Salesforce Winter '24 Release on Elements

Sep 25, 2023

This article includes links to and information from outside resources. We are not responsible for the content on the external site. If there is a link that does not work, please email [email protected] and we will attempt to adjust the information with an updated link.

We are so excited to partner with the best in the CRM business because their releases help you too! The Winter '24 release for Salesforce is currently rolling out, and below are some of the key enhancements we want to highlight as your Salesforce partner.

The Release Date for Winter '24 will depend on the instance of Salesforce, but the main release weekends are on:

September 02, 2023
October 07, 2023
October 14, 2023

If you already know the instance your production Org is located on, you can head over to Trust Status , click on your instance name, and hit “Maintenance”. This will show you the date of the Salesforce Winter '24 release hitting your Org. If you don’t know your instance, the quickest way to find out is to head to “company information” within “Setup” in your Salesforce.

General Setup

Mass Quick Actions on Related Lists

Streamline data entry by configuring quick actions with predefined field values and action layouts that include only the most important fields. And add quick actions directly on the related lists, right where users need them. Users can create related records for items in the list without leaving the page. Or they can perform mass updates on up to 100 related records at once.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in Group, Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: You can add quick actions on a related list in one of two ways. In this release, only Create a Record and Update a Record quick actions are supported.

To add quick actions from the Lightning App Builder, add or select the Dynamic Related List - Single component on the record page. In the properties pane, select Show list view action bar, and then click Add Action.
To add quick actions using the page layout editor, from the object management settings for the parent object, open the page layout. Double-click to open the related list properties, expand the Buttons section, and select the quick actions that you want to add. Then, from the parent record page in the Lightning App Builder, set the related list type to Enhanced List.

Now the related list includes the quick actions that you added (1), and users can apply the actions to the records that they select (2).

Get Improved Accessibility in List Views

Where: These changes apply to Lightning Experience in Group, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

Why: Check out details about these changes.

The list view Display as Table button is now labeled Select List Display, and the button and dropdown menu options have clearer, more informative tooltips.
In the list view Charts panel, the field to select an existing chart is labeled Select Chart to clarify the field’s purpose.
Lists in split view show checkboxes only when mass actions are enabled. Previously, lists showed checkboxes even when mass actions weren’t available, and keyboard users couldn’t tab to the checkboxes.
Checkboxes on lists in split view include more information about the current record for screen readers.
The inline edit pencil icon in list view cells includes information about the contents of the cell for screen readers.
The Edit List button on list views is now compliant with the color contrast requirements of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. This change improves accessibility for users who find it difficult to differentiate between some color combinations.
In Browse mode on a list view page, screen readers read the object name above the Select a List View dropdown menu only one time.

Lightning App Builder

Dynamic Forms on Lightning Web Component-Enabled Standard Objects and Mobile

Dynamic Forms is now supported on hundreds of LWC-enabled standard objects. Dynamic Forms gives users a streamlined admin experience, enhanced page performance, and the option of visibility rules so users see only what they need when they need it. But until now, Dynamic Forms could be used only on custom objects and a limited number of standard objects.

Dynamic Forms are not available on objects that do not support Lighting Web Components, including Tasks. To ascertain if an object supports Dynamic Forms, edit the record page on the Lightning App Builder – if you see the “Fields” tab in the component panel, Dynamic Forms are available.

Fields tab visible = Dynamic Forms are enabled for the object

With Dynamic Forms, users can add and remove fields individually from a Lightning record page, break up record details into multiple sections, and set conditional visibility rules for fields and field sections, all in Lightning App Builder. Previously, Dynamic Forms were available only on desktop. Now, with Dynamic Forms on Mobile, mobile users can have the same customized experience that desktop users have. Dynamic Forms on Mobile was offered as a beta feature for use with limited objects in Summer ’23. It’s now generally available on all Dynamic Forms-supported objects.

Dynamic Forms enablement setting for Mobile

Other Changes to Record Pages

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in all editions.

How:

The Change Owner , Change Record Type , and Inline Edit icons got a small makeover. Salesforce changed their colors slightly, to make them easier to see.
Screen readers now communicate whether an error message in the page footer is in an expanded or collapsed state.

General Enhancements

Improved Color Contrast on Buttons and Links

Non-text User Interface (UI) elements, such as buttons and checkboxes, and some text UI elements, such as links, now display with improved color contrast to align with accessibility standards. The color-contrast improvements started in Summer ’23. In Winter ’24, the changes apply to all pages in Lightning Experience and Lightning base components in custom Lightning components.

Where: This change applies to all pages in Lightning Experience in all editions. The changes to Lightning base components apply in Lightning Experience and if you use a Lightning base component in a custom component.

