}"/>
<lightning:button label="putint" onclick="{!c.putintc}"/>
<lightning:button label="putlong" onclick="{!c.putlongc}"/>
<lightning:button label="putdecimal" onclick="{!c.putdecimalc}"/>
<lightning:button label="putdouble" onclick="{!c.putdoublec}"/>
<lightning:button label="putstring" onclick="{!c.putstringc}"/>
<lightning:button label="putobject" onclick="{!c.putobjectc}"/>
<lightning:button label="putblob" onclick="{!c.putblobc}"/>
<lightning:button label="putdate" onclick="{!c.putdatec}"/>
<lightning:button label="putdatetime" onclick="{!c.putdatetimec}"/>
<lightning:button label="puttime" onclick="{!c.puttimec}"/>
<lightning:button label="putlistoflistoflistofstring"
onclick="{!c.putlistoflistoflistofstringc}"/>
<lightning:button label="putmapofstring" onclick="{!c.putmapofstringc}"/>
<lightning:button label="putcustomclass" onclick="{!c.putcustomclassc}"/>
</aura:application>
Here's the application's JavaScript controller. Each action calls the helper's putdatatype method, which queues up the actions to
send to the Apex controller. The method has three parameters:
1. The component
2. The Apex method name
3. The data to pass to the Apex method
// actionParamTypesController.js
({
putbooleanc : function(component, event, helper) {
helper.putdatatype(component, "c.pboolean", true);
},
putintc : function(component, event, helper) {
helper.putdatatype(component, "c.pint", 10);
},
putlongc : function(component, event, helper) {
helper.putdatatype(component, "c.plong", 2147483648);
},
putdecimalc : function(component, event, helper) {
helper.putdatatype(component, "c.pdecimal", 10.80);
},
putdoublec : function(component, event, helper) {
helper.putdatatype(component, "c.pdouble", 10.80);
},
putstringc : function(component, event, helper) {
helper.putdatatype(component, "c.pstring", "hello!");
},
putobjectc : function(component, event, helper) {
helper.putdatatype(component, "c.pobject", true);
},
putblobc : function(component, event, helper) {
431
helper.putdatatype(component, "c.pblob", "some blob as string");

},
// Date value is in ISO 8601 date format
putdatec : function(component, event, helper) {
helper.putdatatype(component, "c.pdate", "1997-01-31");
},
// Datetime value is in ISO 8601 datetime format
putdatetimec : function(component, event, helper) {
helper.putdatatype(component, "c.pdatetime", "1997-01-31T15:08:16.000Z");
},
// Set time in milliseconds.
// You can use (new Date()).getTime() to set the milliseconds
puttimec : function(component, event, helper) {
helper.putdatatype(component, "c.ptime", 3723004);
//helper.putdatatype(component, "c.ptime", (new Date()).getTime());
},
putlistoflistoflistofstringc : function(component, event, helper) {
helper.putdatatype(component, "c.plistoflistoflistofstring",
[[['a','b'],['c','d']],[['e','f']]]);
},
putmapofstringc : function(component, event, helper) {
helper.putdatatype(component, "c.pmapofstring", {k1: 'v1'});
},
putcustomclassc : function(component, event, helper) {
helper.putdatatype(component, "c.pcustomclass", {
s: 'my string',
i: 10,
l: ['list value 1','list value 2'],
m: {k1: 'map value'},
os: {b: true}
});
},
})
The helper has a utility method to send the data to an Apex controller.
// actionParamTypesHelper.js
({
putdatatype : function(component, actionName, val) {
var action = component.get(actionName);
action.setParams({ v : val });
console.log(response.getReturnValue());
});
}
})
Here's the Apex controller.

public class ApexParamTypesController {
@AuraEnabled
public static Boolean pboolean(Boolean v){
System.debug(v);
return v;
432
}
@AuraEnabled
public static Integer pint(Integer v){
System.debug(v+v);
return v;
}
@AuraEnabled
public static Long plong(Long v){
System.debug(v);
return v;
}
@AuraEnabled
public static Decimal pdecimal(Decimal v){
System.debug(v);
return v;
}
@AuraEnabled
public static Double pdouble(Double v){
System.debug(v);
return v;
}
@AuraEnabled
public static String pstring(String v){
System.debug(v.capitalize());
return v;
}
@AuraEnabled
public static Object pobject(Object v){
System.debug(v);
return v;
}
@AuraEnabled
public static Blob pblob(Blob v){
System.debug(v.toString());
return v;
}
@AuraEnabled
public static Date pdate(Date v){
System.debug(v);
return v;
}
@AuraEnabled
public static DateTime pdatetime(DateTime v){
System.debug(v);
return v;
}
@AuraEnabled
public static Time ptime(Time v){
System.debug(v);
return v;
}
@AuraEnabled
public static List<List<List<String>>> plistoflistoflistofstring(List<List<List<String>>>
v){
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Using Apex Returning Data from an Apex Server-Side Controller
System.debug(v);
return v;
}
@AuraEnabled
public static Map<String, String> pmapofstring(Map<String, String> v){
System.debug(v);
return v;
}
@AuraEnabled
public static MyCustomApexClass pcustomclass(MyCustomApexClass v){
System.debug(v);
return v;
}
}
The pcustomclass() Apex method has a parameter that's a custom Apex type, MyCustomApexClass. Each property in the
Apex class must have an @AuraEnabled annotation, as well as a getter and setter.
public class MyCustomApexClass {
@AuraEnabled
public String s {get; set;}
@AuraEnabled
public Integer i {get; set;}
@AuraEnabled
public List<String> l {get; set;}
@AuraEnabled
public Map <String, String> m {get; set;}
@AuraEnabled
public MyOtherCustomApexClass os {get; set;}
}
The MyCustomApexClass Apex class has a property with a type of another custom Apex class, MyOtherCustomApexClass.
public class MyOtherCustomApexClass {
@AuraEnabled
public Boolean b {get; set;}
}
SEE ALSO:

Return results from a server-side controller to a client-side controller using the return statement. Results data must be serializable
into JSON format.
Return data types can be any of the following.
• Simple—String, Integer, and so on. See Basic Types for details.
• sObject—standard and custom sObjects are both supported. See Standard and Custom Object Types.
• Apex—an instance of an Apex class. (Most often a custom class.) See Custom Apex Class Types.
• Collection—a collection of any of the other types. See Collection Types.
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Using Apex Returning Data from an Apex Server-Side Controller
Returning Apex Objects

Here’s an example of a controller that returns a collection of custom Apex objects.
public with sharing class SimpleAccountController {
@AuraEnabled
public static List<SimpleAccount> getAccounts() {
// Perform isAccessible() check here
// SimpleAccount is a simple "wrapper" Apex class for transport

List<SimpleAccount> simpleAccounts = new List<SimpleAccount>();
List<Account> accounts = [SELECT Id, Name, Phone FROM Account LIMIT 5];
for (Account acct : accounts) {
simpleAccounts.add(new SimpleAccount(acct.Id, acct.Name, acct.Phone));
}
return simpleAccounts;
}
}
When an instance of an Apex class is returned from a server-side action, the instance is serialized to JSON by the framework. Only the
values of public instance properties and methods annotated with @AuraEnabled are serialized and returned.
For example, here’s a simple “wrapper” Apex class that contains a few details for an account record. This class is used to package a few
details of an account record in a serializable format.
public class SimpleAccount {
@AuraEnabled public String Id { get; set; }

@AuraEnabled public String Name { get; set; }
public String Phone { get; set; }
// Trivial constructor, for server-side Apex -> client-side JavaScript

public SimpleAccount(String id, String name, String phone) {
this.Id = id;
this.Name = name;
this.Phone = phone;
}
// Default, no-arg constructor, for client-side -> server-side

public SimpleAccount() {}
When returned from a remote Apex controller action, the Id and Name properties are defined on the client-side. However, because it
doesn’t have the @AuraEnabled annotation, the Phone property isn’t serialized on the server side, and isn’t returned as part of the
result data.
SEE ALSO:
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Using Apex Returning Errors from an Apex Server-Side Controller
Returning Errors from an Apex Server-Side Controller

Create and throw a System.AuraHandledException from your server-side controller to return a custom error message.
Errors happen. Sometimes they’re expected, such as invalid input from a user, or a duplicate record in a database. Sometimes they’re
unexpected, such as... Well, if you’ve been programming for any length of time, you know that the range of unexpected errors is nearly
infinite.
When your server-side controller code experiences an error, two things can happen. You can catch it there and handle it in Apex.
Otherwise, the error is passed back in the controller’s response.
If you handle the error Apex, you again have two ways you can go. You can process the error, perhaps recovering from it, and return a
normal response to the client. Or, you can create and throw an AuraHandledException.
The benefit of throwing AuraHandledException, instead of letting a system exception be returned, is that you have a chance
to handle the exception more gracefully in your client code. System exceptions have important details stripped out for security purposes,
and result in the dreaded “An internal server error has occurred…” message. Nobody likes that. When you use an
AuraHandledException you have an opportunity to add some detail back into the response returned to your client-side code.
More importantly, you can choose a better message to show your users.
Here’s an example of creating and throwing an AuraHandledException in response to bad input. However, the real benefit of
using AuraHandledException comes when you use it in response to a system exception. For example, throw an
AuraHandledException in response to catching a DML exception, instead of allowing that to propagate down to your client
component code.
public with sharing class SimpleErrorController {
static final List<String> BAD_WORDS = new List<String> {

'bad',
'words',
'here'
};
@AuraEnabled
public static String helloOrThrowAnError(String name) {
// Make sure we're not seeing something naughty

for(String badWordStem : BAD_WORDS) {
if(name.containsIgnoreCase(badWordStem)) {
// How rude! Gracefully return an error...
throw new AuraHandledException('NSFW name detected.');
}
}
// No bad word found, so...

return ('Hello ' + name + '!');
}

The framework queues up actions before sending them to the server. This mechanism is largely transparent to you when you’re writing
code but it enables the framework to minimize network traffic by batching multiple actions into one request (XHR).
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Using Apex Foreground and Background Actions
The batching of actions is also known as boxcar’ing, similar to a train that couples boxcars together.
The framework uses a stack to keep track of the actions to send to the server. When the browser finishes processing events and JavaScript
on the client, the enqueued actions on the stack are sent to the server in a batch.
Tip: If your action is not executing, make sure that you’re not executing code outside the framework’s normal rerendering lifecycle.
For example, if you use window.setTimeout() in an event handler to execute some logic after a time delay, wrap your
code in $A.getCallback().
There are some properties that you can set on an action to influence how the framework manages the action while it’s in the queue
waiting to be sent to the server. For more information, see:
• Foreground and Background Actions on page 437
• Storable Actions on page 438
• Abortable Actions on page 442
SEE ALSO:
Foreground and Background Actions

