With every Salesforce release comes a fresh set of developments and changes. Following the trend, the Salesforce Winter ‘21 release has announced its plans for retiring<apex:flash> component. This announcement comes as a response to Adobe’s decision of discontinuing flash after December 2020.
What this progression entails for you is a revision of your visualforce pages before the retirement of flash comes into effect and find other alternatives to fill the gap left behind by it.
In this article, we explore what you could do to prepare for the retirement of flash and what are the alternatives you could look into.
Why is Adobe retiring flash?
Adobe had announced its plans for discontinuing Flash by 2020 way back in 2017. And even then, it didn’t come as a surprise to the industry experts. Major browsers like Google, Mozilla, Apple, Microsoft are already in the process of removing flash to keep track with Adobe’s retirement timeline.
At the dawn of internet technology, Adobe flash brought the multimedia experience to the world wide web. Then, how did it lose its hold over time? One of the most important reasons is cybersecurity.
Since the beginning, Adobe Flash has been a vulnerable program prone to cyber attacks and malware. It was about time that Adobe took a step towards making way for more secure and modern alternatives.
Presently, Adobe has already started the disenablemnt process and if you haven’t made the switch from Adobe Flash yet, then, this is the time to start.
What are your options with Salesforce after the retirement of Adobe Flash?
Here’s a list of steps that you can take with your Salesforce solutions after Adobe Flash requires –
- Refactor your Salesforce integration to omit or remove the use of <apex:flash> component. Especially if you use API 50 or above, you will not be able to exercise any other alternative except removal.
- Shifting to HTML 5 altogether by converting the code.
- Migrating to Salesforce lightning web component from Visualforce. It is recommended as it doesn’t use Flash in its functionalities since its inception. Simultaneously, Salesforce lightning web component has proven to be revolutionary in terms of enhanced speed, security and performance. Besides preparing you for a future without Adobe Flash, Salesforce lightning web component offers the following benefits –
Why choosing a Salesforce Lightning Web Component is a better choice?
Greater pool of developers available: Salesforce LWC integrates custom HTML elements with modern Javascript and can coexist with Aura components. What this means in layman language is that anybody with knowledge of a front-end language like Visualfore or even a non-Salesforce developer who understands Node.Js or React.JS can switch to this. This simplicity helps in training your workforce with ease and migrating to LWC becomes a hassle-free task.
Easy customization: Salesforce LWC uses advanced technologies like CSS3, HTML5 and touch events that help in creating a responsive and customized design. Business owners have the freedom of customizing the components in any way they want with SLDS.
Faster Development: Salesforce lightning web component allows developers to work with generic components that only require a drag and drop functionality to be used on different pages. It also enables teams to work seamlessly on mobile and desktop devices.
Clearly, shifting to Salesforce lightning web component is a futuristic approach that will keep your digital solutions agile and customer-centric. While you may choose to carry this task with your in-house team, here’s how an experienced partner can help you leverage Salesforce better for your business.
Why do you need an experienced Salesforce partner?
Migrating to the Salesforce lightning web component requires understanding of the intricacies of the process and a team that can align your process and people with the changes in new technology.
An experienced partner like Ranosys can help you make the shift quicker and in a more efficient manner. With 12+ years of experience and a team of certified Salesforce experts, Ranosys understands what every industry requires in digital transformation.
So, before the clock strikes on 31st december and you have to bid a goodbye to Flas, we suggest you make a decision which will give you a competitive edge – shift to Salesforce lightning web component with Ranosys
