Advanced Features

Master the Record Editor's advanced capabilities: split-screen editing, related lists navigation, enhanced metadata display, command history, and multi-record workflows.

Split-Screen Editing

Edit multiple records side-by-side in the same tab.

Opening Split View

Method 1: Click Lookup ID

1. Open a record (e.g., Contact)
2. Navigate to a lookup field (e.g., AccountId)
3. Click the Salesforce ID in the Value column
4. Related record opens in split view (50/50)

Method 2: Command

1. Type :vsplit <RecordId>
2. Record opens in vertical split

Example:

Left Panel:          Right Panel:
Contact Record       Account Record
─────────────────────────────────────
Name: John Doe       Name: Acme Corp
Email: john@...      Type: Customer
AccountId: 001...    Revenue: $1M
(click ID) ────────→ (opens here)

Split View Layout

Vertical Split (Default):

┌──────────────────┬──────────────────┐
│                  │                  │
│  Record 1        │  Record 2        │
│  (50% width)     │  (50% width)     │
│                  │                  │
└──────────────────┴──────────────────┘

Horizontal Split:

┌────────────────────────────────────┐
│          Record 1                  │
│          (50% height)              │
├────────────────────────────────────┤
│          Record 2                  │
│          (50% height)              │
└────────────────────────────────────┘

Toggle Split Orientation

Press Ctrl+Shift+S to toggle between vertical and horizontal split layouts.

Navigate Between Panels

Keyboard:

Key	Action
Ctrl+W h	Focus left panel
Ctrl+W l	Focus right panel
Ctrl+W j	Focus bottom panel (horizontal split)
Ctrl+W k	Focus top panel (horizontal split)
Ctrl+W w	Cycle through panels

Example:

In left panel (Contact):
  Press Ctrl+W l → Move to right panel (Account)

In right panel (Account):
  Press Ctrl+W h → Move back to left panel (Contact)

Visual Indicator:

• Active panel has brighter border
• Inactive panel has dimmed border

Close Split Panel

Close Current Panel:

Type :q
→ Current panel closes
→ Other panel expands to full width

Close Both Panels:

In either panel: Type :qa
→ Both panels close
→ Tab closes (or returns to Salesforce)

Example:

Left Panel: Contact    Right Panel: Account
Type :q (in right panel)
→ Account closes
→ Contact expands to full width

Edit Workflow

Common Pattern:

1. Open parent record (e.g., Account)
2. Click on a lookup ID (e.g., OwnerId)
3. User record opens in split view
4. Edit User in right panel
5. Type :w to save User
6. Type :q to close right panel
7. Back to Account in full view

Multi-Level Navigation:

Account → Contact → Case
1. Open Account
2. Click ContactId → Contact opens in split
3. In Contact, click CaseId → Case opens (replaces split)
4. Edit Case
5. :q → Back to Contact
6. :q → Back to Account

Split Limit

Maximum 2 panels at once. Opening a third record replaces the current split panel, not adds a new one.

Related Lists Panel

View and navigate to related child records.

Open Related Lists

Command:

Type :togglerelated
→ Related lists panel appears on right

Shortcut:

Type :tr (alias)

Example:

Before:
┌────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                    │
│     Account Record (full width)    │
│                                    │
└────────────────────────────────────┘

After :togglerelated:
┌──────────────────┬─────────────────┐
│                  │ Related Lists   │
│  Account Record  │ ──────────────  │
│  (70% width)     │ Contacts (15)   │
│                  │ Opportunities   │
│                  │   (23)          │
│                  │ Cases (7)       │
│                  │ Activities (42) │
└──────────────────┴─────────────────┘

Related Lists Content

Shows:

• Related list name (e.g., "Contacts")
• Record count (e.g., "15")
• Recent records (up to 10)
• Record names/titles

Example:

Related Lists Panel:
─────────────────────
Contacts (15)
  • John Doe
  • Jane Smith
  • Bob Johnson
  • Alice Williams
  • Charlie Brown
  + 10 more

Opportunities (23)
  • Burlington Deal - $50K
  • Acme Expansion - $125K
  • GenePoint Renewal - $30K
  + 20 more

Cases (7)
  • Issue with login
  • Feature request
  • Data import help
  + 4 more

Navigate Related Lists

Keyboard:

