Application Framework
The Application Framework delivers the ability to customize existing applications or build applications from scratch without writing any code. You can use the declarative power of the Application Framework to quickly create robust applications on the Force.com on-demand platform.
The basic application interface, a tab, can be automatically created for any Force.com data object. The Application Framework Builder gives you easy-to-use tools to modify characteristics of your data, as well as specify the scope of applications or the layout of data on a page. You can also define workflows based on user interaction with data, or create reports on the data. You can use buttons or custom links to extend the default capabilities of your Force.com application. For complete control, you can create s-controls, which use code to create client-side functionality which you can use to implement a wide range of functionality. A tab is associated with a Force.com object, s-control or any web page. You can give users access to tabs, and the user can customize the display of their own set of tabs within an application.
General
: Want to build powerful applications without programming, to support any process or department in your company? Watch this replay and learn how to build powerful business apps using Force.com without writing a single line of code!. : Multiple chapters of this full-length book cover data and custom objects basics. Page Layouts
The page layout specifies the appearance of a tab page in a Force.com application. A default page layout is created for a tab when the tab is associated with a data object. The default page layout includes all the visible fields of the object, as well as lists of related records and other associated data, such as system data and custom links. You can access and modify a page layout from the main page for an object in the Force.com Builder. An object can have more than one page layout, and page layouts can associated with different user profiles. Read more about page layouts.
Workflow
A workflow is an action which is triggered by inserting or changing a data record. A workflow can trigger a task, email alert, update a data field or send a message. Workflow rules specify the criteria which determine if a workflow is triggered. A workflow can be triggered immediately, or set to operate at a subsequent interval after the triggering event. A specialized type of workflow called an 'approval' can route information to a series of people, each of whom can approve the information, sending it on to the next recipient, or decline the approval. Read more on workflow.
Reporting
Your Force.com application may focus on collecting data from your users, but your users will gain the greatest benefit from reporting on the information stored in the Force.com database. Reports are based on a report type. A report type defines the data that is available for the report. A user can create a report as a standard report, a report with summary information or a matrix style report. Selection conditions, record order and summary totals can be defined for a report. A user can save a report for future re-use. Read more about reporting.
S-controls, Buttons, and Links
The Application Framework provides an enormous amount of default functionality, as well as the ability to modify and extend that functionality. There may be times when you want to replace that functionality with your own specific course of actions. You can add your own functionality to a Force.com application in one of three ways:
- Create a pushbutton to replace or supplement the standard push buttons. Your users will access your specific functionality through clicking on the pushbutton.
- Create a custom link to add to the page layout. Your users will access your specific functionality through clicking on the link.
- Create an s-control, which uses the Force.com API and other code to create logic and user interface objects.
