Action flows

Action flows are sets of actions within Nintex Apps used to interact with data, user interface, connections, and page logic. Action flows can be triggered from a variety of areas, such as buttons, row actions, model actions, and component interactions.

Some common action flow examples include:

  • A single button in a popup that both saves model data and closes the popup.
  • A row action that opens a popup, applies specified model conditions, and updates fields—all with one click.
  • A button that toggles a component on or off, or opens and closes a sliding panel.
  • An action flow that creates a document in the cloud, sends an email, and updates a connected record.

Important: Context is important when working with actions. The place an action is triggered from determines which record or records it will affect.

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One-off actions

One-off actions are created directly from an interaction in the Page Designer. They contain only one action and are available from the interaction where they were created.

If you need to add additional actions or reuse the action, you can convert the one-off action to an action flow. The converted action flow appears in the action flows list, where you can manage it like other action flows. For more information, see Add a one-off action.

Access action flows

  • In the Page Designer, in the Elements panel, click Action flows.

    The action flow canvas displays. The left panel displays the page's action flows. You can view, add, organize, and search for action flows from this panel. When you open an action flow, the left panel displays the available actions. You can drag actions from this panel onto the drop targets in the canvas. The canvas visually displays the action flow. At the top of the canvas, the number of triggers indicates the interactions that start an action flow.

    • Note: One-off actions created directly from component interactions are not displayed in the action flows list. To access these actions, navigate to the interaction where the action was created. For more information, see Add a one-off action.

Work with action flows

  1. Click .
  2. Type a Name.
  3. Type a Description.
  4. Click Create.
  1. Next to the action flow you want to delete, click .
  2. Select Delete.

  1. Next to the action flow you want to duplicate, click .

  2. Select Duplicate.

Use one of the following options:

  • In the action flow canvas, click , and select the action you want.

  • From the actions panel on the left, drag the action you want onto a drop target in the canvas.

Configure the action properties. The available properties vary depending on the action added. For more information about the available actions and their properties, see Actions reference.

  1. Select the action you want to remove.
  2. Complete one of the following actions:
    • Click .
    • Press Delete or Backspace.

When troubleshooting a series of actions, it’s helpful to isolate individual actions to determine which one is causing problems. You can choose to skip an action to see how eliminating it affects the series, and resume that action later.

To skip an action

  1. Select the action you want to skip.
  2. Complete one of the following actions:
    • Click Skip.
    • Press S.

To reenable a skipped action

  1. Select the action you want to reenable.
  2. Complete one of the following actions:
    • Click Enable.
    • Press S.

You can create one-off actions anywhere you can add interactions, including components such as Button Set, Deck, List, and Table.

The available interaction options vary by component. Depending on the component, you can configure interactions for end-user actions, such as Click or Right click, or component events, such as When first shown or Whenever rendered.

  1. In the Page Designer, add a component that supports interactions to the canvas. For more information, see Add components to the canvas.

  2. Under the Interaction tab, select the interaction you want to configure.

  3. Click Add action.

  4. Select an action.

    Configure the action properties. The available properties vary depending on the selected action. For more information about the available actions and their properties, see Actions reference.

    Note: To convert the one-off action to an action flow, click Convert to action flow. The converted action flow appears in the action flows list, where you can manage it like other action flows.

  1. In the Page Designer canvas, select the component that contains the one-off action.

  2. Under the Interaction tab, select the one-off action you want to delete.

  3. Click and select Delete.

  1. In the Page Designer canvas, select the component that contains the one-off action.

  2. Under the Interaction tab, select the one-off action you want to change.

  3. Click and select Change.

  4. Select an action.

    Configure the action properties. The available properties vary depending on the selected action. For more information about the available actions and their properties, see Actions reference.

Keyboard shortcuts provide alternative ways to perform common tasks while working in action flows. Use the following keyboard shortcuts to navigate and manage actions:

  • Press Enter to edit a focused action.

  • Press Delete or Backspace to remove a focused action.

  • Use the arrow keys to navigate between actions.

  • Press S to skip or enable an action.

  • Press Esc to return to the action when focused on properties.

  • Press Tab or Shift+Tab to navigate to the nearest Add button.

To view all available keyboard shortcuts, click Keyboard shortcuts in the bottom left of the action flow canvas. A legend appears, showing the shortcuts.

