[#create-your-first-action]
= Create your first action

This page walks through adding your first action button — the step that turns a fresh OliveTin install into something you can actually click and use.

When you are done, your dashboard will have a **Say Hello** button like this:

image::action_buttons/create_your_first/hello-world.png[]

== Before you start

Make sure you have:

* OliveTin **installed and running** — see the xref:install/intro.adoc[installation guide] if you have not done this yet
* Access to your OliveTin **`config.yaml`** file — see xref:config.adoc#config[Configuration] for where OliveTin looks for this file on your platform
* A text editor to change the file (any editor is fine)

When OliveTin starts successfully, open the web interface in your browser (by default at `http://localhost:1337/`). You should see the OliveTin dashboard, even if it does not have any custom actions yet.

== Step 1: Open `config.yaml`

OliveTin is controlled entirely by `config.yaml`. On startup it looks for this file in several places — most commonly:

* The directory you pass with `--configdir` (often the current working directory when you start OliveTin manually)
* `/config/` inside containers
* `/etc/OliveTin/` on Linux service installs

If you are not sure which file your instance uses, check how you installed OliveTin (container, package, or manual) and open the `config.yaml` in that location.

TIP: The xref:config.adoc[Configuration] page lists every search path and explains how live reload works when you save changes.

== Step 2: Add an action

Add an entry under `actions`. Each action needs at least a **title** (shown on the button) and a **shell** command to run:

.`config.yaml`
[source,yaml]
----
actions:
  - title: Say Hello
    shell: echo "Hello World!"
    icon: smile
    onclick: execution-dialog
----

* `title` — the label on the action button. It must be unique across all actions.
* `shell` — the command OliveTin runs when you click the button. Here it prints `Hello World!` to the output.
* `icon` — the glyph shown in the centre of the button. See xref:action_customization/icons.adoc[Icons] for other options.
* `onclick: execution-dialog` — opens a dialog with the command output when the action runs, so you can see straight away that it worked. See xref:action_execution/ondemand.adoc[Execute on click] for other options.

If your `config.yaml` already has other settings or actions, add this block alongside them. Only the `actions:` list is required for this example.

== Step 3: Save the file

Save `config.yaml`. OliveTin watches the file and **reloads configuration automatically** when it changes — you do not need to restart the service in most setups.

Refresh the web page in your browser so the dashboard picks up the new action.

NOTE: If the button does not appear after saving, check the OliveTin application logs for YAML syntax errors, then refresh again. A missing quote or incorrect indentation in `config.yaml` is the most common cause.

== Step 4: Find your new button

After reload, a new **Say Hello** button appears on the dashboard:

image::action_buttons/create_your_first/hello-world.png[]

Each action button shows the title at the bottom and the icon in the centre. The small icon in the top-right corner indicates that clicking opens an execution dialog. See xref:action_buttons/layout.adoc[Layout] for a breakdown of every part of the button.

== Step 5: Run the action

Click **Say Hello**. OliveTin runs `echo "Hello World!"` and opens the execution dialog with the output, timing, and exit code.

If the dialog shows `Hello World!` and a successful exit code, your first action is working.

== Step 6: View the logs

Every execution is also recorded in the xref:logs/intro.adoc[Logs] section of the web interface. Open **Logs** in the navigation to browse past runs, search for executions, and open full output again later.

== Important considerations

* The action **title must be unique**. If two actions share the same title, only one button is shown.
* The `shell` field runs your command through a shell. For more control (especially with arguments), use `exec` instead — see xref:action_execution/shellvsexec.adoc[Shell vs Exec].

== What's Next?

Now that you have a working action, try:

* xref:action_buttons/layout.adoc[Layout] — understand the parts of an action button
* xref:action_customization/intro.adoc[Customize your actions] — icons, timeouts, and other action properties
* xref:args/intro.adoc[Add arguments to actions] — make actions interactive with user input
* xref:action_examples/intro.adoc[Browse action examples] — real-world examples for common use cases
* xref:action_execution/oncron.adoc[Schedule actions] — run actions automatically on a schedule
* xref:action_execution/onwebhook.adoc[Trigger actions via webhooks] — integrate OliveTin with external systems
* xref:dashboards/intro.adoc[Organize actions with dashboards] — create custom views to organize your actions