# Action View Helper

The `Action` view helper enables view scripts to dispatch a given controller action; the result of the response object following the dispatch is then returned. These can be used when a particular action could generate re-usable content or "widget-ized" content.

Actions that result in a `_forward()` or redirect are considered invalid, and will return an empty string.

The API for the `Action` view helper follows that of most MVC components that invoke controller actions: `action($action, $controller, $module = null, array $params = array())`. `$action` and `$controller` are required; if no module is specified, the default module is assumed.

## Basic Usage of Action View Helper

As an example, you may have a `CommentController` with a `listAction()` method you wish to invoke in order to pull a list of comments for the current request:

    <div id="sidebar right">
        <div class="item">
            <?php echo $this->action('list',
                                     'comment',
                                     null,
                                     array('count' => 10)); ?>
        </div>
    </div>