Foreground actions are the default. An action can be marked as a background action. This is useful when you want your app to remain
responsive to a user while it executes a low priority, long-running action. A rough guideline is to use a background action if it takes more
than five seconds for the response to return from the server.
Batching of Actions
Multiple queued foreground actions are batched in a single request (XHR) to minimize network traffic. The batching of actions is also
known as boxcar’ing, similar to a train that couples boxcars together.
The server sends the XHR response to the client when all actions have been processed on the server. If a long-running action is in the
boxcar, the XHR response is held until that long-running action completes. Marking an action as background results in that action being
sent separately from any foreground actions. The separate transmission ensures that the background action doesn’t impact the response
time of the foreground actions.
When the server-side actions in the queue are executed, the foreground actions execute first and then the background actions execute.
Background actions run in parallel with foreground actions and responses of foreground and background actions may come back in
either order.
We don’t make any guarantees for the order of execution of action callbacks. XHR responses may return in a different order than the
order in which the XHR requests were sent due to server processing time.
Note: Don’t rely on each background action being sent in its own request as that behavior isn’t guaranteed and it can lead to
performance issues. Remember that the motivation for background actions is to isolate long-running requests into a separate
request to avoid slowing the response for foreground actions.
If two actions must be executed sequentially, the component must orchestrate the ordering. The component can enqueue the first
action. In the first action’s callback, the component can then enqueue the second action.
Framework-Managed Request Throttling

The framework throttles foreground and background requests separately. This means that the framework can control the number of
foreground requests and the number of background actions running at any time. The framework automatically throttles requests and
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Using Apex Storable Actions
it’s not user controlled. The framework manages the number of foreground and background XHRs, which varies depending on available
resources.
Even with separate throttling, background actions might affect performance in some conditions, such as an excessive number of requests
to the server.
Setting Background Actions

To set an action as a background action, call the setBackground() method on the action object in JavaScript.
// set up the server-action action
// optionally set actions params
//action.setParams({ firstName : cmp.get("v.firstName") });
// set as a background action
action.setBackground();
Note: A background action can’t be set back to a foreground action. In other words, calling setBackground to set it to
false will have no effect.
SEE ALSO:
Storable Actions
Enhance your component’s performance by marking actions as storable (cacheable) to quickly show cached data from client-side storage
without waiting for a server trip. If the cached data is stale, the framework retrieves the latest data from the server. Caching is especially
beneficial for users on high latency, slow, or unreliable connections such as 3G networks.
Warning:
• A storable action might result in no call to the server. Never mark as storable an action that updates or deletes data.
• For storable actions in the cache, the framework returns the cached response immediately and also refreshes the data if it’s
stale. Therefore, storable actions might have their callbacks invoked more than once: first with cached data, then with updated
data from the server.
Most server requests are read-only and idempotent, which means that a request can be repeated or retried as often as necessary without
causing data changes. The responses to idempotent actions can be cached and quickly reused for subsequent identical actions. For
storable actions, the key for determining an identical action is a combination of:
• Apex controller name
• Method name
• Method parameter values
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Marking an Action as Storable

To cache data returned from an Apex method for any component with an API version of 44.0 or higher, you must annotate the Apex
method with @AuraEnabled(cacheable=true). For example:
// your code here
}
Prior to API version 44.0, to cache data returned from an Apex method, you had to call setStorable() in JavaScript code on every
action that called the Apex method. For API version of 44.0 or higher, you can mark the Apex method as storable (cacheable) and get
rid of any setStorable() calls in JavaScript code. The Apex annotation approach is better because it centralizes your caching
notation for a method in the Apex class.
Call setStorable() on an action in JavaScript code, as follows.
action.setStorable();
The setStorable function takes an optional argument, which is a configuration map of key-value pairs representing the storage
options and values to set. You can only set the following property:
ignoreExisting
Set to true to bypass the cache. The default value is false.
This property is useful when you know that any cached data is invalid, such as after a record modification. This property should be
used rarely because it explicitly defeats caching.
To set the storage options for the action response, pass this configuration map into setStorable(configObj).
IN THIS SECTION:
Lifecycle of Storable Actions
This image describes the sequence of callback execution for storable actions.
Enable Storable Actions in an Application
Storable actions are automatically configured in Lightning Experience and the Salesforce mobile app. To use storable actions in a
standalone app (.app resource), you must configure client-side storage for cached action responses.
Storage Service Adapters
The Storage Service supports multiple implementations of storage and selects an adapter at runtime based on browser support and
specified characteristics of persistence and security. Storage can be persistent and secure. With persistent storage, cached data is
preserved between user sessions in the browser. With secure storage, cached data is encrypted.
Lifecycle of Storable Actions

This image describes the sequence of callback execution for storable actions.
Note: An action might have its callback invoked more than once:
• First with the cached response, if it’s in storage.
• Second with updated data from the server, if the stored response has exceeded the time to refresh entries.
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Cache Miss
If the action is not a cache hit as it doesn’t match a storage entry:
1. The action is sent to the server-side controller.
2. If the response is SUCCESS, the response is added to storage.
3. The callback in the client-side controller is executed.
Cache Hit
If the action is a cache hit as it matches a storage entry:
1. The callback in the client-side controller is executed with the cached action response.
2. If the response has been cached for longer than the refresh time, the storage entry is refreshed.
When an application enables storable actions, a refresh time is configured. The refresh time is the duration in seconds before an
entry is refreshed in storage. The refresh time is automatically configured in Lightning Experience and the Salesforce mobile app.
3. The action is sent to the server-side controller.

4. If the response is SUCCESS, the response is added to storage.
5. If the refreshed response is different from the cached response, the callback in the client-side controller is executed for a second
time.
SEE ALSO:
Storable Actions

Storable actions are automatically configured in Lightning Experience and the Salesforce mobile app. To use storable actions in a
standalone app (.app resource), you must configure client-side storage for cached action responses.
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To configure client-side storage for your standalone app, use <auraStorage:init> in the auraPreInitBlock attribute of
your application’s template. For example:
<aura:component isTemplate="true" extends="aura:template">
<aura:set attribute="auraPreInitBlock">
<auraStorage:init
name="actions"
persistent="false"
secure="true"
maxSize="1024"
defaultExpiration="900"
defaultAutoRefreshInterval="30" />
</aura:set>
</aura:component>
name
The storage name must be actions. Storable actions are the only currently supported type of storage.
persistent
Set to true to preserve cached data between user sessions in the browser.
secure
Set to true to encrypt cached data.
maxsize
The maximum size in KB of the storage.
defaultExpiration
The duration in seconds that an entry is retained in storage.
defaultAutoRefreshInterval
The duration in seconds before an entry is refreshed in storage.
Storable actions use the Storage Service. The Storage Service supports multiple implementations of storage and selects an adapter at
runtime based on browser support and specified characteristics of persistence and security.
SEE ALSO:

The Storage Service supports multiple implementations of storage and selects an adapter at runtime based on browser support and
specified characteristics of persistence and security. Storage can be persistent and secure. With persistent storage, cached data is preserved
between user sessions in the browser. With secure storage, cached data is encrypted.
Storage Adapter Name Persistent Secure

IndexedDB true false
Memory false true
IndexedDB
(Persistent but not secure) Provides access to an API for client-side storage and search of structured data. For more information, see
the Indexed Database API.
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Using Apex Abortable Actions
Memory
(Not persistent but secure) Provides access to JavaScript memory for caching data. The stored cache persists only per browser page.
Browsing to a new page resets the cache.
The Storage Service selects a storage adapter on your behalf that matches the persistent and secure options you specify when initializing
the service. For example, if you request a persistent and insecure storage service, the Storage Service returns the IndexedDB storage if
the browser supports it.
Abortable Actions
Mark an action as abortable to make it potentially abortable while it's queued to be sent to the server. An abortable action in the queue
is not sent to the server if the component that created the action is no longer valid, that is cmp.isValid() == false. A component
is automatically destroyed and marked invalid by the framework when it is unrendered.
Note: We recommend that you only use abortable actions for read-only operations as they are not guaranteed to be sent to the
server.
An abortable action is sent to the server and executed normally unless the component that created the action is invalid before the action
is sent to the server.
A non-abortable action is always sent to the server and can't be aborted in the queue.
If an action response returns from the server and the associated component is now invalid, the logic has been executed on the server
but the action callback isn’t executed. This is true whether or not the action is marked as abortable.
Marking an Action as Abortable

Mark a server-side action as abortable by using the setAbortable() method on the Action object in JavaScript. For example:
action.setAbortable();
SEE ALSO:
Testing Your Apex Code

Before you can upload a managed package, you must write and execute tests for your Apex code to meet minimum code coverage
requirements. Also, all tests must run without errors when you upload your package to AppExchange.
To package your application and components that depend on Apex code, the following must be true.
• Unit tests must cover at least 75% of your Apex code, and all of those tests must complete successfully.
Note the following.
– When deploying Apex to a production organization, each unit test in your organization namespace is executed by default.
– Calls to System.debug are not counted as part of Apex code coverage.
– Test methods and test classes are not counted as part of Apex code coverage.
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Using Apex Making API Calls from Apex
– While only 75% of your Apex code must be covered by tests, don’t focus on the percentage of code that is covered. Instead,
make sure that every use case of your application is covered, including positive and negative cases, as well as bulk and single
records. This approach ensures that 75% or more of your code is covered by unit tests.
• Every trigger must have some test coverage.

