Custom Alert Message On Salesforce 'Submit For Approval' Button !?!

Recently I came across a scenario where the business wanted to see the custom message on click of submit for approval button?!? When we understood what was happening on click of the button, It was lot easier for us to implement that.

Salesforce.com apps are being used on the web browsers We can identify what is given to the browser by "right-clicking" on the browser element and seeing what the html for that element, like explained below.

I recommend you do this before proceeding with the solution.

1) Login
2) Go to a record which has an active approval process.
3) Right click on "submit for approval" button
4) Inspect element (Chrome/ Firefox) or view source (safari/ IE and you have to search for "submit for approval" button tag)

There, you will see --

That is just html generated by Salesforce but it has something that we need for this solution. So lets understand that.
It has for confirmation-type alert what is conform()
and it has got redirect url navigateToUrl('/p/process/Submit?retURL=%2F00Q9000000L5LBw&id=00Q9000000L5LBw','DETAIL','submit');
So, onlick of that button a confirmation message pops up and takes our input (Ok/ Cancel) and redirects it to that "/p/process/Submit?id=sobject.id" accordingly.

If that is all the button is doing, I can write my own button which can do this. Can't you write?

And now that we decided to create a custom button, lets give more functionality and domain-friendly alert messages than standard and "understand-salesforce-jargon" messages like "

Unable to Submit for Approval

This record does not meet the entry criteria or initial submitters of any active approval processes. Please contact your administrator for assistance. Click here to return to the previous page."

 Because we can validate the data within javascript of the custom button.

Lets do it:
1) create a custom buton by the title "Submit For Approval"

2) Include the following script.



var criteria1 = "{!Lead.ProductInterest__c}";
if(criteria1=="GC1000 series")
{
navigateToUrl('/p/process/Submit?retURL=%2F{!Lead.Id}&id={!Lead.Id}','DETAIL','submit');
}
else {
alert("This Lead's Doesn't Have Interest In GC1000 Series, Approval Is Not Needed");
}


3) Include the button on Page layout.

4) Try to enter some value from Product Interest Field and check out put.

The same approach can be used for Convert Lead as well, because "covert Lead" Button is just taking us to /lead/leadconvert.jsp?id={!Lead.Id}


HTH
Prabhan