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Custom Objects

Rules for Naming

Object Label

Singular, Pascal Case

Object Plural Label

Plural, Pascal Case

Object Name (API Name)

Singular, Pascal Case (without underscores beyond the mandatory “__c”)

Comments

When naming custom objects within Salesforce, adhere to the following rules to ensure clarity and consistency:

  1. Uniqueness: Custom object names must be unique across your organization. Begin each name with an uppercase letter.

  2. Descriptive and Whole Words: Use descriptive and whole words for object names. Avoid excessive use of acronyms and abbreviations.

  3. Singular Form: Choose singular names (e.g., "Review" instead of "Reviews," or "OrderItem" instead of "Order Items").

  4. No Underscores: Avoid including underscores ("_") in object names.

  5. Consistent Object Label: Whenever possible, align the object label with the object name. Consistency between the label and name ensures ease of navigation within Salesforce and finding the object in the various setup UIs.

  6. English Language Naming: All naming conventions should be in English.

  7. Norwegian Translation: When translating labels and user-facing text to Norwegian, adhere to our organization’s specific terminology. (Tip: Utilize Salesforce’s Translation Workbench for translating labels and user-facing text to Norwegian.)

Remember, well-defined naming conventions contribute to a streamlined and efficient Salesforce configuration.

Prefixing

As a general rule, avoid adding team names, application acronyms to object names. Instead use the description field to add team or application ownership to the object. (Another and better solution will be made for handling this later.)

Exceptions

When naming custom objects within Salesforce, consider the following exceptions to enhance clarity and maintain consistency:

  1. Acronyms and Abbreviations: Widely used and commonly understood acronyms and abbreviations can replace the long form. For instance, "HTTP," "URL," or "NAV" are acceptable.

  2. Underscores for Application Prefix: Adding an underscore is acceptable when prefixing the object name to denote its association with an application. For example:

  3. Correct: OrderApplication_Order
  4. Correct: OrderApplication_OrderItem
  5. Note: OrderItem does not have any underscores.

Remember, adhering to these exceptions ensures a balance between readability and precision in your naming conventions.

Wrong Examples

The following are examples of custom object naming that should not be used

Name (API) Reason
CustAsset Abbreviations have made this object name hard to understand
Orders Object names should always be singular.
Order_Item Object names should not have underscores.

Good Examples

The following are examples of the naming convention that will be used:

Name (API) Reason
CustomerAsset Removing ambiguity from the name will improve readability and maintainability
Order Making object names singular will ensure a standard naming convention across all objects.
OrderItem Removing all underscores will help keep a standard naming convention as many times there are words that some may separate into two words and other may not. For example: Zipcode vs. Zip Code.

The following are examples shows valid naming conventions for Object Label, Object Plural Label and Object Name (API):

Label Plural Label Name (API)
Shipping Invoice Shipping Invoices ShippingInvoice__c
Inclusion Opportunity Inclusion Opportunities InclusionOpportunity__c