salesforce-component-standards

Salesforce Component Quality Standards

Apply these checks to every LWC, Aura component, and Visualforce page you write or review.

Section 1 — LWC Quality Standards

1.1 Data Access Pattern Selection

Choose the right data access pattern before writing JavaScript controller code:

Use case	Pattern	Why
Read a single record reactively (follows navigation)	@wire(getRecord, { recordId, fields })	Lightning Data Service — cached, reactive
Standard CRUD form for a single object	<lightning-record-form> or <lightning-record-edit-form>	Built-in FLS, CRUD, and accessibility
Complex server query or filtered list	@wire(apexMethodName, { param }) on a cacheable=true method	Allows caching; wire re-fires on param change
User-triggered action, DML, or non-cacheable server call	Imperative apexMethodName(params).then(...).catch(...)	Required for DML — wired methods cannot be @AuraEnabled without cacheable=true
Cross-component communication (no shared parent)	Lightning Message Service (LMS)	Decoupled, works across DOM boundaries
Multi-object graph relationships	GraphQL @wire(gql, { query, variables })	Single round-trip for complex related data

1.2 Security Rules

Rule	Enforcement
No raw user data in innerHTML	Use {expression} binding in the template — the framework auto-escapes. Never use this.template.querySelector('.el').innerHTML = userValue
Apex @AuraEnabled methods enforce CRUD/FLS	Use WITH USER_MODE in SOQL or explicit Schema.sObjectType checks
No hardcoded org-specific IDs in component JavaScript	Query or pass as a prop — never embed record IDs in source
@api properties from parent: validate before use	A parent can pass anything — validate type and range before using as a query parameter

1.3 SLDS 2 and Styling Standards

• Never hardcode colours: color: #FF3366 → use color: var(--slds-c-button-brand-color-background) or a semantic SLDS token.
• Never override SLDS classes with !important — compose with custom CSS properties.
• Use <lightning-*> base components wherever they exist: lightning-button, lightning-input, lightning-datatable, lightning-card, etc.
• Base components include built-in SLDS 2, dark mode, and accessibility — avoid reimplementing their behaviour.
• If using custom CSS, test in both light mode and dark mode before declaring done.

1.4 Accessibility Requirements (WCAG 2.1 AA)

Every LWC component must pass all of these before it is considered done:

• All form inputs have <label> or aria-label — never use placeholder as the only label
• All icon-only buttons have alternative-text or aria-label describing the action
• All interactive elements are reachable and operable by keyboard (Tab, Enter, Space, Escape)
• Colour is not the only means of conveying status — pair with text, icon, or aria-* attributes
• Error messages are associated with their input via aria-describedby
• Focus management is correct in modals — focus moves into the modal on open and back on close

1.5 Component Communication Rules

Direction	Mechanism
Parent → Child	@api property or calling a @api method
Child → Parent	CustomEvent — this.dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('eventname', { detail: data }))
Sibling / unrelated components	Lightning Message Service (LMS)
Never use	document.querySelector, window.*, or Pub/Sub libraries

For Flow screen components:

• Events that need to reach the Flow runtime must set bubbles: true and composed: true.
• Expose @api value for two-way binding with the Flow variable.

1.6 JavaScript Performance Rules

• No side effects in connectedCallback: it runs on every DOM attach — avoid DML, heavy computation, or rendering state mutations here.
• Guard renderedCallback: always use a boolean guard to prevent infinite render loops.
• Avoid reactive property traps: setting a reactive property inside renderedCallback causes a re-render — use it only when necessary and guarded.
• Do not store large datasets in component state — paginate or stream large results instead.

1.7 Jest Test Requirements

Every component that handles user interaction or retrieves Apex data must have a Jest test:

// Minimum test coverage expectations
it('renders the component with correct title', async () => { ... });
it('calls apex method and displays results', async () => { ... });  // Wire mock
it('dispatches event when button is clicked', async () => { ... });
it('shows error state when apex call fails', async () => { ... }); // Error path

Use @salesforce/sfdx-lwc-jest mocking utilities:

• wire adapter mocking: setImmediate + emit({ data, error })
• Apex method mocking: jest.mock('@salesforce/apex/MyClass.myMethod', ...)

