Custom Actions

Build custom actions that let you do things you can't do in Adalo - like use external services (APIs) to accomplish tasks like send emails, crop photos, generate IDs, or shorten URLs.

Skill Level: Expert

Before You Begin

• You will need a paid Adalo plan to use this feature: Professional Plan or above.

• Ensure you have an understanding of Actions, Databases, and Magic Text

• Ensure you have read about the basics of APIs (see our primer on them here)

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Intro Video

The video above is Version 1 of Custom Actions. If you want to see Version 2 where you can now bring data back into your app from other external apps, watch the video here!

What Is a Custom Action?

A Custom Action is a request your app makes to an external API when a user interacts with something inside your app. For example, tapping a button or submitting a form.

You can use a Custom Action to:

• Send data to another service

• Trigger a webhook or automation

• Retrieve data from an API and use the results inside your app

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How to Create a Custom ActionSimple Custom Action WalkthroughAdvanced Custom Action Walkthrough

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Limitations

• When using a Custom Action as a Screen Action, the Outputs will not be available for use in subsequent actions.

• Supported property types for Custom Action Outputs are Text, Number, and Date/Time only.

• Custom Actions cannot be used directly on form submission actions.

• Custom Actions cannot be copied from one team to another.

• Editing a Custom Action updates it at the team level, not just within a single app.

Important Note on Team-Level Behavior

Custom Actions are unique to your team, not to individual apps. If you use the same Custom Action in multiple apps and later make an edit, that change will apply everywhere it’s used. For this reason, it’s best practice to re-create Custom Actions for each app if the setup or outputs differ. This helps prevent unexpected changes and ensures each app functions independently.

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Learn More

• For a list of example use cases for Custom Actions, click here.

• Test your API in Postman before connecting to Adalo.

• Custom Actions work best with REST APIs and can only recognize JSON responses. APIs utilizing XML, SOAP, or GraphQL are not supported unless they can return JSON responses.

• Custom Actions can't send multiple records in their API request.

• Custom Actions are different from External Collections in that they are used to perform a single function instead of displaying a list of items like an external collection.