Custom
Actions that trigger, schedule and cancel custom events and API workflows.
This core reference entry is suited for intermediate-level builders.
This core reference entry covers how you trigger, schedule and cancel custom events. For more information on how to create custom events, see the entry below.
Reference: Events | Custom events
Trigger a custom event
This action triggers a custom event, which should be defined on the page already. These events are a way to share workflows/actions between the different workflows of the page.
Custom event
Select the custom event to trigger.
Workflow parameters
These are the parameters defined at the Custom Event level.
Trigger a custom event when data changes
This action:
Looks for a change in a specific field of a given data type
Triggers a custom event once when that change occurs
The action relies on the parameter set in the Custom Event that is triggered when something changes to define the data type. For instance, if the Custom Event has a parameter set to the User type, this action can be employed to execute when a particular user's data is updated.
Keep in mind that:
The event will only trigger for as long as the page remains open and must be called again if it's closed
The event will only trigger once for each call of the action
Custom event
Select the custom event to trigger when the thing changes.
Parameter
This is the thing to watch for changes. It must be the same type as the parameter of the custom event that will be triggered, and the thing will be sent to the custom workflow. In other words, if the custom event expects a user, this field must be a user, and the custom workflow runs with that user when it changes.
Field
This is the field we are watching for changes. For example, if the workflow thing is the 'Current user,' and the field is the 'Name,' then if someone changes the 'Current user's name' from Bob to Barbara, the custom event is triggered.
Schedule a custom event
This action runs the selected custom workflow at a set time in the future. If the user changes the page before the workflow is scheduled to run, it will not happen. Unlike 'Trigger a custom event,' workflows run by this action run independently from and possibly in parallel with the workflow that initiated it.
Custom event
This is the event that is triggered.
Workflow parameters
These are the parameters defined at the Custom Event level.
Delay
Enter the time in seconds to wait before running the custom workflow. Fractional times are accepted.
Trigger a custom event from a reusable element
This action triggers a custom event that belongs to a reusable element. These events are a way to share workflows/actions between the different pages and reusable elements of the app. Defining them in a reusable element is a way to build a library of workflows.
Reusable element
Choose the reusable element to use in the custom workflow.
Custom event
Choose the custom event to trigger. Only custom events from the selected reusable element will appear.
Workflow parameters
These are the parameters defined at the Custom Event level.
Return data
This action allows you to use return values within a custom event workflow and pass them back to the workflow that triggered the custom event.
If the custom event’s return value is not optional, at least one return data action without a condition is required.
When Bubble encounters a valid return data action, the workflow stops and returns the value immediately.
Return value
This is what you will return for any return values set for the custom event. It must be the same type as what you set as the return value’s type. This value will then be accessible in other workflows as the result of the custom event when triggered.
Schedule API Workflow
This action allows you to schedule an API workflow at any point in the future, by selecting the workflow and assigning a time. If you want to run the workflow immediately, you can use the :current date/time operator.
API Workflow
Select the API workflow to run. These are the workflows defined in the Backend workflows page found in the Application Menu above the Palette. If the workflow takes parameters, they are displayed in the Property Editor.
Scheduled date
Define the date for the workflow execution. Use the expression Composer to define a dynamic date.
Ignore privacy rules when running the workflow
A scheduled workflow runs in the context of the current user when it is scheduled. All privacy rules apply to that user. To bypass these rules and run as an admin user who has all rights to the data, check this box.
Warning: Because these are security and privacy options, use this feature with caution.
Workflow parameters
These are the parameters defined at the API Workflow level.
Schedule API Workflow on a list
This action allows you to schedule the run of an API workflow at a later time, on a list of things. This is useful to iterate on a list of things. Each workflow runs on a single item in the list and each counts as one workflow run.
This action supports lists up to roughly 100,000 records. See our hard limits article for more details.
Type of things
Select the type of things to iterate on.
List to run on
Define the list to iterate on. It can be the result of a search, an API call, etc. Note: the list is defined and evaluated at scheduling time. In other words, if a thing matches the search constraints when the scheduling happens and subsequently gets modified in a way that it doesn't anymore, the API workflow will still run on it.
API Workflow
Select the API workflow to run. These are the workflows defined in the Backend workflows page found in the Application Menu above the Palette. If the workflow takes parameters, they are displayed in the Property Editor.
Scheduled date
Define the date for the workflow execution. Use the expression Composer to define a dynamic date.
Interval (seconds)
The interval instructs Bubble to schedule the workflows with a defined gap.
Empty interval: the default empty state (not zero, but empty) interval for Schedule API Workflow on a list will schedule the workflows with a slight gap in order to balance the need to complete jobs as quickly as possible with allowing other workflows in your app to run simultaneously. The entire batch does not need to finish before other scheduled API workflows can run, but for large lists it may take some time to finish.
0 seconds: setting the interval to 0 is technically possible, but it has the drawback of blocking other scheduled workflows until the entire batch is completed. To avoid this bottleneck and allow for smoother processing of scheduled tasks, it's often more effective to leave the interval at its default setting. This approach helps in managing the execution flow more efficiently, ensuring that all scheduled workflows are processed without significant delay.
Third-party rate limits: please note that while an interval is no longer needed to protect the performance of your Bubble app, there are some cases where it may be useful. For example, if your workflows are interacting with external APIs with restrictive rate limits, you may use the scheduling interval to slow down execution and avoid HTTP 429 Error responses.
Workflows still run in parallel: Keep in mind that adding an interval does not guarantee that the workflows will not overlap – if you need to force API workflows to run sequentially, you can consider using .
Hard limits: keep in mind the hard limits on the lengths of lists that can be scheduled. You can read more about this in the hard limits article.
Ignore privacy rules when running the workflow
A scheduled workflow runs in the context of the current user when it is scheduled. All privacy rules apply to that user. To bypass these rules and run as an admin user who has all rights to the data, check this box.
Warning: Because these are security and privacy options, use this feature with caution.
Workflow parameters
These are the parameters defined at the API Workflow level.
Cancel a scheduled API Workflow
This action cancels a scheduled workflow. The workflow is identified by the number returned by the scheduling action.
Scheduled API ID
Enter the ID, which will most likely be an expression, that contains the ID of the scheduled workflow to cancel.
Cancel a list of scheduled API Workflows
This action cancels a list of scheduled workflows. The workflows are identified by the number returned by the scheduling action.
List of scheduled API IDs
Define the expression that will return the dynamic list of IDs, which should be a list of texts.
Set/cancel a recurring event
This action schedules or cancels a recurring workflow on a thing. This is useful if you want to run something daily, monthly, etc. Only one recurring event can be used per database thing. A frequency of None cancels a recurring event.
Recurring event
Select the event to run periodically or cancel. These events should be defined in the API Workflow page found in the Application Menu above the Palette.
Workflow thing
Each recurring workflow should have a thing attached to it. This thing should be of the same type as the recurring event.
Frequency
Select the frequency to apply to the recurring workflow. Choose from None, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, and Yearly. A frequency of None cancels a recurring event.
The frequency at which you can trigger recurring workflows may differ based which plan your app is on. Please see the Pricing page for up-do-date information.
Start date
Select the date to start the recurring event. When running this action on a thing that has already been scheduled, the start date has to be after the original next run date. If not, it will be pushed back by another period.
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