Zoom in or out on your action flows using the zoom selector.

  • In the top left of the action flow canvas, click the plus or minus sign on the zoom selector.

  • In the top right of the action flow canvas, click View details.

    The Settings panel displays on the right. You can view and edit the name, description, inputs, and triggers of the action flow.

    When you select a specific action on the action flow canvas, the Settings panel displays the configurable settings for that action.

Input variables

Input variables allow each trigger for an action flow to have different values. Each time the action flow is called, the various input variables can be set.

To add input variables to an action flow

  1. In the Settings panel, click + (Plus) next to Input variables. Or, click Add variable.
  2. Enter the variable's Name and Type.

To use the value of an input variable within the action flow—for example, to use a Value-type input within a Model Condition-type input—use the name of your variable, namespaced within $Input, in merge syntax.

For example: {{$Input.TheInputVariableToUse}}

Note: Ensure that $Input is capitalized.

Whenever the action flow is attached to a trigger, like a component interaction or a model action, the input variables will appear. Input variables can be populated with values from the model or component triggering the action or with hard-coded values.

Named results

You can use the result of an action in subsequent flow actions via the $Result merge variable. The format of the result object depends on the action, and the named result is only available for subsequent actions in the flow. Named results are commonly seen in Model Data Changes Actions, Model Conditions / Querying Actions, and Nintex Workflow Connector actions.

Note: $Output, the previous namespace for accessing named results, is deprecated but remains accessible for backwards compatibility. Update existing references to $Result.

Trigger action flows with keyboard shortcuts and events

You can set triggers for action flows using:

  • Keyboard shortcuts

  • Events

The number of triggers in an action flow is displayed at the start of the action flow. This includes interactions that trigger actions.

Add a trigger in an action flow

In the Triggers section of the Settings panel, click Add keyboard shortcut or Add event.

Keyboard shortcuts, sometimes called shortcut keys or hotkeys, are predefined combinations of keys that activate a series of actions.

Properties

  • Modifiers (optional): The key or keys to be pressed in combination with a standard key, to execute a specified action or set of actions. Though modifier keys are optional, it is best practice to pair a modifier with a standard key to avoid accidental activation of a sequence. Modifier keys include:
  • Alt
  • Control
  • Command
  • Shift
  • Key: The standard key that is paired with the modifier to start the action sequence. Standard keys include:
    • Letters A-Z
    • Any arrow key
    • Any function key (F1-F12)
    • Backspace/Delete
    • Delete Right
    • End
    • Home
    • Page Down/Up
    • Tab
  • Ignore keyboard shortcut if end user is typing in input element: If checked, the action sequence will not activate if the user's cursor is within an input field, such as a Table or search form. This ensures the action sequence is not triggered accidentally and prevents a keyboard shortcut from potentially overriding a system-level keyboard shortcut combination, like copy/paste or arrow keys.

Events are backend alerts that are published—or "fired"—whenever something has occurred on a page. You can publish your own events in action flows, or use the default page events like “page.rendered” or “network.connected.”

Properties

  • Event name: The name of the event to subscribe to, e.g., "page.rendered" or "order.created." When this event is published, this action sequence will run.
  • Listen for events published from: Select All active pages or Only this page. By default, only events published within this page will invoke this action sequence; however, you can also listen for events published within other pages to facilitate communication between this page and other contexts.
  • Event channel (optional): A channel on which to listen for this event. If specified, this action sequence will only be run when the given event is published on this channel. For example, if the channel is "acme" and the event is "order.created," this action sequence will not be run if someone publishes the "order.created" event without also specifying the "acme" channel.

Edit a trigger in an action flow

In the Triggers section of the Settings panel, click an event or keyboard shortcut to edit it.

Delete a trigger in an action flow

  1. In the Triggers section of the Settings panel, next to the trigger, click More options.

  2. Select Delete.

Trigger actions with interactions

Interactions can trigger one-off actions or action flows. You can configure interactions on pages and components, as well as model actions.

You can set action triggers:

  • On the page through end user interactions (clicks and right-clicks).

  • On components through component interactions.

  • On models using model actions.

Triggers for action flows are displayed in the Settings panel on the right of the action flow canvas. To navigate to the corresponding element in the Page Designer, next to the trigger, click .

Tip: Setting a custom unique-ID property for a component makes it easier to see which components trigger which actions.