Page layouts versus Lightning record pages
Key Takeaway
When a Lightning record page shows its fields through the Record Detail component, those fields come from the page layout, so you change them in the page layout editor. With Dynamic Forms, you arrange the fields in the Lightning App Builder.
Salesforce gives admins two tools for shaping what users see on a record. A page layout, which you edit in the page layout editor, controls which fields, buttons, custom links and related lists appear, and which fields are required or read-only. A Lightning record page, which you build in the Lightning App Builder, controls the structure and components of a record page in Lightning Experience and the Salesforce mobile app. A Lightning record page often still pulls its content from the page layout.
Page layouts and Lightning record pages
| Built in | Used in | Editions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page layout | Page layout editor | Salesforce Classic and Lightning Experience | Available in all editions |
| Lightning record page | Lightning App Builder | Lightning Experience and the Salesforce mobile app | The Lightning App Builder is available in Group, Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, Performance, Unlimited and Developer Editions |
A page layout controls the layout and organization of these elements on object record pages:
- Buttons
- Fields
- S-controls
- Visualforce
- Custom links
- Related lists
A page layout also helps determine which fields are visible, read-only and required. When you create a custom object, Salesforce automatically creates a default page layout for it.
You build a Lightning record page in the Lightning App Builder by adding, removing or reordering components on a canvas. A Lightning record page controls the page structure:
- Standard templates
- Tabs
- Custom Lightning components (LWC and Aura)
- Where elements such as related lists, record fields and highlights sit on the page