Integrating applications with Zoho Projects through Connections | Community | Zoho Projects

Integrating applications with Zoho Projects through Connections | Community | Zoho Projects

In our last post, we discussed the essential features that a Zoho Projects extension can provide. Starting with this post andin every subsequent post going forward, we'll go through each of those features in depth, one by one, with an example use case.
In this post, we'll explore the Connections feature in detail.

Connections: When and why?

Creating a tightly coupled integration requires the establishment of a secure connection between applications. To achieve this secured connection, the Sigma platform provides the Connection feature that can be used to establish a secure link and perform data operations across applications seamlessly and efficiently through an extension.

Use case

Working on development-related tasks might require dealing with a variety of files, such as code snippets, help documents, or service level agreements. While several file management applications are available to securely store and organize data, manually handling file storage between applications remains challenging.

For our example, let's use Zoho Projects to manage all tasks, and Dropbox to manage and store data.

What is the difficulty faced?

Dropbox offers a file request feature that allows you to collect files and organize them into folders. However, as we talked about in our previous post, manually categorizing and uploading task-related files to their respective file request folders in Dropbox would be a time-consuming and laborious activity. Instead, it would be more efficient to integrate Dropbox with Zoho Projects so that uploading task files to Dropbox file request folders can be done instantly from within Zoho Projects.


How can it be sorted?

You can create a connection between Zoho Projects and Dropbox. With the secure connection setup, the file request folders available in Dropbox can be listed on the task details page of Zoho Projects through an extension. You may then easily upload files from Zoho Projects to their corresponding folders in Dropbox, saving time and making you more organized.

What are the components required to achieve this use case?

  1. A connection between Zoho Projects and Dropbox.
  2. An extension configuration that includes:
  • Creating an extension
  • Configuring the plugin manifest
  • Setting up the widget code to display the Dropbox file request folders inside the Zoho Projects task details page.
Now, let's see how we can achieve each of these components.

1. Creating a secure connection using the Connection feature

  • Log in or sign up into developer.zoho.com.
  • Go to Sigma and access your workspace.
  • Once you enter your workspace, select the Connections section in Sigma.
Note: Connections created in Zoho Projects are also accessible within the Connections section in Sigma. These connections can be used in extensions to connect with other applications.

  • Choose the service as Zoho Projects and select your Zoho Projects organization. Click on Create Connection.

  • Sigma offers a list of default services from which you can choose and easily connect with Zoho Projects. If the application you want to integrate isn’t in the default list, you can add and build a connection with it using the custom services option.
Note: If you’re looking to connect Zoho Projects with another Zoho Product that also follows the OneAuth authentication mechanism, select the service Zoho OneAuth from the Default Services list to create the connection.

  • In our example, the application to connect with Zoho Projects is Dropbox, and because it’s in the Default Services list, go ahead and choose Dropbox.

  • After choosing the service, enter the connection name. A connection link name will be populated automatically.
  • Toggle Use credentials of login user to Yes if you want every user installing the extension to access the connection using their own login credentials, or No if admin credentials are enough to access the connection.
  • In our example, we'll proceed with the former. So toggle to Yes, and then click Create and connect.
Note: For services in which the option to choose the scopes is displayed, choose the necessary scopes, and then click Create and connect.

  • You’ll be directed through a series of authorization steps before being prompted to connect with Dropbox by entering your login information.
  • The connection will be established successfully once you sign in with Dropbox, and you will be redirected to the Connection Summary details page in Sigma.
  • To access this connection as part of an extension, you’ll need to configure the sample code provided under the JSON section in the plugin-manifest.json file. We’ll explore this in the next section.

2. Extension configuration

Now that we've successfully established our connection, let's look at how we can achieve our use case feature of displaying the Dropbox file request folder within the Zoho Projects task detail page. As mentioned earlier, to accomplish this, we’ll need to implement the following measures.
A. Create an extension

B. Configure the plugin-manifest.json file

C. Set up the widget code
Let's explore these steps in order.

A. Create an extension
B. Configure the plugin-manifest.json file
  • As previously stated, to access the connection established between Zoho Projects and Dropbox, the connection must first be configured in the plugin-manifest.json file.
  • Copy the JSON sample code from the Connection Summary Details page and paste it into the plugin-manifest.jsonfile as the value for the connections key.

  • You will also need to white list the Dropbox domain for Dropbox calls to be processed without being blocked.
  • Include the domain in the plugin-mainfest.json file as the value for the whiteLitsedDomains key.

