Keeping Salesforce “Inline”: The World of Inline Editing in Salesforce

SOLVD BLOG

Keeping Salesforce “Inline”: The World of Inline Editing in Salesforce

In the ever-evolving landscape of Salesforce, one feature has been making waves: Inline Editing. Introduced in the Winter ’08 release, this feature brought a breath of fresh air to the Salesforce user interface. Since then, inline editing has been added to various other aspects of the Salesforce interface, including in reports in the Summer ‘21 release. However, one key Salesforce component has yet to feel the love: Related Lists.

The Power of Inline Editing

The Salesforce community has been vocal about expanding this feature to related lists. Many Salesforce users point out the time-saving potential by being able to edit multiple records at once rather than individually clicking into each related record, making edits and the clicking “Save”

Imagine being on the Account detail screen and swiftly changing the stage of an opportunity from “Prospecting” to “Closed/Won” without having to jump between screens. Or updating the Account Type from “Prospect” to “Customer” in a jiffy. That’s the magic of inline editing. It’s like having a mini spreadsheet right within Salesforce, allowing for quick edits without the need to dive deep into individual records[1].

A Solution on the Horizon?

Workaround 1: Custom Lightning Web Component

Lightning web components provide flexibility where standard components cannot. However, they require a developer to implement. Fortunately, in this case, CafeForce provides a great walkthrough of how to build a related list custom lightning web component that includes inline editing. After generating the necessary code by following the walkthrough, this custom component can be embedded onto any lightning record page.

Workaround 2: Leverage Reports and List Views

Despite related lists not having inline editing, there are other components that do have this feature. Configure list views and reports with the relevant filtering criteria to provide the list of records that you need to update and you can use their inline editing capabilities to make the necessary updates to related records.

Final Thoughts

While it’s not certain when inline editing will be available for related lists, the Salesforce platform provides viable alternatives to this functionality. For those looking to implement some of the workarounds above, consider checking out SOLVD, a dedicated Salesforce consulting firm that offers top-tier, cost-effective solutions.

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