by Scott Nelson

Contributor

5 easy steps to install custom components in Salesforce Trailhead playground orgs

opinion

Sep 6, 20172 mins

Spend less time installing components in your Salesforce Trailhead Playground and more time learning to use them with this shortcut approach

Salesforce.com Trailhead trainings are a great way to learn Salesforce. Some of the hands-on challenges require installing components.

If you are using a Developer org to run these, the instructions are easy to follow. However, if you are using a Trailhead Playground org, it is kind of a pain to install some components. Trailhead thoughtfully provides a link for how to do component installations in each lesson that includes one.

However, the provided instructions have eleven steps, which I find a bit too time-consuming and somewhat confusing. I have come up with a slightly different approach that seems (at least to me) simpler and faster.

The instructions for installing the component (as in the screenshot below) will often be provided well before the challenge and the hint to avoid the frustration of trying to log into a Playground org when prompted by the standard component installation URL.

Salesforce Trailhead Component installation example

Here are my five steps:

Step 1: Decide whether you will read through the full lesson or skip right to the challenge. When you get to the challenge, open your Trailhead Playground org in a new window by right-clicking on the Launch button (as pictured below).

Right-click on the Hands On Challenge Launch button for the Open Link in New Window option

Step 2: Log in to your Trailhead Playground org.

Step 3: Go back to the lesson screen and copy the component installation URL without the domain, such as packaging/installPackage.apexp?p0=04tj0000001mMYP

Select the package install path without the domain portion of the URL

In some cases, the installation instructions will have a link without the URL on the page. In this case, right-click the link and copy the target to get the path, pasting it into a text editor to extract the portion following the domain.

Right click on the likn to copy the address if the URL is not displayed

Step 4: With the package path in your clipboard, paste it after the domain name of your Playground in the window you have already logged into and press Enter.

With the package path in your clipboard, past it after the domain name of your Playground in the window you have already logged into

Step 5: Once the installation screen comes up, you can continue as instructed in the Trailhead lesson.

Component installation screen should load

I have tested this on both Chrome and Firefox running in Windows 7. Your results may vary with a different combination of browsers and operating system. Happy trails!

SaaSSoftware Development

by Scott Nelson

Contributor

Scott S. Nelson is a professional services technology consultant focused on leading the implementation of highly integrated solutions in the cloud, on premise, and often with a web-enabled user interface on platforms such as Informatica Cloud, Salesforce.com and Oracle WebCenter.

He has been creating business value with technology since 1991 when he came into his marketing communications office one morning to find a pile of boxed components and a note from the company president saying “Please set up.” After all six 486 machines were networked and online at a brisk 2400 baud rate he configured a Microsoft Works Database to manage the sales process from lead rotation to order creation and became another “accidental IT guy.”

In the last 26 years Scott has lead the way in finding applications of technology to improve business processes and profitability. He has worked with companies as small as one person and as large as 200,000 employees. He has been an independent consultant and worked for small consultancies and within large software vendor professional services groups at BEA and Oracle. He strives for every solution he contributes to make it easier for users to get things done and application support teams to go home on time.

The opinions expressed in this blog are those of Scott S Nelson and do not necessarily represent those of IDG Communications, Inc., its parent, subsidiary or affiliated companies.

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5 easy steps to install custom components in Salesforce Trailhead playground orgs

Spend less time installing components in your Salesforce Trailhead Playground and more time learning to use them with this shortcut approach

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