SharePoint’s built-in SharePoint Button Web Part and Call to Action web parts offer a simple way to add clickable buttons to a modern intranet page. But there’s a catch: they’re just links.
For organizations building dynamic, task-driven intranet experiences, clicking a button should do more than just navigate. That’s where Lightning Tools Actions comes in—giving you powerful, multi-step automation behind beautifully styled buttons, all within your SharePoint environment.
Below is the SharePoint Button Web Part added to a section with a background. Notice the properties include the ability to create a label for your button, and then specify a link. So these buttons are ideal for providing navigation, but not much beyond that.
The Call To Action Web Part is similar, allowing for a label to be set and a link to be assigned to the button. However, additional properties include the ability to set a background and also Alternative text for Accessibility.
What Does the Out-of-the-Box SharePoint Button Web Part Actually Do?
Let’s start with the basics.
| Web Part | Primary Function | Customization | Automation |
|---|---|---|---|
| SharePoint Button Web Part | Link to a URL | Limited text and style options | ❌ |
| Call to Action | Link to a URL with an image or description | Slightly more visual than Button | ❌ |
While useful for basic navigation (e.g., “Read More,” “Go to Form”), these web parts don’t allow you to perform actual business processes or interact with data. That’s where they fall short.
Meet Lightning Tools Actions: Buttons with Automation
With Lightning Tools Actions, your buttons become workflow engines. You can place action buttons on any SharePoint page, or within and SharePoint List or Library on the command bar. The SharePoint page buttons can be styled exactly how you want, and attach multiple actions behind a single click—no code, no Power Automate needed (though it’s also supported!).
What Can a Lightning Tools Action Button Do?
Here’s a sample of the available actions:
- Execute Script -This action allows executing dynamically generated JavaScript code
- Open Form (Lightning Forms or Custom) – Opens a New, Edit or Display item form in a panel.
- Send Email – Sends dynamically generated emails with extended configuration from your SharePoint site to any recipients.
- Add List Item – Adds a new item to a SharePoint list.
- Add Site to Favourite – Marks site as followed for a user.
- Update Item – Updates an item immediately with configurable values in a SharePoint list or library.
- Move or Copy Document – Allows user to move a document from one SharePoint document library to another.
- Create a Shared Link – Creates a shared link for an item from list or library.
- Start Power Automate Flow – Start Power Automate Flows by request.
- Create Folder – Creates a new folder or folder path.
Below, you can see how using the Scope control, you can attempt a series of actions, and then display a success or failure message to the user.
Premium Actions include:
- Generate Document – This action generates new Word document based on Template
- Merge Documents – Merge Microsoft Word documents
- Convert to PDF -Converts office document to PDF
Below, you can see the premium actions which include the generation of Word documents from a template, merging multiple selected Word Documents, and converting Word Documents to a PDF.
Advanced Capabilities That Make a Difference
Control Structures
- Add Conditions and Loops to execute actions based on data or user input.
- Wrap actions in Scope Controls for error handling and logical grouping.
Variables
- Use dynamic variables to pass values between actions.
- Set and retrieve properties from list items, forms, or user context.
Different Types of Buttons, Tailored for Your Intranet Experience
With Lightning Tools Actions, buttons aren’t just functional—they’re flexible, styled, and smart. You can choose from multiple button styles depending on the page layout or user interaction you’re aiming for.
Available Button Types:
| Button Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Compact | Minimalistic buttons ideal for toolbars, sidebars, or dense interfaces. |
| Grid | Display buttons in a structured grid layout for grouped actions. |
| Standard Button | The traditional clickable button, great for CTAs and form actions. |
| List | Renders a list-style view of multiple available actions. |
| Tiles | Visual, tile-based layout—ideal for dashboards or landing pages. |
Each type can be fully styled—including colors, icons, hover effects, spacing, and layout—to match your SharePoint site’s branding or purpose.
Conditional Visibility and Enablement
What makes these buttons even more powerful is that they’re context-aware.
You can control the visibility or enablement of a button using conditions, such as:
- ✅ User is a member of a SharePoint Group (e.g., only “Approvers” see a “Review Request” button)
- 📄 Column value in a list item (e.g., show a “Mark as Complete” button only if status = “In Progress”)
- 📅 Date/time conditions (e.g., hide a submission button after a deadline)
- 🧠 Custom expressions and variables (e.g., based on user profile, form input, or list metadata)
This ensures the right users see the right actions at the right time, enhancing both usability and security.
Button Styling: Fully Customisable, Theme-Aware, and On-Brand
Lightning Tools Actions doesn’t just bring automation to SharePoint buttons—it ensures they look great while doing it. Whether you’re building a corporate intranet, a department portal, or a modern SharePoint app interface, your buttons can seamlessly blend in—or stand out—depending on your goals.
General Styling Options for All Buttons
All buttons support General Styles to maintain consistent branding across your site. These include:
- Background Colour
- Border (Color, Thickness, Radius)
- Icon Colour & Size
- Label Colour & Font Settings
- Button Spacing & Padding
These styles can be applied globally to all buttons or individually tailored per button—giving you full control over both default appearance and standout actions.
Button State Styling
Buttons support styling for different states to create responsive, user-friendly interactions:
- On Hover – Change background or label color when the user hovers over a button.
- Active – Define styles for when the button is being clicked.
- Disabled – Apply muted or grayed-out styles when a button is not available based on logic conditions.
This allows users to instantly understand which actions are available and when, improving usability across the board.
Theme Integration
All styles default to the active SharePoint site theme, ensuring your buttons feel like a native part of the environment. Whether you’re using a dark mode theme, a custom corporate palette, or one of Microsoft’s built-in themes, Lightning Tools Actions buttons adapt automatically—while still giving you the flexibility to override styling where needed.
Together with button layout types and conditional visibility, styling options help you deliver a polished, interactive experience that users will trust and adopt.
Real-World Example: Bulk Update via a Page Button
Let’s say you have a SharePoint list of project tasks. You want to let users mark multiple tasks as “Completed” from a page—not the list view.
With Lightning Tools Actions:
- Place a bulk update button on your SharePoint page.
- Configure it to update the “Status” column of selected items.
- Optionally trigger a confirmation email or generate a report.
Try doing that with a regular SharePoint button. You can’t.
Conclusion: Interactivity Without Complexity
If you’re building an intranet that goes beyond content—whether for HR onboarding, IT requests, or document automation—Lightning Tools Actions turns passive pages into interactive apps.
While SharePoint’s native web parts are great for navigation, Lightning Tools Actions is for when you need real business logic behind your buttons.
👀 Want to See It in Action?
Book a live demo and explore how easily your team can turn any SharePoint page into a productivity hub—no development needed.
