In this chapter, we look at how to extend the functionality of the Salesforce CRM application and move beyond the standard pages and functionality that we have looked at so far. An overview of the technologies and techniques that allow advanced customization will be presented, which will help you gain an understanding of the features and considerations required to create web mashups in your Salesforce CRM applications.
You will discover how, with use of the platform and technologies such as Visualforce, you can extend the core functionality of the application and leverage significant benefits for your organization and enhance the system without the need for expensive IT development resources.
A mashup is a general term that is commonly used to describe the merging of functionality and content from multiple sources. It is typically applied to describe the merging of web applications where the sources may often be using different technology to provide the service or application, but as part of the distinction for a web application mashup, the common feature which provides the connectivity is the Internet.
The connections between the various sources may require different levels and complexities of integration, depending on whether the associated information or content is to be simply viewed or whether it is also to be amended, and so whether data is to be distributed across the various systems.
When mashups first started appearing on the web, they were quite simply created to enable the viewing of content from another web source within a Internet browser, and did not transfer any data or functionality between the source systems.
An example of such a mashup is a web site which displays a "how to find us" type of page within the one of its web pages on the site, such as the contact page. Within the HTML code, there might be an embedded piece of functionality showing a static Google map or similar web control as shown next:
This type of mashup is an example of a simple client-side mashup, where the connectivity occurs inside the web browser. This coding inside the web page provides a way to combine static information from multiple Internet sources and generate an elegant visual presentation.
As mashups have evolved, far more complex functionality can now be achieved. It is possible to have sophisticated integration between web applications where information and functionality are seamlessly shared. As you might expect, this requires more complex coding to achieve, and also may require the use of server-side infrastructures. We will shortly look at the distinction between the client-side and server-side mashups.