Visual Workflow allows us to automate business processes by building applications, known as Flows, that collect, update, edit, and create Salesforce information, and then make those flows available to the right users or systems. Flows can execute logic, interact with the Salesforce database, call Apex classes, Platform Events, and guide users through screens for collecting and updating data. There are various ways to launch a flow including:

1. Custom Button/URL
2. JavaScript 
3. Visualforce Page
4. Process Builder
5. Using Apex start() method
6. Inline Visualforce Page 
7. Using the Flow URL
8. As a Subflow
9. Login Flow
10. Embedding in a Visualforce Page
11. Salesforce1 navigation menu
12. Embedding in Lighting Record Page
13. Embedding in Lighting App Page
14. Embedding in Lighting Home Page and much more………………….

Recently Salesforce added one more way to launch a Flow – from an object-specific action (Beta).

After winter’18 release, you can add flows to the action menu on your Lightning pages without having to hunt down the flow’s URL. When you create a flow action, you can pick from a list of available flows rather than enter a flow’s URL manually. It does not mean flow action can call anything in your Salesforce Org. To work as a flow action, a flow must be active and have screens. Let’s start with a business use case

Business Use Case

Rachel Gillett is working as a System administrator at Universal Containers (UC). She has developed a flow to get the Sales reps feedback on closed opportunities. She wants to use the Opportunity object specific action to launch it.  

Solution for the above business requirement

We will use Flow and Object specific action(beta) to solve the above business requirement. Perform the following  instructions to solve the above business requirement: 

1. Navigate to Setup (Gear Icon) | Setup | Process Automation | Flows in Lightning Experience.
2. Then click on the New Flow button – it will open the Flow canvas for you.
3. Create a sample Flow (Save it with the name Survey) as shown in the following screenshot: If you want the step-by-step guide to creating the above flow, then check out this article Survey Powered by Visual Workflow.
4. Save the Flow (Type: – Flow) with name Survey and close the canvas.
5. Don’t forget to activate the Flow by clicking on the Activate button.
6. The next step is to create the Opportunity object specific action to launch this flow. Navigate to Setup (Gear Icon) | Setup | Object Manager | Opportunity | Buttons, Links, and Actions and then click on the New Action button. 
   1. In the Action Type drop-down, select Flow (Beta) 
   2. In the Flow drop-down, select Survey 
   3. Enter Feedback in the Label field. 
   4. Name field will automatically be populated based on the Label field. 
   5. Once you are done, click on the Save button. 
7. The final step is to modify the page layout and add object specific action on it, as shown in the following screenshot:
   
8. That’s it. The next step is to test this functionality.

Proof of concept 

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Technical Editor and Proofreader: - Munira Majmundar

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