Action Links

Structured navigational links rendered below log events. Added in 5.24.0.

UX Principle

Icons represent action type, not destination. Use a small, consistent icon vocabulary so users learn the pattern once. The label text describes where the link goes — the icon just reinforces what kind of action it is.

Action Types

Use only these four types. Do not invent new ones unless truly necessary.

Action	Icon	When to use
`view`	Eye (visibility)	Navigate to see/inspect something
`edit`	Pencil	Navigate to modify something
`preview`	Preview	View a draft or unpublished item
`revisions`	History clock	Compare versions or view change history

Most links are view. When in doubt, use view.

PHP: Adding Action Links to a Logger

Override get_action_links() in your logger class. Always check capabilities.

public function get_action_links( $row ) {
    if ( ! current_user_can( 'required_capability' ) ) {
        return [];
    }

    return [
        [
            'url'    => admin_url( 'page.php' ),
            'label'  => __( 'View thing', 'simple-history' ),
            'action' => 'view',
        ],
    ];
}

Required Keys

Each link must have all three keys:

url — Full URL (use admin_url(), get_edit_post_link(), etc.)
label — Translated, human-readable text
action — One of: view, edit, preview, revisions

Multiple Links

Return multiple links when relevant. Order: edit first, then view, then others.

$action_links = [];

if ( current_user_can( 'edit_post', $post_id ) ) {
    $action_links[] = [
        'url'    => get_edit_post_link( $post_id, 'raw' ),
        'label'  => __( 'Edit post', 'simple-history' ),
        'action' => 'edit',
    ];
}

if ( get_post_status( $post_id ) === 'publish' ) {
    $action_links[] = [
        'url'    => get_permalink( $post_id ),
        'label'  => __( 'View post', 'simple-history' ),
        'action' => 'view',
    ];
}

return $action_links;

Migrating from Inline Links

When moving a link from get_log_row_details_output() to action links:

Add get_action_links() with the link
Remove the inline <a> HTML from get_log_row_details_output()
Keep capability checks in the new method

Constraints

Each action type may appear at most once per event (used as React key).
Action links are gated behind experimental features (Helpers::experimental_features_is_enabled()).

Architecture

REST Controller (prepare_item_for_response)
  → Simple_History::get_action_links($row)
    → Logger::get_action_links($row)
    → filter: simple_history/get_action_links
      → REST response (action_links field)
        → EventActionLinks.jsx renders with icons

Key Files

File	Role
`loggers/class-logger.php`	Base class, default empty `get_action_links()`
`inc/class-simple-history.php`	Routes to logger, applies filter
`inc/class-wp-rest-events-controller.php`	REST schema and response
`src/components/EventActionLinks.jsx`	Frontend rendering with icons
`css/styles.css`	Icon mask-image rules for action links

Adding a New Action Type (Rare)

Only if the four standard types truly don't fit:

Add SVG to css/icons/ (Material Symbols, 48px, FILL0, wght400)
Add CSS mask rule in css/styles.css under the action links section
Add mapping in ACTION_ICONS in src/components/EventActionLinks.jsx
Update this skill document

Examples in Codebase

Simple: loggers/class-site-health-logger.php — single view link
Simple: loggers/class-available-updates-logger.php — single view link
Complex: loggers/class-post-logger.php — edit, view, preview, revisions

action-links