Create a Suggestion Box App

Learning Objectives

In this project, you’ll:

• Create a Salesforce app that includes standard collaboration and analytics features.
  
• Familiarize yourself with the app’s user interface
  

Introduction

In this project, you learn how to build an application on the Salesforce Platform from start to finish, without writing any code. If you're new to the Salesforce Platform, the goal is to introduce you to the basics of app building. These point-and-click skills apply whether or not you plan to write code on the platform. If you're familiar with the Salesforce Platform admin features—managing users and security, customizing standard objects, and so on—the goal is to apply those skills to developing new applications.

You build a suggestion management app that allows employees to submit suggestions and track their status using these steps.

1. Create the app definition and a data model for the application. This simple application requires only one custom object.
   
2. Modify the user interface on the browser and on the Salesforce mobile app using page layouts, compact layouts, and global actions.
   
3. Automate calculations, data quality, and database updates to improve the user experience using formulas, validation rules, and flow builder.
   
4. Define reports, charts, and dashboards to track the status of suggestions and analyze how well the company manages suggestions.
   

Instead of creating a Suggestions custom object, you can use Cases, a Salesforce Service Cloud standard object. But in this example, we want to explore building a custom app without using Service Cloud.

Launch Your Trailhead Playground

You'll be completing this hands-on project in your own personal Salesforce environment, called a Trailhead Playground. Get your Trailhead Playground now by first logging in to Trailhead, and then clicking Launch at the bottom of this page. Your playground opens in a new browser tab or window. Keep the playground window open while you do this project. After you complete the project steps in your playground, come back to this window and click Verify step at the bottom of this page.

Create an App and a Custom Object

1. In your Trailhead Playground, click the gear icon and select Setup.
   
2. Click the Object Manager tab.
   
3. Click Create and select Custom Object.
   
4. On the New Custom Object page, create the object as follows:
   

• Label: Suggestion
• Plural Label: Suggestions
• Record Name: Suggestion Name
• Data Type: Text
  
• Allow Reports: Selected.
  
• Leave all other options as the default.
  
• Click Save.
  

5. To create a custom tab, click the Home tab, enter Tabs in Quick Find and select Tabs.
   
6. Under Custom Object Tabs, click New.
   
7. For Object, select Suggestion.
   
8. For Tab Style, select any icon.
   
9. Leave all defaults as is. Click Next, Next, and Save.
   
10. From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter App Manager and select App Manager.
    
11. Click New Lightning App, enter Suggestion Box for App Name, and click Next.
    
12. Leave all defaults selected, then click Next.
    
13. Click Next.
    
14. From Available Items, select Suggestions, Reports, and Dashboards and move them to Selected Items. Click Next.
    
15. From Available Profiles, select System Administrator and move it to Selected Profiles. Click Save & Finish.
    
16. To verify your changes, click the App Launcher and search for and select Suggestion Box.
    

Tour the App

Let’s take a look at your new app.

1. App Launcher—Displays available apps.
   
2. App name—Displays the current selected app.
   
3. Navigation menu—Displays the tabs available inside the app.
   

Resources

• Trailhead: Salesforce Platform Basics