sf-metadata-selector

v1.0.5

Published

2 months ago

A beautiful, interactive CLI tool for browsing, selecting, and generating package.xml files for Salesforce metadata retrieval with search, save/load, and wildcard support

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mohanchinnappan

salesforce sfdx sf-cli metadata package-xml deployment devops cli interactive ui developer-tools

Salesforce Metadata Selector CLI

A beautiful, interactive Node.js CLI tool that helps you browse, select, and generate package.xml files for Salesforce metadata retrieval.

It connects to your Salesforce org via the Salesforce CLI (sf), lists all available metadata components, and provides a dark-themed web interface (using Tailwind CSS + Monaco Editor) where you can:

🔍 Search and filter metadata types and components in real-time
✅ Select/deselect individual components or entire types
💾 Save and load selections as JSON for reuse
🎯 Use wildcards (*) for entire metadata types
🎨 Customize API version dynamically
📊 Track selection counts in real-time
⌨️ Keyboard shortcuts for common actions
🚫 Filter namespaced components (exclude by default, include with flag)
📥 Download the final package.xml with one click

Screenshot

sf-metadata-sel

Help

✨ New Features

🔍 Search & Filter

Real-time search across all metadata types and component names
Highlight matching components for easy visibility
Auto-hide non-matching items to focus your selection

💾 Save & Load Selections

Export selections to JSON file for backup or sharing
Import selections to quickly restore previous work
Saves API version and wildcard preferences

🎯 Wildcard Support

Toggle wildcard mode to use * for entire metadata types
Automatically uses * when all components of a type are selected
Reduces package.xml size for large deployments

📊 Selection Counter

Real-time counter showing selected vs. total components
Helps track your selection progress
Updates instantly as you select/deselect

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl+S / Cmd+S - Download package.xml
Easy navigation with keyboard accessibility

🎨 Custom API Version

Editable API version field (defaults to 60.0 or your specified version)
Updates package.xml in real-time
Supports all Salesforce API versions

📈 Progress Indicator

Shows percentage progress while fetching metadata
Better feedback during long-running operations

📋 Features

Lists all metadata types using sf org list metadata-types
Fetches components per type with sf org list metadata
Dark theme UI with Monaco Editor for real-time package.xml preview
Per-type Select All / Deselect All buttons
Global Select All / Deselect All
Namespaced components filtering (exclude by default, include with --include-namespaced)
Prevents ENOBUFS errors with increased buffer sizes
Generates a standalone HTML file

🔧 Requirements

Node.js ≥ 16
Salesforce CLI (sf) installed and authenticated
npm to install dependencies

📦 Installation

npm install -g sf-metadata-selector

🚀 Usage

Basic Usage

# Excludes namespaced components by default
./sf-metadata-ui.js -o myOrgAlias

# Include namespaced components (managed package items, etc.)
./sf-metadata-ui.js -o myOrgAlias --include-namespaced

# Specify API version
./sf-metadata-ui.js -o myOrgAlias --api-version 65.0

# Custom output filename
./sf-metadata-ui.js -o myOrgAlias --output my-selector.html

# Using username instead of alias
./sf-metadata-ui.js -o [email protected]

Command Options

Options:
  -o, --org <alias|username>     Salesforce org alias or username (required)
  --include-namespaced           Include components with namespace prefix
  --api-version <version>        API version for package.xml (default: 60.0)
  --output <filename>            Output HTML filename (default: sf-metadata-selector.html)
  -h, --help                     Display help for command

📖 How It Works

Connects to your org using sf org display
Discovers metadata types with sf org list metadata-types
Lists components for each type with sf org list metadata (with progress indicator)
Filters out namespaced components unless --include-namespaced is used
Generates a rich HTML interface:
- Left panel: searchable metadata types + checkboxes + controls
- Right panel: Monaco Editor showing real-time package.xml
Download button creates package.xml ready for deployment

🎯 Usage Tips

Searching

Type in the search box to filter by metadata type or component name
Matching items are highlighted
Non-matching items are hidden

Saving Selections

Select your desired components
Click 💾 Save button
Save the JSON file to your computer
Later, click 📂 Load to restore selections

Using Wildcards

Select all components you want for a metadata type
Enable "Use wildcards (*) for all" checkbox
Types with all components selected will use * instead of listing each member
Great for CustomObject, ApexClass, etc.

Keyboard Navigation

Use Tab to navigate between controls
Space to toggle checkboxes
Ctrl+S (or Cmd+S on Mac) to download package.xml

📄 Example Generated package.xml

Without Wildcards

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Package xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
  <types>
    <members>Account</members>
    <members>Contact</members>
    <members>CustomObject__c</members>
    <name>CustomObject</name>
  </types>
  <types>
    <members>MyController</members>
    <members>MyUtility</members>
    <name>ApexClass</name>
  </types>
  <version>64.0</version>
</Package>

With Wildcards (all components selected)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Package xmlns="http://soap.sforce.com/2006/04/metadata">
  <types>
    <members>*</members>
    <name>CustomObject</name>
  </types>
  <types>
    <members>*</members>
    <name>ApexClass</name>
  </types>
  <version>60.0</version>
</Package>

🛠️ Troubleshooting

ENOBUFS Error

Already mitigated with larger maxBuffer (10–20 MB). If still occurring on very large orgs:

Use --include-namespaced false to reduce component count
Split retrieval into multiple package.xml files
Increase buffer in the script if needed

No Components Shown

Ensure the org alias/username is authenticated: sf org list
Check that you have permissions to view metadata
Try running with --include-namespaced to see if components are namespaced

package.xml Not Updating

Refresh the HTML page
Check browser console (F12) for JavaScript errors
Ensure Monaco Editor loaded correctly

Command Not Found

Make sure sf CLI is installed and in your PATH
Run sf --version to verify installation
See Salesforce CLI Setup Guide

Search Not Working

Clear the search box to see all components
Search is case-insensitive
Try searching for partial names

Load Selection Failed

Ensure the JSON file is from this tool's Save feature
Check that the file isn't corrupted
Verify JSON syntax if manually edited

🎨 UI Features

Left Panel

Search box - Real-time filtering
Selection counter - Shows X / Total selected
Namespace indicator - Shows if namespaced components are included/excluded
Action buttons - Select All, Deselect All, Save, Load
Collapsible sections - Click to expand/collapse metadata types
Per-type controls - Select/Deselect All for each type
Highlight on search - Matching items highlighted in blue

Right Panel

API Version input - Change version on the fly
Wildcard toggle - Enable/disable wildcard mode
Monaco Editor - Syntax-highlighted XML editor
Download button - One-click package.xml download
Keyboard hint - Shows Ctrl+S shortcut

🔮 Future Enhancements

Potential features for future versions:

[ ] Metadata comparison between orgs
[ ] Dependency analysis to show related components
[ ] Multiple package.xml generation (e.g., split by feature)
[ ] Recent selections history
[ ] Preset filters (e.g., "All Apex", "All Objects")
[ ] Diff view against existing package.xml
[ ] Cloud storage integration for selections
[ ] Batch operations across multiple orgs
[ ] Component descriptions on hover

Testing

# Test with your org
./sf-metadata-ui.js -o yourOrgAlias

# Test with different options
./sf-metadata-ui.js -o yourOrg --include-namespaced --api-version 59.0

📄 License

MIT License (c) Mohan Chinnappan

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