• All classes and triggers must compile successfully.
This sample shows an Apex test class for a custom object that’s wired up to a component.
@isTest
class TestExpenseController {
static testMethod void test() {
//Create new expense and insert it into the database
Expense__c exp = new Expense__c(name='My New Expense',
amount__c=20, client__c='ABC',
reimbursed__c=false, date__c=null);
ExpenseController.saveExpense(exp);
//Assert the name field and saved expense

System.assertEquals('My New Expense',
ExpenseController.getExpenses()[0].Name,
'Name does not match');
System.assertEquals(exp, ExpenseController.saveExpense(exp));
}
}
Note: Apex classes must be manually added to your package.
For more information on distributing Apex code, see the Apex Code Developer's Guide.
SEE ALSO:
Distributing Applications and Components
Making API Calls from Apex

Make API calls from an Apex controller. You can’t make Salesforce API calls from JavaScript code.
For security reasons, the Lightning Component framework places restrictions on making API calls from JavaScript code. To call third-party
APIs from your component’s JavaScript code, add the API endpoint as a CSP Trusted Site.
To call Salesforce APIs, make the API calls from your component’s Apex controller. Use a named credential to authenticate to Salesforce.
Note: By security policy, sessions created by Lightning components aren’t enabled for API access. This prevents even your Apex
code from making API calls to Salesforce. Using a named credential for specific API calls allows you to carefully and selectively
bypass this security restriction.
The restrictions on API-enabled sessions aren’t accidental. Carefully review any code that uses a named credential to ensure you’re
not creating a vulnerability.
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Using Apex Make Long-Running Callouts with Continuations
For information about making API calls from Apex, see the Apex Developer Guide.
SEE ALSO:
Apex Developer Guide: Named Credentials as Callout Endpoints
Make Long-Running Callouts with Continuations

Use the Continuation class in Apex to make a long-running request to an external Web service. Process the response in a callback
method. An asynchronous callout made with a continuation doesn’t count toward the Apex limit of 10 synchronous requests that last
longer than five seconds.
Working with a Continuation in an Apex Class

Here’s a list of steps for working with a continuation in an Apex class.
1. Before you can call an external service, you must add the remote site to a list of authorized remote sites in the Salesforce user interface.
From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Remote Site Settings. Select Remote Site Settings, and then click New
Remote Site. Add the callout URL corresponding to LONG_RUNNING_SERVICE_URL in the Apex Class Continuation example
below.
If the callout specifies a named credential as the endpoint, you don’t need to configure remote site settings. A named credential
specifies the URL of a callout endpoint and its required authentication parameters in one definition. In your code, specify the named
credential URL instead of the long-running service URL.
2. To make a long-running callout, define an Apex method that returns a Continuation object. (Don’t worry about the attributes
of the @AuraEnabled annotation yet. We explain that soon.)
public static Object startRequest() {
// Create continuation. Argument is timeout in seconds.
Continuation con = new Continuation(40);
// more to come here
return con;
}
3. Set an Apex callback method to be invoked after the callout completes in the continuationMethod property of the
Continuation object. In this example, the callback method is processResponse. The callback method must be in the
same Apex class.
con.continuationMethod='processResponse';
4. Set the endpoint for a callout by adding an HttpRequest object to the Continuation object. A single Continuation
object can contain a maximum of three callouts. Each callout must have a remote site or named credential defined in Setup.
HttpRequest req = new HttpRequest();
req.setMethod('GET');
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Using Apex Make Long-Running Callouts with Continuations
req.setEndpoint(LONG_RUNNING_SERVICE_URL);
con.addHttpRequest(req);
5. Set data to pass to the callback method in the state property of the Continuation object. The state property has an
Object type so you can pass in any data type that’s supported in Apex.
con.state='Hello, World!';
6. Code the logic in the Apex callback. When all the callouts set in the Continuation object have completed, the Apex callback
method, processResponse, is invoked. The callback method has two parameters that you can access.
public static Object processResponse(List<String> labels, Object state)
a. labels—A list of labels, one for each request in the continuation. These labels are automatically created.
b. state—The state that you set in the state property in your Continuation object.
7. Get the response for each request in the continuation. For example:
HttpResponse response = Continuation.getResponse(labels[0]);
8. Return the results to the JavaScript controller.
Complete Apex Class Example with Continuation

Here’s a complete Apex class that ties together all the earlier steps.
public with sharing class SampleContinuationClass {
// Callout endpoint as a named credential URL
// or, as shown here, as the long-running service URL
private static final String LONG_RUNNING_SERVICE_URL =
'<insert your callout URL here>';
// Action method
public static Object startRequest() {
// Create continuation. Argument is timeout in seconds.
Continuation con = new Continuation(40);
// Set callback method
con.continuationMethod='processResponse';
// Set state
con.state='Hello, World!';
// Create callout request
HttpRequest req = new HttpRequest();
req.setMethod('GET');
req.setEndpoint(LONG_RUNNING_SERVICE_URL);
// Add callout request to continuation
con.addHttpRequest(req);
// Return the continuation
return con;
}
// Callback method
public static Object processResponse(List<String> labels, Object state) {
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Using Apex @AuraEnabled Annotations for Continuations
// Get the response by using the unique label

HttpResponse response = Continuation.getResponse(labels[0]);
// Set the result variable
String result = response.getBody();
return result;
}
}
IN THIS SECTION:
Continuations use the @AuraEnabled annotation for Apex code. Here are the rules for usage.
Aura Component Continuations Example
Here’s the markup for a component with a button that starts the process of calling a continuation.
Continuation-Specific Limits
Because continuations can lead to multiple long-running actions, there are some limits on their usage.
SEE ALSO:
Apex Developer Guide: Continuation Class
Apex Developer Guide: Named Credentials as Callout Endpoints

Continuations use the @AuraEnabled annotation for Apex code. Here are the rules for usage.
@AuraEnabled(continuation=true)
An Apex controller method that returns a continuation must be annotated with @AuraEnabled(continuation=true).
To cache the result of a continuation action, set cacheable=true on the annotation for the Apex callback method.
Note: There’s a space, not a comma, between continuation=true cacheable=true.
Caching Considerations
It's best practice to set cacheable=true on all methods involved in the continuation chain, including the method that returns a
Continuation object. The cacheable=true setting is available for API version 44.0 and higher. Before API version 44.0, to
cache data returned from an Apex method, you had to call setStorable() in JavaScript code on every action that called the Apex
method.
In this example, the Apex method that returns the continuation, startRequest(), and the callback, processResponse(),
both contain cacheable=true in their @AuraEnabled annotation.
// Action method
public static Object startRequest() { }
// Callback method
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Using Apex Aura Component Continuations Example
public static Object processResponse(List<String> labels,

Object state) { }
Here's a table that summarizes the behavior with different settings of the cacheable attribute in @AuraEnabled.
Method Returning Callback Method Valid? Action can use Is Action Response
Continuation Object Annotated with setStorable() in Cached on Client?
Annotated with cacheable=true JavaScript?
cacheable=true
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes No No (throws an exception) N/A N/A
No Yes Yes No (all methods must Yes

have
cacheable=true)
No No Yes • No (API version 44.0 • No (API version 44.0

and higher) and higher)
• Yes (43.0 and lower) • Yes (43.0 and lower)
SEE ALSO:
Aura Component Continuations Example

Here’s the markup for a component with a button that starts the process of calling a continuation.
The component is wired to the Apex class that uses a continuation by setting the controller attribute in the <aura:component>
tag.
<aura:component controller="SampleContinuationClass">
<lightning:button label="Call Continuation" onclick="{!c.callContinuation}"/>
</aura:component>
Here’s the component’s JavaScript controller. The code calls the startRequest Apex method that uses a Continuation object.
The response.getReturnValue() value for a successful response in the JavScript controller corresponds to the value returned
by the Apex callback method defined in the Continuation object.
({
callContinuation : function(cmp) {
var action = cmp.get("c.startRequest");
console.log("From server: "
+ response.getReturnValue()
+ '\n' + JSON.stringify(response.getReturnValue()));
}
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Using Apex Continuation-Specific Limits
alert("Continuation action is INCOMPLETE");

}
if (errors) {
errors[0].message);
}
} else {
}
}
});
// Enqueue action that returns a continuation
}
})
This JavaScript controller code is similar to any other component that calls an Apex method.
SEE ALSO:
Continuation-Specific Limits
Because continuations can lead to multiple long-running actions, there are some limits on their usage.
The limits for using continuations in Apex are listed in the Apex Developer Guide.
Here are a few more limits specific to usage in Aura components.
Up to three callouts per continuation
A single Continuation object can contain a maximum of three callouts.
Serial processing for continuation actions
The framework processes actions containing a continuation serially from the client. The previous continuation action call must have
completed before the next continuation action call is made. At any time, you can have only one continuation in progress on the
client.
DML operation restrictions
An Apex method that returns a Continuation object can’t perform Data Manipulation Language (DML) operations. DML
statements insert, update, merge, delete, and restore data in Salesforce. If a DML operation is performed within the continuation
method, the continuation execution doesn’t proceed, the transaction is rolled back, and an error is returned.
You can perform DML operations in the Apex callback method for the continuation.
SEE ALSO:
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Using Apex Creating Components in Apex
Creating Components in Apex

Creating components on the server side in Apex, using the Cmp.<myNamespace>.<myComponent> syntax, is deprecated. Use
$A.createComponent() in client-side JavaScript code instead.
SEE ALSO:
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CHAPTER 12 Testing Components with Lightning Testing Service
In this chapter ... Use Lightning Testing Service (LTS) to ensure your components perform as expected. LTS is a full suite
of tools and services integrated with Salesforce DX to make testing easy.
• How Lightning
Testing Service Works
Automated tests are the best way to achieve predictable, repeatable assessments of the quality of your
custom code. Writing automated tests for your custom components gives you confidence that they
• Install Lightning
work as designed, and allows you to evaluate the impact of changes, such as refactoring, or of new
Testing Service
versions of Salesforce or third-party JavaScript libraries.
• Get Started with
Lightning Testing LTS supports testing with standard JavaScript test frameworks. It provides easy-to-use wrappers for using
Service Jasmine and Mocha. If you prefer to use an alternative test framework, you can wrap it yourself.
• Explore the Example
Test Suites
• Write Your Own Tests
• Use Other
Frameworks
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Testing Components with Lightning Testing Service How Lightning Testing Service Works
How Lightning Testing Service Works

LTS simplifies building test suites, and is fully integrated with Salesforce DX.
LTS consists of two major components:
• The LTS unmanaged package, listed by release version on the project Releases page
• The LTS install command for the Salesforce CLI
The unmanaged package includes LTS infrastructure, including a test runner app, and some example tests. Once the package is installed
in your org, you can run the example tests by going to the following URL:
yourInstance/c/jasmineTests.app
When you run tests manually in a browser, you’re using only the pieces of LTS provided in the package.
For more sophisticated development processes, use the LTS commands included with the Salesforce DX CLI plugin. The Salesforce CLI
allows you to integrate LTS into your automated testing, continuous integration, and other source-based development processes.
The command line tool automates running your test suites. It opens the same URL you can open manually, and uses WebDriver to
observe the test suite as it runs. Then it parses and packages the results for use in command line-based development processes.
Installing LTS is a one line command in the Salesforce DX CLI. Once installed, you can work with your test suite in various ways from the
command line.
Note: If you just want to “kick the tires,” that's cool, too. You can manually install the LTS unmanaged package. The package
provides the test service app and an example test suite. It also includes example components that the test suite runs against. You
run the test suite by accessing the URL for the LTS app in your org.
Write your tests using a JavaScript testing framework of your choosing. We provide easy-to-use wrappers for Jasmine and Mocha.
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Testing Components with Lightning Testing Service Install Lightning Testing Service
A simple Jasmine test spec looks like the following:

/**
* This is a 'hello world' Jasmine test spec
*/
describe("A simple passing test", function() {
it("checks that true is always true", function() {
expect(true).toBe(true);
});
});
A Mocha test looks similar.

