Actions
This section covers actions, which are the steps in a workflow that perform different tasks
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This section covers actions, which are the steps in a workflow that perform different tasks
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Was this helpful?
Actions are the things that makes stuff happen in your app. They are the the part of a workflow that performs a specific task, such as making a change in the database, hiding/showing/animating something on the page or navigating to a different page.
Actions happen as the result of an , and together, they make up the workflow.
Events determine when to do something, and actions determine what to do
Actions can be chained together to perform a set of tasks in sequence, and each step can rely on information generated in a previous step. Each step can also be controlled with a dynamic expression that controls whether to run or skip that step, based on specific conditions.
In the Bubble workflow editor, actions are visible as soon as you create or open a workflow from the sidebar.
To add the first action to a workflow, click the + symbol underneath the event. You will see a list of actions separated into categories.
As soon as you add or click an action, Bubble will show you the settings for that action. Below is an example from the action:
The Thing to change specifies the of the thing you want to change. After selecting it, Bubble will display the available on that . In the example above we change the name of the user by providing a static text value.
A workflow can consist of as many steps as you need, but sometimes you'll need to set some rules that determine whether one of those steps should execute or not. For example, you could have a workflow that requires the user to be logged in in order to run; if they are not, you can show an error message.
For this, you use the only when field: as the name suggests, this tells Bubble to only run this action when... a condition is true. Conditions are that provide a yes or no value, depending on a given set of factors.
Note: Although a workflow is created as a linear set of actions, there is a lot going on behind-the-scenes when a workflow executes. This can sometimes lead to some steps firing before other, earlier steps in some cases.
Some workflows run in the client's browser, while others (such as database operations) need to happen on Bubble's server. Some workflows will happen in both the browser and on the server.
If a workflow includes a mix of actions from these three categories, the order in which they are triggered may differ from the linear design in the workflow because of what's firing in the browser versus the server.
The points below offer insights into Bubble's workflow logic along with some general recommendations. It is worth mentioning that the terms "steps" and "actions" are used interchangeably, although in the given examples, "steps" are used when the order is significant.
For efficiency purposes, workflows run in parallel across the server and the front end. Despite the names "Step 1," "Step 2," it is important to note that a given step does not necessarily wait for the previous one to complete before triggering the next one. The following is some information about Bubble workflow logic and general recommendations. Please also note that steps and actions are used interchangeably, but steps may be used in these examples when the order is important to note.
General rules about how workflows run:
Frontend workflow actions run in order but the next action does not wait on the previous action to be complete before triggering.
Backend workflows are triggered as soon as the workflow is triggered, independently from steps. For example, a "Schedule API Workflow" action will be triggered as soon as the workflow is triggered even if it is placed last in the workflow action sequence.
Custom events run in sequence, not parallel. If Workflow 1 triggers a custom event that starts Workflow 2, Workflow 2 will complete before the remaining actions in Workflow 1 run.
Searches aren’t always immediately updated with new data. So if you create a new item, and then try to retrieve it via search, it may or may not work; you should not rely on this.
Retrieving a thing from “result of step X” where step X is the “Create…” step should always be safe.
Workarounds to help achieve workflow consistency:
When a workflow trigger (e.g. a button) can have multiple results based on conditions, it is safer to create multiple workflows and place the conditions at the workflow level instead of creating one workflow with all possible actions and placing the conditions at the action level.
In a workflow with two actions, if Step 2 is using a condition based on a search depending on data manipulated in Step 1, then Step 1 should be implemented into a custom event to make sure it is finished before moving on to Step 2.
If a backend workflow should be triggered after other steps in the workflow, then it should be implemented in a custom event placed after the steps that need to come first.
The safest way to use data from one step to another is to use the “Result of step X” operators instead of searches.
We do not offer the explicit ability for an action to wait for a workflow to be over before moving on to the next step; however, using "add a pause before next action" action is usually an effective workaround.
Sometimes an action needs to refer to an earlier step in the same workflow. If you do this by referring to it indirectly, there is a risk that the change you initiated has not yet had time to update and may not be reflected in the later step. Let's look at an example to illustrate this:
Let's say you are using the to save some information to a data type called Product. In a later step, you refer to that same product by the data source Result of step 1 and then that Product's name.