Key	Action
j	Move down one item
k	Move up one item
Enter	Open selected record
Ctrl+W h	Focus main panel
Ctrl+W l	Focus related lists panel

Example:

1. Type :tr (open related lists)
2. Press Ctrl+W l (focus related lists panel)
3. Press j j (move down to "Jane Smith")
4. Press Enter
5. Contact "Jane Smith" opens in split view

Open Related Record

Click Method:

Click any record name in related lists
→ Record opens in split view

Keyboard Method:

Navigate to record with j/k
Press Enter
→ Record opens in split view

Result:

Before (related list item selected):
┌──────────────────┬─────────────────┐
│  Account         │ Contacts (15)   │
│                  │ • John Doe      │
│                  │ • Jane Smith ←  │
│                  │ • Bob Johnson   │
└──────────────────┴─────────────────┘

After pressing Enter:
┌──────────┬──────────┬─────────────┐
│ Account  │ Contact  │ Related Lst │
│          │ (Jane)   │ (collapsed) │
└──────────┴──────────┴─────────────┘

Close Related Lists

Command:

Type :togglerelated (or :tr)
→ Panel closes, main record expands

Example:

With related lists:
Account (70%) | Related Lists (30%)

Type :tr:
Account (100%)

Lookup Navigation

Click any Salesforce ID to navigate to that record.

Clickable IDs

All lookup and reference fields display clickable IDs:

Field Types:

• Lookup fields (AccountId, OwnerId, etc.)
• Master-Detail fields
• Polymorphic lookups (WhoId, WhatId)

Visual Indicator:

• IDs shown as blue underlined links
• Hover shows hand cursor
• Click opens related record

Example:

Field Display:
Name                  Value
───────────────────────────────────────
AccountId             001xx000003DH1QAAW
                      ↑ (clickable link)
OwnerId               005xx000003DH2RBAW
                      ↑ (clickable link)

Navigation Behavior

Single Record Open:

Click lookup ID
→ Related record opens in new tab
→ Original record remains in background tab

Split View Open:

Click lookup ID (when split exists)
→ Related record replaces current split panel
→ Main record stays on left

Example Workflow:

1. Editing Contact
2. Click AccountId (001xx...)
3. Account opens in split view
4. Click OwnerId on Account (005xx...)
5. User opens (replaces Account in split)
6. :q to close User
7. Back to Contact (full view)

Polymorphic Lookup Navigation

Some lookups can reference multiple object types:

Example: WhoId (Contact or Lead)

Field: WhoId (Task)
Value: 003xx... (Contact: John Doe)
Click ID
→ Contact opens

Different Task:
Field: WhoId
Value: 00Qxx... (Lead: Jane Smith)
Click ID
→ Lead opens

The editor automatically detects the object type and opens the correct record.

Quick Related Record Review

Use lookup navigation to quickly check related records without leaving your editing session. Click ID → Review → :q → Back to editing.

Enhanced Type Column

The Type column shows rich metadata about each field.

Standard Type Display

Shows:

• Field type name (Text, Number, Lookup, etc.)
• Field length (for Text fields)
• Decimal places (for Number fields)
• Relationship object (for Lookups)

Example:

Name              Type                        Value
────────────────────────────────────────────────────
FirstName         Text(40)                    John
Email             Email(80)                   john@example.com
AnnualRevenue     Currency(18,0)              $1,000,000
AccountId         Lookup(Account)             001xx...AAW
IsActive          Checkbox                    true
CreatedDate       DateTime                    2025-10-15 10:30

Enhanced Metadata

Hover over the Type column to see additional metadata:

Tooltip Shows:

• Required field indicator
• Unique field indicator
• External ID indicator
• Formula definition (for formula fields)
• Rollup summary definition (for rollup fields)
• Picklist values (for picklists)

Example:

Hover over "Email" type:
┌────────────────────────────┐
│ Type: Email                │
│ Length: 80                 │
│ Required: Yes              │
│ Unique: Yes                │
│ External ID: No            │
└────────────────────────────┘

Hover over "Total__c" type:
┌────────────────────────────┐
│ Type: Formula (Currency)   │
│ Formula: Amount * Quantity │
│ Decimal Places: 2          │
│ Read-Only: Yes             │
└────────────────────────────┘

Field Icons

Icons in the Type column indicate special properties:

Icon	Meaning
🔒	Read-only (formula, system)
⚠️	Required field
🔑	External ID
🔗	Lookup/Reference
📅	Date/DateTime
#️⃣	Number/Currency

Example:

Name              Type                Icon
────────────────────────────────────────────
Name              Text(80)            ⚠️
Email             Email(80)           ⚠️ 🔑
Total__c          Formula(Currency)   🔒
AccountId         Lookup(Account)     🔗
StartDate         Date                📅

Command History

Access previously executed commands with keyboard navigation.

