A command action executes a command that starts an application or utility, runs a shell script, or executes an operating system command. The definition of the action includes the command to be executed (the EXEC_STRING).
The Create Action tool can be used to create the most common types of command actions. However, there may be some situations where you must create the action manually; for example, you must create a COMMAND action manually if the action specifies:
Multiple-file arguments with a different prompt for each argument.
Action invocation—the ability of actions to invoke other actions.
Argument-count dependent behavior—the ability to create an action that has very different behaviors for different numbers of file arguments.
A remote execution host—the ability to run an application on a system other than the one containing the action definition.
Change of user—the ability to run the action as a different user (for example, to prompt for the root password and then run as root).