Card actions

Cards used by bots and message extensions in Microsoft Teams support the following activity CardAction types:

Note

The CardAction actions differ from potentialActions for connector cards for Microsoft 365 Groups when used from connectors.

Type Action
openUrl Opens a URL in the default browser.
messageBack Sends a message and payload to the bot from the user who selected the button or tapped the card. Sends a separate message to the chat stream.
imBack Sends a message to the bot from the user who selected the button or tapped the card. This message from user to bot is visible to all conversation participants.
invoke Sends a message and payload to the bot from the user who selected the button or tapped the card. This message isn't visible.
signin Initiates OAuth flow, allowing bots to connect with secure services.

Note

  • Teams does not support CardAction types not listed in the previous table.
  • Teams does not support the potentialActions property.
  • Card actions are different than suggested actions in Bot Framework or Azure Bot Service.
  • If you are using a card action as part of a message extension, the actions do not work until the card is submitted to the channel. The actions do not work while the card is in the compose message box.

Action type openUrl

openUrl action type specifies a URL to launch in the default browser.

Note

  • Your bot doesn't receive any notice on which button was selected.
  • URLs don't support machine names that include numbers. For example, a hostname such as userhostname123 isn't supported.

With openUrl, you can create an action with the following properties:

Property Description
title Appears as the button label.
value This field must contain a full and properly formed URL.

The following code shows an example of openUrl action type in JSON:

{
    "type": "openUrl",
    "title": "Tabs in Teams",
    "value": "https://msdn.microsoft.com/microsoft-teams/tabs"
}

Action type messageBack

With messageBack, you can create a fully customized action with the following properties:

Property Description
title Appears as the button label.
displayText Optional. Used by the user in the chat stream when the action is performed. This text isn't sent to your bot.
value Sent to your bot when the action is performed. You can encode context for the action, such as unique identifiers or a JSON object.
text Sent to your bot when the action is performed. Use this property to simplify bot development. Your code can check a single top-level property to dispatch bot logic.

The flexibility of messageBack means that your code can't leave a visible user message in the history simply by not using displayText.

The following code shows an example of messageBack action type in JSON:

{
  "buttons": [
    {
    "type": "messageBack",
    "title": "My MessageBack button",
    "displayText": "I clicked this button",
    "text": "User just clicked the MessageBack button",
    "value": "{\"property\": \"propertyValue\" }"
    }
  ]
}

The value property can be either a serialized JSON string or a JSON object.

Inbound message example

replyToId contains the ID of the message that the card action came from. Use it if you want to update the message.

The following code shows an example of inbound message:

{
   "text":"User just clicked the MessageBack button",
   "value":{
      "property":"propertyValue"
   },
   "type":"message",
   "timestamp":"2017-06-22T22:38:47.407Z",
   "id":"f:5261769396935243054",
   "channelId":"msteams",
   "serviceUrl":"https://smba.trafficmanager.net/amer-client-ss.msg/",
   "from":{
      "id":"29:102jd210jd010icsoaeclaejcoa9ue09u",
      "name":"John Smith"
   },
   "conversation":{
      "id":"19:malejcou081i20ojmlcau0@thread.skype;messageid=1498171086622"
   },
   "recipient":{
      "id":"28:76096e45-119f-4736-859c-6dfff54395f7",
      "name":"MyBot"
   },
   "entities":[
      {
        "locale": "en-US",
        "country": "US",
        "platform": "Windows",
        "timezone": "America/Los_Angeles",
        "type": "clientInfo" 
      }
   ],
   "channelData":{
      "channel":{
         "id":"19:malejcou081i20ojmlcau0@thread.skype"
      },
      "team":{
         "id":"19:12d021jdoijsaeoaue0u@thread.skype"
      },
      "tenant":{
         "id":"bec8e231-67ad-484e-87f4-3e5438390a77"
      }
   },
        "replyToId": "1575667808184",
}

Action type imBack

The imBack action triggers a return message to your bot, as if the user typed it in a normal chat message. Your user and all other users in a channel can see the button response.

With imBack, you can create an action with the following properties:

Property Description
title Appears as the button label.
value This field must contain the text string used in the chat and therefore sent back to the bot. This is the message text you process in your bot to perform the desired logic.