Access History

In Command Mode:

1. Press : to enter Command mode
2. Press Ctrl+R (or ↑ arrow)
3. Previous command appears
4. Press Ctrl+R again for earlier commands
5. Press Enter to execute or edit first

Example:

Command history (most recent first):
  :w
  :togglerelated
  :edit 001xx000003DH1QAAW
  :refresh
  :togglereadonly

Press : → Type nothing
Press Ctrl+R → :w
Press Ctrl+R → :togglerelated
Press Ctrl+R → :edit 001xx000003DH1QAAW
Press Enter → Opens that Account

Navigate History

Key	Action
Ctrl+R or ↑	Previous command
↓	Next command (newer)
Enter	Execute command
Esc	Cancel, back to Normal mode

Edit Before Execute

Recall a command and modify it before executing:

Press :
Press Ctrl+R → :edit 001xx000003DH1QAAW
Edit to:       :edit 001xx000003DH1RBAW (different ID)
Press Enter → Opens new record

History Persistence

• Stored: Last 50 commands
• Persists: Across browser sessions
• Scope: Per Salesforce org
• Storage: Browser local storage

Frequent Commands

If you often run :togglerelated or :edit <specific-id>, use Ctrl+R to recall instead of retyping. Saves time and reduces typos.

Position Tracking

The editor tracks your position and scroll state.

Field Position

Displayed in Field Counter:

15 / 42
│   └── Total fields
└────── Current field position

Persists:

• When navigating away and back
• When toggling panels
• When refreshing (:refresh)

Example:

1. Navigate to field 15
2. Click lookup ID → Related record opens
3. Edit related record
4. :q → Close related record
5. Back at field 15 (position preserved)

Scroll Position

Maintained:

• Main record scroll position
• Related lists scroll position
• Split panel scroll positions

Example:

1. Scroll down to field 30 (middle of record)
2. Open related lists (:tr)
3. Browse related records
4. Close related lists (:tr)
5. Scroll position at field 30 (preserved)

Focus Tracking

Active Element Tracked:

• Current field
• Current panel (in split view)
• Command input
• Search input

Restoration:

1. Focus on Email field
2. Press Ctrl+K (open popup)
3. View changes
4. Press Esc (close popup)
5. Focus returns to Email field

Multi-Record Workflows

Efficient patterns for editing multiple records.

Workflow 1: Parent-Child Editing

Goal: Update Account and all related Contacts

1. Open Account
2. Edit Account fields (Name, Type, etc.)
3. Type :w to save Account
4. Type :tr to open related lists
5. Click first Contact
6. Edit Contact in split view
7. Type :w to save Contact
8. Type :q to close Contact
9. Click next Contact in related list
10. Repeat steps 6-9 for each Contact
11. Type :tr to close related lists
12. Type :q to close Account

Workflow 2: Sequential Record Editing

Goal: Edit multiple Contacts in sequence

1. Open Contact list view in Salesforce
2. Open first Contact in editor (Ctrl+Shift+E)
3. Edit fields
4. Type :wq (save and close)
5. Back to list view
6. Open second Contact
7. Edit fields
8. Type :wq
9. Repeat for all Contacts

Workflow 3: Related Record Chain

Goal: Navigate and edit a chain of related records

1. Open Opportunity
2. Click AccountId → Account opens
3. Click ParentAccountId → Parent Account opens
4. Edit Parent Account
5. Type :w to save
6. Type :q to close Parent
7. Back to Account
8. Edit Account
9. Type :w to save
10. Type :q to close Account
11. Back to Opportunity
12. Edit Opportunity
13. Type :wq to save and close

