Using Action Groups

Use action groups to run multiple actions based on the same set of conditions. Action groups make workflows easier to maintain because you only need to set the conditions and other settings one time, on the parent group.

For example, in approval workflows, the Approve and Reject buttons are added to the form with two Add Button actions. If these two buttons share the same conditions, an action group lets you group them, so you only have to enter the action condition one time for both actions.

To use action groups, create the group, set the conditions, and add actions within the group. You can create action groups only for actions that execute on a server trigger, including Entry, Exit, and Scheduled. You can't create action groups for actions that execute on a client trigger.

To run actions on Items sublist lines, use sublist action groups. For information, see Using Sublist Action Groups.

To create an action group:

1. Open in edit mode the existing workflow that contains the state where you want to create an action group.

   See Viewing Existing Workflows and Workflow Manager Interface View and Edit Modes.

2. In the diagrammer, select the state and click the Edit icon on the State tab in the context panel.

3. Click New Group. The Workflow Action Group window appears with the Type field set to Group Actions.

4. In the Workflow Action Group window, enter the following properties for the action group:

   Property	Description
   Insert Before	Where the action group appears in the current list of actions for the state. Actions for the same trigger type run in the order they appear on the Actions subtab for the state or specific action group. Use this field to reorder actions in the group. For more information, see Reordering Actions.
   Trigger On	Trigger type for this action group. This property is required. For more information, see Workflow Triggers and Triggers Reference. Note: If you change the trigger type for the action group, you get an error if any actions in the group aren't compatible with the new trigger type.
   Event Types	The activity that created, viewed, or updated the record. The actions in the group run only if that event happens. For example, you can set an action to run only if a record is copied. For more information, see Workflow Event Types and Event Types Reference.
   Contexts	The NetSuite feature used to create, view, or update the record. The workflow instance starts only if the context happens. For example, you can start the workflow instance only when the record for the workflow is created by a web service. For more information, see Execution Contexts and Execution Context Types.

5. To make the group inactive, check the Inactive box. The next time the workflow runs, the actions in the group don't run.

6. To enter a condition for the action group, use the Condition Builder or Formula Builder to enter a condition.

   The actions in the group run only if the condition criteria is met. Use a condition to limit when group actions run, for example, only for a specific user. For more information, see Working with Conditions.

7. (Optional) Select a saved search as a condition for action group execution. The actions in the group run if the current record in the workflow is found by 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.

8. (Optional) Enter a schedule. Group actions run on the schedule you enter after the record enters the workflow state. For more information, see Scheduling an Action.

9. Click Save. The new group appears at the bottom of the Actions subtab.

   You can also view action groups on the State tab in the context panel. For details, see Workflow Context Panel.

10. To add actions, click Edit next to the group.

11. At the bottom of the Workflow Action Group window, click New Action to add an action to the group. For more information, see Creating an Action.

    You can also add actions to groups from the State tab in the context panel. Hover over an action group name to see the Add, Edit, and Delete buttons.

    

Related Topics

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

General Notices