In this Salesforce tutorial, we will learn about cloning a custom application in Salesforce. We will discuss the method of cloning an app in Salesforce Lightning. In addition, we will learn how to clone the app in the Salesforce Classic experience.
Cloning App in Salesforce
In Salesforce, we can create a clone app from the Custom App. There are several benefits of using a clone app in Salesforce like it saves time compared to manually recreating similar apps, especially if you have multiple apps with similar configurations.
While working as a developer for an organization that uses Salesforce as a CRM tool, I was asked to make an app similar to the features of a Custom Sales app. So, instead of making the whole app from scratch, I decided to make a clone of the app with similar features to the required application.
Now in the below steps, I will show you how I handled this situation and created a clone of a custom application in Salesforce Lightning.
Clone a Custom Lightning application in Salesforce Lightning
To Clone a Custom Lightning application in Salesforce Lightning, first log in to your Salesforce account and follow the steps below.
Step-1: On the Setup page of Salesforce Lightning, go to the Quick Find box and search for App Manager, and from the dropdown, select the option App Manager.
Step-2: In the Lightning Experience App Manager, we can see a list of Lightning and Classic apps. Here, select an application to clone it, and on the right side of the application, click on the dropdown and select the option Clone. In this case, I have selected the application Sales Tech App to make a clone of it.
Step-3: As we click on the Clone, a pop-up window will appear, and here we can see the App Details. We can also change the App Name and Description according to our requirements; it is optional. I have kept the default name as Sales Tech App_clone. After this, click on the Next button.
Step-4: In this step of App Options, We can set the fields Navigation Style, Supported Form Factors, and Setup Experience.
In Navigation Style, there are two options: Standard Navigation and Console Navigation. Standard navigation shows items in a navigation bar at the top of the page. Console navigation shows a list of records in a sidebar and opens each record in a new workspace tab. Also, we can select the form factors where this app is available. I have selected the option Standard navigation.
In Supported Form Factors, activate the radio button Desktop and phone, and in the Setup Experience field, activate the radio button of option Setup(full set of setup options) and then click on the Next button.
Step-5: We can add Utility Items for the clone app in this step. To add utility items, click on the Add Utility Items, and from the list of standard components, select the standard components you want to add and then click on the Next button.
Step-6: In this step, we will add a Navigation item to the Clone App. On the left-hand side, there is a list of Navigation items under the heading Available Items. Select a utility item and press the right arrow button. Then, the selected utility items will be added to the app, and after selecting the utility items, click on the Next button.
Step-7: Now, we will select the User Profiles for the clone app. On the left side, under the column Available Profiles, is a list of user profiles. Select the user profile to assign to this clone app, and last click on the Save & Finish button.
As we click on the Save & Finish button, the clone of the selected Salesforce Application will be created, and we can view the cloned app in the list of applications in Lightning Experience App Manager.
Now, we have successfully cloned a Salesforce application in Salesforce Lightning.
Clone a Custom Lightning application in Salesforce Classic
In Salesforce Classic, the app cloning scenario differs from that of Salesforce Lightning. In the Classic edition of Salesforce, we don’t have any option to clone an application, so the only option left is to create the app by following the procedure to create an application. Some third-party paid apps are also available, which help us clone the apps in Salesforce.
One of such feature is Clone apps (Beta); after subscription, we have to enable this feature in the App Manager setup of Salesforce. This feature of cloning apps can be used in the Salesforce Classic and Salesforce Lightning to clone applications.
Conclusion
In this Salesforce tutorial, we learned about cloning a Salesforce Lightning and Salesforce Custom App. We also learned about the need to clone a custom app in Salesforce development, and with the help of an example, we understood the method of cloning the app in a better way.
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I am Bijay Kumar, the founder of SalesforceFAQs.com. Having over 10 years of experience working in salesforce technologies for clients across the world (Canada, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, etc.). I am a certified salesforce administrator and expert with experience in developing salesforce applications and projects. My goal is to make it easy for people to learn and use salesforce technologies by providing simple and easy-to-understand solutions. Check out the complete profile on About us.