Dynamically Set an Action Icon with a Format Rule

[Marc_Dillon]

I never knew until today that you could dynamically set (or rather, change) an Action’s icon with a Format Rule.

Just posting in case other people hadn’t realized this as well.

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Wow… just wow.

[SkrOYC]

BTW I also literally discovered this 2-3 days ago when I saw action buttons of different colors

[Fabian_Weller]

Hi @Marc_Dillon thank you for sharing this. You can also add some dummy actions

[How to indent](https://community.appsheet.com/t/how-to-indent/48117/2) Tips & Tricks ?

Thank you @Kirk_Masden for this tip. I like it. Indent is possible also with “Dummy” Format Rules. It does not matter what kind of icon you use, but the highlight color has to be transparent. [image] [image] [image]

[Action button "ish" texts or Text button "ish" button icon?](https://community.appsheet.com/t/action-button-ish-texts-or-text-button-ish-button-icon/25238/2) Tips & Tricks ?

This is awesome and very creative. Thank you for sharing this @tsuji_koichi Please allow me to add some thoughts You can delete the Action icon. I think you don’t need it. [image] You also don’t need the Icon in Format Rules. Just set the Highlight Color to #ffffff00 or #0000 which will make it transparent. Otherwise you will see the icon if you long click with your mouse: [image] If you have a Centered Detail view like you do, you don’t even need the Highlight Color. Bec…

I use this in a deck view. So that the action buttons always stay at the same place.

[WillowMobileSys]

Marc_Dillon:

I never knew until today that you could dynamically set (or rather, change) an Action’s icon with a Format Rule.

Yes. Glad you found it. You can use your Tip to create “Toggle” Actions assigning a different action and icon IN THE SAME SPACE.

For example, let’s say you want to go to different Forms based on Status - New, Working and Complete. You could create a Group of Actions each with the behavior set based on Status such that only one of those actions is activated. Or you could create a single action with an expression like:

IFS(
   [Status] = "New", LINTOFORM("Form1",...),
   [Status] = "Working", LINTOFORM("Form2",...),
   [Status] = "Complete", LINTOFORM("Form3",...)
)

The real beauty is that in both action designs above you would be able to create Format Rules, one for each [Status], and set a specific icon and even color. Essentially creating 3 different actions. Of course this only works in cases where you would show exactly one action at a time!

This “Toggle” button design works everywhere EXCEPT in a Card view (see below), but is especially useful for Inline Actions where row space is at a premium! The same “main” action button can now behave like three different buttons but within the same Action button space - i.e. in an inline view you do not need multiple columns.

NOTE: Applying the Format Rule to an action on a Card View has unexpected results. Instead of replacing the icon like in other app areas, the Format Rule is applied as a “highlight” as is normally done with column values. See the bug post below

[New Bug Encountered: Card view - Actions icons not applying Highlight color formatting correctly](https://community.appsheet.com/t/new-bug-encountered-card-view-actions-icons-not-applying-highlight-color-formatting-correctly/57403) Questions

In a Card View, the Action Icons are being treated as Text. When applying a Format Rule, assigning the Text color actually changes the Icon color. Assigning an Icon or Highlight color behaves as if there is not already an Icon assigned from the Action. A secondary issue occurs when changing the Icon in the action. Even after a Save, the Card View is not updated. The Card View action must be updated by switching to a different action and then switching back again to the desired action befor…

[SkrOYC]

WillowMobileSystems:

The real beauty is that in both action designs above you would be able to create Format Rules, one for each [Status], and set a specific icon and even color. Essentially creating 3 different actions

I was thinking about that when I was searching for different colors on action buttons. Now I also understand how @MultiTech_Visions made the ‘checkbox’ action (I’m right?)

That’s why I posted this topic about better AppSheet Documentation

[AppSheet Help Documentation outdated](https://community.appsheet.com/t/appsheet-help-documentation-outdated/60194) Feature Requests

Many of us has noticed this Most of the images used on the AppSheet help site are outdated. Also, some parts seem like there is just not enough info. Take Format Rules as an example. I think that a collaborative effort to update the docs could be really benefitial for new and experienced users. I’d love to help Please vote if you think a collaborative update to the docs is necesary or you would participate. I imagine changes made from Regular users from the community and approved by AppShe…

This kind of info should be inside the official docs

[MultiTech]

WillowMobileSystems:

The real beauty is that in both action designs above you would be able to create Format Rules, one for each [Status], and set a specific icon and even color. Essentially creating 3 different actions.

Very helpful for in-line actions - meaning an action you see inside a table (for example)

• Instead of having space for 3 actions, now it only takes up 1.

  

[Fabian_Weller]

SkrOYC:

Now I also understand how @MultiTech_Visions made the ‘checkbox’ action (I’m right?)

Can you post the link please?

[SkrOYC]

After a search, this seems like a good one

[How to add a checkbox to a table view](https://community.appsheet.com/t/how-to-add-a-checkbox-to-a-table-view/13942) Tips & Tricks ?

The question of how to add a checkbox to a table view has come up before: The answer (attaching an action to a blank virtual column) was provided but as I don’t think the implementation is completely self evident, I thought I’d provide a little example and explain the steps one needs to follow to implement it. First, here’s an image to illustrate the goal: [28] The empty checkbox and the checked checkbox are the same action. When the action is invoked it changes a column called “Check” fr…

I don’t remember where I asked @MultiTech_Visions abou it, he showed a video about other thing and I saw the checkbox on Inline.

[_William]

Can someone confirm that format rules don’t apply to action icons from an inline view with a view type card and layout as list?

I discovered that if you have only one action defined and the other 2 set to none that’s action icon appears instead of the three dots. I want to have a format rule thats changes the icon but currently its not applying the rule. I changed view types and the formatting is working just not in the above mentioned condition.

[Steve]

I can’t confirm, but I wouldn’t be surprised if format rules don’t work properly with card views. Card view were never fully baked and were released way too soon, and development on them has fallen into maintenance mode, so fixes to the current oversights are unlikely to come soon.