Actions
Actions are the steps a Flow executes. They live in the editor under the Actions tab, with the hint Choose an action to extend your Flow.
A Flow can contain any number of actions, one after another or branched.
Actions marked "Pro"
Some actions carry the Pro label in the editor and are only available on the top plan. They're marked accordingly below.
Working with your own data
Create entry
Creates a new entry
Creates an entry in a Grid. You set the field values directly or from previous steps.
Suited for: mirroring data from a form into a second Grid, writing log entries, generating tasks.
Can trigger its own Flow again
If an action writes to the same Grid that the New entry trigger listens on, the Flow triggers itself — over and over. Write to a different Grid, or choose a more precise trigger.
Update entry
Update an entry with new values
Changes fields of an existing entry — usually the entry from the trigger.
Suited for: setting a status, recording a processing timestamp, writing calculated results back.
Load all entries
Load all entries of a Grid
Fetches the entries of a Grid into the Flow as a list.
Suited for: bulk evaluations, mail merges, recurring reports.
Almost always combined with "Parallel"
A list on its own doesn't get you far. Only the Parallel helper runs the following steps individually for each entry.
Communicating outward
Email
Send an email
Recipient, subject, and body can be freely composed — with fixed text and values from previous steps.
Suited for: confirmations, notifications, reminders, forwards.
HTTP request
Send any HTTP request
The general-purpose action for anything that doesn't have a ready-made integration. You specify URL, method, headers, and body yourself.
Suited for: your own systems, tools with an open interface, automation services.
Slack · MS Teams · Firebase Cloud Messaging
Ready-made actions for sending a message to the respective service.
HubSpot
Creates a contact in the HubSpot CRM.
Magenta Business SMS · Verify · Verify Check — Pro
Send SMS and confirm phone numbers via an SMS code. Verify sends the code, Verify Check checks the entered value.
Suited for: two-factor confirmation, appointment reminders via SMS.
These services require their own credentials
For Slack, MS Teams, Firebase, HubSpot, and Magenta Business, you need your own account with the respective provider. You enter the credentials directly in the Flow step — a webhook URL for Slack and MS Teams, an API key for Firebase, an API token for HubSpot, a key and secret for Magenta.
Get these before you build the Flow. → Integrations at a glance
Generating files and content
QR Code
Creates a QR Code
Generates a QR code from a given content value.
PDF to text — Pro
Convert PDF to text
Reads the text content of a PDF.
Suited for: processing incoming invoices or forms by machine.
URL to PDF — Pro
Convert website to PDF
Generates a PDF from a web address.
Generating receipts and confirmations
Combined with a published page, this can be used to generate confirmations and receipts as PDF: open a page with the entry data, convert it to PDF, send it by email.
Import CSV file
Imports a CSV file
Reads a CSV file from an address and makes its rows available as a list.
Speech to text — Pro
Convert audio to text
Converts an audio recording into text — for example from the Voice recording block of a form.
Document Analyzer — Pro
Analyzes documents using AI.
Calendar entry
Creates a calendar entry from title, description, and time details.
DATEV Payroll — Pro
Creates a DATEV import file
Generates an import file for DATEV Payroll.
Credentials required
This action requires the access key and password for your DATEV account. Keep these ready and handle them confidentially.
Working with AI
OpenAI — Pro
Sends a prompt to ChatGPT and returns the response.
Inputs: Prompt and optionally Additional instructions.
Suited for: summarizing text, classifying feedback, generating draft replies.
No OpenAI contract of your own needed
Unlike the other integrations, you don't need your own account or API key here. The step runs through ApptiveGrid and is ready to use as soon as your plan includes it.
Check what data you pass along
The content of a prompt leaves ApptiveGrid and is sent to an external service. Don't pass along personal or confidential data without a prior data protection review.
JavaScript
Runs JavaScript code
Runs your own code when none of the ready-made actions fit. The editor offers:
- A template:
const data = input…return data - Generate with AI — describe in words what the code should do
- Send previous Flow data to AI — gives the AI the result of the previous step as context
- Restore previous code version
If generation fails, the editor reports JavaScript could not be generated.
The step is free, AI generation is not
Run JavaScript is available on every plan — you can always write your own code.
Only Generate with AI is plan-restricted. Without that feature you type the code yourself, which for most transformations is faster anyway than describing it in words.
Interacting with people
Show page
Displays a page for user interaction
Pauses the Flow and shows a person a page. Once submitted, the Flow continues.
Suited for: approvals, follow-up questions, multi-stage data entry.
Don't confuse it with the trigger of the same name
There's also a trigger called Show page. That one starts a Flow; this action interrupts one. See Trigger.
If a step has no page assigned, it shows:
No UI has been set up for this step. If you need a UI, you can add one in the Flow Editor.
Create link to page
Creates a link to a page in the Flow
Generates a link to the current run. You can send this link by email so someone can continue at this point later.
The path to asynchronous processes
Show page requires someone to be present right now. Create link to page combined with Email also works when the person only has time tomorrow: they receive the link and open it whenever suits them.
Prefilled form link
Updates an entry
Generates a link to a form that already opens prefilled with the entry, ready for editing.
Suited for: requests for corrections, acceptances and declines, data upkeep by external parties.
Nothing that fits?
The editor itself points this out: Nothing fitting found? with the option to submit a request.
Before that, it's worth looking at HTTP request — it can connect to most services that have an open interface.
Next
- Flow steps — quick reference of all steps
- Router and Parallel
- Data between steps
- Testing Flows
- Integrations at a glance