Note

The value field is a simple string. There is no support for formatting or hidden characters.

The following code shows an example of imBack action type in JSON:

{
    "type": "imBack",
    "title": "More",
    "value": "Show me more"
}

Action type invoke

The invoke action is used for invoking dialogs (referred as task modules in TeamsJS v1.x).

The invoke action contains three properties, type, title, and value.

With invoke, you can create an action with the following properties:

Property Description
title Appears as the button label.
value This property can contain a string, a stringified JSON object, or a JSON object.

The following code shows an example of invoke action type in JSON:

{
    "type": "invoke",
    "title": "Option 1",
    "value": {
        "option": "opt1"
    }
}

When a user selects the button, your bot receives the value object with some additional information.

Note

The activity type is invoke instead of message that is activity.Type == "invoke".

Example of incoming invoke message

The top-level replyToId property contains the ID of the message that the card action came from. Use it if you want to update the message.

The following code shows an example of incoming invoke message:

{
    "type": "invoke",
    "value": {
        "option": "opt1"
    },
    "timestamp": "2017-02-10T04:11:19.614Z",
    "localTimestamp": "2017-02-09T21:11:19.614-07:00",
    "id": "f:6894910862892785420",
    "channelId": "msteams",
    "serviceUrl": "https://smba.trafficmanager.net/amer-client-ss.msg/",
    "from": {
        "id": "29:1Eniglq0-uVL83xNB9GU6w_G5a4SZF0gcJLprZzhtEbel21G_5h-
    NgoprRw45mP0AXUIZVeqrsIHSYV4ntgfVJQ",
        "name": "John Doe"
    },
    "conversation": {
        "id": "19:97b1ec61-45bf-453c-9059-6e8984e0cef4_8d88f59b-ae61-4300-bec0-caace7d28446@unq.gbl.spaces"
    },
    "recipient": {
        "id": "28:8d88f59b-ae61-4300-bec0-caace7d28446",
        "name": "MyBot"
    },
    "entities": [
        {
            "locale": "en-US",
            "country": "US",
            "platform": "Web",
            "type": "clientInfo"
        }
    ],
    "channelData": {
        "channel": {
            "id": "19:dc5ba12695be4eb7bf457cad6b4709eb@thread.skype"
        },
        "team": {
            "id": "19:712c61d0ef384e5fa681ba90ca943398@thread.skype"
        },
        "tenant": {
            "id": "72f988bf-86f1-41af-91ab-2d7cd011db47"
        }
    },
    "replyToId": "1575667808184"
}

Action type sign-in

signin action type initiates an OAuth flow that permits bots to connect with secure services. For more information, see authentication flow in bots.

Teams also supports Adaptive Cards actions that are only used by Adaptive Cards.

The following code shows an example of signin action type in JSON:

{
"type": "signin",
"title": "Click me for signin",
"value": "https://signin.com"
}

Adaptive Cards actions

Adaptive Cards support four action types:

  • Action.OpenUrl: Open the specified url.
  • Action.Submit: Sends the result of the submit action to the bot.
  • Action.ShowCard: Invokes a dialog and renders the sub-card into that dialog. You only need to handle this if ShowCardActionMode is set to popup.
  • Action.ToggleVisibility: Shows or hides one or more elements in the card.
  • Action.Execute: Gathers the input fields, merges with optional data field, and sends an event to the client.

Action.Submit

Action.Submit type is used to gather the input, combine the data properties, and send an event to the bot. When a user selects the submit action, Teams sends a message activity to the bot, which includes the user's input in key-value pairs for all input fields and hidden data that is defined in the card payload.

In the Adaptive Card schema, the data property for Action.Submit is either a string or an object. A submit action behaves differently for each data property:

  • string: A string submit action automatically sends a message from the user to the bot and is visible in the conversation history.
  • object: An object submit action automatically sends an invisible message from the user to the bot that contains hidden data. An object submit action populates the activity’s value property while the text property is empty.

