> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.baas.sh/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.baas.sh/baas-console/automations/actions.md). # Actions Choose what each step of the pipeline does, such as calling an API, sending an email, running code, notifying users, or submitting a transaction. Actions are the steps of the pipeline: each one does one thing, and they run in order every time the trigger fires. You build them from the automation's **Pipeline** tab. ## Choose an action type | Type | What it does | Typical uses | | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | | [**API**](/baas-console/automations/actions/api.md) | Sends an HTTP request to any HTTPS endpoint | Push events to your backend, call a third-party service | | [**Email**](/baas-console/automations/actions/email.md) | Sends an email through your project's SMTP transport | Order confirmations, alert emails, reports | | [**Function**](/baas-console/automations/actions/function.md) | Runs your JavaScript in a sandbox | Format on-chain values, shape data for the next step | | [**Notification**](/baas-console/automations/actions/notification.md) | Pushes a notification to your users' devices | Transfer alerts, transaction status updates | | [**Transaction**](/baas-console/automations/actions/transaction.md) | Calls a smart contract function with a key from your Vault | Distribute rewards, mint tokens, write on-chain state | ## Add an action to the pipeline The **Add step** button sits below the pipeline, available as soon as the trigger is set. Click it and pick one of the five types: **API**, **Email**, **Function**, **Notification**, or **Transaction**. Fill in the type's form and click **Save**; the panel's footer reads "Ready to save" once every required field is in place. New actions are named `Action 1`, `Action 2`, and so on; rename them from the panel's title. The type is chosen at creation and the configuration stays editable afterwards; for another type, add a new action. Each saved action appears as a node in the pipeline, with its name and a one-line summary of its configuration. Reorder, pause, edit, or delete it right from the node: [Tune the pipeline](/baas-console/automations/manage-an-automation.md) covers those controls. ## Dynamic values Most text fields accept `{{...}}` templates. Focus a field and the **Insert a variable** panel lists the variables you can use, matched to your trigger type; click one to insert it. The ones you'll reach for most: | Variable | What it holds | | ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `trigger.*` | [The data that started the run](/baas-console/automations/triggers.md#what-the-trigger-passes-to-actions) | | `context.previous` | The previous action's result | | `context.eventId` | A unique id for the current run | Invalid templates are flagged when you save. A variable missing from the run data fails the run. To allow a missing value, add a trailing `?`: `{{trigger.body.nickname?}}`. The [Reference](/baas-console/automations/reference.md) has every variable a run exposes and how templates render them. ## Chain actions together Actions run from top to bottom. Each action's result becomes `context.previous` for the next active one. The first action starts without it, and an action you toggled off is skipped. For example, a [Function](/baas-console/automations/actions/function.md) can shorten a long transaction hash, and the notification that follows then reads `{{context.previous.shortHash}}` instead of the full one. Each type's page shows exactly what it hands to the next step. An action in [batch mode](/baas-console/automations/batch.md) produces one result per selected user instead of a single one, so `context.previous` is `null` for the next step. ## Email and Notification need a one-time setup API, Function, and Transaction actions work out of the box. Email and Notification are backed by plugins you configure and activate once, in [Action Plugins](/baas-console/action-plugins.md). Picking a type whose plugin is inactive shows a **Plugin inactive** warning with an **Open settings** shortcut to fix it. ## When actions run The pipeline runs on every firing, and each run lands in [Runs and logs](/baas-console/automations/runs-and-logs.md) with the outcome of every step; a failed action stops the run there. Actions you [toggle off](/baas-console/automations/manage-an-automation.md) are skipped. ## Next
APISet the URL, pick the method, and write the body.API
EmailAddress it, then write the subject and body.Email
FunctionWrite the code and hand its result to the next step.Function
NotificationPick the device tokens and write the message.Notification
TransactionSet up the contract call, then the key and the completion.Transaction