This type of action will bring the user to the URL identified in the action definition. It is executed from an Active Display, Cross-Connect, or the Action Selector. The Action Selector is used to call actions that can be run independently, without context from an Active Display or other web part.
For example, you could give your users the ability to add a new lead from anywhere in a Sales Pipeline solution. Instead of having to go to an Active Display or Cross-Connect with an Add Item link, or having to access the list, you could define a Go To URL action called Add a Lead and use the Action Selector to make it available on each page of your solution. With a click of a button, users are brought directly to the appropriate form to add a new lead. When they are finished adding the lead, they are brought back to the page from which the action was selected.
NOTE: Several prompts on the Actions Wizard user interface were reworded in the Spring 2007 release for improved clarity and usability. In these cases, the reworded prompt is stated first, followed by a slash and the original prompt (e.g., Create a New Action Definition/Create a New Action).
1. Select the Create a New Action Definition/Create a New Action button at the top of the Actions Wizard.
2. In the Site URL for Document Libraries/Site URL field, type the URL of the action library that will hold the new action definition, or a Global Link, and click Add. If the action library is located in the current site, this field can be left blank.
3. All of the libraries that have a type of Document Library and can therefore be used to store an action definition are displayed in the Document Library for Action Definition/Document Libraries area. Highlight the action library you want to use.
• Actions cannot be written to an action library located in a sub-area.
4. Type the name of the new action definition in the Action Name field.
• This is the name that will be displayed to users, so make sure the name makes the purpose of the action as clear as possible.
• At the same time, keep in mind that the drop-down that displays the action titles will automatically resize to fit the longest title. As a result, CorasWorks recommends that you limit your action names to approximately 30 characters in length.
5. Use the Action Type drop-down to select Go To URL. When you make this selection, the page is refreshed and the Configure Action Type section of the display is expanded with the appropriate entry fields for that action type.
6. In the Message Displayed for Successful Action field, type the message to be displayed to users when the action is completed successfully.
• As of Spring 2007, a default message of “Success” is placed in this field. The message can be changed if you wish.
• The default success and error messages for an instance of the Actions Wizard can be changed via the Localization tab on the administration interface.
7. In the Error Message Displayed for Failed Action field, type the message to be displayed to users when the action fails for any reason.
• As of Spring 2007, a default message of “Error” is placed in this field. The message can be changed if you wish.
8. If you also want to include any SharePoint error details when an action fails, select the Include SharePoint Error Details checkbox. When this option is enabled, SharePoint details will be appended to the error message you define in the step above.
• As of Spring 2007, this checkbox is selected by default
9. If you are working with Spring 2007 or a later release and the user will be prompted for additional information when the action is executed, you have three options for the background color of the entry form displayed to the user when the action is executed:
• To use the standard gray background for the entry form, leave the Background Color for Entry Form properties blank.
• To specify a particular color for the entry form, click the Choose Color link and select the desired color from the Color Picker. You can also enter the hexadecimal value for the color if you wish.
• To inherit the background color from the css file, select the Inherit from CSS checkbox. When you select this option, the entry field and the Color Picker to the left are disabled.
10. Use the radio buttons on the Action Wizard to specify whether you want the URL to be opened in a new window or have the user return to the source page when the action is complete.
• If the URL is opened in a new window, make sure your users’ browser is not set to block pop-ups.
11. In the URL field, type the complete URL where the user should be taken when the action is selected.
12. When you are finished, select Save. The action is now available for use in an Active Display, Cross-Connect, or the Action Selector.