  • As we saw in our earlier post, the plugin-manifest.json file includes a widget called Projects Extension by default. For our example, because we’re connecting with Dropbox and constructing a widget that will include Dropbox request folders to upload files, enter the widget name and location.

  • The final configured plugin-manifest.json file for our example would be as follows:
  1. {
  2. "connectors": [{
  3. "connectionLinkName": "dropbox",
  4. "userAccess": true,
  5. "sharedBy": "xxxxxxx",
  6. "connectionName": "dropbox",
  7. "serviceName": "dropbox",
  8. "isUserDefinedService": false
  9. }],
  10. "whiteListedDomains": ["https://api.dropboxapi.com"],
  11. "service": "PROJECTS",
  12. "cspDomains": {
  13. "connect-src": []
  14. },
  15. "storage": true,
  16. "locale": ["en"],
  17. "config": [],
  18. "modules": {
  19. "widgets": [{
  20. "name": "Dropbox - File Upload",
  21. "location": "taskdetails_rightpanel",
  22. "url": "/app/dropbox.html"
  23. }],
  24. "triggers": []
  25. }
  26. }

C. Setting up the widget code

Now, that we’ve created an extension and configured the plugin manifest file, let's finally set up the widget code in order to display all Dropbox file request folders inside our task details right panel.

Dropbox.html widget code: Please find the widget code snippet as an attachment in this post.
  • In this widget code, we’ve invoked the Dropbox API to list file request folders by constructing and passing the required data along with the connection we had established for Dropbox.
  • The API will be invoked and return all of the file request folders in the task details right panel, from which users can click on the link and directly upload files to Dropbox from within a task in Zoho Projects itself.
Sample output
  • Once the code is setup, publish and install the extension to check the functionality in the Zoho Projects portal.
  • Enter a task and click the extensions icon in the right panel.

  • From the lists of your Dropbox file requests, select the requests to which you wish to upload files.

  • The file will be successfully uploaded in the respective Dropbox file request.


We’ve demonstrated how to upload files directly to Dropbox file request folders from within Zoho Projects in this example. As part of your extension, you can use the Connections feature to do a variety of tasks, some of which are highlighted below.
  • View and update files associated with a certain request.
  • Create Dropbox folders and share them with collaborators.

Connections, therefore serves as a powerful tool that assists you in establishing a connection with other apps and performing smooth data transactions across your applications, thereby improving business functions and optimizing your work.

We hope this information was useful to you. Continue to follow us for further updates!

Sign up for a Zoho Developer account and start developing extensions for Zoho products using Sigma.

SEE ALSO


    • Recent Topics

    • How to apply a tag to a ticket based on the to email address?

      I need to assign a tag to a ticket if the ticket was sent to a specific email address. For example, we have the email accounting[at]company.com forwarding into Zoho Desk. We would like all emails that were sent to this address to be tagged with an Accounting
    • How to work with getFieldNames formdata functions ,Any Examples

      I don't find any example showing usage of getFieldNames. Where do i find .is there any Help documents available
    • Ecommerce integration with prestashop

      Development of campaigns integration with prestahop. When???
    • Cannot associate event with other objects when creating?

      I am attempting to associate an Event with one or more other objects when creating it via the API. According to the API docs, the "Related_To" property is a jsonobject even though the description says "Provide the details about the entities the event
    • Zoho Cliq not working on airplanes

      Hi, My team and I have been having this constant issue of cliq not working when connected to an airplane's wifi. Is there a reason for this? We have tried on different Airlines and it doesn't work on any of them. We need assistance here since we are constantly
    • can i show alert when i finish running the function?

      how i can show alert inside the custom function or popup notification. when i use alert inside the custom function it show this error Error at line number:  2 'ALERT' task can be used only in on load, on validate and on change actions ​
    • Validation Rules Trigger on Untouched Fields

      In Zoho Desk, validation rules trigger for ALL fields during an update—even fields that weren't modified in the current edit. This behavior is fundamentally different from Zoho CRM and other Zoho products, where validation rules only apply to fields actually
    • Departments in Zoho

      I'm trying to set up a department. It looks like Departments have been removed from Zoho One. Is there another option? We have our main account setup, but want to set up a separate small department that can't see our tabs.
    • How to disable subform records dynamically

      Hi Everyone I have a requirement to dynamically disable or hide subform fields based on certain criteria. However, the code I tried didn't work as expected. It either disabled or hid all the fields in all subform records or none at all. What I actually
    • Client Script Operate Timeout

      Hi Zoho, I have set a client script that use for ( i =1; length < i , i++) to fetch all of the product in order I have an order have 30+ products, seems this script will be stopped when it is checking rough 10 + products because of timeout (may be). May
    • Why and When to Manually Regenerate Reports?

