Developers using theSalesforce.complatform will now be
able to build common user interfaces across different devices to
allow workers to access the same customer relationship management
system.
Visualforce will enable programmers to customise existing
desktop-based interfaces to run on mobile devices, so that using
the on-demand
CRM applications is straightforward across different
platforms.
Being able to customise interfaces and provide a common user
experience, for example by tailoring a handheld device for a sales
rep in the field from an order-entry kiosk on a manufacturing shop
floor, can help reduce the need for separate training programs for
different devices, a spokesman for Salesforce.com said.
Visualforce makes use of Apex coding and provides a page-based
model built on standard HTML and web presentation technologies.
Visualforce is complemented with both a component library for
implementing common user interface elements, and a controller model
for creating new interactions between those elements.
Salesforce has re-branded its Apex developer network as
Force.com. This provides infrastructure services including
database, logic, workflow, integration, and application exchange,
which can be used to build applications that run inside the
Salesforce.com environment.
Salesforce's CEO, Marc Benioff, said that Visualforce aimed to
enable programmers to build applications without producing
different versions for different platforms.