# Add a rule action

> Make a rule send a notification through a channel or forward the matching data to an outbound target, and reuse the same action on many rules.

Source: https://proxus.io/docs/automate/rule-actions

At the end of this guide, the oven rule from [Create a rule](https://proxus.io/docs/automate/rules) sends a Microsoft Teams message
each time it fires. A rule action is defined once and can be linked to as many rules as you like.

## Before you start

You need:

- A rule. See [Create a rule](https://proxus.io/docs/automate/rules).
- For a notification: a notification channel (email, Teams, Slack, SMS and others). See
  [Notification channels](https://proxus.io/docs/connect/notification-channels).
- For forwarding data: an outbound target. See [Outbound targets](https://proxus.io/docs/connect/outbound-targets).

## The two kinds of action

| Action Type | What it does when the rule fires |
| --- | --- |
| **Notification Action** | Sends a message through the chosen **Notification Channel**. The message is written by Proxus: it names the rule, the time and why it fired, and quotes the rule's condition. |
| **Trigger Outbound Target** | Forwards the message that matched (all its tag values and its place) to the chosen **Outbound Target**. Works only for rules on **On Data Received**. |

An action runs each time its rule fires, within the rule's throttle. Nothing runs when the condition stops being
true.

## Step 1: Create the action

1. Go to **Automate > Rule Actions** and select **New**.
2. Fill in the form.

*Screenshot: The rule action form with the name DOCS_Notify oven team, the type Notification Action and the channel Microsoft Teams*

1. **Name**: a unique name that says what it does, for example `Notify oven team`.
2. **Action Type**: **Notification Action**.
3. **Notification Channel**: the channel to send through, here **Microsoft Teams**. For **Trigger Outbound Target**
   this field is **Outbound Target** instead.

Select **Save**.

> **Note:**
The **Template** field is not used for the message today: whatever you type there, the channel receives the
message Proxus writes for the rule. Leave it empty.

## Step 2: Link it to the rule

1. Open the rule in **Automate > Rules**.
2. Open the **Actions** tab (1) below the form.
3. Select **Link** (2) and select the action in the list. It is added to the rule.
4. Select **Save**.

*Screenshot: The Actions tab of a rule with the Link button and the linked action DOCS_Notify oven team*

**New** on the same tab creates an action and links it in one go. **Unlink** removes the action from this rule
only. The **Rules** column tells you how many rules use an action.

If the rule is active, its settings are locked: clear **Active**, save, link the action, then turn it on again.

## When a message does not arrive

- A failed delivery is tried again a few times, with growing pauses, before it is given up.
- **Logs** in the rule action's toolbar opens the log entries of the notification sender, with the reason a
  message failed (a wrong address or token on the channel, for example).
- Check that the rule fired: its **Alerts** tab and **Last fired** show it.
- Check the rule's **Trigger Limit** and **Throttle Period**: matches over the limit run no action.

## What's next

- [Create a rule](https://proxus.io/docs/automate/rules)
- [Notification channels](https://proxus.io/docs/connect/notification-channels)
- [Automation troubleshooting](https://proxus.io/docs/troubleshoot/automation)