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Are you a Salesforce administrator or developer who often works with permission sets and needs an efficient way to explore and manage permissions? Look no further! In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to a powerful custom Lightning Web Component (LWC) called “Permission Set Explorer,” which can revolutionize how you handle Salesforce permission sets.

Exploring the Generate Excel Feature

One of the most exciting features of the Permission Set Explorer LWC component is the “Generate Excel” functionality. With just a single click of a button, you can export the permission set information into an Excel spreadsheet, providing a convenient and portable way to analyze and share the data with stakeholders. This feature comes in handy when you need to review or document the permission sets for compliance purposes or to analyze access levels across different objects.

Utilizing the Sheet JS Library for Excel Generation

The “Generate Excel” feature of the Permission Set Explorer is powered by the Sheet JS library, which is seamlessly integrated into the LWC component. Sheet JS is a JavaScript library that enables client-side Excel generation, making it easy to create, read, and modify Excel files right from within the browser.

The benefits of using the Sheet JS library for this feature are numerous:

1. Client-Side Excel Generation: With Sheet JS, the Excel file is generated on the client-side, meaning the data doesn’t need to be sent back and forth to the server. This ensures a faster and more responsive experience for users.
2. No Server-Side Code Required: Thanks to Sheet JS’s capabilities, the LWC component can handle the entire Excel generation process on its own. There’s no need for additional server-side code, reducing complexity and enhancing the component’s portability.
3. Support for Various File Formats: Sheet JS supports not only Excel (XLSX) but also other popular file formats like CSV and ODS. This allows you to cater to different user preferences when exporting data.
4. Ease of Use and Integration: Integrating Sheet JS into the LWC component is straightforward and intuitive, enabling developers to quickly add Excel generation capabilities without a steep learning curve.

Exploring the Permission Set Explorer Feature

The core functionality of the Permission Set Explorer LWC component revolves around exploring and presenting Salesforce permission set information in a user-friendly manner. Let’s understand how this feature can be beneficial for Salesforce admins and developers:

1. Easy Selection of Permission Set: The component provides a user-friendly dropdown (combobox) that lists all the available permission sets. Users can easily select the desired permission set from the list, streamlining the exploration process.
2. Permission Set Details Table: Once a permission set is selected, the component displays a tabular representation of the permission details. The table showcases various permissions for different objects, including Read, Create, Edit, Delete, View All, and Modify All.
3. Visual Indicators for Permissions: To make the information more understandable at a glance, the component utilizes lightning-icons to represent permissions visually. A green checkmark icon indicates “TRUE” (permission granted), while a red “X” icon indicates “FALSE” (permission not granted).
4. Dynamic Data Loading: The component dynamically fetches the permission details for the selected permission set, ensuring that users get the most up-to-date information without unnecessary delays.

Benefits for Salesforce Admins and Developers

The Permission Set Explorer LWC component offers several benefits for Salesforce admins and developers:

1. Streamlined Permission Management: With a clear overview of permission sets and their details, admins can efficiently manage and fine-tune access levels for different user profiles.
2. Efficient Auditing and Compliance: The ability to export permission set information to Excel facilitates auditing and compliance efforts, making it easier to review and share permission details with stakeholders.
3. Enhanced User Experience: The client-side Excel generation and dynamic data loading ensure a smoother user experience, reducing wait times and improving overall usability.
4. Customizable and Extendable: The LWC component can be easily customized and extended to add more features or integrate with other Salesforce functionalities.

The code

Prerequisites

To follow along with this tutorial, you’ll need the following prerequisites:

1. Salesforce Developer Account: You need access to a Salesforce developer account to create custom LWC components and Apex classes.
2. Basic Understanding of Salesforce: Familiarity with Salesforce platform concepts such as objects, fields, profiles, and permission sets will be helpful.
3. Salesforce CLI: Install Salesforce CLI to create and deploy Lightning Web Components.
4. Text Editor: Use your preferred text editor for writing and editing code.

Step 1: Add Sheet JS Static Resource in Salesforce Org

Download https://cdn.sheetjs.com/xlsx-0.20.0/package/dist/xlsx.full.min.js

DO NOT “COPY AND PASTE”! The file should be explicitly downloaded. Copying and pasting corrupts the source code and the component will fail in subtle ways. The easiest approach is to right-click the link and select “Save Link As…”

Setup > Home > Search ‘Static Resource’ > Click on ‘New’ button > Add a static resource

Step 2: Creating the Permission Set Explorer Component

Let’s begin by creating the “Permission Set Explorer” component in Salesforce. Follow these steps:

1. Open your Salesforce Developer Console or any text editor of your choice.
2. Create a new Lightning Web Component with the name “PermissionSetExplorer.”

Step 3: HTML Structure

In the <strong>PermissionSetExplorer.html</strong> file, we’ll define the HTML structure for our component. The component will consist of a Lightning Card containing a picklist to select a permission set and a button to generate an Excel file. We’ll also display the object-level permissions in a tabular format. Here’s the HTML code:

In this HTML code, we define the layout of the “Permission Set Explorer” component. It includes a Lightning Card that contains a picklist to select a permission set, a button to generate an Excel file, a spinner to indicate data loading, and a table to display object-level permissions.

Step 4: JavaScript Logic

Now, let’s add the JavaScript logic for our component in the <strong>PermissionSetExplorer.js</strong> file. The JavaScript code will handle the following functionalities:

1. Fetching the list of available permission sets using Apex method getPermissionSets.
2. Fetching the object-level permissions for the selected permission set using Apex method getPermissions.
3. Preparing and displaying the data in the table format.
4. Generating an Excel file with the permission set details for download.

Here’s the JavaScript code:

In this JavaScript code, we have implemented methods to fetch permission sets, object-level permissions, and generate an Excel file for download.

Step 5: Apex Controller

To retrieve data from Salesforce, we need to create an Apex controller. Create an Apex class named <strong>PermissionSetController</strong> with the following code:

In this Apex class, we have implemented two methods: getPermissionSets to retrieve the list of permission sets and getPermissions to retrieve object-level permissions for the selected permission set.

Step 6: Styling

To make the component visually appealing, we can add CSS styling. Create a new file named <strong>PermissionSetExplorer.css</strong> and add the following CSS code:

Step 7: Deploying the Component

Now that we have built the “Permission Set Explorer” LWC component and the associated Apex controller, it’s time to deploy them to your Salesforce org.

1. Use Salesforce CLI to deploy the component and Apex class to your org.
2. Once deployed, create a Lightning App Page and add the “Permission Set Explorer” component to the page.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we have learned how to build a custom Lightning Web Component called “Permission Set Explorer” in Salesforce. This component provides an intuitive user interface to explore and manage permission sets efficiently. Users can select a permission set, view its object-level permissions, and generate an Excel file for download. By following this tutorial, you can empower administrators to easily manage user permissions in your Salesforce org.

Happy Salesforce development!