/**
* This is a 'hello world' Mocha test
*/
var assert = require('assert');
describe('A simple passing test', function() {
it('checks that true is always true', function() {
assert.equal(true, true);
});
});
You can write your own wrapper if you prefer a different testing framework. It's not hard, but plan on half a day to a day of work.
LTS also provides utilities specific to the Lightning Component framework, which let you test behavior specific to Lightning components.
Details are explained in comments in the example tests.
Your test suite is deployed in the form of an archive (zip) static resource. Once LTS is installed and configured, you make changes to your
test suite, create the archive, and upload it to your org. Once uploaded you can run the test suite via the command line or via URL.
Warning: Don't run tests in your production org. LTS doesn't provide an isolated test context or transaction wrapper. DML
operations you perform in your tests won't be rolled back at the end of the test. We recommend that you run your LTS
test suites only in scratch orgs, using data provided by the test suite itself.
Install Lightning Testing Service

You have two ways to install LTS. The simplest way is to use the Salesforce DX CLI. If you're not using Salesforce DX, you can manually
install the unmanaged package.
Use Salesforce DX to Install Lightning Testing Service

Salesforce DX includes a one line command for automatically installing the LTS unmanaged package. The Salesforce DX CLI also allows
you to use the sfdx command line tool to perform automated testing as part of your development process, including automated
process, such as continuous integration.
1. If you haven’t already, enable Dev Hub in your org.
2. Install the Salesforce CLI and verify your installation.
3. Verify that the Salesforce DX CLI plug-in is updated.
sfdx update
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Testing Components with Lightning Testing Service Install Lightning Testing Service
4. Log in to your Dev Hub org.

sfdx force:auth:web:login -d
5. (Optional but highly recommended) Clone the LightningTestingService Github repo, which contains the sample configuration file
and more.
6. Create a scratch org. The following command uses the sample configuration file from the LightningTestingService repo.
cd path/to/LightningTestingService
sfdx force:org:create -s -f config/project-scratch-def.json -a scratch1
To customize your scratch org settings with a company name, email address, and so on, edit the configuration file:
/LightningTestingService/config/project-scratch-def.json.
It’s best to perform automated testing in a clean org, created with consistent settings.
7. Install the LTS package.

sfdx force:lightning:test:install
This command installs the latest version of the LTS package into your default SFDX org. See the help for the install command
for more options.
After you install Salesforce CLI and LTS, you can run your tests from the command line.
sfdx force:lightning:test:run -a jasmineTests.app
When you run your tests, you see output in your CLI that tells you that the command line tools are working and connected to your
development org.
See the command line help for other useful details.

sfdx force:lightning:test:run --help
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Testing Components with Lightning Testing Service Get Started with Lightning Testing Service
Install Lightning Testing Service as an Unmanaged Package

If you're not using Salesforce DX, you're missing a lot, but you can still use LTS. Installing the LTS package is just like installing any other
unmanaged package.
1. Log in to your org. We recommend that you use a new DE org for evaluating LTS.
2. Go to the project Releases page, and click the package installation URL for the latest release.
3. Authenticate again with the credentials for your DE org.
4. Follow the normal package installation prompts. We recommend installing the package for admins only.
LTS Package Contents

However you install it, the LTS package includes the following items:
1. Example test suites
• Jasmine JavaScript files in archive static resources
• Mocha JavaScript files in archive static resources
2. Example components to be tested

• Components, an Apex class, and a custom label
3. LTS infrastructure
• Jasmine framework and wrapper
• Mocha framework and wrapper
• LTS test utilities
• Test runner component
• Wrapper test app
Get Started with Lightning Testing Service

Let’s see LTS in action.
These steps assume you’ve already followed the Install Lightning Testing Service instructions.
1. From your project directory, create another scratch org using the configuration file from the cloned LightningTestingService repo.
sfdx force:org:create -s -f config/project-scratch-def.json -a scratch1
2. Push metadata to the scratch org.

sfdx force:source:push
3. Run tests.
sfdx force:org:open -p /c/jasmineTests.app
You see a screen that looks something like the following.
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Testing Components with Lightning Testing Service Explore the Example Test Suites
How to Push Data to a Developer Edition Org

Salesforce DX is designed to work with a Dev Hub and scratch orgs. If you have a normal DE org you’d like to work with, the commands
are slightly different.
sfdx force:auth:web:login -s # connect to your DE org
sfdx force:mdapi:convert # convert metadata for Salesforce DX projects
sfdx force:mdapi:deploy # deploy local source to the DE org
Explore the Example Test Suites

To learn how to write tests for your Aura components, dive into the test suites and explore the tests and components side-by-side.
Open the test suite file in one window, and in another window (perhaps in your IDE) open the simple components being tested.
The components and the test suites included in the unmanaged package are also available in a repository on GitHub.
https://github.com/forcedotcom/LightningTestingService
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Testing Components with Lightning Testing Service Write Your Own Tests
Components for Testing

All of the testable components have names beginning with “eg” (from the abbreviation “e.g.”, meaning for example). They contain
extensive comments to guide you through each one. Access the components provided in the package as you would access any Aura
component.
• In the Developer Console
• In the Force.com IDE, in the /aura/ directory
• By converting your org’s metadata into a format that you can work with locally, using Salesforce DX
• Directly from the LightningTestingService repo in the lightning-component-tests/main/default/aura directory.
We include more than a dozen components, designed to be used in illustrative tests. Each of the components has a description of its
behavior in its .auradoc documentation file.
Test Suites
The example tests are included in static resources. You can also review them directly in the LightningTestingService repo, in the
lightning-component-tests/test/default/staticresources directory.
The LTS package includes four test suites, three for Jasmine and one for Mocha:
• jasmineHelloWorldTests.resource—A very simple Jasmine example including one passing and one failing test.
• jasmineExampleTests.resource—The main Jasmine example test suite.
• jasmineLightningDataServiceTests.resource—Some Jasmine examples specific to testing Lightning Data
Service-based components.
• mochaExampleTests.resource—The Mocha example test suite, which provides examples parallel to the main Jasmine
test suite.
The jasmineExampleTests.resource and mochaExampleTests.resource files are each a single JavaScript file
containing a complete test suite. These are single files for convenience in delivery and exploration. Your own test suites can include
many such files. The test suites are copiously commented to help you learn.
This directory also exposes the $T utility object. This object has methods that simplify routine testing operations. Notice that these
methods are used throughout the example test scripts in the repo.
The remaining static resources are infrastructure used by LTS. They’re briefly described in Use Other Frameworks.
Write Your Own Tests

Lightning Testing Service guides you through broad testing coverage of a component’s expected behavior using the Jasmine or Mocha
test frameworks.
While working with Aura components, consider writing tests for the following.
DOM rendering
Validate that components are added where and when they should be.
Component state
Ensure that components respond as expected.
Server-side callback response
Get the right response from a call to another service or resource.
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Testing Components with Lightning Testing Service Write Your Own Tests
Validation of variables
Do you have variable values that load from other sources, especially remote ones? Make sure that they do.
Conditional UI rendering
Verify what users see when you want them to see it.
Event Handling
Test responses to events.
Fortunately, the LightningTestingService Github repo contains examples of all of these cases in the staticresources directory for both
Jasmine and Mocha testing frameworks.
Jasmine is well documented here: https://jasmine.github.io and provides a simple setup.
Mocha is well documented here: https://mochajs.org. Mocha is newer and might require some plugins to get the results you want. Both
test frameworks use a describe...it block structure.
Use an it function to define what you’re testing, and what you expect (or explicitly don’t expect) to happen. To provide a name for
the test, wrap each function in a describe block. Group it functions together within the block. Grouped functions can share
variables and other values within the block.
describe("A suite that passes", function() {
it("spec that verifies that true is true", function() {
expect(true).toBe(true);
});
it("spec that verifies that false is false", function() {
expect(false).toBe(false);
});
});
You could rearrange the test to have both it functions within the one describe function, or also test for the negative case:
expect(true).not.toBe(false);
You have several options to get similar results. The key is to focus on the outcome of the it function.
For example, the jasmineHelloWorldTests.resource contains a unit test that validates a state change.
describe('c:egComponentMethod', function() {
it("updates an attribute value when a method is invoked on the component's interface",
function(done) {
$T.createComponent("c:egComponentMethod", null)
.then(function(component) {
component.sampleMethod();
expect(component.get("v.status")).toBe("sampleMethod invoked");
done();
}).catch(function(e) {
done.fail(e);
});
});
});
When you’ve written your test suite, use the CLI to push and run the tests.
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Testing Components with Lightning Testing Service Use Other Frameworks
Use the $T Utility Object

LTS includes the $T utility object. This object has methods that simplify routine testing operations. In the example above, the
$T.createComponent() method creates the component with the descriptor c:egComponentMethod with no specific attributes.
However, you can use the $T.createComponent() method to add attributes or insert the component into the DOM.
Learn more
The LightningTestingService Github repo has ongoing solutions and discussions of known issues.
Use Other Frameworks

Create Aura component wrappers to use testing frameworks other than Jasmine or Mocha.
LTS provides a way to use standard JavaScript test frameworks with your Lightning components. We’ve provided the example test suites
implemented in Jasmine and Mocha. These are well-regarded test frameworks, and if you haven’t chosen one already, we recommend
you start with one of them.
If you’d prefer to use another test framework, either because you’ve already selected one, or because you find something more to your
taste, you can use it with LTS instead.
All of the packaged pieces of LTS are included in the project repository, in the lightning-component-tests/test/default directory. To
create a wrapper for another test framework, modify or replace these items from the Jasmine wrapper.
• aura/jasmineTests—The front end of LTS.is simple app includes the test runner component, and a list of test suites to feed
it.
• aura/lts_jasmineRunnerthe test runner component for Jasmine. It includes references to the required Jasmine library,
which it loads along with the test spec resources, and then fires the test runner.
• lts_jasmine.resourcethe Jasmine library, unmodified.
• lts_jasmineboot.resource JavaScript IIFE that launches Jasmine in the LTS context.
• lts_testutil.resource—A collection of utilities for use within your test specs, and by the test framework wrappers. They
provide Lightning component-specific functions that make it easier to test your custom components from a test context.
The Mocha version of the framework wrapper provides similar files. You might find the similarities and differences instructive in creating
your own adapter for other frameworks.
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CHAPTER 13 Debugging
In this chapter ... There are a few basic tools and techniques that can help you to debug applications.
Use Chrome DevTools to debug your client-side code.
• Enable Debug Mode
for Lightning • To open DevTools on Windows and Linux, press Control-Shift-I in your Google Chrome browser. On
Components Mac, press Option-Command-I.
• Disable Caching • To quickly find which line of code is failing, enable the Pause on all exceptions option before
Setting During running your code.
Development
To learn more about debugging JavaScript on Google Chrome, refer to the Google Chrome's DevTools
• Salesforce Lightning website.
Inspector Chrome
Extension
• Log Messages
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Debugging Enable Debug Mode for Lightning Components

