Definition
The Component Reference (Visualforce) is the official documentation that lists all available Visualforce components, their attributes, and usage examples. Developers consult this reference to find the correct tags (like
Real-World Example
When a senior developer at TerraForm Tech needs to streamline operations, they turn to Component Reference, Visualforce to solve a complex business requirement that cannot be addressed with declarative tools alone. They implement Component Reference, Visualforce with proper error handling, write 98% test coverage, and document the solution for future maintainers. The code passes security review on the first attempt.
Why Component Reference, Visualforce Matters
The Component Reference for Visualforce is the official Salesforce documentation that lists every available Visualforce component, complete with descriptions, attributes, supported events, and usage examples. Developers consult it when building Visualforce pages to find the right tag for what they need to do (like apex:pageBlock, apex:inputField, apex:dataTable) and to confirm the correct attribute names and values. The reference is accessible through the Salesforce Developer Documentation site and is also available via the Visualforce Developer's Guide.
While Visualforce is a legacy framework (Lightning Web Components is the modern recommendation for new development), the Component Reference is still useful for developers maintaining existing Visualforce pages. New work generally happens in LWC, which has its own component reference and documentation. The Visualforce reference is best treated as a reliable source for legacy code, not as a starting point for new development. Developers learning Visualforce for the first time today are typically doing so because they need to maintain or migrate existing code, not because they're building new pages from scratch.
How Organizations Use Component Reference, Visualforce
- •TerraForm Tech — Maintains a library of Visualforce pages from before LWC was widely adopted. Developers reference the Visualforce Component Reference whenever they need to modify these legacy pages, since the component syntax isn't something they use day-to-day anymore.
- •CodeBridge — Used the Component Reference during a migration project that converted Visualforce pages to LWC. The reference helped them understand exactly what each existing tag did before deciding how to replicate the behavior in LWC.
- •Quantum Labs — Trains junior developers who need to support legacy Visualforce code by walking them through the Component Reference and the patterns it documents.