8.3 Custom Buttons, Web Links & Quick Actions

Custom Buttons, Web Links & Quick Actions

User productivity in Salesforce depends heavily on minimizing friction: reducing unnecessary page navigation, eliminating redundant data entry, and automating multi-step business transactions. In Salesforce Lightning Experience, administrators achieve this through three fundamental declarative interaction mechanisms: Custom Buttons, Custom Web Links, and Quick Actions.

While these tools share the common objective of triggering automated behaviors or presenting user input forms, they operate under distinct architectural boundaries regarding record context, placement locations, and platform execution. Mastering these distinctions is one of the highest-yield topics on the Platform App Builder certification exam.

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Custom Buttons & Custom Links

Custom Buttons and Links are configured in Object Manager > [Object] > Buttons, Links, and Actions. They allow administrators to create navigation shortcuts, invoke external web services, pass parameters to external portals, or launch Visualforce and Flow pages.

Button & Link Display Types

When creating a custom button or link, the builder must designate its Display Type:

1. Detail Page Link:
   • Renders as a clickable text hyperlink within the "Custom Links" section of the record detail.
   • Typically used for informational navigation, such as opening an external search engine with record merge fields (https://www.google.com/search?q={!Account.Name}), linking to corporate intranets, or opening pre-filtered operational reports.
2. Detail Page Button:
   • Displays prominently in the record Highlights Panel or page action bar.
   • Operates in the context of the single record currently viewed.
   • Used to execute transactional actions on that specific record, such as launching a credit check wizard, generating a customer statement, or navigating to an external ERP portal.
3. List Button:
   • Displays on Related Lists (on a parent record page) or on standard List Views for an object.
   • Controls how users interact with multiple child records simultaneously.
   • Display Checkboxes (for Multi-Record Selection):
     • When this setting is enabled, checkboxes appear alongside each row in the related list or list view. Users can select multiple records and click the button to perform a batch action (e.g., mass record deletion, mass owner reassignment, or mass status updates via Visualforce or Screen Flow).
     • When this setting is disabled, the button serves as a general list-level action (e.g., launching an external bulk import utility or a specialized record creation wizard) without allowing multi-record selection.

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                       CUSTOM BUTTON DISPLAY TYPES                        |
+---------------------+----------------------------+-----------------------+
| DETAIL PAGE BUTTON  | DETAIL PAGE LINK           | LIST BUTTON           |
+---------------------+----------------------------+-----------------------+
| Single Record Scope | Single Record Scope        | Multi-Record / List   |
| Highlights Panel    | Custom Links Section       | Related Lists & Views |
| Transactional       | Informational / Navigation | Batch / Multi-Select  |
| Actions on 1 Record | Hyperlinks to External/Rpt | Checkboxes for bulk   |
+---------------------+----------------------------+-----------------------+

Content Source Types & The Legacy JavaScript Trap

Custom buttons and links support three content source types:

• URL: Opens an internal or external web address, supporting merge fields and formula functions.
• Visualforce Page: Invokes a custom Visualforce page that operates under the standard controller of the object.
• OnClick JavaScript (CRITICAL EXAM TRAP): In Salesforce Classic, developers frequently wrote client-side JavaScript buttons to validate fields, query database tables via AJAX, and execute synchronous DML updates.

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Pre-Populating Fields via URL Parameters in Lightning Experience

In Salesforce Classic, administrators developed unsupported, fragile URL hacks using internal HTML input element IDs (e.g., /006/e?CF00N40000001pt12=...) to pre-populate fields when creating new records. In Lightning Experience, Salesforce introduced an official, fully supported declarative URL parameter syntax:

/lightning/o/[ObjectApiName]/new?defaultFieldValues=[Field1=Value1,Field2=Value2]

Syntax Architecture and Rules

1. Base Navigation Path: /lightning/o/Opportunity/new opens the standard record creation modal for Opportunities.
2. Query Parameter: ?defaultFieldValues= instructs the Lightning runtime to inject predefined values into the creation modal.
3. Comma-Separated Mappings: Field assignments are comma-delimited key-value pairs matching exact field API names: StageName=Prospecting,Probability=20.
4. Dynamic Merge Fields: Record values from the source object can be injected dynamically: AccountId={!Account.Id}.
5. Formula Functions & Date Calculations: Standard formula expressions are supported: CloseDate={!TODAY()+30}.
6. URL Encoding: If a text value contains spaces, ampersands, or commas, it must be escaped using the URLENCODE() formula function:

/lightning/o/Opportunity/new?defaultFieldValues=
AccountId={!Account.Id},
Name={!URLENCODE(Account.Name & ' - Annual Renewal')},
StageName=Qualification,
CloseDate={!TEXT(TODAY() + 30)}

When a user clicks a custom Detail Page Button configured with this URL, Salesforce opens the standard Opportunity creation modal with the Account, Name, Stage, and Close Date already filled in, while still allowing the user to make adjustments before clicking Save.

