Command Button

The Command button widget adds a one-click action control to any dashboard. Use it to send an RPC command, update a device attribute, or write a telemetry record with a single button press. Unlike toggle or power buttons, the Command button has no persistent state — it fires an action and returns to its idle appearance.

• One-click, fire-and-forget action for any device or entity.
• Three action types on click: Execute RPC, Set attribute, and Add time series.
• Optional disabled state based on attributes, telemetry, RPC response, alarms, or dashboard state.
• Visual feedback for Hover, Pressed, Activated (post-action flash), and Disabled interaction states.
• Configurable label, icon, layout, and color palette.

1. Open the dashboard in edit mode. Click Add widget in the top toolbar, or click the Add new widget icon in the center of an empty dashboard.
2. In the widget bundle selection dialog, find and click Buttons.
3. Select the Command button widget.
4. Configure the datasource, behavior, and appearance, then click Add.

All settings in this section use Basic mode — a quick-start configuration covering the essentials. For finer widget controls like card style, card buttons, title, and tooltip, switch to the Advanced tab.

Select the datasource for the widget:

• Device — a specific device; the widget sends actions to this device on click and reads its data for the disabled condition.
• Entity alias — a set of entities matched by an entity alias; use this when the target device is selected dynamically at runtime.

The Behavior section defines what fires when the button is clicked and when the button becomes disabled. Disabled state is optional.

Defines the action executed when the user presses the button. Select one action type from the list below.

• Execute RPC

  Sends an RPC command to the device.

  Parameter	Description
  Method	The RPC method name, like reboot, restartProcess, or triggerRelay.
  Parameters	Constant — a fixed value like true, "START", or {"action": "run"}; Function — a JS function that returns the payload; None — no parameters sent.
  RPC request timeout (ms)	How long to wait for a device response before timing out.
  RPC request persistent	When enabled, the RPC command is stored and retried until the device comes online.

• Set attribute

  Updates a device attribute when the button is pressed.

  Parameter	Description
  Attribute scope	Server or Shared.
  Attribute key	The attribute to update, like command or state.
  Value	Constant — a fixed value like "triggered" or true; Function — a JS function that returns the value.

• Add time series

  Writes a time-series record when the button is pressed, useful for logging actions.

  Parameter	Description
  Time series key	The telemetry key to write to, like commandLog or lastAction.
  Value	Constant — a fixed value; Function — a JS function that returns the value.

The Disabled state makes the button non-interactive when a configured condition is met. In this state the button turns gray and clicks are ignored. This section is optional — skip it if the button should always be clickable.

• Do nothing

  Set the disabled state manually. No live data needed.

  Parameter	Description
  Value	On — button is always disabled; Off — button is always enabled.

• Execute RPC

  Disable the button based on a device RPC response.

  Parameter	Description
  Method	The RPC method to call, like getAvailability.
  Condition (None)	Disabled when the RPC result equals the value you specify.
  Condition (Function)	Disabled when your f(data) function returns true.

• Get attribute

  Disable the button based on a device attribute, like an active flag or locked status.

  Parameter	Description
  Attribute scope	Where the attribute is stored: Any, Client, Server, or Shared.
  Attribute key	The attribute name to read, like active or enabled.
  Condition (None)	Disabled when the attribute equals the value you specify (String, Integer, Double, Boolean, or JSON).
  Condition (Function)	Disabled when your f(data) function returns true.

• Get time series

  Disable the button based on the latest telemetry value.

  Parameter	Description
  Time series key	The telemetry key to monitor, like availability or status.
  Condition (None)	Disabled when the telemetry value equals the value you specify.
  Condition (Function)	Disabled when your f(data) function returns true.

• Get alarm status

  Disable the button while a specific alarm is active, like blocking control during a critical fault.

  Parameter	Description
  Alarm severity	Critical, Major, Minor, Warning, or Indeterminate.
  Alarm types	Any alarm, or a specific alarm type.

• Get dashboard state id

  Disable the button based on the currently open dashboard state.

