Lightning App Builder versus page layout editor
Key Takeaway
On a Lightning record page that uses the Record Detail component, the fields come from the object's page layout. You add, remove, or reorder those fields in the page layout editor, not the Lightning App Builder. With Dynamic Forms, you change the fields right in the Lightning App Builder.
Two tools split the work of shaping record pages in Lightning Experience. The Lightning App Builder controls the page itself: its structure, its components, and where things go. The page layout editor controls Salesforce Classic layouts and some parts of Lightning pages. Those parts include related lists, buttons, actions, custom links, and the fields inside a Record Detail component. To pick the right tool, first check whether you're working in Salesforce Classic or Lightning Experience. Then check how the page delivers its fields.
What each tool controls
The Lightning App Builder customizes Lightning Experience pages. In it, you control the page structure, which components appear, and where they go. You can also create custom pages for different apps and users. The Lightning App Builder can customize only Lightning record pages, not Salesforce Classic record pages.
The page layout editor customizes Salesforce Classic record page layouts and, depending on how the page is set up, some parts of Lightning pages. If the work is in Salesforce Classic, the page layout editor is the right tool.
On a Lightning record page, the page layout editor controls these parts:
- Which related lists and custom links users see
- Which standard and custom buttons appear on records and related lists
- Which quick actions appear on the page
Actions from the page layout come from its "Salesforce Mobile and Lightning Experience Actions" section and display in places such as the highlights panel, the Activity tab, and the Chatter tab. Changes to page layouts in Salesforce Classic can change what Lightning Experience record pages show.
Fields in the highlights panel work differently. You set them with a compact layout, not the page layout editor.