resources/context_help/QgsVectorLayerProperties-en_US

@@ -104,11 +104,31 @@ The <label>Metadata</label> tab contains information about the layer, including
 <h4>Actions</h4>
 </a>
 QGIS provides the ability to perform an action based on the attributes of a feature. This can be used to perform any number of actions, for example, running a program with arguments built from the attributes of a feature or passing parameters to a web reporting tool. <br/>
-Actions are useful when you frequently want to run an external application or view a web page based on one or more values in your vector layer. An example is performing a search based on an attribute value.<p>
+Actions are useful when you frequently want to run an external application or view a web page based on one or more values in your vector layer.<p>
+
+The new implementation of actions uses the QGIS expression engine to do evaluations. Each expression is evaluated and replaced by its result at runtime.<p>
+An expression must be enclosed between <code>[%</code> and <code>%]</code> - the GUI has some buttons which do that for you automatically. 
+The <label>Insert expression...</label> button launches the <label>Expression builder</label> which allows to write an expression easily, the <label>Insert field</label> button inserts into the action a placeholder like <code>[% "fieldname" %]</code> where fieldname is the name of the field selected in the field dropdown list.<p>
+
 See the User Guide for further information.
 
 <h5>Using Actions</h5>
-Actions can be invoked from the <label>Identify Results</label> dialog.
+Actions can be invoked from the <label>Identify Results</label> dialog or using the <label>Run feature action</label> tool on the toolbar.<p>
+
+Each action adds a little set of custom expressions to the default set available in the <label>Expression builder</label>.<br/>
+While running actions from the <label>Identify Results</label> dialog the custom expression <code>$currfield</code> will be replaced with the value of the selected field in the dialog, using the <label>Run feature action</label> tool the following custom expressions are available (instead of $currfield):
+<ul>
+<li><code>$clickx</code> returns the x coordinate of the click position on the canvas</li>
+<li><code>$clicky</code> returns the y coordinate of the click position on the canvas</li>
+<li><code>$layerid</code> returns the ID of the selected layer in the legend</li>
+</ul>
+
+Note: the <label>Run feature action</label> tool executes the actions on all the matching features, where as <label>Identify Results</label> allows you to select which specific feature to run action on.<p>
+
+
+<h5>Action Examples</h5>
+You can add some example actions by clicking on the <label>Add default actions</label> button.
+
 
 <a name="diagram">
 <h4>Diagram Overlay</h4>

src/app/qgsattributeactiondialog.cpp

@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ QgsAttributeActionDialog::QgsAttributeActionDialog( QgsAttributeAction* actions,
   connect( moveUpButton, SIGNAL( clicked() ), this, SLOT( moveUp() ) );
   connect( moveDownButton, SIGNAL( clicked() ), this, SLOT( moveDown() ) );
   connect( removeButton, SIGNAL( clicked() ), this, SLOT( remove() ) );
+  connect( addDefaultActionsButton, SIGNAL( clicked() ), this, SLOT( addDefaultActions() ) );
+
   connect( browseButton, SIGNAL( clicked() ), this, SLOT( browse() ) );
   connect( insertButton, SIGNAL( clicked() ), this, SLOT( insert() ) );
   connect( updateButton, SIGNAL( clicked() ), this, SLOT( update() ) );
@@ -319,6 +321,18 @@ void QgsAttributeActionDialog::apply()
   }
 }
 
+void QgsAttributeActionDialog::addDefaultActions()
+{
+  int pos = 0;
+  insertRow( pos++, QgsAction::Generic, tr( "Echo attribute's value" ), "echo \"[% \"MY_FIELD\" %]\"", true );
+  insertRow( pos++, QgsAction::Generic, tr( "Run an application" ), "ogr2ogr -f \"ESRI Shapefile\" \"[% \"OUTPUT_PATH\" %]\" \"[% \"INPUT_FILE\" %]\"", true );
+  insertRow( pos++, QgsAction::GenericPython, tr( "Get feature id" ), "QtGui.QMessageBox.information(None, \"Feature id\", \"feature id is [% $id %]\")", false );
+  insertRow( pos++, QgsAction::GenericPython, tr( "Selected field's value (Identify features tool)" ), "QtGui.QMessageBox.information(None, \"Current field's value\", \"[% $currentfield %]\")", false );
+  insertRow( pos++, QgsAction::GenericPython, tr( "Clicked coordinates (Run feature actions tool)" ), "QtGui.QMessageBox.information(None, \"Clicked coords\", \"layer: [% $layerid %]\\ncoords: ([% $clickx %],[% $clickx %])\")", false );
+  insertRow( pos++, QgsAction::OpenUrl, tr( "Open file" ), "[% \"PATH\" %]", false );
+  insertRow( pos++, QgsAction::OpenUrl, tr( "Search on web based on attribute's value" ), "http://www.google.it/?q=[% \"ATTRIBUTE\" %]", false );
+}
+
 void QgsAttributeActionDialog::itemSelectionChanged()
 {
   QList<QTableWidgetItem *> selection = attributeActionTable->selectedItems();

src/app/qgsattributeactiondialog.h

@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ class QgsAttributeActionDialog: public QWidget, private Ui::QgsAttributeActionDi
     void insertExpression();
     void apply();
     void update();
+    void addDefaultActions();
     void itemSelectionChanged();
 
   private slots:

src/core/qgsattributeaction.cpp

@@ -106,7 +106,15 @@ void QgsAttributeAction::doAction( int index, QgsFeature &feat,
 
 void QgsAttributeAction::runAction( const QgsAction &action, void ( *executePython )( const QString & ) )
 {
-  if ( action.type() == QgsAction::GenericPython )
+  if ( action.type() == QgsAction::OpenUrl )
+  {
+    QFileInfo finfo( action.action() );
+    if ( finfo.exists() && finfo.isFile() )
+      QDesktopServices::openUrl( QUrl::fromLocalFile( action.action() ) );
+    else
+      QDesktopServices::openUrl( QUrl( action.action(), QUrl::TolerantMode ) );
+  }
+  else if ( action.type() == QgsAction::GenericPython )
   {
     if ( executePython )
     {

src/core/qgsattributeaction.h

@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ class CORE_EXPORT QgsAction
       Mac,
       Windows,
       Unix,
+      OpenUrl,
     };
 
     QgsAction( ActionType type, QString name, QString action, bool capture ) :
@@ -69,6 +70,7 @@ class CORE_EXPORT QgsAction
     {
       return mType == Generic ||
              mType == GenericPython ||
+             mType == OpenUrl ||
 #if defined(Q_OS_WIN)
              mType == Windows
 #elif defined(Q_OS_MAC)

src/ui/qgsattributeactiondialogbase.ui

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
       <string>Action list</string>
      </property>
      <layout class="QGridLayout" name="gridLayout_3">
-      <item row="0" column="0" colspan="4">
+      <item row="0" column="0" colspan="5">
        <widget class="QTableWidget" name="attributeActionTable">
         <property name="sizePolicy">
          <sizepolicy hsizetype="Expanding" vsizetype="Expanding">
@@ -98,6 +98,13 @@
         </property>
        </widget>
       </item>
+      <item row="1" column="4">
+       <widget class="QPushButton" name="addDefaultActionsButton">
+        <property name="text">
+         <string>Add default actions</string>
+        </property>
+       </widget>
+      </item>
      </layout>
     </widget>
    </item>
@@ -152,6 +159,11 @@
             <string>Unix</string>
            </property>
           </item>
+          <item>
+           <property name="text">
+            <string>Open</string>
+           </property>
+          </item>
          </widget>
         </item>
         <item>