Actions
Overview
💡Actions let your administrator add custom, one-click steps to BOS Pro, such as updating a field on selected orders or checking a rule before you continue.
- Actions were added in version 26.04.
- Each Action belongs to a module (or to a Custom Report) and runs a list of steps in order.
- Every Active Action is listed for all users. If you were not given access to an Action, running it shows "Access denied" and nothing is changed.
Where to Find Actions
| Screen | Where |
|---|---|
| Quotations | The Actions dropdown on the Quotation item screen (runs on the open Quotation) and on the Quotations list (runs on the selected rows). |
| Sales Orders and Work Orders | The Actions dropdown on the edit view (runs on the open order) and on the list view (runs on the selected rows). |
| Custom Reports | The Actions button next to Output, and the right-click menu on the report results. Actions run on the selected rows. The Actions button appears only when the selected report has Actions. |
| Global Actions | The Actions menu on the main menu bar. It appears only when at least one Global Action is Active. |
A list view only offers the Actions set to run on multi-selected rows (see Execute in Header Explained).
On the edit views, Actions are listed under a Custom Actions heading. After an Action runs, the screen refreshes, including its items, status colour and read-only state.
List View
Buttons Explained
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
| View | Displays the Actions that match the filters. |
| New | Creates an Action. Select its module: Quotations, Sales Orders, Work Orders, Custom Reports or Global. A new Action starts as Pending. |
| Actions | Displays the Import (.json) option, which imports an Action from a file. The imported Action is Pending: check its Users Access before you set it to Active. |
| Menu | A submenu with these options:
|
| Close | Closes the screen. |
Filters Explained
| Filter | Description |
|---|---|
| Module | All, Quotation, Sales Order, Work Order, Custom Report or Global. |
| Report | For Custom Reports: the report whose Actions are listed. |
| Pending, Active, Cancelled | Checkboxes. The statuses to list. |
Fields Explained
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Field Chooser (*) | Used to add or remove columns. |
| ID | Hidden by default. The Action's number. |
| Status | Pending, Active or Cancelled. An Action runs only when it is Active. |
| Module | The module the Action belongs to. |
| Report | For Custom Reports: the report the Action belongs to. |
| Description | The Action's name, as it appears in the Actions menus. |
| Execute | Actions (Single), Actions (Multi-selected) or Main Menu (see Execute in Header Explained). |
| Users Access | The users who can run the Action. |
| Created, Updated, Updated By | Hidden by default. When the Action was created and last updated, and by whom. |
| Menu (...) | The right-click options:
|
Edit View
Buttons Explained
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
| Back arrow | Returns to the list. |
| Up and down arrows | Move to the previous or next Action. |
| Edit | Lets you change the Action. |
| New | Creates an Action, as on the list. |
| Save | Saves your changes. |
| Actions | A submenu with these options:
|
| Menu | A submenu with these options:
|
Header Explained
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Status | Pending, Active or Cancelled, with a status note next to it. |
| No. | The Action's number. |
| Module | The module the Action belongs to. |
| Report | For Custom Reports: the report the Action belongs to. |
| Caption | The Action's name, as it appears in the Actions menus. |
| Execute | Where the Action is offered. The options are:
|
| Note | A note about the Action. |
| Updated | When the Action was last updated, and by whom. |
Item Buttons Explained
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
| Add Item | Adds a step. A new step is an Execute SQL step. |
| Notes | Shows or hides each step's note under it. |
Item Fields Explained
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Field Chooser (*) | Used to add or remove columns. |
| ID, Order ID | Hidden by default. The step's number and its place in the order. |
| Type | Error, Warning, Confirm or Execute SQL (see Steps). |
| Description | The step's description, or the message it shows. |
| SQL | The SQL that an Execute SQL step runs. |
| Created, Updated, Updated By | Hidden by default. When the step was created and last updated, and by whom. |
| Menu (...) | The right-click options:
|
How to Set Up Actions
Note
You must have Settings access to set up Actions.
- The list shows the Pending and Active Actions. Filter by Module (and Report for Custom Reports) or Status, then click View.
- Double-click an Action to open it, and click Edit to change it.
- Add the steps the Action must run, in order (see Steps).
- Set the status to Active when the Action is ready. New and copied Actions start as Pending, and an Action runs only when its status is Active.
- Choose who can run the Action (see Users Access).
Steps
Each Action has a list of steps that run in order:
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| Error message | Shows a message and stops the Action. |
| Warning message | Shows a warning. The user can cancel before the next step runs. |
| Confirm message | Asks the user to confirm. The user can cancel before the next step runs. |
| Execute SQL | Runs the SQL you enter in the SQL editor (see SQL Template). |
Users Access
- Open Users Access from Menu, from the edit view's Actions dropdown or by right-clicking an Action.
- Move users between the Available and Selected lists. Only the selected users can run the Action.
- The arrow buttons save and move to the previous or next Action without closing the window.
Copying, Exporting and Importing Actions
- A copied Action is named after the original, followed by "(Copy)", and starts as Pending.
- Actions can be exported to a file and imported from a file, to move them between databases.
SQL Template
The SQL Template button in the SQL editor inserts Firebird examples for the Action's module:
- An update of the selected records.
- A call to a selectable procedure that returns a message.
- A call to a procedure that does not return a message.
The IDs of the selected records are passed as :IDS and the user as :STAFFID.
Note
Inside an execute block, always write the parameters with the colon (:IDS, :STAFFID). Without it, Firebird reports Column unknown IDS. A procedure that has output parameters must be called with returning_values.