Enable debug mode to make it easier to debug JavaScript code from Lightning components. Only
EDITIONS
enable debug mode for users who are actively debugging JavaScript. Salesforce is slower for users
who have debug mode enabled. Available in: Salesforce
The Lightning Component framework executes in one of two modes: production and debug. Classic (not available in all
orgs) and Lightning
Production Mode
Experience
By default, the framework runs in production mode. This mode is optimized for performance.
Framework code is optimized and “minified” to reduce the size of the JavaScript code. As a result Available for use in: Contact
Manager, Group,
of this process, the JavaScript code served to the browser is obfuscated.
Optimization and minification are performed on framework code only. Custom component code Performance, Unlimited,
is not minified or obfuscated. Untouched custom component code includes both components and Developer Editions
you create yourself, and components installed as part of a managed package.
Create Lightning
Important: Minification is a performance optimization, not intellectual property protection. components using the UI in
Code that’s minified is hard to read, but it’s not encrypted or otherwise prevented from being Enterprise, Performance,
viewed. Unlimited, Developer
Debug Mode
When you enable debug mode, framework JavaScript code isn’t minified and is easier to read and
debug. Debug mode also adds more detailed output for some warnings and errors. As with production mode, custom component code
is not optimized or minified.
Important: Debug mode has a significant performance impact. Salesforce is slower for any user who has debug mode enabled.
For this reason, we recommend using it only when actively debugging JavaScript code, and only for users involved in debugging
activity. Don’t leave debug mode on permanently. Users who have debug mode enabled see a banner notification once a week
while it’s enabled.
To enable debug mode for users in your org:
1. From Setup, enter Debug Mode in the Quick Find box, then select Debug Mode Users.
Users with debug mode enabled have a check mark in the Debug Mode column.
2. In the user list, locate any users who need debug mode enabled. If necessary, use the standard list view controls to filter your org’s
users.
3. Enable the selection checkbox next to users for whom you want to enable debug mode.
4. Click Enable.
To disable debug mode for a user, follow the preceding steps and click Disable instead of Enable.
Disable Caching Setting During Development

Disable the secure and persistent browser caching setting during development in a sandbox or Developer Edition org to see the effect
of any code changes without needing to empty the cache.
The caching setting improves page reload performance by avoiding extra round trips to the server.
Warning: Disabling secure and persistent browser caching has a significant negative performance impact on Lightning Experience.
Always enable the setting in production orgs.
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Debugging Salesforce Lightning Inspector Chrome Extension
2. Deselect the checkbox for “Enable secure and persistent browser caching to improve performance”.
3. Click Save.
SEE ALSO:
Enable Secure Browser Caching
Salesforce Lightning Inspector Chrome Extension

The Salesforce Lightning Inspector is a Google Chrome DevTools extension that enables you to navigate the component tree, inspect
component attributes, and profile component performance. The extension also helps you to understand the sequence of event firing
and handling.
The extension helps you to:
• Navigate the component tree in your app, inspect components and their associated DOM elements.
• Identify performance bottlenecks by looking at a graph of component creation time.
• Debug server interactions faster by monitoring and modifying responses.
• Test the fault tolerance of your app by simulating error conditions or dropped action responses.
• Track the sequence of event firing and handling for one or more actions.
This documentation assumes that you are familiar with Google Chrome DevTools.
IN THIS SECTION:
Install Salesforce Lightning Inspector
Install the Google Chrome DevTools extension to help you debug and profile component performance.
Salesforce Lightning Inspector
The Chrome extension adds a Lightning tab to the DevTools menu. Use it to inspect different aspects of your app.
Install Salesforce Lightning Inspector

Install the Google Chrome DevTools extension to help you debug and profile component performance.
1. In Google Chrome, navigate to the Salesforce Lightning Inspector extension page on the Chrome Web Store.
2. Click the Add to Chrome button.
Salesforce Lightning Inspector

The Chrome extension adds a Lightning tab to the DevTools menu. Use it to inspect different aspects of your app.
1. Navigate to a page containing an Aura component, such as Lightning Experience (one.app).
2. Open the Chrome DevTools (More tools > Developer tools in the Chrome control menu).
You should see a Lightning tab in the DevTools menu.
To get information quickly about an element on a Lightning page, right-click the element and select Inspect Lightning Component.
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Debugging Salesforce Lightning Inspector
You can also click an Aura component in the DevTools Elements tab or an element with a data-aura-rendered-by attribute
to see a description and attributes.
Use the following subtabs to inspect different aspects of your app.
IN THIS SECTION:
Component Tree Tab
This tab shows the component markup including the tree of nested components.
Performance Tab
The Performance tab shows a flame graph of the creation time for your components. Look at longer and deeper portions of the
graph for potential performance bottlenecks.
Transactions Tab
Some apps delivered by Salesforce include transaction markers that enable you to see fine-grained metrics for actions within those
transactions. You can’t create your own transactions.
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Event Log Tab

This tab shows all the events fired. The event graph helps you to understand the sequence of events and handlers for one or more
actions.
Actions Tab
This tab shows the server-side actions executed. The list automatically refreshes when the page updates.
Storage Tab
This tab shows the client-side storage for Lightning applications. Actions marked as storable are stored in the actions store. Use
this tab to analyze storage in the Salesforce mobile app and Lightning Experience.
Component Tree Tab

This tab shows the component markup including the tree of nested components.
Collapse or Expand Markup

Expand or collapse the component hierarchy by clicking a triangle at the start of a line.
Refresh the Data

The component tree is expensive to serialize, and doesn't respond to component updates. You must manually update the tree when
necessary by scrolling to the top of the panel and clicking the Refresh icon.
See More Details for a Component

Click a node to see a sidebar with more details for that selected component. While you must manually refresh the component tree, the
component details in the sidebar are automatically refreshed.
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The sidebar contains these sections:

Top Panel
• Descriptor—Description of a component in a format of prefix://namespace:name
• Global ID—The unique identifier for the component for the lifetime of the application
• aura:id—The local ID for the component, if it’s defined
• IsRendered—A component can be present in the component tree but not rendered in the app. The component is rendered
when it's included in v.body or in an expression, such as {!v.myCmp}.
• IsValid—When a component is destroyed, it becomes invalid. While you can still hold a reference to an invalid component, it
should not be used.
• HTML Elements—The count of HTML elements for the component (including children components)
• Rerendered—The number of times the component has been rerendered since you opened the Inspector. Changing properties
on a component makes it dirty, which triggers a rerender. Rerendering can be an expensive operation, and you generally want
to avoid it, if possible.
• Attribute & Facet Value Provider—The attribute value provider and facet value provider are usually the same component. If
so, they are consolidated into one entry.
The attribute value provider is the component that provides attribute values for expressions. In the following example, the name
attribute of <c:myComponent> gets its value from the avpName attribute of its attribute value provider.
<c:myComponent name="{!v.avpName}" />
The facet value provider is the value provider for facet attributes (attributes of type Aura.Component[]). The facet value
provider can be different than the attribute value provider for the component. We won't get into that here as it's complicated!
However, it's important to know that if you have expressions in facets, the expressions use the facet value provider instead of
the attribute value provider.
Attributes
Shows the attribute values for a component. Use v.attributeName when you reference an attribute in an expression or code.
[[Super]]
When a component extends another component, the sub component creates an instance of the super component during its creation.
Each of these super components has their own set of properties. While a super component has its own attributes section, the super
component only has a body attribute. All other attribute values are shared in the extension hierarchy.
Model
Some components you see might have a Model section. Models are a deprecated feature and they are included simply for debugging
purposes. Don't reference models or your code will break.
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Get a Reference to a Component in the Console

Click a component reference anywhere in the Inspector to generate a $auraTemp variable that points at that component. You can
explore the component further by referring to $auraTemp in the Console tab.
These commands are useful to explore the component contents using the $auraTemp variable.
$auraTemp+""
Returns the component descriptor.
$auraTemp.get("v.attributeName")
Returns the value for the attributeName attribute.
$auraTemp.getElement()
Returns the corresponding DOM element.
inspect($auraTemp.getElement())
Opens the Elements tab and inspects the DOM element for the component.
Performance Tab
The Performance tab shows a flame graph of the creation time for your components. Look at longer and deeper portions of the graph
for potential performance bottlenecks.
Record Performance Data

Use the Record , Clear , and Show current collected buttons to gather performance data about specific user actions or
collections of user actions.
1. To start gathering performance data, press .
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2. Take one or more actions in the app.

3. To stop gathering performance data, press .
The flame graph for your actions displays. To see the graph before you stop recording, press the button.
See More Performance Details for a Component

Hover over a component in the flame graph to see more detailed information about that component in the bottom-left corner. The
component complexity and timing information can help diagnose performance issues.
This measure... Is the time it took to complete...

Self time The current function. It excludes the completion time for functions
it invoked.
Aggregated self time All invocations of the function across the recorded timeline. It
excludes the completion time for functions it invoked.
Total time The current function and all functions that it invoked.
Aggregated total time All invocations of the function across the recorded timeline,
including completion time for functions it invoked.
Narrow the Timeline

Drag the vertical handles on the timeline to select a time window to focus on. Zoom in on a smaller time window to inspect component
creation time for potential performance hot spots.
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Transactions Tab
Some apps delivered by Salesforce include transaction markers that enable you to see fine-grained metrics for actions within those
transactions. You can’t create your own transactions.
Measure Description
Duration The page duration since the page start time, in milliseconds
Start Time The start time when the page was last loaded or refreshed, in milliseconds
Timeline The start and end times of a transaction, represented by a colored bar:
• Green — How long the action took on the server
• Yellow — XMLHttpRequest transaction
• Blue — Queued time until the XMLHttpRequest transaction was sent
• Purple — Custom transaction
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Event Log Tab

This tab shows all the events fired. The event graph helps you to understand the sequence of events and handlers for one or more
actions.
Record Events
Use the Toggle recording and Clear buttons to capture specific user actions or collections of user actions.
1. To start gathering event data, press .
2. Take one or more actions in the app.
3. To stop gathering event data, press .
View Event Details

Expand an event to see more details. In the call stack, click an event handler (for example, c.handleDataChange) to see where
it’s defined in code. The handler in the yellow row is the most current.
Filter the List of Events

By default, both application and component events are shown. You can hide or show both types of events by toggling the App Events
and Cmp Events buttons.
Enter a search string in the Filter field to match any substring.
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Invert the filter by starting the search string with !. For example, !aura returns all events that don’t contain the string aura.
Show Unhandled Events

Show events that are fired but are not handled. Unhandled events aren't listed by default but can be useful to see during development.
View Graph of Events

Expand an event to see more details. Click the Toggle Grid button to generate a network graph showing the events fired before and
after this event, and the components handling those events. Event-driven programming can be confusing when a cacophony of events
explode. The event graph helps you to join the dots and understand the sequence of events and handlers.
The graph is color coded.

