Recommendations and Considerations

Recommendations

Understanding the differences between offline and online experiences is crucial, as certain features require online access to function correctly. These differences are detailed in the Considerations and Limitations section of the Mobile and Offline Developer Guide, which is essential reading for success when working with Lightning web components. We recommend developing your components while online and thoroughly testing their behavior in online and offline scenarios. For field testing, limit participation to features or users who are aware of the limitations of early access software to avoid compromising your business operations.

General Considerations

• The Lightning Web Components framework includes a wide range of built-in components, a number of modules that enable features, and a range of wire adapters for data access. The implementation currently available in the Field Service mobile app supports a subset of these features. See additional details in the Mobile Offline Developer Guide and the Field Service Developer Guide.
• Field Service offline-specific features support only Lightning web components. Aura components and Visualforce aren’t supported.
• Field Service offline-specific features rely on platform-native implementations that are only available in an offline-enabled mobile app, such as Salesforce Field Service. They don’t work in a web browser, whether on a mobile device or a desktop.
• Some settings don’t affect offline use but can affect data usage.
  • Record data cache time: This setting controls how long cached data is valid. After this cache time expires, the app checks for updates on the next sync or when the record is accessed. Setting the cache time to a low value can lead to excessive network usage and decreased performance. To ensure that your data cache remains up to date, sync data frequently, especially if you work offline often.
  • Schedule update frequency time: This setting controls how frequently the user’s schedule is checked for updates. Consider using the highest value to reduce data usage. Additionally, schedule updates can be triggered from push notifications to further reduce data usage. If a large volume of data exists, priming can take a while from the initial app launch or after a user logs on to the app.

Offline Considerations

• The Field Service mobile app and LWCs don’t have a reliable way to detect online or offline status, as connectivity can change frequently and mobile signals are often unreliable. Our goal is to make sure that LWCs function offline first, treating offline use as a normal condition, not a failure. We recommend designing components with this consideration in mind.
• The Field Service mobile app automatically preloads (primes) data for offline use. You can customize your priming strategy with Briefcase Builder by creating briefcase definitions tailored to your users’ needs.
• The app also primes essential metadata. For example, custom object and field definitions, page layouts, quick actions, flow metadata, and other Salesforce metadata, including the necessary LWC code for offline apps. While the app doesn’t have specific knowledge of your custom LWC features, it analyzes and loads relevant objects, layouts, and components. To improve this process and boost performance, follow the Mobile and Offline Developer Guide.
• During priming, you can use your device for other tasks, but download start times vary: Android devices download records immediately, while iOS devices sometimes download records with a delay.
• When the Field Service mobile app is running in the background, there is a difference in how Service Appointment notifications are handled between Android and iOS. On Android, the updated notification is automatically primed. On iOS, the mobile worker needs to tap the notification to prime it.