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Section 2 — Aura Component Standards

2.1 When to Use Aura vs LWC

• New components: always LWC unless the target context is Aura-only (e.g. extending force:appPage, using Aura-specific events in a legacy managed package).
• Migrating Aura to LWC: prefer LWC, migrate component-by-component; LWC can be embedded inside Aura components.

2.2 Aura Security Rules

• @AuraEnabled controller methods must declare with sharing and enforce CRUD/FLS — Aura does not enforce them automatically.
• Never use {!v.something} with unescaped user data in <div> unbound helpers — use <ui:outputText value="{!v.text}" /> or <c:something> to escape.
• Validate all inputs from component attributes before using them in SOQL / Apex logic.

2.3 Aura Event Design

• Component events for parent-child communication — lowest scope.
• Application events only when component events cannot reach the target — they broadcast to the entire app and can be a performance and maintenance problem.
• For hybrid LWC + Aura stacks: use Lightning Message Service to decouple communication — do not rely on Aura application events reaching LWC components.

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Section 3 — Visualforce Security Standards

3.1 XSS Prevention

<!-- ❌ NEVER — renders raw user input as HTML -->
<apex:outputText value="{!userInput}" escape="false" />

<!-- ✅ ALWAYS — auto-escaping on -->
<apex:outputText value="{!userInput}" />
<!-- Default escape="true" — platform HTML-encodes the output -->

Rule: escape="false" is never acceptable for user-controlled data. If rich text must be rendered, sanitise server-side with a whitelist before output.

3.2 CSRF Protection

Use <apex:form> for all postback actions — the platform injects a CSRF token automatically into the form. Do not use raw <form method="POST"> HTML elements, which bypass CSRF protection.

3.3 SOQL Injection Prevention in Controllers

// ❌ NEVER
String soql = 'SELECT Id FROM Account WHERE Name = \'' + ApexPages.currentPage().getParameters().get('name') + '\'';
List<Account> results = Database.query(soql);

// ✅ ALWAYS — bind variable
String nameParam = ApexPages.currentPage().getParameters().get('name');
List<Account> results = [SELECT Id FROM Account WHERE Name = :nameParam];

3.4 View State Management Checklist

• View state is under 135 KB (check in browser developer tools or the Salesforce View State tab)
• Fields used only for server-side calculations are declared transient
• Large collections are not persisted across postbacks unnecessarily
• readonly="true" is set on <apex:page> for read-only pages to skip view-state serialisation

3.5 FLS / CRUD in Visualforce Controllers

// Before reading a field
if (!Schema.sObjectType.Account.fields.Revenue__c.isAccessible()) {
    ApexPages.addMessage(new ApexPages.Message(ApexPages.Severity.ERROR, 'You do not have access to this field.'));
    return null;
}

// Before performing DML
if (!Schema.sObjectType.Account.isDeletable()) {
    throw new System.NoAccessException();
}

Standard controllers enforce FLS for bound fields automatically. Custom controllers do not — FLS must be enforced manually.

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Quick Reference — Component Anti-Patterns Summary

Anti-pattern	Technology	Risk	Fix
innerHTML with user data	LWC	XSS	Use template bindings {expression}
Hardcoded hex colours	LWC/Aura	Dark-mode / SLDS 2 break	Use SLDS CSS custom properties
Missing aria-label on icon buttons	LWC/Aura/VF	Accessibility failure	Add alternative-text or aria-label
No guard in renderedCallback	LWC	Infinite rerender loop	Add hasRendered boolean guard
Application event for parent-child	Aura	Unnecessary broadcast scope	Use component event instead
escape="false" on user data	Visualforce	XSS	Remove — use default escaping
Raw <form> postback	Visualforce	CSRF vulnerability	Use <apex:form>
No with sharing on custom controller	VF / Apex	Data exposure	Add with sharing declaration
FLS not checked in custom controller	VF / Apex	Privilege escalation	Add Schema.sObjectType checks
SOQL concatenated with URL param	VF / Apex	SOQL injection	Use bind variables