Configuring a Custom Component
Configure a CloudTools Component
CloudTools Lightning Web Components include a configuration panel for choosing a connector and adjusting the component’s behavior. Available fields vary by component, but the same general process applies: open the panel, enter settings, save them for yourself or as a shared default, and authorize the connection when required.
Before you begin, add the component to a Lightning page, complete CloudTools license registration, and configure the connector it will use. This guide explains the common controls. Refer to each component’s guide for its individual settings.
Who can configure components?
| Permission set | Configuration access |
|---|---|
| CloudTools Admin | Can open the configuration panel, save personal settings, and update shared defaults. |
| CloudTools Super User | Can open the configuration panel, save personal settings, and update shared defaults. |
| CloudTools User | Can use components with the applicable saved configuration, but cannot open the configuration panel or save configuration changes. |
These controls check CloudTools custom permissions supplied by the permission sets. Access to edit a Lightning page does not by itself grant access to a component’s configuration panel. External service permissions and licensing also apply to the features users can perform.
1. Open the configuration panel
- Open the Salesforce page containing the component in normal use, outside Lightning App Builder.
- Click the component’s settings gear to open its configuration panel.
- Select the appropriate Connector, where provided.
- Complete the settings for the features you want to use. These may include a target user, library, folder, search criteria, display preferences, or feature toggles.
Use field labels and help text to identify the expected value. For example, an external service’s resource identifier is different from a Salesforce record ID. Connector credentials are managed through connector setup; selecting a connector here tells the component which connection to use.
The expandable Permissions card beneath the configuration action buttons provides a reference for the external permissions used by the component. Review the Delegated or Application permissions relevant to your connector and enabled features. This reference does not grant permissions or replace the external provider’s consent process.
2. Choose Apply or Apply to Default
| Control | What it saves | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Apply | Saves the current settings for your Salesforce user, for this component type and object context. | Use it to save your own configuration and try settings before making them the shared default. |
| Apply to Default | Saves the current settings as the shared default for this component type and object context. | Use it to establish the configuration for users who do not have a personal configuration in that context. |
On record pages, the context is the Salesforce object, such as Account or Contact, rather than an individual record. Pages without an object context use a general default context. Settings are not isolated to each placement on a Lightning page: copies of the same component in the same context can load the same saved configuration.
When a component loads, it looks for a saved configuration for the current user first, then the shared default, and finally its built-in settings. Apply to Default does not overwrite existing personal configurations. It also does not automatically update a personal configuration you previously saved with Apply. Use Apply as well if you want your personal settings to match the new default.
For example, configure a component on a Contact record page and click Apply to Default to establish settings for Contact pages. A user without personal settings will receive that default. A separate default can be saved for the same component on Account pages. Refresh the page to verify what loads, and check the shared result with a user who has no personal override.
3. Use replacement tokens for dynamic values
A replacement token is a placeholder in a supported configuration field. CloudTools replaces it with a value from the current Salesforce user, org, or record when using the configuration. Tokens let one shared configuration adapt to different users or records without saving a separate value for each person.
| Token | Value used |
|---|---|
{UserEmail} | The current Salesforce user’s email address. |
{UserId} | The current Salesforce user’s Salesforce ID. |
{UserName} | The current Salesforce user’s full name. |
{OrgUrl} | The Salesforce org’s domain URL. |
{RecordId} | The current Salesforce record’s ID, when record context is available. |
{Record.Email} | The current record’s Email field, when that field exists and is accessible. |
{Record.External_User_Id__c} | A custom field on the current record. Replace External_User_Id__c with your actual field API name. |
For example, a user lookup field that accepts an email address could use {UserEmail} to target the person viewing the page, provided their Salesforce email matches their external account. On a Contact record page, {Record.Email} can target the contact instead. A token selects a value; it does not change the signed-in external account or grant access to that person’s data.
Keep the braces in the configuration field. Where appropriate, add a transformation after a vertical bar, such as {UserEmail|lower} for lowercase text or {Record.Name|url} for a URL-encoded value. Other supported transformations include upper, trim, and odata, which escapes single quotes for an OData string value. Use a transformation suited to the field’s expected format.
Record tokens require record context and readable fields. A Home or app page normally has no current record. Unknown tokens or unavailable values can remain as literal token text, so verify your entries on the intended page. Tokens are supported in configuration fields that resolve dynamic text; they are not substitutes for checkbox values or fixed picklist choices.
4. Authorize a delegated connection
A connector using OAuth Delegated (Authorization Code) connects on behalf of a person who signs in to the external service. OAuth is the sign-in and consent process that lets CloudTools use that service without asking you to enter your external account password in the component’s configuration.
- When the component displays an authorization prompt, click Authorize.
- Complete sign-in in the popup window using the intended external account. Allow popups for Salesforce if your browser blocks the window.
- Review and complete any consent or administrator approval required by your organization.
- Wait for the authorization result and return to the component. After successful authorization, the component updates its connection state and can load the permitted content.
Authorization is associated with the current Salesforce user and connector. Saving a shared default does not sign in everyone who uses it; each user completes delegated authorization when required. Users with the CloudTools User permission set can authorize their connection without access to the configuration panel.
An OAuth Application (Client Credentials) connection operates as an application and does not use this interactive user sign-in flow. If your connection relies on Salesforce-managed Named Credentials, complete the authentication setup required by those credentials separately.
5. Use Reauthorize to repeat sign-in
The Reauthorize control is available for delegated connections and does not require configuration-management access. Use it when the connection needs a fresh sign-in, when consent requirements have changed, or when you need to reconnect after an authorization problem.
Reauthorize clears the CloudTools-stored token for your user and connector and starts authorization again. Other components using that same connection may also be affected. Complete the popup sign-in before retrying the operation. Your browser’s existing external sign-in session may reuse the same account; use the provider’s account-selection options if you need a different one.
Reauthorization does not change component settings or grant missing external permissions. If access is still denied, review the connector’s permissions, consent, and the signed-in user’s access to the requested resource.
6. Use Debug for troubleshooting
Click the bug icon, labeled Show debug panel, to display diagnostic information. Reproduce the problem and review the available operation details, response data, or error information. The exact content varies by component; a panel may show no entry until an operation has run. Click the hide control to close it.
Debug controls are normally available to CloudTools Admin and CloudTools Super User users. For troubleshooting another user’s session, the components also support the page URL parameter c__cloudtoolsdebug=true. Add ?c__cloudtoolsdebug=true if the URL has no query string, or &c__cloudtoolsdebug=true if it already has one, then reload the page. This enables the diagnostic control without granting configuration access. Remove the parameter when finished.
The component’s Debug panel helps inspect its own activity; it does not enable Salesforce Apex debug logging or fix the underlying error. When contacting support, include the component name, operation, and relevant error details. Review diagnostic content for personal or business data before sharing it.