Action.Submit is equivalent to the Bot Framework actions. You can also modify the Adaptive Card Action.Submit payload to support existing Bot Framework actions using an msteams property in the data object of Action.Submit. When you define the msteams property under data, the Teams client defines the behavior of Action.Submit. If the msteams property isn't defined in the schema, Action.Submit works like a regular Bot Framework invoke action, where; the submit action triggers an invoke call to the bot and the bot receives the payload with all the input values defined in the input fields.

Note

  • The bot doesn’t receive user input unless the user submits their actions in the Adaptive Card through a button, such as Save or Submit. For example, the bot doesn't consider user actions, such as selecting an option from multiple choices or filling out fields in a form, as inputs unless the user submits them.
  • Adding msteams to data with a Bot Framework action doesn't work with an Adaptive Card dialog.
  • Primary or destructive ActionStyle isn't supported in Teams.
  • Your app has five seconds to respond to the invoke message.

Example

The following is an example of an Action.Submit card payload:

The payload consists of a text input field "id": "text-1" and hidden data payload "hiddenKey": 123.45.

{
  "$schema": "http://adaptivecards.io/schemas/adaptive-card.json",
  "type": "AdaptiveCard",
  "version": "1.5",
  "fallbackText": "fallback text for sample 01",
  "speak": "This is adaptive card sample 1",
  "body": [
    {
      "type": "Container",
      "items": [
        {
          "id": "text-1",
          "type": "Input.Text"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "actions": [
    {
      "type": "Action.Submit",
      "data": {
        "hiddenKey": 123.45
      }
    }
  ]
}

Screenshot shows an example of an Adaptive Card with the submit button.

The following is an example of the incoming activity to a bot when user types something in the input field and selects Submit. The value attribute includes the user's input in the text-1 property and a hidden data payload in the hiddenKey property:


{
 "type": "message",
 "timestamp": "2023-07-18T23:45:41.699Z",
 "localTimestamp": "2023-07-18T16:45:41.699-07:00",
 "id": "f:9eb18f56-2259-8fa4-7dfc-111ffff58e67",
 "channelId": "msteams",
 "serviceUrl": "https://smba.trafficmanager.net/amer/",
 "from": {
   "id": "29:1E0NZYNZFQOCUI8zM9NY_EhlCsWgNbLGTHUNdBVX2ob8SLjhltEhQMPi07Gr6MLScFeS8SrKH1WGvJSiVKThnyw",
   "name": "Megan Bowen",
   "aadObjectId": "97b1ec61-45bf-453c-9059-6e8984e0cef4"
 },
 "conversation": {
   "conversationType": "personal",
   "tenantId": "72f988bf-86f1-41af-91ab-2d7cd011db47",
   "id": "a:1H-RowZ3FrIheyjTupPnoCC6JvOLB5pCWms1xwqvAJG97j61D18EuSennYZE6tyfbQrnfIN3uIcwpOx73mg10hHp_uoTMMQlXhXosIu_q7QVCaYiW6Ch3bPWAitUw4aSX"
 },
 "recipient": {
   "id": "28:159e1c0f-15ef-4597-a8c6-44ba1fd89b78",
   "name": "Mushroom"
 },
 "entities": [
   {
     "locale": "en-US",
     "country": "US",
     "platform": "Web",
     "timezone": "America/Los_Angeles",
     "type": "clientInfo"
   }
 ],
 "channelData": {
   "tenant": {
     "id": "72f988bf-86f1-41af-91ab-2d7cd011db47"
   },
   "source": {
     "name": "message"
   },
   "legacy": {
     "replyToId": "1:1XFuAl7wF96vl6iAQk9tqus0uFrB89uujGpld-Qm-XEw"
   }
 },
 "replyToId": "1689723936016",
 "value": {
   "hiddenKey": 123.45,
   "text-1": "HELLO"
 },
 "locale": "en-US",
 "localTimezone": "America/Los_Angeles"
}

The next section provides details on how to use existing Bot Framework actions with Adaptive Cards.

Form completion feedback

You can build form completion feedback using an Adaptive Card. Form completion message appears in Adaptive Cards while sending a response to the bot. The message can be of two types, error or success:

  • Error: When a response sent to the bot is unsuccessful, Something went wrong, Try again message appears. The error occurs due to various reasons, such as:

    • Too many requests

    • Multiple concurrent operations on the same conversation

    • Service dependency issue

    • Gateway Timeout

      Screenshot shows an Error message in an Adaptive Card.