Why: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a series of web accessibility guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The guidelines include criteria for non-text contrast. Good color contrast means that all users can more easily see the content on any device or in any lighting conditions.

This image shows the difference between standard object and document type icons in Summer ’23 and Winter ’24. The Winter ’24 icons use a greater range of colors to make it easier to distinguish different objects.

Standard Object and Document Type Icons

This image shows the difference between search highlights in Spring ’23 (old) and Winter ’24 (new)

Set a Password or Expiration Date on a Public Link to a Salesforce File

In Lightning Experience, when users create a public link to share a file, they can choose to set a date when the link expires. Users can also protect access to the file with a password. By default, link expiration is enabled and set for 30 days. Use the password default settings to determine if protection is on or off by default. When password protection is toggled on, an auto-generated password shows in the dialog. Public links to folders don’t have password protection or link expiration.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in all editions.

How:

To set password defaults for Salesforce Files, edit the content deliveries settings. From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Salesforce Files, and then select Content Deliveries and Public Links. Select a password default. Choose from:

Password protection is optional and defaults to OFF
Password protection is optional and defaults to ON
Password protection is required (This setting doesn’t mean password protection is required in Lightning Experience, but it defaults to ON.)

Disable Keyboard Shortcuts

By default, keyboard shortcuts are enabled so that users can work faster. But sometimes these keyboard shortcuts interfere with assistive tools such as screen readers. Now users can disable keyboard shortcuts across all Lightning Experience apps.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in all editions.

How: From the global header, select the Help Menu. Then click View Keyboard Shortcuts and switch off keyboard shortcuts.

Permissions

Report on Custom Permission Set and Permission Set Group Assignments

Create a custom report type using Permission Set Assignment as the primary object. Using this report, view all users assigned to a custom Permission Set or Permission Set Group. See all users assigned to a specific custom permission set or permission set group. Or, use the report to review an individual user’s assignments.

Custom report type on Permission set and group assignments

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Report Types, and then select Report Types. Select Permission Set Assignment as the primary object. After you deploy the custom report type, users can select it when building reports

Troubleshoot Permission Set Group Errors

To more easily troubleshoot Permission Set Groups errors the most recent actionable error message is displayed on the detail page. Users can also manually trigger a recalculation – previously, the Permission Set Group had to be edited to trigger a recalculation.

The most recent actionable error message displayed on the detail page

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Permission Set Groups, and then select Permission Set Groups. To review a permission set group’s most recent error, select the permission set group. To recalculate a permission set group, select the permission set group, and then click Recalculate.

See How Many Permission Set Groups a Permission Set Is Added To

Users can now see a count of how many permission set groups a specific permission set is included in. Use this count to estimate the potential impact on your clients/users before making a change to a permission set.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in Essentials, Contact Manager, Professional, Group, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, Developer and Database.com editions.

How: From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Permission Sets, and then select Permission Sets. Select a permission set, and view the Permission Set Groups Added To field.

See API Names for Object and Field Permissions in Permission Sets

When users configure object and field permissions in permission sets, the Object API Name and Field API Name are now displayed in addition to the object and field label. This change makes it easier to distinguish objects and fields if there are multiple components with the same name.

Find the full list of Permission updates here - Permissions

Sharing

See Who Has Access to Accounts from Manual Shares and Account Teams with Reports

Get a snapshot of the account records that are shared manually or through account teams and which users or groups have access to them. Create a custom report type on the Account Share object, and then build reports.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Report Types, and then select Report Types. Select Account Share as the primary object. After you deploy the custom report type, users can select it when building reports.

View Public Group Members with Reports

Manage public group membership more easily. Now you can see which users, roles, and other groups have been added to public groups by creating a custom report type. Previously, you clicked in each public group or ran queries to see its members.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Report Types, and then select Report Types. Select Group Member as the primary object. After you deploy the custom report type, users can select it when building reports.

Find the full list of Sharing updates here - Sharing

Lightning Reports and Dashboards

Preview Summary Formulas in Lightning Reports

Summary formulas are an advanced reporting feature and include the PARENTGROUPVAL and PREVGROUPVAL functions. When users select grouping options in the enhanced summary formula builder, the preview image updates instantly to show how the formula applies to the report. This feature was previously available only in Salesforce Classic and is now available in Lightning Experience.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in Group, Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: Edit a report that has the groupings that you want to compare. In the summary formula builder, select the PARENTGROUPVAL or PREVGROUPVAL function. In the Display area (1), configure how to apply the formula, using the preview image as a reference. Then in the Function panel (2), select the group parameter values to include. When you insert the function into the formula (3), the selected parameters are included.

