--- title: Element actions slug: action description: How element actions work in Personizely widgets: open a URL, close, go to step or spin the wheel on click or submit, and conditional actions on visitor fields. image: https://archbee-image-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/1y1Fr-DMGy_apx7FwibyA/ORDTWfNKMXiY3ZRv0QSgP_personizely-docs-og.png docTags: createdAt: 2026-10-16T20:09:10.105Z --- 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](https://docs.personizely.net/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 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | [Button](https://docs.personizely.net/button) | The visitor clicks it | | [Image](https://docs.personizely.net/image) | The visitor clicks it | | [Form](https://docs.personizely.net/form) | The visitor submits it and the submission passes validation | | [Survey](https://docs.personizely.net/survey) | The visitor answers (single choice) or clicks Submit (multiple choice) | | [Countdown timer](https://docs.personizely.net/timer) | The timer reaches zero while the widget is displayed | | [Products](https://docs.personizely.net/product) | The visitor clicks the product button (not for **Go to product** and **Buy now**) | | [Wheel of fortune](https://docs.personizely.net/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](https://docs.personizely.net/widget-steps) of the widget | **Step** | | **Spin the wheel** | Spins the [wheel of fortune](https://docs.personizely.net/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](https://docs.personizely.net/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](https://docs.personizely.net/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](https://docs.personizely.net/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. ## Related - [Automations overview](https://docs.personizely.net/automations) - [Widget steps](https://docs.personizely.net/widget-steps) - [Button](https://docs.personizely.net/button) - [Form](https://docs.personizely.net/form) - [Wheel of fortune](https://docs.personizely.net/wheel-of-fortune)