# Declarative UI, apps, list views and Lightning pages

*Platform Administrator Study Guide · Configuration and Setup · Last updated September 26, 2026 · https://certifyforce.com/study-guide/platform-administrator/configuration-and-setup/declarative-ui-configuration-and-lightning-app-builder*

How admins shape the Lightning Experience without code: app visibility in the App Launcher, list view sharing, global actions and the global publisher layout, Lightning page activation, component visibility rules, Dynamic Forms and In-App Guidance.

- Certification: Salesforce Platform Administrator
- Exam section: Configuration and Setup
- Study guide: https://certifyforce.com/study-guide/platform-administrator

**Official exam objective:**

> Distinguish and understand the administration of declarative configuration of the user interface (UI) (for example: UI/UX settings, app menu, list views, global actions, Lightning App Builder).

## What the exam expects

- Control which apps a group of users sees in the App Launcher without affecting other teams.
- Share a list view with exactly the right audience, and tell list view visibility apart from the records a list returns.
- Create a global action and make it appear in the Global Actions menu and Chatter publisher through the global publisher layout.
- Activate a Lightning page as org default, app default, or for app, record type and profile combinations, and predict which page a user sees.
- Use component visibility rules and Dynamic Forms to replace page layout and record type sprawl, knowing they never replace field-level security.
- Pick In-App Guidance for targeted, scheduled on-screen coaching, and know where org-wide UI settings live.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| App visibility | Users see only apps assigned through their profile or permission sets | [App Launcher](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.identity_app_launcher.htm&type=5) |
| List view audiences | Only me, all users, or specific public groups and roles | [Custom List View](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.customviews_lex.htm&type=5) |
| Share list views publicly | Requires Manage Public List Views | [Custom List View](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.customviews_lex.htm&type=5) |
| List view records | Never more than the user's record access allows | [Custom List View](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.customviews_lex.htm&type=5) |
| Global publisher layout | Holds global actions only; populates the Global Actions menu | [Global Publisher Layouts](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.working_with_global_publisher_layouts.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Publisher layout per profile | Different global publisher layouts can go to different profiles | [Global Publisher Layouts](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.working_with_global_publisher_layouts.htm&language=en_US&type=5) |
| Record page activation | Org default, app default, app plus record type plus profile, form factor | [Activate Lightning Pages](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.lightning_app_builder_customize_lex_pages_activate.htm&type=5) |
| App default versus org default | App default wins inside its app | [Activate Lightning Pages](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.lightning_app_builder_customize_lex_pages_activate.htm&type=5) |
| Visibility filter contexts | Record fields, User, User Permission (custom permissions), Device | [Visibility Rules](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.lightning_page_components_visibility.htm&type=5), [Custom Permissions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.custom_perms_overview.htm&type=5) |
| Filtered components | Hidden until the filter logic is met | [Visibility Rules](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.lightning_page_components_visibility.htm&type=5) |
| Dynamic Forms | Fields and sections become individual components with their own visibility rules | [Dynamic Forms](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.dynamic_forms_overview.htm&type=5) |
| Hidden fields | Visibility rules are not field-level security | [Dynamic Forms Considerations](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.dynamic_forms_considerations.htm&type=5) |
| In-App Guidance repeats | Up to 30 times, up to 30 days apart | [In-App Guidance](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.customhelp_lex_prompt_consider.htm&type=5) |

## Check yourself

- Which setting decides whether an app appears in a user's App Launcher?
- What is the difference between a list view's sharing setting and its filters?
- After creating a global action, what else must you do before users see it in the Global Actions menu?
- Which record page does a user see when an app default and an org default both exist for the object?
- Why can't Dynamic Forms visibility rules replace field-level security?

## Sources

- [Activate Lightning Record or Home Pages](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.lightning_app_builder_customize_lex_pages_activate.htm&type=5)
- [Visibility Rules on Lightning Pages](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.lightning_page_components_visibility.htm&type=5)
- [Custom Permissions](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.custom_perms_overview.htm&type=5)
- [Customize Lightning Apps with the Lightning App Builder](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.apps_lightning_customize.htm&type=5)
- [Break Up Your Record Details with Dynamic Forms](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sf.dynamic_forms_overview.htm&type=5)
- [Dynamic Forms Tips and Considerations](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.dynamic_forms_considerations.htm&type=5)
- [Create a Custom List View in Lightning Experience](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.customviews_lex.htm&type=5)
- [Global Publisher Layouts](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.working_with_global_publisher_layouts.htm&language=en_US&type=5)
- [App Launcher](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.identity_app_launcher.htm&type=5)
- [Considerations for Creating In-App Guidance](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=sales.customhelp_lex_prompt_consider.htm&type=5)
- [User Interface Settings](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.customize_ui_settings.htm&type=5)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 8 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Platform Administrator pack (USD $19): https://certifyforce.com/practice-exams