Skill

compact-layout-guide

Salesforce Compact Layout design and management. Use when selecting fields for the highlights panel, creating visual indicators, or deploying compact layouts via CLI/API. Covers mobile optimization and record type assignments.

From opspal-salesforce

Install

Run in your terminal

npx claudepluginhub revpalsfdc/opspal-commercial --plugin opspal-salesforce

Tool Access

This skill is limited to using the following tools:

ReadGrepGlobBash

Supporting Assets

View in Repository

field-selection.md

indicator-patterns.md

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Last CommitMar 18, 2026

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Compact Layout Guide

When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when the user:

Selects fields for compact layouts (highlights panel)
Creates visual indicators for opt-out flags or status
Configures compact layouts for mobile apps
Deploys compact layout changes via CLI
Assigns compact layouts to record types

What is a Compact Layout?

A Compact Layout defines the key fields shown in:

Lightning Experience: Highlights panel (top card of record)
Salesforce Mobile App: Record summary card
Lookups: Hover/popup preview
Related Lists: Record preview

It's the "business card" of a record - showing the most critical information at a glance.

Field Selection Principles

The 4-5 Field Rule

Compact layouts display approximately 4-5 fields (varies by screen size). Choose wisely:

Selection Criteria:

Identification - Fields that uniquely identify the record
Status/State - Current stage, status, or condition
Actionable - Fields enabling quick actions (Phone, Email)
Compliance - Visual indicators for restrictions
Context - Key relationships (Account, Owner)

Priority Framework

When selecting fields, score each candidate:

Criterion	Weight	Question
Identification	30%	Does this help identify the record?
Actionability	25%	Can users take action from this field?
Frequency	20%	How often do users need this info?
Decision Impact	15%	Does this influence user decisions?
Uniqueness	10%	Does it show something not obvious from Name?

Object-Specific Recommendations

Account

Recommended Fields (4):

Phone - Enable one-click calling
Industry - Quick categorization
Owner - Know who to contact
Rating or Type - Priority/categorization

Rationale: Phone enables immediate action; Industry/Rating provide quick context without opening the full record.

Contact

Recommended Fields (4-5):

Phone - Enable calling
Email - Enable emailing
Account - Context
DoNotCall Indicator - Compliance visibility
EmailOptOut Indicator - Email compliance

Rationale: Contact methods are essential for quick action. Opt-out indicators prevent compliance violations.

Opportunity

Recommended Fields (4):

Amount - Deal size at a glance
Close Date - Urgency indicator
Stage - Current status
Account - Customer context

Rationale: These four fields summarize the deal's value, timing, and status without opening the record.

Lead

Recommended Fields (4):

Company - Organization context
Status - Current lead status
Phone - Enable calling
Rating - Lead quality indicator

Case

Recommended Fields (4):

Priority - Urgency level
Status - Current state
Contact - Who reported
Account - Customer context

Quote

Recommended Fields (4):

Status - Approval state
Grand Total / Total Price - Deal value
Expiration Date - Urgency indicator
Opportunity - Deal context

Quote Line Item

Recommended Fields (3):

Product - What's being quoted
Quantity - How many
Total Price - Line total

Visual Indicators

Why Use Indicators?

Formula fields with images or icons can convey status information visually in the compact layout. This is especially powerful for:

Opt-out flags (Do Not Call, Email Opt Out)
Priority indicators
Health scores
Compliance status

Creating Indicator Fields

Do Not Call Indicator

Field Name: DoNotCall_Indicator__c Type: Formula (Text) Formula:

IF(DoNotCall,
   IMAGE("/img/samples/flag_red.gif", "Do Not Call", 16, 16),
   IMAGE("/img/samples/flag_green.gif", "OK to Call", 16, 16)
)

Display: Red flag (do not call) or Green flag (OK to call)

Email Opt-Out Indicator

Field Name: EmailOptOut_Indicator__c Type: Formula (Text) Formula:

IF(HasOptedOutOfEmail,
   IMAGE("/img/samples/flag_red.gif", "Email Opt Out", 16, 16),
   IMAGE("/img/samples/flag_green.gif", "OK to Email", 16, 16)
)

Combined Contact Status

Field Name: Contact_Status_Icons__c Type: Formula (Text) Formula:

"Call: " & IF(DoNotCall,
   IMAGE("/img/samples/flag_red.gif", "No", 12, 12),
   IMAGE("/img/samples/flag_green.gif", "Yes", 12, 12)) &
" Email: " & IF(HasOptedOutOfEmail,
   IMAGE("/img/samples/flag_red.gif", "No", 12, 12),
   IMAGE("/img/samples/flag_green.gif", "Yes", 12, 12))

Priority Indicator (for any object with priority)

Field Name: Priority_Indicator__c Type: Formula (Text) Formula:

CASE(Priority,
   "High", IMAGE("/img/samples/color_red.gif", "High Priority", 12, 12),
   "Medium", IMAGE("/img/samples/color_yellow.gif", "Medium Priority", 12, 12),
   "Low", IMAGE("/img/samples/color_green.gif", "Low Priority", 12, 12),
   ""
)

Indicator Best Practices

Keep icons small (12-16px) - Compact layouts have limited space
Use consistent colors - Red for warnings, Green for OK, Yellow for caution
Include alt text - For accessibility
Test in mobile - Icons render differently on mobile

CLI Operations

Retrieve Compact Layout

# Single compact layout
sf project retrieve start -m "CompactLayout:Account.Account_Compact_Layout"

# All compact layouts for an object
sf project retrieve start -m "CompactLayout:Account.*"

# All compact layouts in org
sf project retrieve start -m CompactLayout

Deploy Compact Layout

# Single layout
sf project deploy start -m "CompactLayout:Account.Account_Compact_Layout"

# With object (for assignment)
sf project deploy start -m "CompactLayout:Account.Account_Compact,CustomObject:Account"

XML Structure

Compact Layout File

Location: compactLayouts/Object.LayoutName.compactLayout-meta.xml

Structure:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<CompactLayout xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <fullName>Account_Compact</fullName>
    <label>Account Compact Layout</label>
    <fields>Phone</fields>
    <fields>Industry</fields>
    <fields>OwnerId</fields>
    <fields>Rating</fields>
</CompactLayout>

Field Order

Fields appear in the order listed in the XML. Put most important fields first.

Assignment

Default Compact Layout

Set in the CustomObject metadata:

<CustomObject>
    <compactLayoutAssignment>Account_Compact</compactLayoutAssignment>
</CustomObject>

Record Type-Specific Assignment

<CustomObject>
    <compactLayoutAssignment>Account_Compact</compactLayoutAssignment>
    <recordTypes>
        <fullName>Enterprise</fullName>
        <compactLayoutAssignment>Enterprise_Compact</compactLayoutAssignment>
    </recordTypes>
</CustomObject>

Deploying Assignments

Include CustomObject when deploying:

sf project deploy start -m "CompactLayout:Account.Account_Compact,CustomObject:Account"

Limitations

Maximum 10 fields - Hard limit, but display shows ~5
No buttons/actions - Compact layout is view-only (actions come from Highlights Panel)
Limited field types - Some complex fields don't render well
Image size limits - Formula images have size constraints

Reference Documentation

For detailed guidance, see:

field-selection.md - Field selection by object
indicator-patterns.md - Visual indicator formulas