Salesforce Classic Mobile is a client application provided by Salesforce that allows users access to their data from a BlackBerry, iPhone,
or Windows Mobile device. The Salesforce Classic Mobile client application exchanges data with Salesforce over
wireless carrier networks, and stores a local copy of the user’s
data in its own database on the mobile device. The data sent to the
device is determined by a mobile configuration. Mobile
configurations are sets of parameters that define a relevant subset
of the user's Salesforce records.
A separate Salesforce Classic Mobile license is required for each user who uses a mobile device to access Salesforce.
For organizations using Performance, Unlimited, and Developer Editions, Salesforce provides one mobile license for each Salesforce license.
Organizations using Professional or Enterprise Editions must purchase
mobile licenses separately.
Which Devices Can Run Salesforce Classic Mobile and Visualforce Mobile?
Salesforce Classic Mobile can run on BlackBerry, iPhone, and Windows Mobile devices; however,
the Windows Mobile client application does not currently support Visualforce Mobile. BlackBerry and iPhone devices must meet the following requirements:
-
BlackBerry
-
The Salesforce Classic Mobile app can run on
BlackBerry operating system versions 4.3 through 7.0. For optimum performance, however, Salesforce recommends
running Visualforce Mobile on BlackBerry smartphones installed with versions 4.6 through
4.7. Upgrading to the latest version of the BlackBerry operating system
can improve overall device performance. At a minimum, 5 MB of free
memory should be available on the device. The mobile client application
is supported on these BlackBerry smartphones providing that the operating
system requirement has been met:
- BlackBerry 8100 Series (Pearl)
- BlackBerry 8300 Series (Curve)
- BlackBerry 8800 Series
- BlackBerry 8900 Series (Javelin)
- BlackBerry 9000 Series (Bold)
- BlackBerry 9500 Series (Storm)
-
iPhone
-
Salesforce Classic Mobile requires the latest iPhone operating system available on iTunes.
The device should have at least 5 MB of available memory before installing
the mobile client application. The mobile client application is supported
on these devices:
- iPhone
- iPhone 3G
- iPhone 3GS
- iPod Touch
What are the
Capabilities and Limitations of the Mobile Application?
Salesforce Classic Mobile is a native client application with an embedded browser that
can pass information between the client application and Visualforce pages. The embedded browser communicates with Salesforce using
the device's internet connection; the native client application communicates
with Salesforce asynchronously through the SOAP API.
The embedded browser can execute JavaScript, but the native client
application cannot.
The following list outlines the capabilities
and limitations of the native client application:
- Available Objects
- Administrators can mobilize accounts, assets, contacts, opportunities,
leads, tasks, events, price books, products, cases, solutions, and
custom objects. Custom links, s-controls, mashups, merge fields, and
image fields cannot be mobilized. The following do not execute in
the mobile client application but will run server-side after a record
is saved and submitted to Salesforce:
workflow rules, validation rules, formula fields, and Apex triggers.
- Permissions, Record Types, and Page Layouts
- User permissions, record types, and page layouts are inherited
from Salesforce. Administrators can optionally change the properties
of a mobilized object by further restricting permissions of
mobile users or excluding unnecessary fields from mobile page layouts.
- Related Lists
- If administrators mobilize a related object—in other words,
add a child data set to a parent data set—the object automatically
becomes a related list on the mobile device.
- Dashboards and Reports
- Dashboards are available in the BlackBerry and iPhone client applications.
Reports are available in the BlackBerry client application. Reports
are sent to the device in Excel format and display in a basic table.
The report viewer in the mobile application does not support sorting,
summaries, subtotals, or grouping.
- Custom List Views
- BlackBerry users can create custom views in the mobile client
application. BlackBerry and iPhone users can access custom views created
by Salesforce administrators in the Mobile Administration Console. In the
mobile application, custom views are limited to two columns.
- Visualforce Tabs and Web Tabs
- iPhone and BlackBerry users can access Visualforce tabs and web tabs in the mobile client application if the tabs have
been mobilized by a Salesforce administrator.
Although the native client application lets users access data offline, Visualforce tabs and web tabs require a connection to the wireless network because
the tabs are launched in an embedded browser.
When Should Visualforce Mobile Be Used?
The majority of popular consumer and enterprise
mobile applications are client-side applications that require installation
and periodically connect to a server to send and receive data. There
are two main reasons why mobile client applications are so prevalent
over mobile on-demand applications:
- Connection
- Mobile devices do not maintain a constant network connection.
With a client application, users can work offline and still have uninterrupted
access to their data.
- Speed
- Wireless data networks are still very slow. Client applications
are highly responsive.
Visualforce Mobile provides a way to build custom interfaces and business logic
for mobile devices, but developers should only turn to Visualforce Mobile when their needs cannot be met using the capabilities of the
native client application. For example, developers might be able to
replicate the same functionality in a Visualforce page by building custom objects, creating custom fields, and writing Apex triggers that run server-side when a record is updated. Until the
speed and reliability of wireless networks improve, the best experience
for mobile users is one where the client application performs the
operations.
There are situations, however, where the native
client application cannot satisfy a customer's requirements. Use Visualforce Mobile to:
- Mobilize a standard Salesforce object
that the client application does not support.
- Integrate with another Web API, such as Google Maps.
- Reproduce Salesforce functionality
that is not available in the client application, such as responding
to approval requests or sending emails using an email template.
- Integrate with a peripheral device, such as Bluetooth or embedded
GPS.
- Override the action of the standard buttons on record detail pages.
When possible, write Apex triggers instead of overriding buttons with Visualforce.