What are actions?

In software development, actions refer to the specific tasks or operations performed by a software program. They represent the steps or activities that a program can execute to accomplish a particular goal or provide a desired functionality.

Actions can take various forms depending on the nature of the software and its intended purpose. Here are some common types of actions in software:

1. User Interface Actions: These actions involve interactions between the user and the software's graphical user interface (GUI). Examples include clicking buttons, entering text in fields, selecting options from dropdown menus, or dragging and dropping elements.
2. Data Manipulation Actions: These actions involve manipulating data within the software. It can include tasks such as creating, reading, updating, or deleting records in a database, performing calculations, sorting or filtering data, or transforming data in some way.
3. File Operations: Actions related to file operations involve reading, writing, or modifying files on the computer's file system. It includes tasks like opening or closing files, saving data to a file, renaming or deleting files, or searching for specific files.
4. Network Operations: Actions related to network operations involve communication between the software and other systems over a network. This can include sending or receiving data over the internet, making API calls, establishing network connections, or handling network protocols.
5. Control Flow Actions: These actions involve controlling the flow of execution within the software. It includes tasks such as branching based on specific conditions (if-else statements), looping over a set of instructions (for or while loops), or calling other functions or procedures.
6. Error Handling Actions: Actions related to error handling involve detecting and responding to errors or exceptions that occur during program execution. It includes tasks such as logging error messages, displaying meaningful error alerts to the user, or executing specific error recovery routines.
7. System Actions: These actions involve interactions with the underlying operating system or hardware resources. It can include tasks such as accessing system settings, managing memory, interacting with peripheral devices (e.g., printers or scanners), or launching other applications.

Overall, actions in software encapsulate the specific tasks or operations that enable the software to perform its intended functionality, interact with users, manipulate data, and interact with other systems or resources. They are the building blocks that make up the behavior and functionality of software programs.

See Part 10 MDriven Designer Overview. Actions and navigation

Types of actions

Global actions

Class actions

ViewModel actions