• Black—The current event
• Maroon—A controller action
• Blue—Another event fired before or after the current event
SEE ALSO:
Actions Tab
This tab shows the server-side actions executed. The list automatically refreshes when the page updates.
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Filter the List of Actions

To filter the list of actions, toggle the buttons related to the different action types or states.
• Storable—Storable actions whose responses can be cached.
• Cached—Storable actions whose responses are cached. Toggle this button off to show cache misses and non-storable actions. This
information can be valuable if you're investigating performance bottlenecks.
• Background—Not supported for Aura components.
• Success—Actions that were executed successfully.
• Incomplete—Actions with no server response. The server might be down or the client might be offline.
• Error—Actions that returned a server error.
• Aborted—Actions that were aborted.
Enter a search string in the Filter field to match any substring.
Invert the filter by starting the search string with !. For example, !aura returns all actions that don't contain the string aura and
filters out many framework-level actions.
IN THIS SECTION:
Manually Override Server Responses
The Overrides panel on the right side of the Actions tab lets you manually tweak the server responses and investigate the fault
tolerance of your app.
SEE ALSO:
Manually Override Server Responses

The Overrides panel on the right side of the Actions tab lets you manually tweak the server responses and investigate the fault tolerance
of your app.
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Drag an action from the list on the left side to the PENDING OVERRIDES section.
The next time the same action is enqueued to be sent to the server, the framework won't send it. Instead, the framework mocks the
response based on the override option that you choose. Here are the override options.
• Override the Result
• Error Response Next Time
• Drop the Action
Note: The same action means an action with the same name. The action parameters don't have to be identical.
IN THIS SECTION:
Modify an Action Response
Modify an action response in the Salesforce Lightning Inspector by changing one of the JSON object values and see how the UI is
affected. The server returns a JSON object when you call a server-side action.
Set an Error Response
Your app should degrade gracefully when an error occurs so that users understand what happened or know how to proceed. Use
the Salesforce Lightning Inspector to simulate an error condition and see how the user experience is affected.
Drop an Action Response
Your app should degrade gracefully when a server-side action times out or the response is dropped. Use the Salesforce Lightning
Inspector to simulate a dropped action response and see how the user experience is affected.
Modify an Action Response

Modify an action response in the Salesforce Lightning Inspector by changing one of the JSON object values and see how the UI is affected.
The server returns a JSON object when you call a server-side action.
1. Drag the action whose response you want to modify to the PENDING OVERRIDES section.
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2. Select Override the Result in the drop-down list.

3. Select a response key to modify in the Key field.
4. Enter a modified value for the key in the New Value field.
5. Click Save.
6. To trigger execution of the action, refresh the page.
The modified action response moves from the PENDING OVERRIDES section to the PROCESSED OVERRIDES section.
7. Note the UI change, if any, related to your change.
Set an Error Response

Your app should degrade gracefully when an error occurs so that users understand what happened or know how to proceed. Use the
Salesforce Lightning Inspector to simulate an error condition and see how the user experience is affected.
2. Select Error Response Next Time in the drop-down list.
3. Add an Error Message.
4. Add some text in the Error Stack field.
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5. Click Save.
• The modified action response moves from the PENDING OVERRIDES section to the PROCESSED OVERRIDES section.
• The action response displays in the COMPLETED section in the left panel with a State equals ERROR.
7. Note the UI change, if any, related to your change. The UI should handle errors by alerting the user or allowing them to continue
using the app.
To degrade gracefully, make sure that your action response callback handles an error response (response.getState() ===
"ERROR").
SEE ALSO:
Drop an Action Response

Your app should degrade gracefully when a server-side action times out or the response is dropped. Use the Salesforce Lightning
Inspector to simulate a dropped action response and see how the user experience is affected.
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2. Select Drop the Action in the drop-down list.

• The modified action response moves from the PENDING OVERRIDES section to the PROCESSED OVERRIDES section.
• The action response displays in the COMPLETED section in the left panel with a State equals INCOMPLETE.
4. Note the UI change, if any, related to your change. The UI should handle the dropped action by alerting the user or allowing them
to continue using the app.
To degrade gracefully, make sure that your action response callback handles an incomplete response (response.getState()
=== "INCOMPLETE").
SEE ALSO:
Storage Tab
This tab shows the client-side storage for Lightning applications. Actions marked as storable are stored in the actions store. Use this
tab to analyze storage in the Salesforce mobile app and Lightning Experience.
474
Debugging Log Messages
Log Messages
To help debug your client-side code, you can write output to the JavaScript console of a web browser using console.log() if your
browser supports it..
For instructions on using the JavaScript console, refer to the instructions for your web browser.
475
CHAPTER 14 Performance
In this chapter ... There are a few settings and techniques that can help you to improve application performance.
Only enable debug mode for users who are actively debugging JavaScript. Salesforce is slower for users
• Performance Settings
who have debug mode enabled.
• Fixing Performance
Warnings
SEE ALSO:
476
Performance Performance Settings
Performance Settings
There are a few Setup settings that can help you to improve application performance.
IN THIS SECTION:
Enable secure data caching in the browser to improve page reload performance by avoiding extra round trips to the server.
Enable CDN to Load Applications Faster
Load Lightning Experience and other apps faster by enabling Akamai’s content delivery network (CDN) to serve the static content
for Lightning Component framework. A CDN generally speeds up page load time, but it also changes the source domain that serves
the files. If your company has IP range restrictions for content served from Salesforce, test thoroughly before enabling this setting.

Enable secure data caching in the browser to improve page reload performance by avoiding extra round trips to the server.
This setting is selected by default.
Warning: Disabling secure and persistent browser caching has a significant negative performance impact on Lightning Experience.
Only disable in the following scenarios:
• Your company’s policy doesn’t allow browser caching, even if the data is encrypted.
• During development in a sandbox or Developer Edition org to see the effect of any code changes without needing to empty
the secure cache.
To disable secure date caching:

2. Deselect the checkbox for “Enable secure and persistent browser caching to improve performance”.
3. Click Save.
Enable CDN to Load Applications Faster

Load Lightning Experience and other apps faster by enabling Akamai’s content delivery network (CDN) to serve the static content for
Lightning Component framework. A CDN generally speeds up page load time, but it also changes the source domain that serves the
files. If your company has IP range restrictions for content served from Salesforce, test thoroughly before enabling this setting.
CDNs improve the load time of static content by storing cached versions in multiple geographic locations. This setting turns on CDN
delivery for the static JavaScript and CSS in the Lightning Component framework. It doesn’t distribute your org’s data or metadata in a
CDN.
This setting is disabled by default for orgs created before the Winter ’19 release, and enabled by default for new orgs and all new and
existing communities. Lightning CDN for Communities can’t be turned off and isn’t configurable.
To enable the CDN:
2. Select the checkbox for “Enable Content Delivery Network (CDN) for Lightning Component framework”.
3. Click Save.
477
Performance Fixing Performance Warnings
If you experience any issues, ensure that https://static.lightning.force.com is added to any whitelist or firewall that
your company operates and ask your IT department if your company’s firewall blocks any Akamai CDN content.Do not use IP addresses
for egress filtering as that can cause connection issues with https://static.lightning.force.com. IP addresses for
https://static.lightning.force.com are dynamic and are not maintained in Salesforce's list of IP addresses to whitelist.
SEE ALSO:
Salesforce Help: Options to Serve a Custom Domain
Knowledge Article: What are the Salesforce IP Addresses & Domains to whitelist?
Fixing Performance Warnings

A few common performance anti-patterns in code prompt the framework to log warning messages to the browser console. Fix the
warning messages to speed up your components!
The warnings display in the browser console only if you enabled debug mode.
IN THIS SECTION:
<aura:if>—Clean Unrendered Body
This warning occurs when you change the isTrue attribute of an <aura:if> tag from true to false in the same rendering
cycle. The unrendered body of the <aura:if> must be destroyed, which is avoidable work for the framework that slows down
rendering time.
<aura:iteration>—Multiple Items Set
This warning occurs when you set the items attribute of an <aura:iteration> tag multiple times in the same rendering
cycle.
SEE ALSO:
<aura:if>—Clean Unrendered Body

This warning occurs when you change the isTrue attribute of an <aura:if> tag from true to false in the same rendering
cycle. The unrendered body of the <aura:if> must be destroyed, which is avoidable work for the framework that slows down
rendering time.
Example
This component shows the anti-pattern.

<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="isVisible" type="boolean" default="true"/>
<aura:if isTrue="{!v.isVisible}">
<p>I am visible</p>
</aura:if>
</aura:component>
478
Performance <aura:if>—Clean Unrendered Body
Here’s the component’s client-side controller.

/* c:ifCleanUnrenderedController.js */
({
init: function(cmp) {
/* Some logic */
cmp.set("v.isVisible", false); // Performance warning trigger
}
})
When the component is created, the isTrue attribute of the <aura:if> tag is evaluated. The value of the isVisible attribute
is true by default so the framework creates the body of the <aura:if> tag. After the component is created but before rendering,
the init event is triggered.
The init() function in the client-side controller toggles the isVisible value from true to false. The isTrue attribute
of the <aura:if> tag is now false so the framework must destroy the body of the <aura:if> tag. This warning displays in
the browser console only if you enabled debug mode.
WARNING: [Performance degradation] markup://aura:if ["5:0"] in c:ifCleanUnrendered ["3:0"]
needed to clear unrendered body.
Click the expand button beside the warning to see a stack trace for the warning.
Click the link for the ifCleanUnrendered entry in the stack trace to see the offending line of code in the Sources pane of the
browser console.
How to Fix the Warning

Reverse the logic for the isTrue expression. Instead of setting the isTrue attribute to true by default, set it to false. Set the
isTrue expression to true in the init() method, if needed.
Here’s the fixed component:

<aura:component>

<aura:attribute name="isVisible" type="boolean" default="false"/>
<aura:if isTrue="{!v.isVisible}">
<p>I am visible</p>
</aura:if>
</aura:component>
479
Performance <aura:iteration>—Multiple Items Set
Here’s the fixed controller:

/* c:ifCleanUnrenderedFixedController.js */
({
// Some logic
// FIX: set isVisible to true if logic criteria met
cmp.set("v.isVisible", true);
}
})
SEE ALSO:
<aura:iteration>—Multiple Items Set

This warning occurs when you set the items attribute of an <aura:iteration> tag multiple times in the same rendering cycle.
There’s no easy and performant way to check if two collections are the same in JavaScript. Even if the old value of items is the same
as the new value, the framework deletes and replaces the previously created body of the <aura:iteration> tag.
Example
This component shows the anti-pattern.

