# Actions

An action is a system command or custom code run. It is used to retrieve or process data. An action can be:

- A system command
- A Python script
- A Javascript script

Note: actions are not listed as independent commands. They are used in workflows and custom commands.

## System actions

To define an action that runs a system command we use the
YAML format:

```yaml
cmd: ls
```

The action's output will be the result of the command.

To use parameters:

```yaml
name: ocr
cmd: /home/ggg/me/path/to/some/app/.venv/bin/python
args:
  - "/home/ggg/me/path/to/some/app/ocr.py"
  - "-x"
  - "--a-param"
  - "0"
```

All the parameters are strings.

It is possible to run an action with some additional command line parameters. 
To run the above action with parameters:

```bash
lm ocr some_img.jpg
```

## Python actions

To declare a `hello.py` action:

```python
import sys

print("args:", sys.argv)
print("Hello world")
```

Run the action:

```bash
lm hello param1 "params two"
```

The output of the action will be the printed statements. For example
for an OCR agent just print the output to pass the result to the eventual
next step of a workflow.

## Javascript actions

To create a quick action in a `dist/actions` folder use a `.js` extension for your action:

```js
async function action(args, options) {
    const data = doSomething();    
    if (somethingIsWrong) {
        throw new Error("something went wrong")
    }
    // pass the result data for the next node
    return data
}

export { action }
```

System commands can be used in Javascript actions. Import `execute` from `@agent-smith/core`:

```js
import { execute } from "@agent-smith/core";

async function action(args, options) {
    const data = await execute("cat", args);
    return { fileContent: data };
}

export { action };
```

<a href="javascript:openLink('/terminal_client/workflows')">Next: Workflows</a>