FlexCards, The Easy Way To Create Custom Lightning Web Components

Let me introduce you to FlexCards. Do you know what Lightning Web Components are? They are UI components you can use in Salesforce to make your interface awesome and something you need as a developer to properly build components. With FlexCards you can build without being a developer. This way you can make your own custom Lightning Web Components (LWC).

Not too long ago I started using FlexCards and I am very happy with them. Let me tell you, it’s really easy. Our team just finished creating a list of FlexCards to replace a related list. The related list used to be static, you cannot change much about it, other than which fields and which order. But now with a FlexCard, you can make it as dynamic as you like. Create a record with a certain status that displays as a red field, so it draws the user’s attention? No problem.

Enhanced Control

An example: for one of our clients I have just implemented a FlexCard to display a list of quotes in Omniscript. We needed a more fancy way of showing a datatable. The default edit block in Omniscript was too limited, so we opted to integrate a FlexCard with a datatable. This way we had more control over the table style and column widths; as a result we could display more columns in the table.

Let me describe another example of how we use FlexCards. At a client we used it to add more dynamic logic to object pages. For example, show the live stock information on an Account page. Do you want to show related information on your order object page? No problem with FlexCards.

Get Started

My advice would be to try using FlexCards if you have a need to create a custom LWC. It’s not too hard. When you want to learn more about FlexCards, there are good modules on Trailhead to start learning. Especially when you already are using Salesforce Industries, Vlocity or Omnistudio: it comes within the package.

Just start today, try to build a FlexCard. Here in this article I just made a start on what’s possible with FlexCards. There are many more possibilities. Also, FlexCards nicely integrate with Dataraptor and Integration Procedure to retrieve data from Salesforce or from outside using APIs. You can also integrate with Omniscript. This one is special, you can both integrate a FlexCard in an Omniscript, but you can also start an Omniscript from a FlexCard.

Tutorial on how to create your very first OmniStudio FlexCard

To wrap things up

So in short, FlexCards are a great tool to build components without being a developer. You can use FlexCards in many situations and they make it easier to build custom Lightning Web Components.

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Author // Theodoor van Donge

Theodoor van Donge is Lead Software Engineer at CaseNine. In this capacity, he is responsible for various CPQ implementations at customers, including energy supplier Engie. In addition to his involvement in the actual development and implementation of CPQ solutions, Theodoor also advises customers in the areas of process and strategy. In doing so, he uses his substantive expertise and practical knowledge.