Generating Custom Application
Create or configure tab-based Salesforce Lightning Custom Applications with navigation, branding, and action overrides.
Overview
Generating Custom Application is an agent skill for the Build phase that creates tab-based Salesforce Lightning CustomApplication metadata with navigation, branding, and overrides.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/forcedotcom/afv-library --skill generating-custom-applicationWhat is this skill?
- Creates Lightning CustomApplication metadata for focused tab-based apps
- Configures navigation style (Standard vs Console), branding, and tab groupings
- Supports action overrides and tailored layouts for object-heavy workflows
- Includes troubleshooting guidance for CustomApplication deployment errors
- Explicit boundary: not for React UI bundle apps in App Launcher
- Metadata version 1.0
Adoption & trust: 1.4k installs on skills.sh; 512 GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You have Salesforce tabs and pages but no focused Lightning app container with correct navigation, branding, and deployment-ready CustomApplication metadata.
Who is it for?
Solo Salesforce admins defining a new tab-based app for sales, support, or ops without building a full multi-metadata suite in one request.
Skip if: App Launcher React UI bundle hosting or requests for a complete multi-object solution—use generating-ui-bundle-custom-app or generating-lightning-app respectively.
When should I use this skill?
User needs custom apps, application metadata, app navigation, tab organization, or CustomApplication deployment fixes—not UI bundle custom apps.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get CustomApplication metadata that groups tabs for a role-specific Lightning Experience, ready to combine with tabs and pages from sibling generators.
- CustomApplication metadata XML
- Navigation and branding configuration
- Documented action overrides where needed
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
CustomApplication metadata is authored during product construction on Salesforce, before broader launch distribution concerns. Integrations captures Salesforce app container metadata that wires tabs and Lightning navigation together.
How it compares
Narrow CustomApplication generator—not the full multi-metadata Lightning app orchestrator and not a hosted UI bundle skill.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is generating-custom-application for?
It is for Salesforce users and agents creating or adjusting Lightning tab-based custom applications, navigation, and branding metadata.
When should I use generating-custom-application?
Use it in Build integrations when you need an app container for existing or forthcoming tabs, standard or console navigation, or when fixing CustomApplication deployment errors.
Is generating-custom-application safe to install?
Check the Security Audits panel on this Prism page and limit agent access to sandboxes until you review generated app and override metadata.
Workflow Chain
Then invoke: skill forcedotcom afv library generating custom
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Generating Custom Application
## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when you need to: - Create Lightning applications - Organize tabs and features into focused apps - Configure application navigation and branding - Set up custom page layouts for objects - Troubleshoot deployment errors related to custom applications # CustomApplication (Lightning App) Metadata Specification ## Overview Custom applications (Lightning Apps) that group tabs and functionality to provide a focused user experience for specific business processes. Always configured for Lightning Experience. ## 🎯 Purpose - Organize related functionality into focused applications - Group tabs and components for specific user roles - Provide tailored user experiences - Control access to specific features and data - Use Standard navigation for general business applications or Console navigation for specialized service/support workflows requiring multi-tab workspaces - Create professional, branded application identity with custom colors and branding - Override standard actions with custom Lightning pages for enhanced user experience - Enable profile-specific experiences through profile action overrides ## ⚙️ Required Properties ### Core Application Properties - **fullName**: API name of the application - **label**: Display name of the application - **uiType**: Always "Lightning" for modern apps - **navType**: CRITICAL - Choose based on user requirements and workflow patterns - "Standard": DEFAULT for general business applications (e.g., sales, marketing, operations) - "Console": ONLY when workflow requires managing multiple records simultaneously with split-view or multi-tab workspace (e.g., customer service, call centers, support operations) - **formFactors**: Array of form factors (["LARGE"] for desktop, ["SMALL"] for mobile, or both) ### Optional Properties - **description**: Brief description of the application's purpose - **tabs**: Array of tab names to include - **utilityBar**: API name of the Utility Bar configuration - **brand**: ⚠️ HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - Branding configuration object (headerColor, shouldOverrideOrgTheme, footerColor) - **actionOverrides**: ⚠️ REQUIRED when custom record pages exist - Action override configuration (actionName, content, formFactor, type, pageOrSobjectType) - **profileActionOverrides**: Profile-specific action overrides (actionName, content, formFactor, pageOrSobjectType, type, profile) - **isNavAutoTempTabsDisabled**: Navigation behavior setting (default: false) - **isNavPersonalizationDisabled**: Personalization setting (default: false) - **isNavTabPersistenceDisabled**: Tab persistence setting (default: false) ## 🔧 Application Configuration ### Navigation Type Selection (CRITICAL) **Decision Criteria for navType:** **Choose "Standard" (DEFAULT) for:** - General business applications and most workflows - Single-record focus or linear navigation patterns - Standard tab-based navigation is sufficient **Choose "Console" ONLY when workflow requires:** - Managing multiple related records simultaneously in split-view - Multi-tab workspace for handling complex, interconnected data - Contextual information from multiple sources visible at once - Examples: customer service operations, support desks, call centers **When in doubt:** Default to "Standard" for most general business use cases ### Navigation Settings - **isNavAutoTempTabsDisabled**: Controls automatic temporary tab creation - **isNavPersonalizationDisabled