1. Configuring Applications Using Application Composer
  2. Field Display Labels

Field Display Labels

You can change the display labels (strings) that appear in your applications using Application Composer and User Interface Text Tool. These tools enable the administration of strings. Your tool selection depends on the scope of the changes that you want to make.

For large-scale changes or changes to labels in locales other than English, use the User Interface Text Tool. For changes on a single page or to all labels for a custom object in the English locale, use Application Composer. Read this topic to learn more about best practices for changing display labels.

Display Labels

A single field label, such as Products, can occur across your applications on a variety of pages. However, just because the same field label appears multiple times doesn't mean that it's the same field across all pages. In fact, it's probably not. Note that there is a difference between a field label instance and a field label value. The value is what is seen on a page. The instance is the actual field location where the label value is retrieved from. Typically, multiple display label instances may exist that have the same value. This is especially true for common labels such as Account and Customer.

For example, you want to change Products to Our Products, but the field label Products appears throughout your applications 500 times. You don't have to change the Products display label 500 times. However, you will probably need to change it more than once. Again, this is due to the underlying architecture of your applications where multiple display label instances can (and do) exist with the same value.

Display Labels and Multiple Languages

Your applications are fully globalized and support multiple languages. English is installed by default and additional languages can be requested. When additional languages are installed, any user can change the current session locale (language) of their login session through the Preferences menu. However, string administration tools can change display labels to any language, regardless of the session locale. For example, the active session locale can be French, but you can use any string administration tool to enter Korean display label values. As a result, Korean display label values will be seen, even if the session locale is French. Keep this in mind when making changes to field display labels.

To modify display labels in multiple language refer to the topic, Changing a Specific Field Label.

Changing Display Labels Across Multiple Pages

The User Interface Text Tool, sometimes referred to as the String Editor, administers the vast majority of display labels. It is designed for bulk display label search and replace. This tool supports all installed languages and can be used to create and modify locale-specific label values.

Note: You cannot modify list of value fields (also known as choice lists) using the User Interface Text Tool. Instead, use Setup and Maintenance. In some cases, you can also use Application Composer to modify these special types of fields.

For example, you want to change the display label Products to Our Products wherever it appears throughout your applications.

To make a large-scale change of a display label value across multiple pages:

  1. First, sign in as an application implementation consultant and confirm that you are working in an active sandbox.

  2. Using the Navigator, select User Interface Text from the Configuration category.

  3. Click Search and Replace.

  4. In the Search For and Replace With boxes, enter the word or phrase that you want to change and the corresponding replacement.

    Tip: For optimal results, enter search criteria that produces the smallest possible number of search results. This makes it simpler to preview all possible matches in the next step. To do this, instead of entering Products, enter ^Products$. Behind the scenes, the search engine finds label values where Products is the entire display label value.

  5. Click Match Case.

  6. Click User Interface Text and Global Menu Label Text to search only the display label category that contains the vast majority of UI display labels.

    All other check boxes can be deselected.

  7. Click Preview Changes to review, modify, and exclude individual occurrences before you save your changes.

Changing Specific Display Labels

Sometimes you will only want to change a specific instance of a field label, rather than the labels of all the fields with the same name. For instance, the Opportunity page includes multiple instances of the label Account, but you might only want to change one. If you're working in an English locale, make this change using Application Composer. If you're in a non-English locale, use the User Interface Text tool.

To change an individual field name using Application Composer, look at the object's fields, then change each one with the same name to a unique value. For example, if you want to change the Account field and there are four instances of it, then change each one to something like Account 123, Account 456, and so forth. Then you can look at the object's UI to identify the one you want to change. After making the change, update the others to their original names, and make a note in the Description field for each one to help others in the future.

For a non-English-localized environment, you can't just use Application Composer to change the field name, because Application Composer is supported only for an English locale. Instead, access the User Interface Text tool after changing each field label to a unique name. In the User Interface Text tool, specify the language you want to change to in the Language list, then enter the unique name of the field you want to change in the Search box and the name you want to change to in the Replace box.

See Changing a Specific Field Label: Explained.

Changing Custom Object Display Labels

For example, you want to change all the display labels for a custom object, Trouble Ticket. In this case, use Application Composer.

Use Application Composer to change a display label value for custom object and custom field display labels. The change is displayed everywhere the original label value was displayed, across all UI channels.

Note, however, that if you use Application Composer to change display labels for standard object and standard object standard fields, the change is not displayed everywhere. This is because Application Composer changes only one instance of a label, while there are typically multiple instances of a label in use for every standard object and standard object standard field. In this case, Application Composer and Page Composer are similar tools: both tools change one and only one instance of a display label. Again, only the User Interface Text tool has the potential to change every instance of a display label.

Application Composer is an English only tool. It reads and writes only to English label data sources. Application Composer reads and writes in English display label data sources only, even if a non-English locale is the active session locale.

Tip: To add non-English display label values for custom objects, custom fields, standard objects, and standard fields, use the User Interface Text tool.