Actions
User-triggered operations in Flatfile
An Action is a code-based operation that runs when a user clicks a button or menu item in Flatfile. Actions can be mounted on Sheets, Workbooks, Documents, or Files to trigger custom operations.
Defining a custom Action is a two-step process:
- Define an Action in your Flatfile blueprint or in your code
- Create a Listener to handle the Action
When an Action is triggered, it creates a Job that your application can listen for and respond to.
Given that Actions are powered by Jobs, the Jobs Lifecycle pertains to Actions as well. This means that you can update progress values/messages while an Action is processing, and when it’s done you can provide an Outcome, which allows you to show a success message, automatically download a generated file, or forward the user to a generated Document.
For complete implementation details, see our Using Actions guide.

Several Action examples
Types of Actions
Built-in Actions
Every resource comes with default built-in actions like:
- Export/download data
- Delete data or files
- Find and replace (Sheets)
- Data mapping operations
Developer-Created Actions
You can create custom Actions to handle operations specific to your workflow, such as:
- Sending webhooks when data is ready
- Validating data against external systems
- Moving data between different resources
- Custom data transformations
Where Actions Appear
Actions appear in different parts of the UI depending on where they’re mounted:
- Workbook Actions: Buttons in the top-right corner of Workbooks
- Sheet Actions: Dropdown menu in the Sheet toolbar (or top-level button if marked as
primary
) - Document Actions: Buttons in the top-right corner of Documents
- File Actions: Dropdown menu for each file in the Files list
Example Action Configuration
Every Action requires an operation
(unique identifier) and label
(display text):
Actions support additional options like primary
status, confirmation dialogs, constraints, and input forms.