      What is the protocol for needing to regenerate reports?  It is very confusing when data in reports pulls correctly sometimes, but are inaccurate other times.   Why is report regenerating necessary at all - can the report function not read the live data as inputted into the forms?  We have built lots of reports and it is very tedious and time consuming to have to regenerate the report before each use of that data to make sure it is accurate.  Is there a way to know when a report should or shouldn't
    • Import template from Zoho Writer

      I am trying to import a mail merge template - tried to import direct from my .docx file on my hard drive and the formatting went all over the place. I then imported the .docx file in my Zoho Docs and then fixed up the formatting within Zoho Writer. Can
    • CRM for Everyone - More Actions Option to Create Record

      Please consider the option create a new record for the module from the More Actions menu. I know there is an "Add New" icon further down the menu to create a record for any module, but this just seems more intuitive and could reduce the need for the "Add
    • Configuración

      Hola acabo de instalar Zoho CRM y quiero configurarlo correctamente. Al respecto me surgen algunas dudas tales como la diferencia entre: Cuentas, posibles Clientes y Contactos. ¿Conceptualmente que son cada uno? ¿Como se se relacionan entre ellos? Si
    • Is there a way to request a password?

      We add customers info into the vaults and I wanted to see if we could do some sort of "file request" like how dropbox offers with files. It would be awesome if a customer could go to a link and input a "title, username, password, url" all securely and it then shows up in our team vault or something. Not sure if that is safe, but it's the best I can think of to be semi scalable and obviously better than sending emails. I am open to another idea, just thought this would be a great feature.  Thanks,
    • Enhancements to Custom Connectors in Zoho Creator

      Hello everyone, At Zoho Creator, we believe in providing you with the necessary tools to achieve a well connected ecosystem of apps. Our Custom Connectors feature is a testament to this, enabling you to integrate with a wide range of external services
    • AutoScan Not Working Since April -Support says it with engineering

      Hi there, Autoscan has not been working on my account since April. Without this feature, completing expenses reports is laborious and error-prone. I keep asking for updates seeing as this is a critical feature, but told that it's being looked into and
    • Clone a Module??

      I am giong to repurpose the Vendors module but would like to have a separate but very similar module for another group of contacts called Buyers. I have already repurposed Contacts to Sellers. Is it possible to clone (make a duplicate) module of Vendors
    • Zoho books bulk update for invoices

      Hi Zoho team, Why only 25 invoices can be bulk update at a time. I am booking 800 to 900 invoices in a month. Please increase this limit? Please dont tell that you dont have enough request for this task. 25 limit for bulk update is too much low
    • Querying CloudSQL using NodeJS?

      How can I query CloudSQL over nodejs? Are there any rest apis from which I perform Select Queries in the data of a Workspace? In the v1 we had C#, Python, Java for CloudSQL Now I only see Java? I am confused about the overall API of Analytics, there any
    • How can I move a ticket from Department A to Department B?

      Hi there, how do I move ticket from Department A to Department B? I went in the ticket and tried to scroll down the menu under the "department" but it won't let me, I am a support admin. Did I do anything wrong? or am I doing it in the wrong place?
    • Sending Email with Attachment (PDF, Excel file)

      Hi, I'm new to Zoho CRM and I'm setting up a flow to send an Email with Attachment when user reaching a certain stage of a Deal. In detail, I've created a Blueprint which requires user to attach a PDF file when reaching a certain point of the stage and
    • How to Integrate Zoho CRM with Traffic Rider Mod APK Unlimited Money?

      Hello, I am exploring the possibilities of integrating Zoho CRM with a mobile game app. I am working on a Traffic Rider Mod APK Unlimited Money version where we want to store user engagement data like session time, high scores, and in-app interactions.
    • Rename Record Templates in Zoho Creator

      Hi Team, I need to rename the Record Templates based on the name of the employee which i have configured in Zoho Creator Deluge Script. How to do this one? // Attachments :template:PDF_ECF:Exit_Clearance_Form input.ID as PDF
    • Les Zoholics 2025 sont de retour

      Bonjour à tous, Préparez-vous pour deux jours exceptionnels au cœur de l’écosystème Zoho ! Nous avons le plaisir de vous convier à Zoholics France 2025, un événement dédié à l’innovation, à l’expertise et à la communauté Zoho. Au programme : • Présentations
    • Engineering Change Order Process using Tickets?

