It is usual for developers to use various plugins and applications in the integrated development environment to speed up work and increase comfort. Salesforce developers/administrators are no different, as they also often have to perform the same steps to implement a task within the Salesforce organization, like editing records, importing data, or working with formulas. In this article, we will explore the topic of Salesforce plugins deeper and in a more detailed way. We will mention the following plugins:
Salesforce inspector, and it's the most popular "Show all data" function.
Super Dark Mode with its Classic, Invert, and Modern modes.
ORGanizer for Salesforce and the opportunity to switch between organizations.
Salesforce Hotkeys and added the list of available hotkeys.
Salesforce DevTools, and its ability to easily and quickly import information.
Salesforce advanced Code searcher with a built-in LWC components editor.
Dimensions give the ability to design a component exactly as per the requirements.
Better Salesforce formula editor, which should have anyone who works with formulas.
Salesforce Change Set Helper, which shows the last change date, allows you to sort, search, validate, and compare to other organizations.
Salesforce Mass Editor allows changing, cloning, deleting, and exporting records without entering them or clicking "Edit".
It's important to note that the article provides versions for Google Chrome overviews, but some plugins also have versions for other browsers.
Salesforce inspector
Click here to read about Salesforce inspector in chrome web store.
Salesforce inspector is a very useful plugin with a wide range of functionality. It is a simple and easy-to-use plugin. To open the window with functions, a user just has to click on the translucent button on the right side of the screen.
An opened window allows developers to choose the required function. That simplifies the use of Salesforce inspector because developers don't need to remember one more hotkey for one more plugin. With the help of this window, you can find a record by id and the name of an object or user and then open pages for the following functions: Show all data, Data Export, Data Import, Org Limits, Download Metadata, and Explore API. A more detailed overview of the functions is offered for your attention below.
One of the most often used functions here is Show all data. It is really comfortable for the developers to be able to see and change the field values without resorting to SOQL queries or Data Loader. Sparkybit developers' personal experience shows that while working with objects with a significant amount of fields, which are usually not displayed on the layout, Salesforce inspector is already become a must-have plugin because of Show all data function.
Show all data function offers the following features:
field filtering;
cloning of objects with amendments;
open Setup for the desired field in a few clicks;
look through Name and API Name in a more comfortable way, which can significantly speed up the search for the desired field;
create a SOQL query for the selected record immediately from the page with all the data.
As you can notice, the Data Export function was mentioned above. With its help, the Salesforce inspector allows you to export data using the Query Editor analog. Salesforce developers can just enter a SOQL query, get a table with the selected data, and copy it into the desired format for further use. Unlike the Developer Console, we do not have the ability to edit the data in this table. Still, there is a history of requests, the ability to save requests, and automatic suggestions of fields depending on the entered name, which will help not to search for the correct API name through Setup for each field and save time.
We talked about data export, so now let's also mention data import. Salesforce inspector can also help here. It will not replace the usual Data Loader for such tasks, but it can be useful for a small amount of data. You should choose the type of action you plan to do (Insert, Upsert, Update or Delete), select the desired object, and insert data copied from Excel or CSV. Next, you should check on the right side whether everything is okay with the field mapping and click "Import". Optionally, you can choose the size for the Batch and the number of threads when downloading.
It is also important to control the limits of the organization. With Salesforce inspector, we can do this easily and informatively using visual indicators.
The Salesforce inspector also can load metadata from an organization. It is made quite simply, and, let's be honest, it is better to use other, more powerful plugins for this purpose.
The ability to look through an organization's endpoints for REST requests is also helpful. To display endpoints, you can create regular tables, Excel tables, and JSON for further use.
As was mentioned above, Salesforce Inspector is one a must-have plugin. Sparkybit developers say they can't imagine their current work without the ability to see fields and their values using the inspector and recommend you check it out.
Super Dark Mode
Click here to read about Super Dark Mode in chrome web store.
It is a known fact that professionals always use a dark theme. For those who are tired of burning their eyes with the whiteness of the standard Salesforce, there are several ways to change it.
Super Dark Mode allows you to make the interface dark for any site and has specialized settings for a wide list. Super Dark Mode allows you to turn this mode on/off in a few clicks, configure an allowlist with exclusion sites, and customize the display using three modes.
Classic
Invert
Modern (enables manual color changing)
During testing, we noticed a worth-to-notice detail: the plugin is activated for all sites simultaneously. So, users need to manually turn it off for some sites using the right mouse button. But let's say it is not critically uncomfortable.
There is also an alternative aspecifically for Salesforce - Dark Mode for Salesforce.
Click here to read about Dark Mode for Salesforce in chrome web store.
This plugin is designed specifically for Salesforce, and it looks better.
