What Are Action GUI Building Blocks?

Action GUI building blocks (simply called “actions”) are the fundamental interactive elements for ManiVault plugins. Each action represents a specific type of user interface control combined with logic to handle a parameter or command. Under the hood, actions wrap standard Qt widgets with additional functionality. ManiVault provides a library of built-in actions for common UI needs 1, including:

• StringAction – a text input field (single-line or multi-line) for string parameters.-

• DecimalAction and IntegralAction – numeric inputs for floats or integers (with spinboxes, sliders, or both for adjusting values).

• OptionsAction – a drop-down or list selector for choosing among multiple options.

• ToggleAction – a boolean toggle (e.g. a checkbox or switch) for on/off settings.

• TriggerAction – a push-button to trigger an action or event.

• ColorAction / ColormapAction – color picker controls (single colors or entire color maps).

• FilePickerAction (and DirectoryPickerAction) – file dialog launchers for selecting files or folders.

• SelectionAction – a specialized widget for selecting data points (with modes like brush, lasso, etc., often used in visual analytics)

• DimensionPickerAction – a UI for picking one or multiple data dimensions (e.g. selecting which dimensions of a dataset to use).

• GroupAction – a container that groups other actions under a collapsible panel or section (useful for organizing related controls).