Preview image shows how the Summary formula is used in the report

Find the full list of Analytics updates here - Analytics

Hyperforce

Migrate to Hyperforce with Hyperforce Assistant

Users can migrate to Hyperforce with help from Hyperforce Assistant. The assistant is now generally available for production and sandbox orgs. View the updated Hyperforce region availability map on the Learn page. Additionally, the hard-coded references and connectivity checks in the Prepare phase have been updated to provide you with a better overall experience.

Where: Hyperforce Assistant is available in Lightning Experience in all editions.

How: From Setup, in the Quick Find Box, enter Hyperforce Assistant and then select Hyperforce Assistant.

Find the full list of Hyperforce updates here - Hyperforce

Flow Builder

Build Screen Flows with Reactive Components

Reduce the number of screens that your users click through, and build screens that feel like single-page applications with reactive flow screen components. Configure supported standard components or custom Lightning web components to react to changes in other components on the same screen in real time.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: For screen flows that are configured to run on API version 59.0 and later, you don’t need to take any extra steps to access reactive components.

For screen flows that are configured to run on API versions 57.0 and 58.0, on the Process Automation Settings page, select Enable Reactive Components for Screen Flows running API Version 57.0 and 58.0. Add components to your screen, and save and run your flows as usual.

The Enable Reactive Components for Screen Flows running API Version 57.0 and 58.0 setting expires in Winter ’25. Before that release, upgrade your flows to run on API version 59.0 or later to take advantage of reactive components.

Find the full list of Screen Flow updates here - Screen Flow

Create Custom Error Messages in Record-Triggered Flows

Use the new Custom Error Message element to create targeted error messages for end users to explain what went wrong or how to correct it. The error messages display in a window on the overall record page or as an inline error on a specific field. The associated record change is rolled back. Error messages can be created for before-save and after-save flows. Salesforce delivered this feature thanks to your ideas on IdeaExchange.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

Why: When a user performs an action like deleting a record that triggers a flow, sometimes the flow runs into an error. Before, when the flow failed, it wasn’t possible to display a specific error message to the user. Now you can inform the user exactly what caused their operation to fail, so they can fix the problem and try again.

How: Add a Custom Error Message element (1), choose where to display the error message (2), and enter the error message text (3).

Custom Error message element

Save a Flow Without Configuring Some Elements

Now users can configure flows faster by saving flows before some elements are fully configured. With this update, Flow builder is taking its first steps to support saving a draft of a flow at any point in the building process. Errors that previously prevented saving are now just warnings. To facilitate this change, some element properties windows now slide open next to the flow in the canvas. With the element properties window update, you can see and interact with your flow while you configure the element. Previously, all element properties windows blocked the view of the flow while open. The cancel button functionality in the element properties window has been replaced with the ability to undo changes one at a time with the undo button.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: In Flow Builder, open a Start, Create Records, Delete Records, Get Records, Update Records, or Pause element. Or edit an existing Action or Subflow element. Reposition the flow by clicking and dragging the canvas. Also, see the element you’re working on in the context of the flow (1). To keep your changes, hide the window, and return to the canvas, click X (2). To undo changes one at a time, click undo (3). Identify elements that haven’t been fully configured (4). Save your work before fully configuring Start elements in record-triggered flows and Create Records elements (5). Move from one updated element to another without completing the element’s configuration.

An incomplete Start element

Find Flow Resources More Easily in Create Records Elements

Now it’s easier to find and select a record or record collection in Create Records elements in Auto-Layout. With this update, Flow Builder takes the first step toward an improved resource selection experience.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: In a Create Records element, select Use all values from a record. Then, click in the Record or Record Collection field. Identify where you are in your resource selection with a new clickable breadcrumb path (1). Recognize resource types quickly with more intuitive icons (2), and create a resource faster with the New Resource option that’s been moved to always show in the footer of the menu (3). Get helpful information about a resource without leaving the menu by hovering over the resource, then hovering over the information icon (4).

Easily identify menu items with their user-friendly labels (5) and descriptions (6).

Find screen components and their outputs faster by going to the screen where they appear, instead of searching the list of all screen components (7).

Use Wait Elements in More Types of Flows

The Wait for Amount of Time element and the Wait Until Date element are now available in schedule-triggered flows, autolaunched flows, and orchestrations. Previously, these wait elements were available only for journeys.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in all editions.

Advanced Pause Element Is Now Named Wait for Conditions

Advanced Pause has been renamed to Wait for Conditions so that all wait elements have similar terminology. The functionality of the element is unchanged.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in all editions.

Find the full list of Flow builder updates here - Flow Builder

Flow Management

Migrate Workflow Rules with Pending Time-Based Actions to Flow

Use the updated Migrate to Flow tool to migrate your workflow rules with pending time-based actions. Previously, migrated at-rest time-based actions were inactive and deleted when the associated record changed. Now when the associated record is changed, the actions are migrated to scheduled paths.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Migrate to Flow, and then select Migrate to Flow. Select the workflow rule that you want to convert into a flow, click Migrate to Flow, and select the criteria that you want to migrate.