Standard Dark mode
Dark mode with Night Shift
But there is one serious problem with Dark Mode for Salesforce - the method of its distribution. It costs $2 per month. You can try it for free for two days only. Whether it is worth it is a personal choice of yours.
ORGanizer for Salesforce
Click here to read about ORGanizer for Salesforce in chrome web store.
A Salesforce developer almost always works with more than one organization at a time, and ORGanizer for Salesforce is designed to organize this process (this is not a tautology, that is just how it works). During a busy work process, it is quite easy not to notice which organization you are currently working with, and this can lead to critical consequences (especially if you do something with production). With ORGanizer, you can personalize and tag each organization to prevent such embarrassment. But this is only some of what this plugin can be used for.
To interact with the plugin, you must open it through a browser. You will see something like this window with organizations.
Here we have the opportunity to switch between currently active organizations and all configured ones. In the configuration, the user adds a label of the organization, a color to determine its uniqueness, and a link for quick access. The result you can see in the screenshot below:
Another fundamental capability of ORGanizer is the storage of organization login data. You can open a new tab or window with the desired organization with one click or immediately open its Dev console. It has a high-quality implementation, so that will speed up the work. But we are not sure about the security of this storage. Sparkybit developers say, it is better not to store the password from the client production in this way.
In addition to this basic and rather unique functionality among Salesforce plugins, ORGanizer can do much more: it improves the experience of using the formula editor, adds quick links to any organization pages, has its own quick console, and so on. And what is quite unique is that it has its own website with an overview of all this functionality and user guides. If you got interested in this plugin, we recommend reading more from the official source.
Our developers say that ORGanizer is worth trying, but they are not sure about the need for the features you get in the paid version. But at its core, it's a competent plugin. The organization identification functionality can save you from troubles, especially since it is better made and has more settings than analogs with much more limited functionalities. So ORGanizer can be applied in more situations.
Salesforce Hotkeys (Beta)
Click here to read about ORGanizer for Salesforce in chrome web store.
Salesforce Hotkeys is a straightforward and valuable extension to use. With its help, you don't have to move your hand to the mouse. But not everything is as good as it seems. Salesforce Hotkeys only works with Salesforce Classic, and this is its main problem. The last update was in the distant 2015, so Lightning support is unlikely to appear. We would like to remind new Salesforce users that there is a short and official list of hotkeys.
Hotkeys can be used in classic (Ctrl + S) and Gmail style with combinations (h h s). Unfortunately, it is impossible to assign your own hotkeys, but the list covers most needs. Here is the list of available hotkeys.
If you use the classic version of Salesforce, then Salesforce Hotkeys is a handy plugin for everyday use. Not so necessary but created to speed up the work.
Salesforce DevTools
Click here to read about Salesforce DevTools in chrome web store.
Salesforce DevTools is another feature-rich plugin that was created to speed up the work of Salesforce admin or developer. The developers of this plugin have a website with a fairly high-quality description of the functionality. We want to highlight some things that seem the most convenient and useful for our developers.
In most cases, it is used through the menu, the content of which changes according to the context of the opened page on the organization. The big benefit of it is that it doesn't load the appearance with extra buttons, as it can be when activating many extensions at once.
At first glance, it's a typical thing that allows you to access pages related to objects in a few clicks. You can immediately open a page with existing fields and official documentation or create a new record.
There is also a custom page with fields where you can even immediately see the use of picklists.
Another Query Editor is also available here. Almost every plugin with a feature set has this capability, but almost always, there are some differences. A good idea is implemented here with the selection of fields using checkboxes. But as Sparkybit developers said, sorting and searching are missing here. It would be much better with them.
But what is really great is the ability to easily and quickly import information about objects, fields, validation and workflow rules, triggers, list view, and layouts in xlsx format. It is not something that is usually needed in everyday use, but very situational. But it can save the administrator's time when it is necessary to transfer such information for the business.
Another beneficial thing is the Multi Checker for Field-Level Security. It helps to get rid of administrative suffering when setting up profiles. Now it is only necessary to enter the list of required values for check or uncheck.
Salesforce DevTools is another multitool plugin that can do many things and does it quite skillfully. This is the key advantage of this category of plugins.
Salesforce advanced Code searcher
Click here to read about Salesforce advanced Code searcher in chrome web store.
Salesforce advanced Code searcher is another good plugin for quickly finding objects, classes, triggers, LWC components, and Visualforce pages. To start using this plugin, it will be enough to install it in the Chrome store, go to the organization and go to Setup -> Home.
Let's move to the "Code coverage" section. Here we can choose the type of code coverage.
Enter the name of the class or trigger and click "Go". Immediately we are returned to several classes with the information we need and a "Percentage" slider that can edit what code coverage is shown to us. The "Download" button can collapse the table shown below in xml format. "Delete" button - reset all filter settings on this section.
