The Success Action field on a User Input View decides what the requester sees the moment they hit Submit. It's a small choice but it shapes whether the form feels finished or feels like the requester is left wondering whether the submission worked.
The wrong choice can leave users confused ("did it work? do I refresh? do I wait for an email?"). The right choice closes the loop neatly and tells them exactly what to expect next.
The three options
Success Action is a Conditional Form field — picking an option reveals additional configuration specific to that option.
1. Show a thank-you message
Renders custom HTML on the same page where the form was. Best for keeping the user on-site so they can submit another request, browse related help, or just see a confirmation badge with their reference number.
The custom HTML can use any of the standard merge tokens — ##REFNUMBER##, ##AMDATA_fieldname##, etc. A typical thank-you message is something like:
<h2>Thank you, ##AMDATA_firstname##!</h2>
<p>Your request <strong>##REFNUMBER##</strong> has been submitted successfully.</p>
<p>You'll receive a confirmation email shortly. The first review typically happens within 2 business days.</p>
<p><a href="/page/myrequests">View all your requests</a></p>2. Redirect to a URL
Sends the browser to any URL you specify after submission. Useful for sending the user back to a portal home page, a related self-service page, or a confirmation page with a richer layout than the inline thank-you message can support.
The URL can include merge tokens too — https://your-portal/requests/##REFNUMBER## redirects them straight to the detail page of their just-submitted request.
3. Run a custom function
Invokes a PHP function defined in customfunctions.php and shows whatever HTML the function returns. Use this when the success state needs to be computed at runtime — for example, picking a different message depending on the request type, or running custom logic before deciding what to show.
Example function:
function purchaseRequestSuccess($action, $formData, $AMuser, $AMDB) {
if ($formData['total_cost'] > 5000) {
return [true, [
'html' => '<h2>Large request submitted</h2><p>Your request is over £5,000 and will be reviewed by both your manager and the CFO.</p>'
]];
}
return [true, [
'html' => '<h2>Request submitted</h2><p>Your line manager will review shortly.</p>'
]];
}This kind of conditional success message gives users a clear preview of what to expect, tailored to their actual submission.
Three real-world examples
Different UIVs benefit from different Success Actions:
Example 1: Public Contact Form
Success Action: Show a thank-you message. The message thanks them, gives the reference number, and explains the typical response time. Includes a link back to the home page so they don't feel stranded.
Example 2: Internal Leave Application
Success Action: Redirect to URL pointing at /page/myrequests. The user lands on their personal list of all leave requests, with the new one at the top with status "Submitted". They can see their whole leave history at a glance.
Example 3: Customer Support Ticket
Success Action: Run custom function. The function inspects the ticket type and severity. For low-priority tickets it shows a standard "we'll reply within 2 business days" message. For high-priority tickets it shows a "we've flagged this as urgent and you'll hear back within 1 hour" message. The exact message comes from the platform's per-tier SLA configuration.
Pairing with the Process Complete Action
The Success Action fires once, immediately after the requester submits the form. It's separate from the Process Complete Action, which fires once the request has been approved through every stage of the workflow.
A common pattern is to have both:
- Success Action: show a thank-you message with the reference number and a note about expected turnaround.
- Process Complete Action: trigger a custom function that creates a downstream record (for example, a finance entry once a purchase request has been fully approved, or a calendar event once a leave application has been approved through every stage).
Including the reference number
If you use the thank-you message option, you can include the reference number in the HTML using the standard merge token ##REFNUMBER##. This is the prefixed reference (e.g. "PR-1234") rather than the raw integer ID — so it matches what the user sees everywhere else.
Tip: A great thank-you message includes four things: a clear confirmation that the request was received, the reference number prominently displayed, an indication of who'll be reviewing it next, and a rough timeline. That single panel typically prevents 80% of follow-up "did you get my form?" emails to your support team.