Button component

Canonical page for button click actions. Form submit is a different system — that lives on Form submit redirection. Cross-link, Form submit actions are documented separately — cross-link instead of duplicating.

What this is / when to use it

A Button (BUTTON) is a component the user taps. It does not submit the form. It runs one click action:

Action	Enum	What it does
Open URL	OPEN_URL	Opens a link (http/https, or an in-app path you control).
Dial phone	DIAL_PHONE	Opens the device dialer with a number.
Open email	OPEN_EMAIL	Opens a mailto.
Open SMS	OPEN_SMS	Opens a sms: draft.

Use a button when the user should leave the current context without writing the form.

Use form on_submit when the user should save the row and then change data, go to a screen, or redirect. Those subtypes are change_data, go_to_screen, redirect_url.

When not to use a button:

• “Save” / “Submit” — that is the form submit control.
• “Start approval” — attach a workflow to submit or to a workflow button in Automation, not OPEN_URL.
• “Pick related rows” — use a reference input with SELECTION.

Before you start

1. You are on Details, Content, or a form where a secondary action makes sense (Cancel, Call client, Open contract).
2. The URL / phone / email / SMS value is either a literal or bound to a property (Show URL vs Button — prefer Button when you want a labeled control).

Build it

1. Add Button.
2. Set the label (“Call client”, “Open invoice”).
3. Set color style DARK or LIGHT.
4. Set On click to one of OPEN_URL, DIAL_PHONE, OPEN_EMAIL, OPEN_SMS.
5. Bind the value (literal or property).
6. Set visibility if only some users should see it.
7. Publish and tap the button on a phone and on desktop.

Every control

Control	Options	What it does
Label	Text	Button text.
Color	DARK / LIGHT	Visual style.
On click	OPEN_URL / DIAL_PHONE / OPEN_EMAIL / OPEN_SMS	Click action.
URL / phone / email / body	Literal or field	Payload for the action.
Visibility	Shared visibility enums	Hide for some rows or users.

Screen-level actions (create/update/delete/bulk) are not button components. They are Screen Actions.

What users see

A tappable control. It does not validate the form and does not write Notion. If the device cannot dial (desktop without a tel handler), the browser shows its default failure.

Limits and plans

• Buttons do not start Workflow Foundation by themselves. Use a form submit trigger or a workflow button_clicked attachment when the workflow builder offers it — that is an Automation binding, not ButtonOnClickAction.
• OPEN_URL to another screen’s public URL is brittle. Prefer go_to_screen on submit, or a hidden-nav screen opened from Screen Actions.
• SMS and dial need a real device capability.

Example

Details of a vendor: Button Call = DIAL_PHONE on Phone, Button Email = OPEN_EMAIL on Email, Button Portal = OPEN_URL on the vendor’s URL property.

The form’s Submit still uses on_submit → go_to_screen → Thank you content page.

Fix problems

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
Button “does nothing” on submit	You expected it to save	Use the form submit button.
Workflow does not run	Click action is not a workflow trigger	Bind button_clicked in Automation, or use form_submitted.
mailto empty	Email property empty	Bind a filled property or a literal.

Related

Form submit: Form submit redirection. Screen record actions: Screen Actions. Workflow triggers: Trigger catalog.