The "Get Record Details" section is also useful. It is convenient for viewing and editing the object. There is also a checkbox responsible for displaying null fields. It is also very convenient to insert another ID and switch between objects without losing the previous one.
In addition, you can simply view an object, scroll down the page, and here you can select a child record of the object you are working with.
The last section is the "LWC Editor" (still in beta, but a useful feature). As we know, working with LWC components in the Developer console is impossible. And this plugin provides the ability to create, edit and delete.
The plugin developers allowed us to choose a theme for more comfortable work with the code. It will be helpful for people who do not work in Visual Studio Code or work with many organizations.
So, it is a useful plugin because we have a built-in LWC components editor, which is useful for those who work with many organizations and often switch between them. Also, we should mention the "search code" item. It is convenient to search the code by word: for example, we need to find some field that can be used in many places, and we need to replace it then we can use this feature.
Dimensions
Click here to read about Dimensions in chrome web store.
Let's take a look at a not multifunctional but useful Dimensions plugin. Many developers and administrators have faced the problem of having a design in Figma and the need to design a component exactly as per the requirements. So, you can measure the size from the mouse cursor. If you need to measure the site's size, this will benefit you. To start working with this plugin, select this extension from the attached extensions or hotkey - alt + d.
Let's select a section with a button to check how it works. Here, we measured the size between the button and the section border.
Sparkybit developers use this plugin and say that it saves their time and say it should be in your extensions.
Better Salesforce formula editor
Click here to read about Better Salesforce formula editor in chrome web store.
Now let's take a look at the Better Salesforce formula editor extension. It will be more beneficial for administrators, but developers also might face the problem of writing formulas. Usually, formulas are difficult to read, but with this plugin, you won't only improve the readability but also the speed of writing formulas.
Let's cover in more detail what useful things appear when applying this plugin. You can immediately notice that the interface has changed, and the formula has become easier to read. You get all the metadata, but in a more convenient form, and you can search through the Search reference. In addition to the listed above, the plugin provides hints and, as we can see below, immediately shows what the error is. No need to make extra clicks, as it was without the Better Salesforce formula editor.
Better Salesforce formula editor is a useful plugin that will make your work easier and faster. In general, the plugin is similar to VS Code with all its formatting and display code features.
Sparkybit developers believe that anyone who works with formulas should have it because the readability of the formula increases many times, and working with formulas becomes much better and more efficient.
Salesforce Change Set Helper
Click here to read about Salesforce Change Set Helper in chrome web store.
In this section, we will discuss a useful plugin for those who use Change sets. This will definitely improve work with Change sets and help save a lot of time when compiling a change set. So, let's start with the main advantages of this plugin. Salesforce Change Set Helper adds the last change date, allows you to sort, search, validate, automatically sort by previous change date, and compare to other organizations.
This is what the Salesforce Change Set looks like without the plugin:
This is what the Salesforce Change Set looks like with the plugin:
You can see that the "Compare with org" and "View change set" buttons have been added, as well as a drop-down field where you can choose which organization to compare with. Another cool feature is searching by class name or class changes (when it was changed or by whom). For example, if you write the name "Account" in the Name field, the classes with "Account" in the name will be returned. The function of comparing organizations could be handy. Also, it would be good to see the changes being made. But it doesn't work as expected: this comparator pulls only the changes of the organization with which it is compared, so no comparison takes place.
But still, those who have worked with Change sets will immediately understand that this is a valuable plugin because it adds functionality that isn't present in the usual Change set. The only con is that it's not possible to compare organizations, even though such a function exists here, but not working.
Salesforce Mass Editor
Click here to read about Salesforce Mass Editor in chrome web store.
To start using Salesforce Mass Editor extension, just install it from Google Chrome web store and log in. It is useful because you can change, clone, delete, and export records without entering it or by clicking "Edit".
If you click "Mass Editor", several new buttons will appear, which we will now look at. The UI is also changing, which allows you to immediately change the data in the records. The "Save" button saves everything that we change, and "Quick save" - also, but faster. "Close" will simply remove the UI, and the buttons will disappear.
Let's take a closer look at the functionality of some useful functions. One of them is "Export CSV", which will allow you to export records in excel format. Another cool feature is that we can create several records simultaneously.
For example, let's choose "New 3 records". Then the fields for creating new records will appear or "Clone", which will clone the selected records and place them below, "Delete" will delete the selected record. So, as a result, it will also speed up your work.
This plugin considerably speeds up work with objects, deletion, editing, and export. The plugin itself is easy to use. You don't need to worry about where something is, the work is just done, and everything is clear.
Summarizing, we hope that provided article managed to shed light on this broad subject and help you to choose something from the described for trial or permanent use.