Canvas Developer Guide

Getting Started
Using Canvas
Canvas SDK
Canvas Apps and Visualforce Pages
Canvas Apps in a Page Layout or a Mobile Card
Canvas Apps in the Publisher
Canvas Apps in the Chatter Feed
Canvas in the Salesforce App
Set Canvas App Location and Add it to the Navigation Menu
Salesforce App Context Considerations
Salesforce App Access Considerations
Salesforce App Custom Icons
Salesforce App Navigation Methods for Use with Canvas Apps
Customizing Your App Lifecycle
Reference
PDF

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Canvas in the Salesforce App

Canvas enables you to expose your canvas apps in the Salesforce app. The Salesforce app is Salesforce on the go. This enterprise-class mobile app gives you real-time access to the same information that you see in the office, but it’s organized for getting work done when you’re away from your desk. Just like in the full Salesforce site, users can access publisher and Chatter feed items, including Canvas apps.

Developers can use canvas apps in the Salesforce app to:
  • Expose a canvas app as an action. An icon indicates a canvas app. You can use either the default puzzle icon or upload a custom icon for the related action.
  • Post to the feed from a canvas app in Salesforce or through the Chatter API.
  • Display a canvas app inside a feed item from within the Salesforce app. An icon indicates a canvas app. You can use either the default puzzle icon or provide a thumbnail URL in the feed item to display a custom icon.
  • Add a canvas app as an option in the navigation menu. An icon indicates a canvas app. You can use the default puzzle icon or provide a custom icon URL in the connected app settings of your canvas app.

    Canvas apps don’t appear in the app navigation menu in Salesforce for Android. To see canvas apps in the navigation menu, log in to Salesforce mobile web.

    Note

For example, you might have a canvas app that warehouse employees use to process orders on a mobile device. You can create an action that accesses the app from the icon of the device, allowing employees to pull up a list of customer orders. After an order is processed, the app sets the order status in Salesforce and posts a feed item to the associated customer account.

Users can still access your canvas app from within Salesforce on a desktop machine. The additional functionality for mobile devices that Salesforce offers doesn’t impact or limit existing functionality.