# Actions Introduction to actions allowing to invoke plugin functionalities. The IntelliJ Platform provides the concept of _actions_. An action is a class derived from [`AnAction`](%gh-ic%/platform/editor-ui-api/src/com/intellij/openapi/actionSystem/AnAction.java), whose `actionPerformed()` method is called when its menu item or toolbar button is selected. Actions are the most common way for a user to invoke the functionality of your plugin. An action can be invoked from a menu or a toolbar, using a keyboard shortcut or the Help | Find Action... lookup. Actions are organized into groups, which, in turn, can contain other groups. A group of actions can form a toolbar or a menu. Subgroups of the group can form submenus of a menu. The user can customize all registered actions via [Menus and Toolbars](https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/customize-actions-menus-and-toolbars.html) settings. Please see [](action_system.md) on how to create and register actions in the IDE.