  Parameter	Description
  Condition (None)	Disabled when the current state name matches the text you enter.
  Condition (Function)	Disabled when your f(data) function returns true.

• Get dashboard state object

  Disable the button using the full dashboard state context; use this when you need to evaluate multiple state parameters at once.

  Parameter	Description
  Condition (Function only)	Write a f(data) function that returns true to disable the button.

Controls the widget header and title area.

Setting	Description
Auto scale	Automatically adjusts font size and element proportions when the widget is resized.
Title	Text displayed in the widget header. Supports entity variables: $\{entityName\}, $\{entityLabel\}.
Card icon	Material Design icon shown alongside the title. Configurable size (px).

Controls the button’s visual style.

Setting	Description
Layout	Button visual style: Outlined (bordered), Filled (solid fill), Underlined (underline only), or Basic (plain text).
Label	Text displayed on the button, like Restart, Reboot device, or Trigger relay. Supports entity variables: $\{entityName\}, $\{entityLabel\}.
Icon	Material Design icon shown on the button. Configurable size (px).
Border radius	Roundness of button corners (px).
Color palette	Main: button fill or text color; Background: surrounding area color.
Custom styles	Per-interaction style overrides: Enabled (default), Hovered, Pressed, Activated (momentary style shown immediately after a successful action), Disabled. Each supports Main, Background, and Shadow settings.

Setting	Description
Background	Solid color or image used as the card background.
Show card buttons	Toggle visibility of the Fullscreen button in the card header.
Card border radius	Roundness of card corners.
Card padding	Spacing between card content and its border.

The Command button widget supports the Widget header button action — adds a button to the widget header that triggers a configured action when clicked.

Scenario: A smart ventilation system has a device called Ventilation Relay that accepts RPC commands from ThingsBoard. Add a Restart Ventilation button to the dashboard that sends an RPC command to restart the ventilation process. The button disables automatically when the device reports it is not ready to receive commands.

Prerequisites:

• Create a device named Ventilation Relay in ThingsBoard.
• Ensure the device handles the RPC method restartVentilation with a Boolean parameter (true).
• Add a shared attribute: Key — active, Data type — Boolean, Value — true.

Step 1. Add the widget. Open your dashboard in edit mode, click Add widget, select the Buttons bundle, then choose Command button.

Step 2. Configure the datasource. Set Target device to Ventilation Relay.

Step 3. Configure behavior.

On click: Execute RPC — Method: restartVentilation, Parameters: Constant — true (Boolean), RPC request timeout: 5000 ms, RPC request persistent: enabled.

Disabled state: Get attribute — Scope: Shared, Key: active, Condition: None — Disabled when result is false (Boolean).

Step 4. Configure button appearance. Layout — Outlined, Label — Restart Ventilation, Icon — restart_alt, Color palette Main — #2196F3, Background — #D0EBFF70.

Step 5. Save. Click Add, resize and reposition as needed, then click Save on the dashboard toolbar.

Result: When active = true, the button is blue and clickable. Pressing it sends {"method": "restartVentilation", "params": true} to the device. If the device is offline, the command is queued (persistent RPC) and delivered once it reconnects. When active = false, the button turns gray and clicks are ignored.

Button click has no effect

Cause	Solution
Device offline, RPC not persistent	Enable RPC request persistent in On click settings to queue the command until the device reconnects.
Wrong RPC method name	Verify the method name matches exactly what the device firmware expects. Method names are case-sensitive.
Wrong attribute key or scope	For Set attribute actions, confirm the key and scope (Server or Shared) match the device’s attribute.
Wrong value type	Ensure the constant value type (String, Boolean, Integer) matches what the device or attribute expects.

Button is always disabled

Cause	Solution
Attribute key not found	Open Devices → Attributes and confirm the key exists with a value.
Wrong attribute scope	Match the scope to the actual attribute type (Client / Server / Shared).
Condition value inverted	Check that the Condition value matches the value that should disable the button. If the attribute is false when the button should be disabled, set the condition value to false.
Function converter always returns true	Review the Function converter; check for a missing return statement or incorrect comparison.