Element actions
An element's action is what the widget does when the visitor interacts with that element: open a URL, close the widget, go to another step, or spin a wheel of fortune. Conditional actions let the same element do different things depending on the visitor's profile, for example sending survey answers down different paths. Actions run alongside the element's automations, which handle tracking, integrations and other side effects.
Available on: all platforms.
How it works
You set the action in the element's Interaction tab, under Action. It runs when the element's event happens:
Element | Action runs when |
|---|---|
The visitor clicks it | |
The visitor clicks it | |
The visitor submits it and the submission passes validation | |
The visitor answers (single choice) or clicks Submit (multiple choice) | |
The timer reaches zero while the widget is displayed | |
The visitor clicks the product button (not for Go to product and Buy now) | |
Wheel of fortune segment | The wheel lands on a segment whose outcome is Action |
If conditional actions are set, Personizely checks them first, in order. The first one whose conditions all match runs instead of the default action. If none matches, the default action runs.
Action types
Action | What it does | Options |
|---|---|---|
No action | Nothing happens on the widget. Automations still run | — |
Open URL | Takes the visitor to a URL | URL; New tab (off by default) |
Close widget | Closes the widget | — |
Go to step | Shows another step of the widget | Step |
Spin the wheel | Spins the wheel of fortune on the current step | Only offered when the current step contains a wheel |
Open URL details
- The URL can contain dynamic text, such as https://example.com/welcome?email={visitor.email}. Spaces and accented characters in values are encoded, but characters that have a meaning in URLs, such as &, + and #, aren't escaped.
- New tab opens the URL in a new tab and closes the widget.
- From a Form or a wheel spin, a same-tab redirect waits until the submission or spin has been recorded, so nothing is lost when the page changes.
Spin the wheel
Any element with an action on a step that contains a wheel can spin it: a "Spin" button, an image, or a Form used as an email gate. A form with Spin the wheel records the lead on its first submit; submitting again only spins again.
Conditional actions
Click Add a conditional action under Action to open the Conditional actions dialog. "The actions will be evaluated in the presented order with the default action as a fallback."
Each conditional action has:
- Conditions: one or more visitor fields (default or custom fields), each with an operator and a value. All conditions must match.
- An action: any of the action types above.
Conditions read the visitor's profile at the moment of the click or submit, including the values just submitted in this form or survey. That makes conditional actions the way to branch a quiz or survey: answer "Men" goes to one step, "Women" to another.
Behavior details and limitations
- Automations run whatever the action. The element's automations run with the default action and with any conditional action. A conditional action changes what the widget does, not which automations run.
- Clicks are counted only when they do something. A button or image click is recorded in the widget's stats when its action is Open URL or Go to step, or when it has at least one automation. Clicks on elements that only close the widget aren't counted as clicks.
- Closing counts for frequency. Close widget is a close for the Frequency rule, or a minimize if the widget has a teaser with On close.
- Forms default to Close widget. A new Form element closes the widget after a successful submit. Change it to Go to step to show a thank-you step.
- Products buttons. Go to product and Buy now navigate on their own, so they have no action setting.
- Timers. A timer that's already at zero when the widget opens doesn't run its action.
Examples
- Thank-you step: Form action Go to step "Thank you", with the coupon on that step.
- Quiz branching: Survey bound to the custom field "Skin type"; conditional actions send "Dry" to step 2 and "Oily" to step 3, default to step 4.
- "No thanks" link: Text-style Button with Close widget and no automations.
- VIP redirect: Button with default Open URL /collections/all and a conditional action "Membership is VIP" (a custom field) → /collections/vip.
Troubleshooting
- Spin the wheel isn't in the list → the current step has no wheel element.
- Conditional action never runs → one of its conditions doesn't match the visitor's stored value; all must match. Check the field's type and the operator.
- Redirect happens but the lead is missing → the redirect comes from a Button, not the Form. Put the URL action on the Form itself.