Understanding apex:commandLink Component in Visualforce

The <apex:commandLink> component creates a clickable link that behaves like a button—triggering an action defined in the controller when clicked.

Syntax

xmlCopyEdit<apex:commandLink value="Click Here" action="{!doSomething}" />

Key Attributes

Example 1: Basic Usage

xmlCopyEdit<apex:form>
    <apex:commandLink value="View Details" action="{!viewDetails}" />
</apex:form>

• Calls the viewDetails method when the user clicks the link.

Example 2: Link With ReRender

xmlCopyEdit<apex:form>
    <apex:commandLink value="Get Message" action="{!getMessage}" reRender="outputMsg" />
    <apex:outputPanel id="outputMsg">
        <apex:outputText value="{!message}" />
    </apex:outputPanel>
</apex:form>

• Refreshes the message display area without reloading the full page.

Example 3: Link Inside a Table

xmlCopyEdit<apex:dataTable value="{!accounts}" var="acc">
    <apex:column headerValue="Name">
        <apex:commandLink value="{!acc.Name}" action="{!viewAccount}">
            <apex:param name="accountId" value="{!acc.Id}" assignTo="{!selectedAccountId}" />
        </apex:commandLink>
    </apex:column>
</apex:dataTable>

• Each link passes the account ID to the controller when clicked.

When to Use <apex:commandLink>

• When you want to use a hyperlink to invoke controller logic.
• Great for actions like view, edit, or delete in table rows.
• Ideal when you want a button-like behavior but with a hyperlink appearance.

Best Practices

• Always wrap <apex:commandLink> inside a <apex:form>.
• Use reRender for AJAX-based UI updates.
• Combine with <apex:param> to pass values dynamically.