Winter ’24 Treasure Hunt: Preview Orgs Are Live!

Winter ‘24 preview orgs are live, so it’s time for a preview party! The exciting period of time when changes are available in preview orgs (note that this link will not work until preview org sign-ups are live on August 10th) is about to kick off – we will then be able to explore the new Salesforce release features before they’re pushed to production. It’s the ideal time to learn how we can harness these new powers when they are released officially (full details here).

You will be able to access these features prior to August 10 if you have signed up for a preview org in the past – but if not, you’ll need to wait until then to sign up. This is an excellent reminder to save your preview org credentials so that you can access future features sooner!

As usual, there should be a unique Trailhead Treasure Hunter badge up for grabs – earn this by posting about the treasures you discover (as a comment on this post in the Trailblazer Community with the hashtag #Winter24Treasure).

Alright, alright, alright… Even though we are only a few days in, I have already made Winter ’24 discoveries that are sure to blow your mind! Here are my personal favorites so far…

1. Transform Component for Flow

Transform is a new logic element for Flow that enables users to map data from a data source to a new target data location. The below screenshot shows the Transform element, the Source data, the Target data, some of the mapping connections between them, and also the Formula/Delete buttons on one of the relationships (between Lead Name and Opportunity Name).

The next screenshot displays the Opportunity Name’s formula field being populated with the Lead Name, Type, and Primary Product.

2. Element Properties Flyover

The properties pane is now displayed on the right side of the screen as a flyover, as opposed to as a pop-up modal. This is the first major change to the way element properties menus are displayed since the Flow Builder was released back in 2019!

This only applies to certain elements. So far, I’ve had success with:

• Start
• Transform (Beta)
• Create
• Update
• Get
• Delete

3. Visual Enhancements Throughout Salesforce

Salesforce has received a very subtle new lick of paint. As you navigate the solution, you will see thicker lines around certain buttons or sections in a report – and as always – the icons have been given a more lively feel by enriching their colors. See below an example of how the Contacts icon has changed from Summer ‘23 (first screenshot) to Winter ‘24 (second screenshot).

4. View Summary on Permission Sets (Beta)

With the migration from profiles to permission sets well underway, Salesforce is making it much easier to identify the properties of a permission set at a glance. When you are in the Setup menu and looking at a permission set (in the screenshot below, the “Buyer Permission Set”), you will see a new View Summary (Beta) option.

Clicking on this new button will show you a single-page summary of the permissions that are granted by the permission set. These are grouped into User Permissions, Object Permissions, and Field Permissions.

5. Flow Trigger Explorer Filtration

Orgs with a large volume of flows are now able to filter by Status, Package State, or Process Type in the Flow Trigger Explorer.

6. Custom Errors in Flow

An unhandled fault has occurred… but it will never occur again! At least your users will think so now that errors can be completely customized. Could we see the end of validation rules soon, with custom errors in Flow replicating the functionality almost entirely? Speculation, as usual, but the functionality is there…

Below is the error message being displayed above the Amount field on an Opportunity record.

7. Reactive Flow Components are GA

Reactive Screen Components in Flow are going to change the game and empower admins and developers to create some truly breathtaking experiences within Flow. In Winter ‘24, they are now out of beta and ready to change the fact of Flow.

If you’d like to learn more about Reactive Screen Components from the Flow Product Manager at Salesforce, Adam White, you can read his post from May 2023 here.

8. New HTTP Callout Methods in Flow (Also, GA)

In addition to the existing GET and POST HTTP callout methods that have been in Flow for a few releases, Flow Admins and Developers will be able to make use of the PUT, PATCH, and DELETE methods too.

9. CPQ Product Selector in Flow

A new Product Selector Screen Flow component is being developed in Winter ‘24, and you can play around with it right now. This component will be hidden upon release, as it is specifically designed for CPQ.

10. Wait Elements in Flow

Salesforce split the Pause element into three separate Wait elements in Winter ‘24 with the intent to make it easier to use.

The “Wait for Conditions” is identical to the original Pause element. The “Wait for Amount of Time” allows you to specify a specific period of time in minutes, hours, days, or months before continuing on. Finally, the “Wait Until Date” is similar to the “Wait for Amount of Time” but allows you to specify an exact date on which the Flow automation will continue.

Summary

And there you have it! These are my favorite features (uncovered so far!), including a few that I’ve read about but have not yet been lucky enough to get my hands on. As usual, there are a handful of more significant upgrades and a plethora of smaller ones that are going to make for an even more polished experience for admins, developers (both declarative and programmatic), and end users alike.

It’ll be exciting to see some of the more hidden features come to light when the Salesforce Release Notes are available on August 10th. And don’t forget to sign up for a pre-release org (this link will only work when the preview is available) to see what you can find.