  • Success: When a response sent to the bot is successful, Your response was sent to the app message appears.

    Screenshot shows a success message in an Adaptive Card.

    You can select Close or switch chat to dismiss the message.

    If you don't want to display the success message, set the attribute hide to true in the msTeams feedback property. Following is an example:

       "content": {
           "type": "AdaptiveCard",
           "title": "Card with hidden footer messages",
           "version": "1.0",
           "actions": [
           {
               "type": "Action.Submit",
               "title": "Submit",
               "msTeams": {
                   "feedback": {
                   "hide": true
                   }
               }
           }
           ]
       } 
    

For more information on cards and cards in bots, see cards documentation.

Adaptive Cards with messageBack action

To include a messageBack action with an Adaptive Card, include the following details in the msteams object:

Note

You can include additional hidden properties in the data object, if required.

Property Description
type Set to messageBack.
displayText Optional. Used by the user in the chat stream when the action is performed. This text isn't sent to your bot.
value Sent to your bot when the action is performed. You can encode context for the action, such as unique identifiers or a JSON object.
text Sent to your bot when the action is performed. Use this property to simplify bot development. Your code can check a single top-level property to dispatch bot logic.

The following code shows an example of Adaptive Cards with messageBack action:

{
  "type": "Action.Submit",
  "title": "Click me for messageBack",
  "data": {
    "msteams": {
        "type": "messageBack",
        "displayText": "I clicked this button",
        "text": "text to bots",
        "value": "{\"bfKey\": \"bfVal\", \"conflictKey\": \"from value\"}"
    }
  }
}

Adaptive Cards with imBack action

To include an imBack action with an Adaptive Card, include the following details in the msteams object:

Note

The value field is a simple string that doesn’t support formatting or hidden characters.

Property Description
type Set to imBack.
value String that needs to be echoed back in the chat.

The following code shows an example of Adaptive Cards with imBack action:

{
  "type": "Action.Submit",
  "title": "Click me for imBack",
  "data": {
    "msteams": {
        "type": "imBack",
        "value": "Text to reply in chat"
    }
  }
}

Adaptive Cards with sign-in action

To include a signin action with an Adaptive Card, include the following details in the msteams object:

Note

You can include additional hidden properties in the data object, if required.

Property Description
type Set to signin.
value Set to the URL where you want to redirect.

The following code shows an example of Adaptive Cards with signin action:

{
  "type": "Action.Submit",
  "title": "Click me for signin",
  "data": {
    "msteams": {
        "type": "signin",
        "value": "https://signin.com"
    }
  }
}

Adaptive Cards with invoke action

To include an invoke action with an Adaptive Card, include the following details in the msteams object:

Note

You can include additional hidden properties in the data object, if required.

Property Description
type Set to task/fetch.
data Set the value.

The following code shows an example of Adaptive Cards with invoke action:

{
  "type": "Action.Submit",
  "title": "submit",
  "data": {
    "msteams": {
        "type": "task/fetch"
    }
  }
}
Property Description
type Set to invoke.
value Set the value to display.

The following code shows an example of Adaptive Cards with invoke action with additional payload data:

[
  {
    "type": "Action.Submit",
    "title": "submit with object value",
    "data": {
      "ab": "xy",
      "msteams": {
        "type": "invoke",
        "value": { "a": "b" }
      }
    }
  },
  {
    "type": "Action.Submit",
    "title": "submit with stringified json value",
    "data": {
      "ab": "xy",
      "msteams": {
        "type": "invoke",
        "value": "{ \"a\": \"b\"}"
      }
    }
  }
]

Code samples

S.No. Card Description .NET Node.js Python Java Manifest
1 Adaptive Card actions This sample showcases different actions supported in Adaptive Cards. View View NA NA View
2 Using cards Introduces all card types including thumbnail, audio, media etc. Builds on Welcoming user + multi-prompt bot by presenting a card with buttons in welcome message that route to appropriate dialog. View View View View NA
3 Adaptive cards Demonstrates how the multi-turn dialog can use a card to get user input for name and age. View View View View NA

Next step

See also