In this example we are first changing the name of the Product
And then we use the to save that name in a custom state
Stack navigation is a navigation pattern where users move through a “stack” of screens as they progress through your app. Take the Spotify app as an example: when you’re on a tab, such as Home or Your Library, and navigate to a playlist screen, you’re viewing a new screen while the original tab remains active. This is because the current view is “stacked” on top of the base view, which is the tab itself. To return to the base view, you simply tap the back arrow in the top left corner of the screen.
When navigating to a new view, the original stack remains active, allowing users to return to it using the built-in back button or swipe gestures. If you want to prevent users from going back to the original view, you can use the Reset navigation stack option. This is useful in scenarios where you want to completely clear the navigation history.
For example, if a stack displays a login form and the user successfully logs in, you may not want them to navigate back to the login screen. Reset navigation stack ensures they start fresh from the new view.
Note that this feature removes the original stack from Bubble's memory. As a result, you can no longer access any data from the original view (such as form content), and actions applied to that stack will fail (such as attempting to reset the form).
Another way to navigate to a new view is to use a modal. A modal should be used when you want to provide a scoped experience to the user that requires the full screen. A good example of this is the new message modal in the iOS messages app. Since you don’t need the context of the messages view below, the modal takes up the full screen to allow you to craft your message, but also allows you to quickly return to your messages view.
To open a view as a modal, you’ll use the “Go to view” navigation workflow action but select Modal instead. This will open the target view as a modal sheet over the base view. While you can swipe down to close the modal, it's generally a good idea to include a button to close the modal in an app bar.
To add a close button, add an app bar to the view that will be opened as a modal and add a trailing button with a “Go to previous page” workflow action. This will close the modal when the user taps the button.
The Go to tab action functions similarly to the Go to view action, including the use of view properties. However, the target view must be associated with a tab. When navigating using the Go to tab action, the tab bar will automatically update to reflect the new tab
The Set current view's property action lets you assign a value to a property on the current open view. To use the action, you need to first define one or more properties on the view.
Before you can use the push notification feature, you need to add your APNs ID and key to your mobile app settings.
Requesting permission: Before sending push notifications, you must first request the user's permission. We strongly recommend implementing this step before attempting to send a notification.
Push notifications allow you to send real-time updates, reminders, or alerts directly to a user’s device, even when the app is not actively in use. Whether it’s a personalized message, a promotional offer, or a notification about app activity, push notifications help keep your users informed and connected with your app’s content.
These notifications leverage the native capabilities of iOS and Android devices, and provide a highly targeted way to reach your audience.
Push notifications require an active permission from users before they can be sent. You must request this permission before sending push notifications to users who have not explicitly approved them.
Using push notifications adds a new built-in data type to your app called devices. This data type contains key information about a user's device(s), and is used as a data source when sending push notifications.
The devices data type is read-only: you cannot rename it, any of its fields or add new fields. This data type is also automatically protected by a preconfigured , since the push notification token is sensitive and should not be shared.
This devices data type is automatically added as a property on the user, meaning that you can access it with a dynamic expression such as:
The push notification token should be considered sensitive data, and should generally not be shared. If you need to share the taken outside of your Bubble app (such as sending a request to a third-party app or system), you can use a backend workflow and check Ignore privacy rules when running this workflow to circumvent the built-in privacy rule.
Both iOS and Android require explicit user consent before sending push notifications. This permission is obtained using the Request push notification permissions action, which triggers the operating system’s standard notification request prompt. The prompt is system-generated and consistent across all apps, meaning it cannot be customized.
After the user has approved the permission request, you can start sending push notifications. To do this, set up an event in the workflow editor, and locate the Emails and notifications action category, and select the Send push notification action.
The Send push notification action comes with the following properties:
Title: the main header
Subtitle: the sub-header
Body: the main message
Your app icon will also be displayed in the push notification, and cannot be customized per notification. The properties above are used on both systems (iOS/Android) and the final result looks fairly similar on both device types.
Sometimes you'll want to send push notifications at a scheduled time. The Send push notification action is available in the To schedule a push notification, set up an API workflow and use the action.
Web preview: Push notifications cannot be tested in web preview mode.
BubbleGo: Push notifications cannot be tested in the BubbleGo app.
Deployment for testing: To test push notifications, your app must be deployed and uploaded to App Store Connect and added to TestFlight.
Native mobile apps has two actions related to location services. Click the links below to read more about each action:
Article:
Article:
Article section: (only when)
Article section:
Keep in mind that you have to use the permissions action first to be able to send push notifications.
Devices: needs to be populated with the from one or more users. If you are sending a push notification to the current user, you can use the dynamic expression described in the .