<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="groceries" type="List"
default="[ 'Eggs', 'Bacon', 'Bread' ]"/>
<aura:iteration items="{!v.groceries}" var="item">

<p>{!item}</p>
</aura:iteration>
</aura:component>
Here’s the component’s client-side controller.

/* c:iterationMultipleItemsSetController.js */
({
var list = cmp.get('v.groceries');
// Some logic
cmp.set('v.groceries', list); // Performance warning trigger
}
})
When the component is created, the items attribute of the <aura:iteration> tag is set to the default value of the groceries
attribute. After the component is created but before rendering, the init event is triggered.
480
The init() function in the client-side controller sets the groceries attribute, which resets the items attribute of the
<aura:iteration> tag. This warning displays in the browser console only if you enabled debug mode.
WARNING: [Performance degradation] markup://aura:iteration [id:5:0] in

c:iterationMultipleItemsSet ["3:0"]
had multiple items set in the same Aura cycle.
Click the expand button beside the warning to see a stack trace for the warning.
Click the link for the iterationMultipleItemsSet entry in the stack trace to see the offending line of code in the Sources
pane of the browser console.
How to Fix the Warning

Make sure that you don’t modify the items attribute of an <aura:iteration> tag multiple times. The easiest solution is to
remove the default value for the groceries attribute in the markup. Set the value for the groceries attribute in the controller
instead.
The alternate solution is to create a second attribute whose only purpose is to store the default value. When you’ve completed your
logic in the controller, set the groceries attribute.
Here’s the fixed component:

<aura:component>

<aura:attribute name="groceries" type="List" />

<aura:attribute name="groceriesDefault" type="List"
default="[ 'Eggs', 'Bacon', 'Bread' ]"/>
<aura:iteration items="{!v.groceries}" var="item">

<p>{!item}</p>
</aura:iteration>
</aura:component>
Here’s the fixed controller:

/* c:iterationMultipleItemsSetFixedController.js */
({
// FIX (ALTERNATE) if need to set default in markup
// use a different attribute
// var list = cmp.get('v.groceriesDefault');
// FIX: Set the value in code
var list = ['Eggs', 'Bacon', 'Bread'];
481
// Some logic
cmp.set('v.groceries', list);
}
})
SEE ALSO:
482
CHAPTER 15 Reference
In this chapter ... This section contains links to reference documentation.
• Component Library
• System Tag
Reference
483
Reference Component Library
Component Library
Explore the look and feel of components to speed up your app development.
To see the complete collection of Lightning components available in your Salesforce organization, log in and navigate to the Component
Library.
• https://<myDomain>.lightning.force.com/componentReference/suite.app
You can also use the Component Library without logging in to Salesforce.
• https://developer.salesforce.com/docs/component-library
For JavaScript API documentation, see the Aura Reference app at:
https://<myDomain>.lightning.force.com/auradocs/reference.app
Only use the Aura Reference app for information about the JavaScript API.
IN THIS SECTION:
Aura Reference Doc App
Differences Between Documentation Sites
Here’s a breakdown of the differences between the Component Library, the reference section of this developer guide, and the Aura
Reference app.
Aura Reference Doc App

Explore the look and feel of Lightning components in the Component Library at
https://<myDomain>.lightning.force.com/docs/component-library where <myDomain> is the name
of your custom Salesforce domain.
484
Reference Differences Between Documentation Sites
Access the Reference doc app at:

Differences Between Documentation Sites

Here’s a breakdown of the differences between the Component Library, the reference section of this developer guide, and the Aura
Reference app.
The Component Library is the place to find reference information and interactive examples. Use the Aura Reference App for JavaScript
API documentation only. The Reference section in this Developer Guide provides information on system-level tags that are not available
elsewhere.
Component Library Aura Reference App Reference Section in Lightning Aura

Components Developer Guide
Component (Documentation tab) (Overview tab)
documentation and
code samples
Interactive examples (Usage tab)
Lightning Design
System support
Components in
custom namespaces
and packages
JavaScript API
System tags (aura:method, aura:set, etc.)
Event documentation
System event
documentation
Interface
documentation
Components in custom namespaces display both global and non-global attributes and methods. Components in managed and
unmanaged packages display global attributes and methods only.
System Tag Reference

System tags represent framework definitions and are not available in the Component Library.
485
Reference aura:application
IN THIS SECTION:
aura:application
aura:dependency
The <aura:dependency> tag enables you to declare dependencies, which improves their discoverability by the framework.
aura:event
An event is represented by the aura:event tag, which has the following attributes.
aura:interface
Interfaces determine a component's shape by defining its attributes. Implement an interface to allow a component to be used in
different contexts, such as on a record page or in Lightning App Builder.
aura:method
client-side controller instead of firing and handling a component event. Using <aura:method> simplifies the code needed for
a parent component to call a method on a child component that it contains.
aura:set
Use <aura:set> in markup to set the value of an attribute inherited from a component or event.
aura:application
The markup looks similar to HTML and can contain components as well as a set of supported HTML tags. The .app resource is a
standalone entry point for the app and enables you to define the overall application layout, style sheets, and global JavaScript includes.
It starts with the top-level <aura:application> tag, which contains optional system attributes. These system attributes tell the
framework how to configure the app.
System Attribute Type Description

access String Indicates whether the app can be extended by another app outside of a namespace.
Possible values are public (default), and global.
controller String The server-side controller class for the app. The format is
namespace.myController.
description String A brief description of the app.
extends Component The app to be extended, if applicable. For example,

extends="namespace:yourApp".
extensible Boolean Indicates whether the app is extensible by another app. Defaults to false.
implements String A comma-separated list of interfaces that the app implements.
template Component The name of the template used to bootstrap the loading of the framework and
the app. The default value is aura:template. You can customize the template
by creating your own component that extends the default template. For example:
<aura:component extends="aura:template" ... >
486
Reference aura:dependency
System Attribute Type Description

tokens String A comma-separated list of tokens bundles for the application. For example,
tokens="ns:myAppTokens". Tokens make it easy to ensure that your
design is consistent, and even easier to update it as your design evolves. Define
the token values once and reuse them throughout your application.
useAppcache Boolean Deprecated. Browser vendors have deprecated AppCache, so we followed their
lead. Remove the useAppcache attribute in the <aura:application>
tag of your standalone apps (.app resources) to avoid cross-browser support
issues due to deprecation by browser vendors.
If you don’t currently set useAppcache in an <aura:application> tag,
you don’t have to do anything because the default value of useAppcache is
false.
aura:application also includes a body attribute defined in a <aura:attribute> tag. Attributes usually control the output
or behavior of a component, but not the configuration information in system attributes.
Attribute Type Description

body Component[] The body of the app. In markup, this is
everything in the body of the tag.
SEE ALSO:
Creating Apps
Using the AppCache
aura:dependency
The <aura:dependency> tag enables you to declare dependencies, which improves their discoverability by the framework.
The framework automatically tracks dependencies between definitions, such as components, defined in markup. This enables the
framework to send the definitions to the browser. However, if a component’s JavaScript code dynamically instantiates another component
or fires an event that isn’t directly referenced in the component’s markup, use <aura:dependency> in the component’s markup
to explicitly tell the framework about the dependency. Adding the <aura:dependency> tag ensures that a definition, such as a
component, and its dependencies are sent to the client, when needed.
For example, adding this tag to a component marks the sampleNamespace:sampleComponent component as a dependency.
<aura:dependency resource="markup://sampleNamespace:sampleComponent" />
Add this tag to component markup to mark the event as a dependency.

<aura:dependency resource="markup://force:navigateToComponent" type="EVENT"/>
Use the <aura:dependency> tag if you fire an event in JavaScript code and you’re not registering the event in component markup
using <aura:registerEvent>. Using an <aura:registerEvent> tag is the preferred approach.
The <aura:dependency> tag includes these system attributes.
487
Reference aura:event
System Attribute Description

resource The resource that the component depends on, such as a component or event. For example,
resource="markup://sampleNamespace:sampleComponent" refers to the
sampleComponent in the sampleNamespace namespace.
Note: Using an asterisk (*) for wildcard matching is deprecated. Instead, add an
<aura:dependency> tag for each resource that’s not directly referenced in the
component’s markup. Wildcard matching can cause save validation errors when no
resources match. Wildcard matching can also slow page load time because it sends more
definitions than needed to the client.
type The type of resource that the component depends on. The default value is COMPONENT.
Note: Using an asterisk (*) for wildcard matching is deprecated. Instead, add an
<aura:dependency> tag for each resource that’s not directly referenced in the
component’s markup. Be as selective as possible in the types of definitions that you send
to the client.
The most commonly used values are:
• COMPONENT
• EVENT
• INTERFACE
• APPLICATION
Use a comma-separated list for multiple types; for example: COMPONENT,APPLICATION.
SEE ALSO:
aura:event
An event is represented by the aura:event tag, which has the following attributes.

access String Indicates whether the event can be extended or used outside of its
own namespace. Possible values are public (default), and
global.
description String A description of the event.
extends Component The event to be extended. For example,

extends="namespace:myEvent".
488
Reference aura:interface

type String Required. Possible values are COMPONENT or APPLICATION.
SEE ALSO:
aura:interface
Interfaces determine a component's shape by defining its attributes. Implement an interface to allow a component to be used in different
contexts, such as on a record page or in Lightning App Builder.
The aura:interface tag has the following optional attributes.

access String Indicates whether the interface can be extended or used outside of
its own namespace. Possible values are public (default), and
global.
description String A description of the interface.
extends Component The comma-separated list of interfaces to be extended. For example,

extends="namespace:intfB".
SEE ALSO:
Interfaces
aura:method
client-side controller instead of firing and handling a component event. Using <aura:method> simplifies the code needed for a
parent component to call a method on a child component that it contains.
The <aura:method> tag has these system attributes.

