Common actions

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Actions let users trigger operations, navigate, or make decisions. They use icons, labels, or both to communicate their purpose. The following sections describe standard words and icons for common actions across the Dynatrace platform.

Inserting actions

These actions let users create new parent items and then add child items to the parent items.

New (or Create)

This action lets a user create something new, for example, a new guardian, workflow, or notebook.

• Icon—PlusIcon
• Label—New (preferred) or Create
• Opposite action—Delete
• Related action—Add

Always include New (or Create) in the label. The verb makes the action clear without relying on the icon alone. In the table below, the words in brackets are examples. Replace them with the item to be created.

Do	Don't
	Create new
New	Create new [workflow]
New [workflow]	Add
New	Add new
New [workflow]	Add new [workflow]
Create	[Workflow]
Create [workflow]

For configuration modals, it's best to use Create as the button label:

Add

This action lets a user add child items. For example, adding a section to a notebook, a task to a workflow, or tags to a guardian.

• Icon—PlusIcon
• Label—Add
• Opposite action—Remove, Clear
• Related action—New

If there is a label, it must include the word Add. In the table below, words in brackets are examples. Replace them with the item to be added.

Do	Don't
	Create
Add	Create new
Add [task]	Create new [task]
	New
	New [task]
	Add new
	Add new [task]
	[Task]

New vs Add

New comes first, then Add, because a workflow, notebook, guardian, etc., must exist before anything can be added to it.

	New (or Create)	Add
Definition	Creates a new item	Adds a property to a previously created item.
Example	A new guardian, workflow, or notebook	An objective, tag, variable, or task
Hierarchy level	Top-level	Child-level
User perception	User creates something new	User adds to something existing
Opposite action	Delete, Delete permanently	Remove, Clear
Visual treatment	Primary call-to-action, high-emphasis. Appears at the top-right of a list view or in an empty state. It sits higher in the visual hierarchy when New and Add appear on the same screen.	Secondary action. Carries less visual weight than New, reflecting that it's a lighter, more reversible action.
Icon	PlusIcon	PlusIcon
Label	New (preferred) or Create	Add

Removing actions

Removing actions let the user delete, remove, or clear something from a resource, file, input field, or app, for example.

Delete

This action temporarily or permanently eliminates an item from the system. For example, deleting a launchpad or a segment.

• Icon—DeleteIcon
• Label—Delete
• Opposite action—New
• Related action—Remove, Clear

In the table below, words in brackets are examples. Replace them with the item to be deleted.

Do	Don't
	Move to trash
Delete	Delete forever
Delete permanently	Remove [guardian]
Delete [guardian]

When working with documents, use:

• Delete for deleting a whole document. Don't use the item name.
• Delete permanently for permanently deleting a whole document in the Deleted tab.
• Delete [item] for deleting part of the document, such as a notebook section or a dashboard tile → Delete tile, Delete section, Delete task.

Note

To add friction and prevent accidental deletions, we recommend using a confirmation modal with the delete action.

Remove and Clear

Remove breaks the relationship between items, while Clear erases information quickly. The impact of eliminating these items is low and they can easily be added back. For example, removing a tag or clearing a filter.

• Icon—XmarkIcon, MinusIcon
• Label—Remove or Clear
• Opposite action—Add
• Related action—Delete

Often, this action can be understood with an icon alone, for example, if it’s next to a tag. In the table below, the words in brackets are examples. Replace them with the item to be removed or cleared.

Do	Don't
	Delete
Remove
Remove [tag]
Remove all
Clear
Clear [filters]
Clear all

Note

Clearing or removing added items tends to be quick and low-impact, so you don’t need a confirmation modal in this case.

Copying actions

Copying actions let users duplicate, copy, and paste items. Please note the differences between Duplicate and Copy.

Duplicate

This action creates a copy of an existing document, for example, duplicating a notebook or a workflow.

• Icon—DuplicateIcon
• Label—Duplicate
• Related actions—New, Copy

In the table below, words in brackets are examples. Replace them with the item to be duplicated.

Do	Don't
	Make a copy
Duplicate	Make a copy of [notebook]
Duplicate [notebook]	Clone [notebook]
Duplicate	Copy
Duplicate [notebook]	Copy [notebook]

When working with documents, use:

• Duplicate for duplicating a whole document. Don't use the item name.
• Duplicate [item] for duplicating part of a document, such as a notebook section → Duplicate section.

Copy

This action temporarily copies something to the user's clipboard so it can be pasted elsewhere. For example, copying a link, text, generated token, or specific data from a table.

• Icon—CopyIcon
• Label—Copy
• Opposite action—Paste
• Related action—Duplicate

In some instances, the copy action is understood with an icon alone because of the context, such as next to a password or a token. In the table below, words in brackets are examples. Replace them with the item to be copied.

Do	Don't
	Duplicate
Copy	Make a copy
Copy [link]
Copy
Copy [link]

Tip

Add a tooltip to show that the data was copied. Use "Copied" as the tooltip text—no period or exclamation mark.

When working with documents, use:

• Duplicate to create an exact copy of a whole document.
• Copy [item] for copying (before pasting) part of a document, such as a dashboard tile → Copy tile.

Paste

This action instantly inserts something that was previously copied. For example, pasting a copied link, text, generated token, or specific data from a table.

