Sidebar
In Salesforce Classic, the left panel of the interface that displays recent items, shortcut links, messages, custom components, and quick-create options, providing navigation and contextual information alongside the main content area.
Definition
In Salesforce Classic, the left panel of the interface that displays recent items, shortcut links, messages, custom components, and quick-create options, providing navigation and contextual information alongside the main content area.
In plain English
“The Sidebar in Salesforce Classic is the left panel that displays recent items, shortcut links, messages, custom components, and quick-create options. It's a Classic-era navigation feature; Lightning Experience uses different navigation patterns like the utility bar and app launcher.”
Worked example
Wayfarer Outdoor runs Salesforce Classic for a small team that hasn't migrated yet. The Classic Sidebar - the left panel - shows each user's Recent Items (the last 10 records they touched), shortcut links to common actions ("New Lead," "Reports"), and a Messages widget that surfaces important admin announcements. A merchandising manager finds the Sidebar's Recent Items the fastest way to jump back to the records she was working on yesterday. When the team migrates to Lightning Experience, the Sidebar disappears in its current form; recent items move to the global recent-items menu, shortcuts to the utility bar, and the visual density tightens - but the same workflows are available, just relocated.
Why Sidebar matters
In Salesforce Classic, the Sidebar is the left panel of the interface that displays recent items, shortcut links, messages, custom components, and quick-create options, providing navigation and contextual information alongside the main content area. The sidebar was a core navigation element in Classic.
The sidebar is a Classic-era concept. Lightning Experience replaced it with different navigation patterns including the app launcher, utility bar, navigation bar, and contextual components. Knowing about the sidebar matters for Classic orgs or migration planning; new work should use Lightning navigation patterns.
How organizations use Sidebar
Helps clients understand Classic sidebar functionality and plan migration to Lightning navigation.
Treats sidebar references as Classic-era signals for modernization.
Migrated sidebar functionality to Lightning utility bar and navigation components.
Test your knowledge
Q1. What is the Sidebar?
Q2. What replaces it in Lightning?
Q3. Should you use the sidebar today?
Discussion
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