Dynamic vs. Flow Components

Avonni offers two no-code solutions to customize Salesforce UIs. Both build great experiences without code, but they're designed for different places. This guide helps you pick the right one.

---

The Fundamental Difference: Where Will You Build?

Choosing between the two products comes down to one question: where are you building your UI?

Are You Customizing Directly on a Salesforce Lightning Page?

📄 Use Case: You're in the Lightning App Builder, creating custom sections, layouts, or interfaces on App Pages, Record Pages, or Home Pages.

🎯 Your Goal: Build reusable UI elements, dashboards, record views, or data visualizations that live on the page itself — outside of any Flow process.

✅ Then Choose: Avonni Dynamic Components

Optimized for performance, reusability across multiple pages, and native reactivity directly within the Lightning Page environment.

Are You Customizing Screens Inside a Salesforce Flow?

📄 Use Case: You're in Flow Builder, creating a guided multi-step process, a wizard, an approval workflow, or any task that navigates through screens.

🎯 Your Goal: Enhance the visual appearance and interactivity of screens presented during that Flow.

✅ Then Choose: Avonni Components for Flows

Designed to integrate seamlessly with Flow Builder, leveraging Flow variables and logic within the Flow runtime.

In Short

If your work is inside Flow Builder, use Components for Flows. If your work is on a Lightning Page, use Dynamic Components

---

Dynamic Components: Key Strengths

Strength	Description
📄 Lightning Page Customization	Build unique App, Record, & Home Pages
♻️ Reusable	Build once, deploy across many pages
⚡ Performance	Optimized for fast loading directly on pages
🔗 Native Reactivity	Components update automatically — no formulas needed
🎨 Full Layout & Style Control	Design complex interfaces visually
📊 Data Visualization	Ideal for dashboards, charts, interactive tables

---

Components for Flows: Key Strengths

Strength	Description
➡️ Guided Processes	Perfect for multi-step wizards and forms
📝 Enhanced Flow Screens	Make your Flow interactions visually appealing
🤖 Flow Logic Integration	Works seamlessly with Flow variables and decisions
✅ Structured Data Input	Great for controlled data entry steps

---

At a Glance: Quick Comparison

Feature	Dynamic Components (Pages)	Components for Flows
Environment	Lightning App Builder	Flow Builder
Reusability	High (Across Pages)	Low (Single Flow)
Reactivity	Native / Visual	Formulas / Variables
Performance	Optimized for Pages	Optimized within Flow
Layout	Full Control	Limited by Flow Screen

---

Using Them Together: Best of Both Worlds

You can — and should — combine them!

Launch Flows from Pages: Use an Avonni Dynamic Component on a Lightning Page to trigger a Flow (via "Open Flow Dialog/Panel" or "Execute Flow" interactions).

This gives you the custom UI and performance of Dynamic Components plus the process automation power of Flows.

---

⚠️ A Common Mistake: Building Full Apps in Flow Screens

One of the most frequent mistakes we see is using Flow Screen Components to build entire application pages — dashboards, multi-tab record views, or data-heavy layouts — instead of guided processes.

Flow Screens work well for wizards, intake forms, and approval workflows. They were not designed to be the layout engine for a full page.

What happens when you try

Performance degrades. Every component on a Flow Screen loads within the Flow runtime, adding overhead that isn't present on a Lightning Page.

You lose reusability. A Dynamic Component built once can be dropped onto any page. A Flow Screen layout is locked to that specific Flow.

Maintenance gets painful. Flow Screens don't support the same reactivity. You end up writing formulas and decision elements that Dynamic Components handle automatically.

The real cost is time. Teams typically realize the problem 3–6 months in, after significant effort. Rebuilding at that point means redoing work that could have been avoided.

When Flow Screens Are the Right Choice

Flow Screens are the right tool when your users are following a defined path:

• Multi-step wizards (case intake, employee onboarding, quote generation)

• Approval workflows with user input at specific stages

• Guided data entry where the next screen depends on previous answers

• Quick actions that collect a few fields and run automation

Rule of thumb

If your screen doesn't have a "Next" button and users aren't moving through steps, you probably want Dynamic Components instead

The Best Pattern: Use Both Together

Most Salesforce orgs benefit from installing both packages:

1. Build your page layouts (dashboards, record pages, app pages) → Dynamic Components

2. Trigger Flows from those pages → "Open Flow Dialog" or "Open Flow Panel" interactions

3. Build the guided process (wizard, form, approval step) → Flow Screen Components

Each product does what it was designed for. Pages load fast, layouts are reusable, guided processes stay clean.

---

Do I Need to Install Both Packages?

Yes, in most cases. They are separate packages on the AppExchange, each with its own license.

You need to...	Install this
Build custom Lightning Pages	Dynamic Components
Enhance Flow Screens	Components for Flows
Build pages AND run guided processes	Both

Tip

There is no conflict between the two packages. They coexist without issues and share the same Component Builder interface

---

Conclusion

Choose based on WHERE you need the custom UI:

• Need to enhance Lightning Pages? → Dynamic Components

• Need to improve screens inside a Flow? → Components for Flows

• Need both? → Install both and let each product do what it does best