Creating an Action

Create an action from the Workflow State window or the New Action button on the context panel. Most of the properties for actions are common to all action types.

The following screenshot shows the common action properties:

A portion of the Workflow Action screen showing the different properties you can set for the action.
Note:

When you create an action, the context panel displays the action according to its trigger category. However, actions execute in the order in which they appear on the Actions subtab of the Workflow State window, according to their trigger type. For more information about how actions execute in a state according to their trigger type, see Action Triggers.

To create an action:

  1. If you have not already done so, open the existing workflow that contains the state where you want to create the action.

    See Viewing Existing Workflows and Workflow Searches.

  2. Select the state where you want to add the action in the diagrammer and click the New Action icon in the context panel.

  3. In the New Action window, click the link for type of action that you want to create. For information about action types, see Workflow Actions Overview.

  4. Enter the following basic properties. The properties that appear depend on the type of action.

    Property

    Description

    Workflow

    Name of the workflow that includes the state for which you are creating the action.

    This field is not editable.

    State

    Name of the state where you want to include the action. This field defaults to the current state. You can use this property to create the action in another state or move the action to another state.

    For more information, see Moving an Action.

    Type

    Type of action. This field is not editable.

    Script ID

    Optional script ID for the action. This value must be lowercase. It cannot include spaces or exceed 26 characters. NetSuite prepends workflowaction to the value of this field. If you do not specify a script ID, NetSuite generates a unique ID.

    You can edit the script ID after you create the action. See Editing an Action.

    Insert Before

    Location in the current list of actions for a state in which to insert the action. Actions for the same trigger type execute in the order in which they appear on the Actions subtab for the state.

    Use this field to reorder actions in a state. See Reordering Actions.

    Trigger On

    Type of trigger on which to execute this action. This property is required.

    For more information, see Workflow Triggers and Triggers Reference.

    Event Types

    The activity that resulted in the record being created, viewed, or updated. The action only executes if the event occurred.

    For example, you can limit the action to execute only if a record was copied. For more information, see Workflow Event Types and Event Types Reference.

    Contexts

    The NetSuite functionality or feature used to create, view, or update the record. The workflow instance initiates only if the context occurred.

    For example, you can limit the workflow instance initiation to only when the record for the workflow was created by a web service. For more information, see Execution Contexts and Execution Context Types.

    Client Fields

    Field or fields that, if changed, will affect another field. Displays record fields that can be edited.

    This property only appears only for actions that can be executed in the browser. You must select a client trigger for the Trigger On property.

    For more information, see Using Conditional Fields with Actions.

    Inactive

    Indicates the action does not execute.

    Use this option to keep an action without deleting it, for example, when you troubleshoot state behavior.

  5. Optionally, to enter a condition for the action, use the Condition Builder or Formula Builder to enter a condition.

    The condition criteria must be met for the action to execute. Use a condition to limit the situations in which an action executes, for example, only for a specific user. For more information, see Action Conditions.

  6. Optionally, select a saved search as a condition for action execution. The action executes if the current record in the workflow is returned from the saved search.

    To appear in the dropdown list, the saved search record type must be the same as the base record type for the workflow. For more information, see Executing an Action with a Saved Search Condition.

  7. Optionally, enter a schedule. The action executes on the schedule you enter after the record enters the state in the workflow. You must select Scheduled for the Trigger On property. For more information, see Scheduling an Action.

  8. Under Parameters, enter the properties specific to the action. See Workflow Actions Overview.

  9. Click Save. The action appears in the context panel under its trigger type category and on the Actions subtab for the workflow state.

Related Topics

Working with Actions
Editing an Action
Deleting an Action
Ordering Actions
Reordering Actions
Moving an Action
Copying an Action
Using Action Groups
Using Sublist Action Groups
Scheduling an Action
Workflow Actions Overview

General Notices