Lightning Component/Embedded Visualforce page - Fields editable on page mode

Question

I have 2 multi-select picklists that have long lists of values. The Lightning version of multi-select picklists are not built in a way that safely handle large numbers of values as it would be easy to miss hitting CTRL and emptying out all previously selected values. I'm trying to find some other solution to this through either adding a lightning component (using duallistbox) or embedded Visualforce page (which uses Classic multi-select picklists) alongside the normal page layout.

Is there a way with either of these options to trigger them to open up for editing when clicking the normal Edit button and saving by clicking the normal Save button? And if it's on the view mode, just show the output field value?

Answer 1

Is there a way with either of these options to trigger them to open up for editing when clicking the normal Edit button and saving by clicking the normal Save button?

The time you introduce a custom component or a VF page, you won't be able to utilize the standard Edit button to achieve what you want to do. Standard Edit button only operates on the standard page layout of the object. But when you add different components, they live outside of that page layout and thus it cannot be handled using standard Edit.

Your options here will be:

• Customize the overall page and Edit button (which I won't recommend just for one field)
• Create custom component for the multi select picklist field, but let Users make edits only on that component carried out separately from the Edit operation on the standard page layout

And if it's on the view mode, just show the output field value?

If you follow the second approach as above, then you can achieve the other part of your question that way. So you always use the standard field on the standard page layout which say is marked as "Read Only" on the layout. So it won't be available on Edit screens. And that you use your custom component to enter or edit values on that field.