Salesforce Flow Reactivity: A Workaround for Date Field Limitations 🔮🪄

Salesforce's flow reactivity is a powerful new feature, but it comes with certain limitations, particularly when referencing date fields in formulas to dynamically display text inputs. This post outlines a workaround to address this challenge.

Business Scenario: Streamlining HR Time-Off Requests

XYZ Solutions uses Salesforce for HR processes. Jenna, an HR manager, needs a formal intake process for time-off requests, including validations for vacation, sick days, and travel & expense requests.

Key requirements for vacation requests:

• Must be submitted at least 14 business days before the start date

• Cannot exceed 10 business days in length

• Exceptions are allowed for family emergencies and other extenuating circustances

  
  

Building the Flow: A Step-by-Step Guide

Due to limitations in reactive screen components,dates cannot be reactively calculated in formulas for conditional visibility for text inputs. The following details a workaround to meet the business scenario requirements.

Step 1: Enable Flow Reactivity

For flow versions under API version 59, ensure reactivity is enabled. Navigate to process automation settings and check the corresponding box.

Step 2: Configure Flow Elements

Add Screen Components:

• Vacation Time Off Requirements Checkbox: This acts as a placeholder and is crucial for the reactivity workaround.

• Default Value Formula: The default value of this checkbox is determined by a formula that verifies if the start and end dates meet the specified parameters.

• Conditional Visibility: The text input field and file input component are only visible when the "Vacation Time Off Requirements" checkbox is checked.

Step 3: Testing

• Test 1: Verify that vacation requests with dates within the parameters are allowed, and that the parameters are only applied to vacation requests.

• Test 2: Confirm that requests exceeding 10 days are flagged, and that the field reactively recalculates if the employee adjusts the duration to under 10 days.

• Test 3: Ensure that requests longer than 2 weeks are flagged, and that the field reactively recalculates if the employee adjusts the duration to under 10 days.

Potential Enhancements

Future enhancements for this flow could include:

• Excluding holidays from business day calculations.

• Integrating business hours requested and remaining.