Understanding apex:detail Component in Visualforce

The <apex:detail> component is used to display the detailed view of a Salesforce record on a Visualforce page. It replicates the standard layout of a record, similar to what users see in the Salesforce UI.

Why Use <apex:detail>?

• Easily show the full details of a Salesforce record.
• Leverage standard page layouts without custom code.
• Integrates seamlessly with Salesforce record data.

Basic Syntax

xmlCopyEdit<apex:detail subject="{!recordId}" relatedList="true" title="true"/>

• subject: The ID of the record you want to display.
• relatedList: If true, shows related lists (like Contacts under Account).
• title: If true, displays the standard record title at the top.

Example: Displaying Account Record Details

xmlCopyEdit<apex:page standardController="Account">
    <apex:detail relatedList="true" title="true"/>
</apex:page>

This code uses a standard controller for the Account object and displays the account’s full details.

Key Attributes

• relatedList: Shows related lists if set to true.
• title: Displays the record title/header when set to true.
• showChatter: Set to true to include the Chatter feed for the record (if enabled).
• inlineEdit: Allows inline editing of fields when enabled.

Use Cases

• View-Only Record Page: When you need a read-only view of a record.
• Custom Record Pages: Integrate into a custom layout with other components.
• Detail View with Related Lists: Show contacts, opportunities, or other related records.