Understanding SLDS (Salesforce Lightning Design System): A Developer’s Guide
In the world of modern web development within the Salesforce ecosystem, consistency, responsiveness, and accessibility are key to creating user-friendly interfaces. That’s where SLDS (Salesforce Lightning Design System) comes into play. Whether you are building Lightning Web Components (LWC), Aura components, or Visualforce pages, SLDS offers a standardized design language to help your UI look and feel like native Salesforce.
What is SLDS?
Salesforce Lightning Design System (SLDS) is a CSS framework developed by Salesforce that provides:
- – Predefined CSS classes
- – Design tokens
- – Components (like buttons, modals, cards, etc.)
- – Accessibility support
- – Grid and layout utilities
SLDS helps you build interfaces that look like the Salesforce Lightning Experience without writing custom CSS from scratch.
Why Use SLDS?
- – Consistency: Maintain a native Lightning look across all custom UI components.
- – Efficiency: Use ready-made classes and components rather than styling from scratch.
- – Responsiveness: Grid system and spacing utilities help your UI work on any device.
- – Accessibility: Built-in ARIA roles and keyboard navigation for compliance.
- – Integration: Works seamlessly with LWC, Aura, and Visualforce.
Common SLDS Components and Classes
1. Buttons
<button class=”slds-button slds-button_brand”>Save</button>
Variants include:
- – slds-button_neutral
- – slds-button_brand
- – slds-button_destructive
2. Grid System
<div class=”slds-grid slds-wrap”>
<div class=”slds-col slds-size_1-of-2″>Left</div>
<div class=”slds-col slds-size_1-of-2″>Right</div>
</div>
3. Cards
<div class=”slds-card”>
<header class=”slds-card__header”>
<h2 class=”slds-card__header-title”>My Card</h2>
</header>
<div class=”slds-card__body”>Card content goes here</div>
</div>
4. Spinners
<div class=”slds-spinner slds-spinner_medium slds-spinner_brand” role=”status”>
<span class=”slds-assistive-text”>Loading</span>
</div>
How to Use SLDS in LWC
No need to import SLDS manually in Lightning Web Components. Just use the classes directly in your template HTML files.
<template>
<div class=”slds-box slds-theme_default”>
<p class=”slds-text-heading_medium”>Hello, SLDS!</p>
</div>
</template>
You can mix SLDS utility classes with your component markup to enhance layout and styling.
Best Practices
- – Don’t override SLDS classes unless absolutely necessary.
- – Use SLDS utility classes for spacing and alignment.
- – You can also include the SLDS CSS from the CDN on external sites.
<link rel=”stylesheet” href=”https://www.lightningdesignsystem.com/assets/styles/salesforce-lightning-design-system.min.css”>
SLDS vs Custom Styling
Feature | SLDS | Custom CSS
———————-|—————————–|————————–
Looks Native | ✅ Yes | ❌ Not by default
Reusability | ✅ High | ⚠️ Medium
Maintenance Effort | ✅ Low | ❌ High
Learning Curve | ✅ Beginner-friendly | ⚠️ Moderate
Final Thoughts
SLDS is an essential tool for every Salesforce developer. It ensures that your custom interfaces are Lightning-ready, visually consistent, and user-friendly without reinventing the design wheel. Whether you’re building complex dashboards or small utility components, SLDS gives your apps a professional and unified look.
So next time you reach for a CSS class in your Salesforce component, think SLDS first!