      Hi Zoho Community, I'm working with my company to create an Engineering Change Order/Request (ECO/ECR) process where engineers can internally create tickets for changes in a product that must be reviewed, approved and implemented by people or teams in the company.  I'm using Blueprint to create statuses and transitions for the various ticket states as the ECO is being processed, but it continually seems like Tickets aren't a good way to build an ECO process. My question is:  Does anyone have experience
    • Sesión "Ask me anything" Zoho en Español - 26 de junio de 2025, de 14:00 a 17:00 (en español)

      ¡Hola Comunidad! ¿Quieres entender mejor Zoho CRM o Zoho Desk? Nuestros expertos estarán disponibles para responder a todas tus preguntas durante nuestra sesión "Ask me anything". Puedes comentar este artículo y durante tres horas, nuestro equipo estará
    • Not receiving instagram verfication emails

      Hi- I'm not receiving Not receiving instagram verfication emails.  I have seen other users having the same issue and your answer was to contact instagram.  But instagram no longer has a support email.  
    • CRM Feature Request

      When enabling Translation in Zoho CRM I would like to see the ability to remove the language "English (US)". I have encountered a user experience issue with a client recently. The client uses English (UK) but they are based in Spain, so they have activated
    • Change work hours per day for employees

      Hello, Is there a way to modify the work hours per day for employees in Zoho projects? This would be helpful for resource allocation to more accurately see when an employee who works 35 hours a week vs 40 hours has a full schedule. Thanks.
    • Is there a way to set Document Owner/Sender via the API

      When sending requests for zoho sign, it would seem zoho uses the id of the person that created the zoho api cred to determine the owner_id, is there a way to set a default for this?
    • Zoho Commerce

      Hi, I have zoho one and use Zoho Books. I am very interested in Zoho Commerce , especially with how all is integrated but have a question. I do not want my store to show prices for customers that are not log in. Is there a way to hide the prices if not
    • Name Change and Delete Email ID and Alias

      Hello please i require urgent assistance, 1.) I would also like to change the name that appears when people receive my emails. I have an info@spacetraiders.com but when people receive my email its say Ronma Adedeji instead of either Info or Space Traiders..
    • PROBLEMA AL CONECTAR EL DOMINIO

      hola buenas tardes hoy estoy tratando de crear mi registro y no me deja conectar el dominio  me dice que el dominio ya está vinculado a una cuenta y la verdad no tiene conectado el dominio a ninguna cuenta  tengo acceso al hosting y cpanel que se compro pero al revisar los dns estan apuntando al mismo hosting del panel  del proveedor del domini ... como hago para poder crear la cuenta con ese dominio, incluso cree un registro pero no  me deja vincularlo el dominio es integrasoft.co agradezco me ayuden  
    • Delay in delivery of emails

      I'm experiencing random delays for emails sent from Zoho account. Headers show that the message reached mx.zohomail.com almost instantly, followed by a delay of anywhere from 3-15 minutes (and counting). Please confirm whether this is a system-wide
    • SMTP Email Sending Not Working for My Domains and Apps

      Hello Zoho Support Team, I am experiencing a critical issue with sending emails via Zoho SMTP for my domain humanhup.com. Both of my applications, HumanHup and CheapUI, are unable to send emails using Zoho SMTP, even though the same setup was working
    • Company Name not pre-populating when using Quick Create: Contact

      Hi Devs, This has bugged me for a long time, and it's a simple UX design change to solve it. Problem: Users creating Contacts not linked to Companies/Accounts Cause: When a user creates an Opportunity where after browsing the Contacts they realise they
    • Zoho Mail not working. Constant OTP

      Firstly, my emails have been playing up for over a year. They are struggling to send and I have to press Send a few time to make them going. They mostly hover with a loading note saying Sending. I emailed Zoho and they got it working, but now it is doing
    • Zoho Mail Storage Usage Discrepancy – Incorrect Storage Reporting

      Dear Zoho Support Team and Community, I previously raised a concern about inaccurate storage usage reporting in Zoho Mail but did not receive a clear or satisfactory response. To investigate further, I meticulously calculated the storage used by all folders
    • Announcing 12 new connectors in Zoho DataPrep

      We’ve just made data management even easier - Zoho DataPrep now supports 12 new external connectors to help you build more robust, scalable ETL pipelines. Why it matters: ✅ Broader data access ✅ More automation, less manual work ✅ Smarter pipelines, better
    • Next Page