CustomApplicationComponent Metadata Type in SFDX

Architectural Overview#

In Salesforce Classic Service Cloud and Sales Cloud Console applications, persistent footer widgets—such as legacy CTI dialers, supervisor queue monitors, and global scratchpads—are defined using the CustomApplicationComponent metadata type. Each CustomApplicationComponent wraps a Visualforce page (visualforcePage) and configures the dimensions (height, width) and button styling (buttonText, buttonStyle, buttonIconUrl) of its console footer popup.

For modern Salesforce Technical Architects, CustomApplicationComponent is relevant in two primary scenarios:

1. Maintaining Hybrid / Legacy Classic Console Orgs: Keeping existing Classic Console footer tools version-controlled in SFDX alongside CustomApplication (<customApplicationComponents>).
2. Classic-to-Lightning Console Migration: Auditing all CustomApplicationComponent definitions in an org to map each Visualforce footer widget to a modern Lightning Web Component (lightning__UtilityBar target) inside the Lightning App’s <utilityBar> (FlexiPage).

SFDX Directory and File Suffix#

Key Metadata Fields#

CustomApplicationComponent defines the Visualforce page binding and the visual geometry of the console footer button and popup window.

Declarative XML Example#

Below is an example Legacy_Supervisor_Ticker.customApplicationComponent-meta.xml that embeds a SupervisorQueueMonitor Visualforce page as a 400x300 pixel widget in the Classic Console footer.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<CustomApplicationComponent xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <buttonStyle>font-weight:bold;color:#0176d3;</buttonStyle>
    <buttonText>Queue Ticker</buttonText>
    <buttonWidth>140</buttonWidth>
    <height>300</height>
    <isHeightFixed>false</isHeightFixed>
    <isHidden>false</isHidden>
    <isWidthFixed>false</isWidthFixed>
    <visualforcePage>SupervisorQueueMonitor</visualforcePage>
    <width>400</width>
</CustomApplicationComponent>

package.xml Manifest#

When deploying a CustomApplicationComponent, its backing ApexPage must also be included:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Package xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
    <types>
        <members>Legacy_Supervisor_Ticker</members>
        <name>CustomApplicationComponent</name>
    </types>
    <types>
        <members>SupervisorQueueMonitor</members>
        <name>ApexPage</name>
    </types>
    <version>68.0</version>
</Package>

SFDX CLI Retrieval and Deployment#

Retrieve and audit CustomApplicationComponent artifacts using the sf CLI:

# Retrieve all Classic Console CustomApplicationComponents in the org
sf project retrieve start --metadata CustomApplicationComponent

# Deploy a specific CustomApplicationComponent and its Visualforce page
sf project deploy start \
  --metadata CustomApplicationComponent:Legacy_Supervisor_Ticker \
  --metadata ApexPage:SupervisorQueueMonitor

Architect Best Practices and Gotchas#

• Deletion Dependency on CustomApplication: You cannot delete a CustomApplicationComponent (or its underlying ApexPage) while it is still referenced in the <customApplicationComponents> list of any CustomApplication (.app-meta.xml) file. Remove the reference from the .app-meta.xml first before running destructiveChanges.xml.

Frequently asked questions

What is a CustomApplicationComponent in Salesforce?

CustomApplicationComponent represents a custom console component (backed by a Visualforce page) added to the footer of a Salesforce Classic Console app.

Where are CustomApplicationComponent files stored in SFDX?

They are stored in force-app/main/default/customApplicationComponents/ with the file suffix .customApplicationComponent-meta.xml.

Does CustomApplicationComponent work in Lightning Experience Console apps?

No. CustomApplicationComponent only renders in the footer of Salesforce Classic Console apps. In Lightning Experience, console footer widgets are replaced by the Lightning App Utility Bar defined on a FlexiPage.

Why do architects still encounter CustomApplicationComponent in CI/CD?

Enterprise orgs maintaining hybrid Classic Console apps or executing Classic-to-Lightning migrations retrieve CustomApplicationComponent metadata to audit Visualforce softphone, CTI, and omni-supervisor footer widgets before refactoring them to LWC.