Actions FAQ

Audience: Low-code Engineers

Skill Prerequisites: Actions, Tokens

Answers to the questions that come up across many actions. Each answer links to the page with the full details.

Tokens

When can I use an output token?

From the next action onward. An action's output tokens aren't available inside the same action, only in the actions that run after it, in the same run. The run is one button click, one API call or one Automation job, for example. When the run ends, the tokens are gone. To keep a value longer, save it with Run SQL Query or another storage action.

Do tokens created inside Execute Actions stay available afterwards?

Yes. Execute Actions shares its tokens with the actions around it, so tokens it creates are available after it. It does put the current user and the loaded user list back the way they were when it finishes.

Loops are different. In Execute Actions for each List Entry, what's kept after the loop depends on its Context Behavior setting. See Context behavior.

Can I use tokens in an output token name?

Usually not. Most Output Token Name parameters take the name as you type it, without replacing tokens. Square brackets around the name are removed, so Result and [Result] both create [Result]. Check each action's parameter table for its Supports Tokens column.

Are token names case-sensitive?

No. [FirstName] and [firstname] are the same token. List names are different, see Are list names case-sensitive?.

Why is my token value broken inside JSON, SQL or a URL?

Token values are usually inserted as they are. What's escaped depends on the action:

Where	What happens
JSON bodies, for example in Server Request	Not escaped. A value with a " or \ breaks the JSON. Build the JSON with Context to JSON Object instead.
Run SQL Query	Single quotes are doubled, but no quotes are added. Write '[Email]' yourself, or better, use Bind Tokens. See Tokens in the query.
URLs	Many actions have an option to URL-encode token values, such as Escape URL in Redirect to URL.

Never put user input straight into code, SQL, JSON or HTML without checking it first.

Conditions

How do I write a condition?

Every action has a Condition. If it's empty, the action always runs. Token values are put in quotes, so compare text with quoted values, for example [Status] == "Approved". A condition that's just a token, such as [IsVip], works when the token holds true or false, or 1 or 0. See Condition.

Why doesn't my true/false condition match?

Many output tokens hold True or False with a capital letter, while some hold lowercase true or false. A token on its own, such as [IsSigned], works either way. When you compare, match the exact value the action produces, for example [IsSigned] == "True". Each action's Output Parameters Reference lists the values.

What does a missing token become in a condition?

An empty string. [Phone] != "" is true only when the token has a value. A condition that ends up completely empty counts as false.

Running and stopping

What's the difference between "And Stop Execution" and "And Continue Execution"?

Many UI actions come in pairs:

Variant	What happens
And Stop Execution	The action's result is sent to the browser, and the actions after it don't run.
And Continue Execution	The result is sent to the browser right away, while the server keeps running the actions after it.

With the Continue variant, the browser can react before the later actions finish. Some Continue variants aren't offered in a form's On Page Load, On Preinit and On Init events.

How do I stop the remaining actions?

• Stop without an error: Stop Execution.
• Stop with an error: Throw Exception.
• Stop and show a message: Display Error Message, or any other action that shows a result.

Inside a loop there's no "break". Stopping ends the loop and everything after it.

Why doesn't an action appear in the Add Action list?

Usually for one of these reasons:

• Wrong module. Many actions only work in some modules, for example Forms, Listings, API endpoints or Automation jobs. Each action's page says where it's available.
• Add-on not installed. Some actions come from add-ons, such as Stripe, Salesforce or Portal Management. The page has a note when that's the case.
• Removed in 1.28. A few older actions no longer exist, for example Browse Data from Listing, replaced by Pick Item from Listing, and User Login (Obsolete), replaced by User Login.

Do actions behave the same in workflows and scheduled jobs?

Not always. Workflows and scheduled jobs run as Automation jobs in the background, without a web request and usually without a logged-in user. Actions that depend on the page or the browser, such as popups, redirects or URL tokens, don't work there. Each page says when that's the case.

Errors

How do I handle an error in an action?

• Set the action's Error Message to show your own message instead of the default one. See Error Message.
• Many actions have an On Error list that runs when they fail. It gets tokens such as [ExceptionMessage] or [ErrorMessage]. The exact names are on each page.
• To catch errors from several actions, put them inside Execute Actions and use its On Error.
• Some actions have Ignore Errors, which lets the next actions run after a failure.

Not every failure reaches On Error. Some checks happen before the action starts, for example a missing required parameter. The action's page says which, where it matters.

How do I find out why an action failed?

• Administrators see the technical details of an error; other users see a friendly message.
• Log values as you go with Log Debug Message, and turn on debug logging. See Turning on debug logging.
• Record problems that need attention with Log Error, which is always written.

Lists

How do I read the items of a list?

Inside Execute Actions for each List Entry, each item's values are available as [ListName:Property], for example [OrdersList:Total], and [ListName:$Index] holds the item's position, starting at 0. Outside the loop, use an action that reads the whole list, such as List to JSON.

Are list names case-sensitive?

Yes. Unlike token names, OrdersList and orderslist are different lists. Use exactly the same name everywhere.

What happens if I create a list with a name that already exists?

It depends on the action. Create List from JSON replaces the list. Create List from SQL, Create List from a CSV source and Create List from Excel (.xlsx) add to it. Create List from SQL has a Clear before loading option. Use a new name, or clear the list first, if you need a fresh list.

Users

Which user do the user actions work on?

Actions work on the current user, which is normally the logged-in user. Load User and Change User change the current user for the actions that follow. Some actions, such as Grant User Role, Revoke User Role, Authorize User and Unauthorize User, also act on every user loaded with Load User or Load Users from SQL. Check who's loaded before running them.

Security

Do actions check whether the user is allowed to do something?

Many don't. Actions that manage users, roles, portals, pages, modules or connectors usually do exactly what they're configured to do, for whoever runs them. Protect them yourself:

• Give the action a Condition that checks the user's role.
• Don't let form fields or query strings decide IDs, user names or role names for these actions.
• Restrict who can use the form, listing or API endpoint.

Each page's Considerations section notes when an action has no permission check.

Can I show token values as HTML?

Be careful. Many actions insert token values as they are, so user input can add HTML or script to a page. Clean untrusted HTML first with Sanitize Html, and prefer plain text when you don't need HTML.

Examples

How do I use the JSON examples on the action pages?

Copy the JSON and use Import Action in the action list, or Import in a workflow. See Running Examples. After importing, pick connectors, modules and files again, because their IDs are different on every site.

Revised 09/28/2026