Migrate Process Builder Processes with Custom Metadata in Formulas to Flows

Now users can migrate a Process Builder process that uses custom metadata references in formulas with the updated Migrate to Flow tool. After the migration, the custom metadata reference is used in flow formulas but you can’t configure it using the resource picker. After migrating a process, you can test the flow in Flow Builder. If everything works as expected, activate the flow and deactivate the process that you converted.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: From Setup, in the Quick Find box, enter Migrate to Flow, and then select Migrate to Flow. Select the process to convert, click Migrate to Flow, and select the criteria that you want to migrate.

Find the full list of Flow Management updates here - Flow Management

Flow Orchestration

Extend Flow Orchestration Objects

Flow Orchestration objects are now available in Object Manager in Setup. Customize Flow Orchestration Run, Flow Orchestration Stage Run, Flow Orchestration Step Run, and Flow Orchestration Work Item objects for your needs by adding custom fields and custom relationships.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

Control Execution of Orchestration Stages and Steps with Requirements

Each orchestration step uses a selected condition that determines when it can start. And each orchestration stage and interactive orchestration step uses a condition to determine its completion. Previously, when users had complex criteria, they created an evaluation flow to determine when a step can start or a stage or an interactive step can end. Now users can define up to 3 requirements in the Properties panel to control stage and step execution.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited, and Developer editions.

How: In the Properties panel for the stage, select When the specified requirements are met, the stage is marked Completed.

In the Properties panel for the step, select When the specified requirements are met, the step starts.

In the Properties panel for the interactive step, select When the specified requirements are met, the step is marked Completed.

After selecting the condition, define up to 3 requirements.

Find the full list of Flow Orchestrator updates here - Flow Orchestration

Supported Browsers and Devices

See the supported browsers and devices for Lightning Experience

Desktop and Laptop Browsers

Salesforce supports these browsers. Make sure that your browsers are up to date. Other browsers or older versions of supported browsers aren’t guaranteed to support all features.

See the supported browsers and devices for Salesforce Classic

Tablet Browsers

Use Apple Safari on iPadOS (iOS 13.x) or later. Portrait orientation and orientation switching aren’t supported on Lightning Experience on iPad Safari. Use landscape orientation and maximize your Safari browser to full width. To avoid orientation switching, turn on the iPad rotation lock.

Salesforce supports only the Salesforce mobile app for Android-based tablets.

Phones

For the best experience, use the Salesforce mobile app.

Other Changes

Prepare for the New Setup Domain

Salesforce plans to host Setup pages on a new domain in a future release. To prepare for this change, add *.salesforce-setup.com to your allowlists.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience and Salesforce Classic in all editions.

MFA Auto-Enablement Continues and MFA Enforcement Begins with Summer ’24

As of February 1, 2022, users are contractually required to use multi-factor authentication (MFA) when they access Salesforce orgs, either through direct logins with a username and password or single sign-on (SSO) logins. To help customers satisfy this requirement, Salesforce is automatically enabling MFA for direct logins to production orgs in several phases. The process started with Spring ’23 and concludes with Spring ’24. Enforcement, which is when MFA becomes a permanent part of the direct login process, is scheduled to begin with Summer ’24. To avoid disruptions to your users when these milestones occur, enable MFA yourself as soon as possible.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience, Salesforce Classic, and all Salesforce mobile apps in all editions.

When: Salesforce is auto-enabling MFA over several releases via the MFA Auto-Enablement Release Update. To know when your Salesforce org is affected, see MFA Auto-Enablement Continues: Find Out When and How Your Org Is Affected (Release Update). MFA enforcement begins with Summer ’24. To monitor the schedule for these events, see the MFA Enforcement Roadmap.

How: To get extra protection against cyberattacks sooner, implement and roll out MFA on your own instead of waiting for Salesforce to do it. Controlling your rollout schedule means that you can avoid conflicts with other initiatives at your company and unexpected disruptions to your users.

To roll out MFA:

Watch the Launch Multi-Factor Authentication video for the steps to turn on MFA.
Get customizable change management templates by downloading the MFA Rollout Pack.

News, Automated Account Fields, and Account Logos Are Being Retired

The News, automated account fields, and automated account logo features are being retired in all Salesforce orgs in Winter ’24 on October 13, 2023. After these account features are retired, Salesforce doesn’t prompt users with suggestions for account names and doesn’t fill out fields or add company logos automatically. The News component is removed from page layouts.

Where: This change applies to Lightning Experience in Essentials, Group, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, and Unlimited editions.