# Action Collections

Bundle, share, and reuse custom actions across your apps and workspace.


Action Collections let you bundle related custom actions together and share them across your apps or with your workspace team. Instead of recreating the same API integrations for each app, create once and reuse everywhere.

## What Are Action Collections?

A collection is a package of related custom actions:

| Feature | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| **Bundled actions** | Group related API integrations together |
| **Shareable** | Share with your workspace or keep private |
| **Configurable** | Each app can set its own API keys |
| **Updatable** | Push updates to all apps using the collection |

## Creating a Collection

<Steps>
  <Step title="1">
    <strong>Create Custom Actions</strong>

    First, create the custom actions you want to bundle in your app's **Build** > **Custom Actions** section.
  </Step>

  <Step title="2">
    <strong>Publish as Collection</strong>

    Once you have at least one custom action, you'll see **Publish as Collection** below your actions list. Click it to bundle your actions.

    Configure your collection:
    - **Name**: A descriptive name (e.g., "Stripe Integration")
    - **Description**: What the collection does
    - **Actions**: Select which actions to include
  </Step>

  <Step title="3">
    <strong>Set Sharing Scope</strong>

    Choose who can use your collection:

    | Scope | Who Can Access |
    |-------|---------------|
    | **Private** | Only your apps |
    | **Workspace** | Anyone in your workspace |
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Importing Collections

Once collections have been published to your workspace, an **Action Collections** section appears in the Build page.

### Browse Available Collections

Click **Browse Workspace Collections** to see collections available to you:

- **Pro Actions**: Pre-built integrations from Chipp
- **Workspace**: Collections shared by your team
- **Your Collections**: Collections you've created

### Import to Your App

1. Find the collection you want
2. Click **Import**
3. Configure required variables (API keys, etc.)
4. Actions are added to your app

## Variables and Configuration

Collections use variables for values that differ between apps:

### What Are Variables?

Variables are placeholders that get filled in when importing:

```
API URL: https://api.example.com/v1
API Key: {{API_KEY}}       ← Variable
```

Each app importing the collection provides its own API key.

### Variable Types

| Type | Use Case | Example |
|------|----------|---------|
| **Text** | URLs, identifiers | Base URL, account ID |
| **Secret** | API keys, tokens | Hidden in UI, encrypted |

### Setting Variable Values

When importing a collection:

1. You'll see required variables
2. Enter values for each variable
3. Values are stored securely per-app
4. Can be updated later in action settings

## Managing Collections

### View Your Collections

See all collections you've created or imported in **Build** > **Custom Actions**.

### Update a Collection

When you modify actions in your source app:

1. Make changes to the custom actions
2. Re-publish the collection
3. Apps using it can pull updates

### Remove a Collection

To remove an imported collection:

1. Find the collection in your app
2. Click the settings icon
3. Select **Remove Collection**

This removes the actions but doesn't delete the collection itself.

## Best Practices

### Organizing Collections

Create focused collections around a single integration or use case:

**Good:**
- "Stripe Payments" - Charge, refund, subscription actions
- "HubSpot CRM" - Contact, deal, company actions
- "Email Tools" - Send, template, tracking actions

**Avoid:**
- "All My Actions" - Too broad, hard to maintain
- "Misc Utilities" - No clear purpose

### Variable Naming

Use clear, consistent variable names:

```
Good:
- STRIPE_API_KEY
- HUBSPOT_ACCESS_TOKEN
- BASE_URL

Avoid:
- key
- token1
- url
```

### Documentation

Add descriptions to your collections and actions:

- What does each action do?
- What variables are required?
- Any prerequisites or setup needed?

## Troubleshooting

### "Variable not configured"

An imported collection is missing required values:

1. Go to the collection settings
2. Click **Configure Variables**
3. Enter the missing values

### "Action not working after import"

1. Check variable values are correct
2. Verify API credentials are valid
3. Test the action independently

### "Can't see workspace collections"

1. Verify you're in the correct workspace
2. Check collection sharing scope is "Workspace"
3. Ask the creator to verify sharing settings

## Next Steps

With action collections:

1. Learn about [Custom Actions](/docs/custom-actions/overview) to build your own integrations
2. Explore [Pro Actions](/docs/pro-actions/overview) for pre-built integrations
3. See [API Integration](/docs/custom-actions/api-integration) for advanced configuration