ISVforce Guide
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Glossary
The following terms and definitions describe key application and
packaging concepts and capabilities:
- App
- Short for “application.” A collection of components such as tabs, reports, dashboards, and Visualforce pages that address a specific business need. Salesforce provides standard apps such as Sales and Call Center. You can customize the standard apps to match the way you work. In addition, you can package an app and upload it to the AppExchange along with related components such as custom fields, custom tabs, and custom objects. Then, you can make the app available to other Salesforce users from the AppExchange.
- AppExchange
- The AppExchange is a sharing interface from Salesforce that allows you to browse and share apps and services for the Force.com platform.
- Beta, Managed Package
- In the context of managed packages, a beta managed package is an early version of a managed package distributed to a sampling of your intended audience to test it.
- Deploy
- To move functionality from an inactive state to active. For example, when developing new features in the Salesforce user interface, you must select the “Deployed” option to make the functionality visible to other users.
- The process by which an application or other functionality is moved from development to production.
- To move metadata components from a local file system to a Salesforce organization.
- For installed apps, deployment makes any custom objects in the app available to users in your organization. Before a custom object is deployed, it is only available to administrators and any users with the “Customize Application” permission.
- License Management Application (LMA)
- A free AppExchange app that allows you to track sales leads and accounts for every user who downloads your managed package (app) from the AppExchange.
- License Management Organization (LMO)
- The Salesforce organization that you use to track all the Salesforce users who install your package. A license management organization must have the License Management Application (LMA) installed. It automatically receives notification every time your package is installed or uninstalled so that you can easily notify users of upgrades. You can specify any Enterprise, Unlimited, Performance, or Developer Edition organization as your license management organization. For more information, go to http://www.salesforce.com/docs/en/lma/index.htm.
- Major Release
- A significant release of a package. During these releases, the major and minor numbers of a package version increase to any chosen value.
- Managed Package
- A collection of application components that is posted as a unit on the AppExchange and associated with a namespace and possibly a License Management Organization. To support upgrades, a package must be managed. An organization can create a single managed package that can be downloaded and installed by many different organizations. Managed packages differ from unmanaged packages by having some locked components, allowing the managed package to be upgraded later. Unmanaged packages do not include locked components and cannot be upgraded. In addition, managed packages obfuscate certain components (like Apex) on subscribing organizations to protect the intellectual property of the developer.
- Managed Package Extension
- Any package, component, or set of components that adds to the functionality of a managed package. You cannot install an extension before installing its managed package.
- Namespace Prefix
- In a packaging context, a namespace prefix is a one to 15-character alphanumeric identifier that distinguishes your package and its contents from packages of other developers on AppExchange. Namespace prefixes are case-insensitive. For example, ABC and abc are not recognized as unique. Your namespace prefix must be globally unique across all Salesforce organizations. It keeps your managed package under your control exclusively.
- Package
- A group of Force.com components and applications that are made available to other organizations through the AppExchange. You use packages to bundle an app along with any related components so that you can upload them to AppExchange together.
- Package Dependency
- This is created when one component references another
component, permission, or preference that is required for the component to be
valid. Components can include but are not limited to:
- Standard or custom fields
- Standard or custom objects
- Visualforce pages
- Apex code
- Divisions
- Multicurrency
- Record types
- Package Installation
- Installation incorporates the contents of a package into your Salesforce organization. A package on the AppExchange can include an app, a component, or a combination of the two. After you install a package, you may need to deploy components in the package to make it generally available to the users in your organization.
- Package Version
- A package version is a number that identifies the set of components uploaded in a package. The version number has the format majorNumber.minorNumber.patchNumber (for example, 2.1.3). The major and minor numbers increase to a chosen value during every major release. The patchNumber is generated and updated only for a patch release.
- Unmanaged packages are not upgradeable, so each package version is simply a set of components for distribution. A package version has more significance for managed packages. Packages can exhibit different behavior for different versions. Publishers can use package versions to evolve the components in their managed packages gracefully by releasing subsequent package versions without breaking existing customer integrations using the package. See also Patch and Patch Development Organization.
- Patch
- A patch enables a developer to change the functionality of existing components in a managed package, while ensuring subscribing organizations that there are no visible behavior changes to the package. For example, you can add new variables or change the body of an Apex class, but you may not add, deprecate, or remove any of its methods. Patches are tracked by a patchNumber appended to every package version. See also Patch Development Organization and Package Version.
- Patch Development Organization
- The organization where patch versions are developed, maintained, and uploaded. Patch development organizations are created automatically for a developer organization when they request to create a patch. See also Patch and Package Version.
- Patch Release
- A minor upgrade to a managed package. During these releases, the patch number of a package version increments.
- Publisher
- The publisher of an AppExchange listing is the Salesforce user or organization that published the listing.
- Push Upgrade
- A method of delivering updates that sends upgrades of an installed managed package to all organizations that have installed the package.
- Subscriber
- The subscriber of a package is a Salesforce user with an installed package in their Salesforce organization.
- Test Drive
- A test drive is a fully functional Salesforce organization that contains an app and any sample records added by the publisher for a particular package. It allows users on AppExchange to experience an app as a read-only user using a familiar Salesforce interface.
- Unmanaged Package
- A package that cannot be upgraded or controlled by its developer.
- Upgrading
- Upgrading a package is the process of installing a newer version. Salesforce supports upgrades for managed packages that are not beta.
- Uploading
- Uploading a package in Salesforce provides an installation URL so other users can install it. Uploading also makes your packaged available to be published on AppExchange.