Using Action Groups

Use action groups to execute multiple actions based on the same set of conditions. Action groups make the maintenance of workflows easier because the conditions and other settings of multiple actions in the group are entered and updated at one time on the parent group.

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

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

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

To create an action group:

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

   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	Location in the current list of actions for a state in which to insert the action group. Actions for the same trigger type execute in the order in which they appear on the Actions subtab for the state or for a specific action group. Use this field to reorder actions in an action group. 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. Note: If you change the trigger type for the action group, NetSuite returns an error if any action in the group is not compatible with the new trigger type.
   Event Types	The activity that resulted in the record being created, viewed, or updated. The actions of the action group execute only if the configured event occurs. 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.

5. To make the group inactive, enable the Inactive property. The next time the workflow executes, the actions in the group do not execute.

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

   The condition criteria must be met for the actions in the group to execute. Use a condition to limit the situations in which all actions in a group execute, for example, only for a specific user. For more information, see Working with Conditions.

7. Optionally, select a saved search as a condition for action group execution. The actions in the group execute 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.

8. Optionally, enter a schedule. The actions in the group execute on the schedule you enter after the record enters the state in the workflow. 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. Click Edit to the left of the group to add actions.

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

    You can also add actions to action groups from the State tab in the context panel. Hover over an action group name to view 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