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Quick Actions: Global vs. Object-Specific Actions

Quick Actions provide a streamlined, modal-based mechanism for users to create records, update fields, log calls, or trigger automations without navigating away from their current page.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                        QUICK ACTION ARCHITECTURE                            |
+------------------------------------+----------------------------------------+
|           GLOBAL ACTIONS           |        OBJECT-SPECIFIC ACTIONS         |
+------------------------------------+----------------------------------------+
| Configured in:                     | Configured in:                         |
| Setup > Global Actions             | Object Manager > [Object] > Buttons... |
|                                    |                                        |
| Record Context:                    | Record Context:                        |
| NO context (Independent)           | CONTEXTUAL (Tied to current record)    |
|                                    |                                        |
| Capabilities:                      | Capabilities:                          |
| - Create a Record (Unrelated)      | - Create a Record (Relates to parent!) |
| - Log a Call                       | - Update a Record (Edits current rec!) |
| - Visualforce / Aura custom action | - Log a Call (Relates to current rec)  |
| - Send Email                       | - Launch Screen Flow (Passes recordId) |
| - Lightning Component modal        | - Lightning Component modal            |
|                                    |                                        |
| Limitations:                       | Superpower:                            |
| CANNOT Update an existing record!  | PREDEFINED FIELD VALUES                |
| CANNOT auto-relate to parent rec!  | Automatically populates values without |
|                                    | displaying them on the modal layout!   |
+------------------------------------+----------------------------------------+

1. Global Actions

• Configuration: Setup > User Interface > Global Actions.
• Context: Global actions have no record context. They can be invoked from anywhere in the application.
• Placement: Managed on Global Publisher Layouts. They appear in the Lightning global header (the + icon in the top navigation bar), on Chatter feeds, on Home Pages, and can also be added to Record Pages.
• Supported Types: Create a Record, Log a Call, Visualforce, Canvas, supported Aura Lightning Component, and Send Email.
• Critical Architectural Boundary: The native Update a Record quick-action type is object-specific. A global custom component can implement additional behavior, so do not interpret that type restriction as a ban on all custom global interfaces modifying records. Furthermore, when a Global Action creates a record, it cannot automatically link that record to the record the user is currently viewing because it has no awareness of the surrounding page context.

2. Object-Specific Actions

• Configuration: Object Manager > [Object] > Buttons, Links, and Actions.
• Context: Deeply bound to the record where they are invoked. Automatically receives the active recordId.
• Placement: Added to the object's Page Layout (within the Salesforce Mobile and Lightning Experience Actions section) or configured directly via Dynamic Actions on the Lightning Record Page.
• Supported Action Types:
  • Create a Record: Creates a new record that automatically relates to the current record via an existing lookup or master-detail relationship (e.g., clicking "New Child Case" on an Account automatically links the new Case to that Account).
  • Update a Record: Opens a focused modal allowing users to edit a specific subset of fields on the current record without opening the full edit page.
  • Log a Call: Records a completed task linked automatically to the source record.
  • Custom Flow: Launches a Screen Flow, automatically passing the current record's ID into the flow's recordId variable.
  • Lightning Component: Launches an interactive LWC or Aura component inside a contextual modal.

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Action Layouts & Predefined Field Values

Every Create a Record and Update a Record Quick Action has its own dedicated Action Layout.

• Streamlined Layouts: Rather than presenting an intimidating page layout containing 60 fields, the action layout can be stripped down to just 3 or 4 essential fields (e.g., Subject, Description, Due Date), drastically speeding up user workflows.

Predefined Field Values (The Declarative Superpower)

Administrators can configure Predefined Field Values on supported fields on an Object-Specific or Global Action:

• Predefined values can be static strings/numbers or dynamic formula expressions (e.g., setting Case Priority to 'High' or Opportunity CloseDate to TODAY() + 14).
• Hidden Field Population: Crucially, fields with predefined values do not even need to be included on the Action Layout! The platform automatically applies the predefined value in the background during transaction execution.
• Exam Scenario: If an organization requires that every Case created from an Account page must have its Origin automatically set to 'Web' and its Status defaulted to 'New', but management does not want these read-only administrative fields cluttering the user's quick action modal, the app builder configures Predefined Field Values on the action and removes the fields from the Action Layout.

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Comparison: Global vs. Object-Specific Quick Actions

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Exam Traps and Best Practices

• Trap: Selecting Global Actions to Relate Records. If an exam question asks how to allow users to create an Opportunity from an Account record with the Account Name prepopulated, never choose a Global Action. Global actions have no record context; an Object-Specific Action is required.
• Trap: JavaScript Buttons in Lightning Experience. Any question that involves migrating from Classic and mentions JavaScript buttons should be flagged immediately: JavaScript buttons must be replaced with Quick Actions, Flows, or LWCs.
• Best Practice: Predefined Field Values over Custom URL Parameters. While Lightning URL parameters (defaultFieldValues) are powerful for full-page record creation, Object-Specific Quick Actions with Predefined Field Values are cleaner, mobile-friendly, do not require custom button URL syntax, and open in responsive modals that keep users anchored to their current record.

A Button Needs an Implementation

A list button with selection checkboxes does not itself perform a batch update. It needs a supported implementation that consumes the selected records and applies the business operation. Prefer an existing standard mass action when it already meets the need, such as Add to Campaign for selected Leads or Contacts. Direct Flow quick actions are object-specific; a global custom action can use a supported wrapper where appropriate. Do not assume that native global Flow or global LWC record actions exist merely because object-specific equivalents do.

Official Source Check

Checked October 19, 2026: Quick action types and contexts.