name String The method name. Use the method name to call the method in
JavaScript code. For example:
cmp.sampleMethod(param1);
action Expression The client-side controller action to execute. For example:

action="{!c.sampleAction}"
489
Reference aura:method

sampleAction is an action in the client-side controller. If you
don’t specify an action value, the controller action defaults to
the value of the method name.
access String The access control for the method. Valid values are:
• public—Any component in the same namespace can call the
method. This is the default access level.
• global—Any component in any namespace can call the
method.
description String The method description.
Declaring Parameters
An <aura:method> can optionally include parameters. Use an <aura:attribute> tag within an <aura:method> to
declare a parameter for the method. For example:
<aura:method name="sampleMethod" action="{!c.doAction}"
description="Sample method with parameters">
<aura:attribute name="param1" type="String" default="parameter 1"/>
<aura:attribute name="param2" type="Object" />
</aura:method>
Note: You don’t need an access system attribute in the <aura:attribute> tag for a parameter.
Creating a Handler Action

This handler action shows how to access the arguments passed to the method.
({
doAction : function(cmp, event) {
if (params) {
var param1 = params.param1;
// add your code here
}
}
})
Retrieve the arguments using event.getParam('arguments'). It returns an object if there are arguments or an empty array
if there are no arguments.
Returning a Value
aura:method executes synchronously.
• A synchronous method finishes executing before it returns. Use the return statement to return a value from synchronous JavaScript
code. See Return Result for Synchronous Code.
490
Reference aura:set
• An asynchronous method may continue to execute after it returns. Use a callback to return a value from asynchronous JavaScript
code. See Return Result for Asynchronous Code.
SEE ALSO:
Component Events
aura:set
Use <aura:set> in markup to set the value of an attribute inherited from a component or event.
IN THIS SECTION:
Setting Attributes Inherited from a Super Component
Setting Attributes on a Component Reference

Use <aura:set> in the markup of a sub component to set the value of an inherited attribute.
Let's look at an example. Here is the c:setTagSuper component.

<aura:attribute name="address1" type="String" />
setTagSuper address1: {!v.address1}<br/>
</aura:component>
c:setTagSuper outputs:
setTagSuper address1:
The address1 attribute doesn't output any value yet as it hasn't been set.
Here is the c:setTagSub component that extends c:setTagSuper.

<aura:component extends="c:setTagSuper">
<aura:set attribute="address1" value="808 State St" />
</aura:component>
c:setTagSub outputs:
setTagSuper address1: 808 State St
sampleSetTagExc:setTagSub sets a value for the address1 attribute inherited from the super component,
c:setTagSuper.
Warning: This usage of <aura:set> works for components and abstract components, but it doesn’t work for interfaces. For
more information, see Setting Attributes Inherited from an Interface on page 493.
491
Reference aura:set
If you’re using a component by making a reference to it in your component, you can set the attribute value directly in the markup. For
example, c:setTagSuperRef makes a reference to c:setTagSuper and sets the address1 attribute directly without using
aura:set.

<aura:component>
<c:setTagSuper address1="1 Sesame St" />
</aura:component>
c:setTagSuperRef outputs:
setTagSuper address1: 1 Sesame St
SEE ALSO:
Component Body
Inherited Component Attributes

When you include another component, such as <ui:button>, in a component, we call that a component reference to <ui:button>.
You can use <aura:set> to set an attribute on the component reference. For example, if your component includes a reference to
<ui:button>:
<ui:button label="Save">
<aura:set attribute="buttonTitle" value="Click to save the record"/>
</ui:button>
This is equivalent to:

<ui:button label="Save" buttonTitle="Click to save the record" />
The latter syntax without aura:set makes more sense in this simple example. You can also use this simpler syntax in component
references to set values for attributes that are inherited from parent components.
aura:set is more useful when you want to set markup as the attribute value. For example, this sample specifies the markup for the
else attribute in the aura:if tag.
<aura:component>
<aura:attribute name="display" type="Boolean" default="true"/>
<aura:if isTrue="{!v.display}">
Show this if condition is true
<ui:button label="Save" press="{!c.saveRecord}" />
</aura:set>
</aura:if>
</aura:component>
SEE ALSO:
492
Reference aura:set

To set the value of an attribute inherited from an interface, redefine the attribute in the component and set its default value. Let’s look
at an example with the c:myIntf interface.

<aura:interface>
<aura:attribute name="myBoolean" type="Boolean" default="true" />
</aura:interface>
This component implements the interface and sets myBoolean to false.


<aura:component implements="c:myIntf">
<aura:attribute name="myBoolean" type="Boolean" default="false" />
<p>myBoolean: {!v.myBoolean}</p>
</aura:component>
493
INDEX
Component bundles (continued)

A create dynamic picklists for components on Lightning Pages
Apex
181
API calls 443
tips for configuring for Lightning App Builder 188
custom objects 418
Components
Lightning components 449
action override 157–160
records 418
actions 146, 150, 152
saving records 418
custom app integration 229
standard objects 418
flow, finish behavior 222
API calls 443
flow, resume 223
application, creating 7
markup 159
Aura components
packaging 160
action override 157–160
tabs 146–147
interfaces 159
using 143, 146–147, 150, 152, 157, 200, 450
Lightning Experience 157–159
CRUD access 421
markup 159
Custom Actions
packaging 160
components 150, 152
Salesforce 157–159
custom content layouts
Aura components interfaces
creating for Community Builder 198
force:hasRecordId 159
Custom Lightning page template component
force:hasSObjectName 159
best practices 186
lightning:actionOverride 159
custom profile menu
authentication
guest access 242
custom search
C Custom Tabs
CDN 477 components 147
change handling 407 custom theme layouts
Communities 242 creating for Community Builder 191
Communities Lightning components
overview 189 D
Community Builder
data access 390, 408, 410, 413, 417
Aura components overview 189
Debug
configuring custom components 190
JavaScript 460
content layouts 198
deleteRecord 405
profile menu 197
dependency 238, 242
search 197
Developer Edition organization, sign up 7
theme layouts 191
Component bundles E
configuring design resources for Lightning Pages 181
error handling 408
configuring for Community Builder 190
errors 248, 251, 253, 256, 408
configuring for Lightning App Builder 174, 176, 188
eval() function limitations 330
configuring for Lightning Experience Record Home pages
Events
188
Salesforce mobile and Lightning Experience demo 8
configuring for Lightning Experience record pages 176
Salesforce mobile demo 11, 15
configuring for Lightning pages 174, 176, 188
example 413
494
Index
lightning:ui:outputUrl 162
F
Field-level security 421 M
MIME types permitted 331
G
getNewRecord 400 N
guest access 242
Navigation
guest user flows 193
Page Definitions 165
Node.js 237
L
Lightning App Builder O
configuring custom components 174, 176, 188
OAuth 241
configuring design resources 181
create dynamic picklists for components 181 P
creating a custom page template 183, 186
Packaging
creating a width-aware component 187
action override 160
Lightning components
Performance
custom app integration 229
caching 477
Lightning Experience 146–148, 150, 152
CDN 477
overview 173
settings 477
Salesforce 146–147, 150, 152
Prerequisites 7
Salesforce app 149
Lightning Components for Visualforce 238, 242 R
Lightning Container
Rich Publisher Apps 229
javascript 244
messaging 246, 250, 255
Lightning Data Service
S
Salesforce app
create record 400
add Lightning components 149
delete record 405
SaveRecordResult 417
force:recordData 389
SharePoint 237
handling record changes 407
Standard Actions
lightning:recordEditForm 389
Lightning components 157–160
lightning:recordForm 389
override 157–160
lightning:recordViewForm 389
packaging 160
load record 391
standard controller 390, 408, 410, 413, 417
saveRecord 395
supported objects 410
add Lightning components 148
Lightning Out
T
Testing
beta 243
components 451–452, 454–456, 458
considerations 243
mode 452, 454
events 243
troubleshooting 248, 251, 253, 256
limitations 243
SLDS 243
styling 243
V
lightning:flexipageRegionInfo 187 Visualforce 235
lightning:formattedUrl 162
lightning:hasPageReference 161–162
W
lightning:isUrlAddressable 161–162, 164 Width-aware Aura component 187
lightning:navigation 161–164
495

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Lightning Aura Components

Chapter 1: What Is the Lightning Component Framework? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Chapter 2: Quick Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Chapter 3: Creating Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Working with Base Lightning Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

Chapter 4: Using Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Chapter 5: Communicating with Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

Events Anti-Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

Chapter 6: Creating Apps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Chapter 7: Styling Apps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303

Chapter 8: Developing Secure Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324

Chapter 9: Using JavaScript . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342

Invoking Actions on Component Initialization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344

Chapter 10: Working with Salesforce Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389

Chapter 11: Using Apex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423

Chapter 12: Testing Components with Lightning Testing Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450

Chapter 13: Debugging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459

Chapter 14: Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476

Chapter 15: Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483

What is Salesforce Lightning?

Why Use the Aura Components Programming Model?

Browser Support for Aura Components

My Domain Is Required to Use Lightning Components in Your Salesforce

Using the Developer Console

The Developer Console enables you to perform these functions.

• Use the workspace (2) to work on your Lightning resources.

Before You Begin

Create a Developer Edition Organization

Define a Custom Salesforce Domain Name

Trailhead: Explore Lightning Components Resources

Build a Lightning App with the Lightning Design System

Create a Component for Lightning Experience and the Salesforce Mobile

In the next few topics, you create the following resources.

contacts.cmp The component that displays individual contacts

contactList.cmp The component that loads the list of contacts

Load the Contacts

public with sharing class ContactController {

//Add isAccessible() check

<lightning:card variant="Narrow" title="{!v.contact.Name}"

<option value="">-- Select a Lead Source --</option>

handleSelect : function(component, event, helper) {

//Get the selected option: "Referral", "Social Media", or "All"

var filter = [];

// Display toast message to indicate load status

Fire the Events

Create Aura Components in the Developer Console

2. Open the New Lightning Bundle panel for an Aura component.

3. Name the component.

4. Optional: Describe the component.

5. Optional: Add component configurations to the new component.

6. Click Submit to create the component.

Lightning Bundle Configurations Available in the Developer Console

Configuration Markup Description

Lightning Tab implements="force:appHostable" Creates a component for use as a

Lightning Page implements="flexipage:availableForAllPageTypes" Creates a component for use in

Lightning Record Page implements="flexipage:availableForRecordHome, Creates a component for use on a

Lightning Communities implements="forceCommunity:availableForAllPageTypes" Creates a component that’s available

Lightning Quick Action implements="force:lightningQuickAction" Creates a component that can be