Workflow 4: Bulk Field Updates

Goal: Update same field across multiple records

1. Open first record
2. Navigate to target field (e.g., Status)
3. Press i, edit to new value, press Esc
4. Type :wq to save and close
5. Open next record
6. Press / and type "Status"
7. Press Ctrl+N to jump to Status field
8. Press p to paste previous value
9. Type :wq to save and close
10. Repeat steps 5-9 for remaining records

Workflow 5: Split-Screen Comparison

Goal: Compare two records side-by-side

1. Open first record
2. Copy record ID of second record
3. Type :vsplit <RecordId>
4. Both records visible side-by-side
5. Navigate both with Ctrl+W h/l
6. Compare field values
7. Edit as needed
8. Type :wall to save both
9. Type :qa to close both

Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

Split-Screen

Shortcut	Action
Click ID	Open related record in split
:vsplit <id>	Open vertical split
:split <id>	Open horizontal split
Ctrl+W h	Focus left panel
Ctrl+W l	Focus right panel
Ctrl+W w	Cycle panels
Ctrl+Shift+S	Toggle split orientation
:q	Close current panel
:qa	Close all panels

Related Lists

Shortcut	Action
:togglerelated	Toggle related lists panel
:tr	Alias for :togglerelated
Ctrl+W l	Focus related lists
j / k	Navigate items
Enter	Open selected record

Navigation

Shortcut	Action
Click ID	Open related record
:edit <id>	Open record by ID
Ctrl+K	View field metadata

Command History

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+R	Previous command
↑	Previous command
↓	Next command
Enter	Execute command
Esc	Cancel

Tips and Tricks

Quick Parent-Child Editing

Tip: Use related lists for fast child editing

1. Open parent (:tr to show related)
2. Click child → Edit → :wq
3. Automatically back to parent
4. Click next child → Edit → :wq
5. Repeat until all children updated

Copy Values Across Records

Tip: Use yank and paste across split panels

Left panel (Account 1):
  Navigate to AnnualRevenue
  Press y

Right panel (Account 2):
  Navigate to AnnualRevenue
  Press p
  Type :w

Bookmark Complex Commands

Tip: Save complex :edit commands in a note

Keep a list of frequently accessed record IDs:
  Main Account: :edit 001xx000003DH1QAAW
  Test User: :edit 005xx000003DH2RBAW
  Template Contact: :edit 003xx000003DH3SCAW

Copy/paste when needed

Use Split for Data Entry

Tip: Reference record in one panel, enter in another

Left panel: Template/source record (read-only :ro)
Right panel: New record (edit fields)
Copy values from left, paste into right

Related Lists for Audit

Tip: Check related records before editing parent

1. Open Account
2. :tr (open related lists)
3. Review Contacts, Opportunities, Cases
4. Understand impact of changes
5. Edit Account with full context

Troubleshooting

Split View Doesn't Open

Symptom: Click ID but split doesn't appear Solution:

1. Ensure ID is a valid Salesforce record ID
2. Check if you have access to related record
3. Try :vsplit <id> command instead
4. Verify network connection

Can't Switch Between Panels

Symptom: Ctrl+W h/l doesn't work Solution:

1. Ensure split view is open (2 panels visible)
2. Try Ctrl+W w to cycle
3. Click in target panel to focus
4. Check if panels are properly loaded

Related Lists Empty

Symptom: Related lists panel shows no records Solution:

1. Verify related records exist in Salesforce
2. Check related list configuration on page layout
3. Ensure you have access (sharing rules)
4. Try :refresh to reload data

Position Not Preserved

Symptom: Scroll position resets after actions Solution:

1. This is expected for some actions (like :refresh)
2. Navigate back to field with j/k or search (/)
3. Use gg to jump to top, then navigate
4. Close and reopen may reset position

Command History Not Working

Symptom: Ctrl+R doesn't show history Solution:

1. Ensure you're in Command mode (press 😃
2. Execute some commands first (history starts empty)
3. Check browser local storage isn't disabled
4. Try ↑ arrow instead of Ctrl+R

Next Steps

• Navigation - Master field navigation and search
• Editing - Insert mode, undo/redo, copy/paste
• Command Mode - All colon commands
• Field Types - Field-specific editing guides

Power User Level

You've reached the advanced section! Practice these techniques to unlock the full potential of the Record Editor. Split-screen editing and related lists navigation will 10x your productivity on complex record hierarchies.