In this article you will learn:

How record actions automate background tasks in forms
Ways to configure and manage record actions
Methods for setting up different action triggers
Techniques for updating records and values
Best practices for record action execution

Understanding Record Actions

What Are Record Actions?

Record actions automatically perform background tasks when users submit forms or edit grids in the Live App. They can:

Update the current record
Update connected records
Insert new connected records

Common uses include:

Tracking who created/updated records
Recording timestamps for changes
Creating receipts from orders
Updating record status based on field changes

Setting Up Record Actions

Adding Actions to Forms

Navigate to the Pages section in Builder
Open the form view editor
Select "Actions & Rules" in the left toolbar
Choose "Record Actions"
Click "Add Rule" to create a new action

Adding Actions to Grids

Enable inline editing in grid settings
Modify column properties to add record actions
Configure action settings for specific columns

Note: Grid view record actions that send custom emails will not have delivery history available.

Configuring Record Actions

Action Types

Update This Record

Updates the primary record the form affects:

Set status or workflow fields
Track user submissions
Update timestamps

Update Connected Records

Modifies records connected to the form's record:

Must have table connections established
Updates fields in linked records

Insert Connected Records

Creates new records linked to the form's record:

Perfect for tracking changes
Creates version history
Adds notes or related entries

Trigger Conditions ("When")

Actions run when specified conditions are met:

Contains/does not contain values
Exact matches (is/is not)
Text patterns (starts/ends with)
Field changes (has changed/changed to/changed from)
Blank field status

Important: When using multiple conditions, ALL must be met for the action to run.

Value Updates

Configure what values get updated:

Connected values from related records
Custom entered values
Form input values
System values (logged-in user, current date)
User location data

Advanced Features

Multiple Value Operations

Append/Remove Multiple Values

When using multiple choice fields or ""many-to-many"" connection fields with record rules, you can use the custom value option to either replace, append, or remove values from the field.

To use this option, select the ""to a custom value"" option in the ""Values"" section while building your record action. This will give you three options:

By replacing with: This option will replace the current field value with the values that are selected in the action when the action is triggered.
By adding: This option will append the value(s) selected in the action to any existing values in the field when the action is triggered.
By removing: This option will remove the value selected in the action if it exists in the field when the action is triggered.

Order of Execution

Record actions follow a specific order of execution when a form is submitted. It's important to note that all actions, including updating a record, inserting a connected record, and updating a connected record, run simultaneously on a form.

They do not execute in a top-to-bottom manner.

However, there are some exceptions:

Update this record actions are calculated before any record formulas or equations in fields. Therefore, if a record action depends on a formula or an equation, the record action will be calculated based on the previous value of that field.
Record actions for ""Insert connected record"" or ""Update connected record"" are processed after any formulas or equations in fields. This means that if a record action depends on a formula or an equation, the record action will be calculated based on the updated value of that field.
Emails will not be sent until all relevant record actions have been triggered. If you are experiencing issues with emails not being sent despite appearing to meet the necessary conditions, please ensure that record actions are not blocking the fulfillment of their field-specific requirements.
- For example, an email will not be sent if it needs a Yes/No field's value to be ""No"", but a record action changes that value to ""Yes"".

Troubleshooting

Connection fields must use connected record values
User role assignments require proper login restrictions
Equation field values have usage limitations
Check color settings if menus don't display on mobile