• Icon—PasteIcon
• Label—Paste
• Opposite action—Copy
• Related action—Duplicate

Paste is usually understood without any visual cue, as users typically use a shortcut, especially if it is in context, such as an input field. Words in brackets are just examples.

Do	Don't
	Insert
Paste	Paste copied [link]
Paste

Organizing actions

Organizing actions include pinning, unpinning, favoriting, and unfavoriting items, as ways to highlight specific items and personalize a view.

Pin

This action lets users stick an item somewhere in the UI so it's easily available. For example, pinning an app or document to the dock, or pinning a section to the top of a document.

• Icon—PinIcon
• Label—Pin
• Opposite action—Unpin

In the below table, the words in brackets are just examples. Replace them with the item to be pinned.

Do	Don't
	Add to dock
Pin	Add to favorites / Add favorite
Pin [app]	Favorite
Pin to dock	Star
Pin	Bookmark
Pin [app]	Pin to Dock
Pin to [dock]

Unpin

This action lets users unpin a pinned item, for example from the dock or the top of a list.

• Icon—PinOffIcon
• Label—Unpin
• Opposite action—Pin

In the table below, replace the words in brackets with the item to be unpinned.

Do	Don't
	Remove from dock
Unpin	Remove from favorites / Remove favorite
Unpin [app]	Unfavorite
Unpin from dock	Unstar
Unpin	Remove bookmark
Unpin [app]	Unpin from Dock
Unpin from dock

Favorite

This action lets users save an item to the Favorites tab or favorite a file in a folder, for example.

• Icon—FavoriteIcon
• Label—Favorite
• Opposite action—Unfavorite

Do	Don't
	Add to favorites
Favorite	Add favorite
Favorite	Star
	Bookmark
	Add to bookmarks

Note

After something is added, it shows in the Favorites tab.

Unfavorite

This action lets users remove an item that was previously added to the Favorites tab, or unfavorite a file in a folder, for example.

• Icon—UnfavoriteIcon
• Label—Unfavorite
• Opposite action—Favorite

Do	Don't
	Remove from favorites
Unfavorite	Remove favorite
Unfavorite	Unstar
	Remove bookmark
	Remove from bookmarks

Modifying actions

Edit

This action lets users change a piece of content or an object that already exists in the system. For example, data within a document.

• Icon—EditIcon
• Label—Edit
• Related actions: Rename, Save

In the table below, replace the words in brackets with the item to be edited.

Do	Don't
	Make edits
Edit	Change
Edit [workflow]	Make changes
Edit	Modify
Edit [workflow]	Make updates
	Update
	Rename

When working with documents, use:

• Edit for editing a whole document. Don't use the item type.
• Edit [item] for editing part of the document, such as a dashboard tile → Edit tile.

Rename

This action lets users change the name of a previously created document or an item within it. For example, renaming a notebook or a workflow task.

• Icon—EditIcon
• Label—Rename
• Related actions: Edit, Save

In the table below, replace the words in brackets with the item to be renamed.

Do	Don't
	Edit
Rename	Modify name
Rename [task]	Change name
Rename	Edit name
Rename [task]	Update name

When working with documents, use:

• Rename for renaming a whole document. Don't use the item type.
• Rename [item] for renaming part of a document, such as a workflow task → Rename task.

Saving actions

These actions let users save their work or download it to a local system.

Save

Save stores the data from a document or configuration so it isn't lost. For example, saving changes made in a document.

• Icon—SaveIcon
• Label—Save
• Opposite action—Delete
• Related actions—Edit, Rename

Do	Don't
	Store
Save	Sync
Save changes	Update
Save
Save changes

When working with documents, use:

• Save for saving a whole document. Don't use the item name.
• Save [item] for saving part of the document, such as a dashboard tile → Edit tile.

Note

Use a confirmation modal to confirm whether users want to exit without saving.

Download

This action transfers a document, or part of a document, from a remote system to a local system.

• Icon—DownloadIcon
• Label—Download
• Related actions—Save, Share

The words in brackets in the table below are examples. Replace them with the item to be downloaded.

Do	Don't
	Export
Download	Export [results]
Download [results]
Download [results] [(CSV)]
Download
Download [results]
Download [results] [(CSV)]

When working with documents, use:

• Download for downloading a whole document. Don't use the item name.
• Download [item] for downloading part of a document in a different format. For example, downloading results as CSV → Download results or Download results (CSV), if you want to specify the format.

Sharing actions

These actions let users collaborate more effectively with colleagues.

Share

Share allows other users to access an item. For example, sharing a document or a link.

• Icons: ShareIcon, LockIcon
• Label—Share
• Related actions—Save, Download, Change owner

The words in brackets in the table below are examples. Replace them with the item to be shared.

Do	Don't
	Allow access
	Change access
Share	Change permissions
Share
Share [link]
Share [link]
Share
Share [link]

Change owner

This action lets users change the owner of a document.

• Icon—AccountIcon
• Label—Change owner

Do	Don't
Do	Don't
	Transfer ownership
Change owner	Change ownership
Change owner	Ownership settings
	Update owner

Note

We recommend using a confirmation modal if changing an owner might cause problems for users.

Related topics

• Button
• Menu
• Modal
• Toast
• Tooltip