Actions library

Actions Library is a collection of actions that can be reused in your workspace apps and automations. Actions created in the library have the full power of UI Bakery actions, including the ability to load and send data, trigger other actions, and execute JavaScript code.

Actions created in the library are not directly connected to any specific app. This means that you cannot access app components or state variables, but you can use the workspace's data sources, and actions can accept parameters to customize behaviour.

Actions created in the library are only accessible using the Execute Action step and are not directly available in the app's actions code.

Creating a library action

Let's review an example of creating a library action that will load data from the database. You'll be able to use this action across multiple apps.

Our flow will consist of two parts:

1. Creating a basic reusable SQL action

2. Adding variable parameters to it (filtering data)

To create a basic reusable SQL action:

1. Go to your workspace and click the Actions Library link in the bottom left corner of the screen.

1. Create a new action of the SQL Query type and specify the following code in the query field: select * from users;

2. Name your action loadUsers. Now the action is ready to be used in any app in the workspace.

3. Open your app and use the action you've just created via the Execute Action step.

Once you run the action, you can see that the data is loaded in the Result tab. The action is now complete and ready to be reused in multiple apps and automations.

To add variable parameters to the action:

1. Go back to the Actions Library and open your loadUsers action.

2. In the Default params section on the right, add the following filter parameter that will be used in the query. Here, also define the default filter value in the query so that the action can be executed without passing any parameters and will not fail during development and debugging:

{
  filter: ''
}

Parameters is an arbitrary JavaScript object that can be passed to the action in the runtime.

1. Next, specify the following condition in the query that will use the filter parameter you've added:

WHERE users.first_name like {{ '%' + params.filter + '%' }}

1. While testing the action, you can change the parameter value and see how it affects the query result.

1. Now, revert the filter to the default empty string value and go back to your app.

2. Select the Execute Action step you've created before.

3. In the Custom action params field, hardcode some filter value to pass it to the action, for example:

{
  filter: 'sammy'
}

If prompted, click the Reload button to synchronize the latest changes made in the Actions library.

1. Next, run the action to observe the filter being applied.

1. You can also use the component or state values as the arguments passed in the action.

1. Lastly, connect your action to a component to display the data.

Publishing and environments sync

To use Actions Library in Production or Staging environments, you need to release the library. This will create a new version of the library that can be used in Prod or Staging, while you can still modify the library in the Development environment.

To release the Actions Library:

1. Go to the Actions Library.

2. Click the Release button in the upper right corner.

3. In the pop-up window that opens, set a version, add a description if needed, and click Publish release.

That's it! Now, if you release your app, UI Bakery will remind you to release the Actions Library as well.

The Actions Library environment is linked to the app environment, which means that your actions will use the same data source environments as your app. For example, if your app is connected to the production database, your library actions will also use the production database in the Production environment.

Moving an Action to the Library

In some cases, you might want to move an action from the app to the Actions Library to make it more abstract and reusable.

To move an action:

1. Click on the three dots next to the action you want to extract and click Copy.

2. Next, go to the Actions Library, click the plus sign in the Actions section and select Paste. The action will be copied to the library.

3. Modify it, if necessary, and remove all references to UI components or state variables.

4. Go back to the app and replace this action with the Execute Action step and add the action you moved to the library.

Private actions

During development, you may want to create an action that is not ready to be used in your apps. Or you may want to create an action that is not intended to be used in other apps but can be used in other actions in the library. In such cases, you can turn off the Shared toggle in the Action settings. This will make the action private and it will not be available in the app's Actions list.