Building extensions #6: Custom user interfaces with Widgets

Building extensions #6: Custom user interfaces with Widgets

Welcome to our post on Widgets for Zoho Projects!

In our last post, we explored the significance of the connections feature, showed how to use it, and provided an example use case. In this article, we'll look at the importance of widgets, another feature available in Zoho Projects.

Importance of widgets

Widgets are graphical user interface components that enable you to customize the user interface to provide users with easy data access and the flexibility to perform data operations. Zoho Projects offers widget support in multiple locations to enable users to further customize the UI in the location that most suits their needs.

When and where can widgets be used?

Widgets can be used for multiple purposes, some of which include:
➤ Collect and organize data from multiple sources before presenting it to the end user in a customized style.
➤ Display data to end users to allow them to make an input decision, then use that input data to carry out business processes.
You can also load and utilize widgets in multiple locations in Zoho Projects based on your business needs.

Configuring widgets in plugin-manifest.json

To include a widget in an extension, it must be configured in the plugin-manifest.json file. As we explained in an earlier post, the plugin-manifest.json file includes a sample widget named "Projects Extension" in the task details tab by default.

However, as part of an extension, you can add multiple widgets at various locations. In order to include a widget, you need to provide values for the below three keys:
  • name - The name of the widget.
  • location - The location in which the widget must be loaded. You may find the value to be used for each specific place in the widget locations document.
  • url - The path to the HTML file containing the widget UI that must be rendered.


Depending on the functionality of your extension, you can configure as many widgets as you want in your plugin-manifest.json in this manner.

Support for Widgets in Zoho Projects - JS SDKs

Zoho Projects offers JS SDKs that allow widget code to interact with the extension. In order for the javascript widget code to communicate with the extension, Zoho Projects provides JS SDKs support for multiple functionality. Some example functionalities include:
  • Initializing the extension
  • Fetching current user details
  • Getting details of portal, task, and much more
  • Setting details for tasks, issues, projects, and so on
  • Invoking connections inside the extension
You can refer to the JS SDK document for the available SDKs.

Prerequisite for using the JS SDKs
Note: It is important to invoke the init method in order to initialize the extension and utilize the other JS SDKs. All other JS SDK methods can be used only once the init method is invoked.

A few use case examples
  • Streamlining Zoho Projects developers' work by displaying Zoho Desk articles related to the task's subject as a tab on the task details page. This allows them to find any existing references related to the task at hand that they can refer to and get a head start on the work.

  • Managing your Zoho CRM open cases from within Zoho Projects to efficiently track and prioritize the cases based on their status.

  • Uploading and associating files with ease to a third-party file management service, such as Sharepoint or Dropbox, right from Zoho Projects. Similarly, having access to and managing third-party files within the Zoho Projects module of your choice. These synchronized data exchanges between applications help you stay organized and save time.
  • Managing your company's expenses and project budgets by collaborating with Zoho Books to allocate funds and generate invoices for each project. As a result, you can easily create estimates, invoices, and deliver the generated bills to the project client while maintaining all of your finances in one place.
These are just some of the examples of what widgets can be used for. Widgets provide you more control and flexibility over the UI design and help in simplifying the user experience.

We hope you found this information useful. Keep following this space as we will explore more such sample business solutions along with their implementation in our upcoming posts!

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

SEE ALSO:


Next>>

    • Recent Topics

    • Digest Novembre - Un résumé de ce qui s'est passé le mois dernier sur Community

      Bonjour chers utilisateurs, Avec l'arrivée du dernier mois de l'année, il est temps de résumer les activités de novembre dans la communauté Zoho France. Ce mois-ci, Zoho Webinar se dote de deux nouvelles intégrations ! La première est avec Zapier : connectez

    • How do I create an update to the Cost Price from landed costs?

      Hi fellow Zoho Inventory battlers, I am new to Zoho inventory and was completely baffled to find that the cost price of products does not update when a new purchase order is received. The cost price is just made up numbers I start with when the product

    • E-Invoicing in Belgium with Zoho Books

      Starting January 1, 2026, Belgium is introducing mandatory electronic invoices (e-invoicing) for all B2B transactions between VAT-registered businesses. This means that invoices and credits notes must be exchanged in a prescribed digital format. How E-Invoicing

    • Lead Blueprint transition in custom list view

      Hi, Is It possible to insert the Blueprint transition label in a custom Canvas list view? I am using Lead module. I see the status, but it would be great if our users could execute the Blueprint right from the list view without having to enter the detailed

    • Announcing new features in Trident for Mac (1.30.0)

      Hello everyone! We’re excited to introduce the latest updates to Trident, bringing you a more seamless, intuitive, and secure communication experience. Let’s take a quick look at what’s new. Work with PST/EML files more efficiently. You can now do more

    • Open Form in Same window as Page from embedded Report

      I have a page that has an embedded report, as shown below. When I click the + sign to add a new record, the form shows up inside the page where the report was embedded. I know that I can add a custom action to the report grid or report detail view and

    • Weekly Sales Summary

      Is it possible to generate a weekly report in Zoho Books to show -$$ amount of estimates generated -# of estimates generated by Salesperson -$$ amount of Sales Orders created -$$ amount of Invoices generated

    • Pricing Strategies: #4 Counting on Discounts

      "Is there any chance I can get a little discount on this month's service?" Maya hears this almost every time at her fitness studio. She offers monthly subscription plans for various services, including yoga, strength training, wellness sessions, and personal

    • Introducing Query Workbench in Zoho CRM

      Hello everyone! We’re excited to announce the Query Workbench, a brand-new interface designed to improve developer experience of building Queries in Zoho CRM faster, simpler, and more intuitive. In the past, constructing queries required navigating across

    • Limitation with Dynamic Email Attachment Capture

      I've discovered a flaw in how Zoho Creator handles email attachments when using the Email-to-Form feature, and I'm hoping the Zoho team can address this in a future update. The Issue According to the official documentation, capturing email attachments

    • Add Customer in Books on Creator Form Submit Params

      Hi guys, Were integrating a creator app with books however what were doing is adding a books customer on submit of creator form.  We have some parameters but some fields aren't coping, All were seeing is the contact name in books,.  Any help of the params for this would be great. below is a sample of the script... response = zoho.books.createRecord("contacts", "XXXXXXXXX", { "contact_name" : input.Name, "address" : input.Email }); 

    • Admin asked me for Backend Details when I wanted to verify my ZeptoMail Account

      Please provide the backend details where you will be adding the SMTP/API information of ZeptoMail Who knows what this means?

    • Suggestion : link KB with Accounts

      Hi Zoho teams.  I think it could be good to link KB articles with  : accounts in order to easily  find articles dedicated to some account specificities. I tried to use tags , but tags are free text with not easy way  to retrieve it directly from ticket or list article for one tag. Tickets : It would be a good way to measure usage of KB directly from ticket when we don't need to copy/paste KB in solution. And : Great Tool , keep going ! 

    • Drag and Drop in Creator Application

      Hi, I am in the planning phase of a new application and I would like to use 'Drag and Drop' in the user interface of my new Creator application that I am sketching out, but I don't seem to be able to find any reference that this is available to developers. In my instance I have table of entries and I would like to be able to allow users to move an entry to another table (much like you do in your own interface when creating a Pivot Table report. In addition, I would like the user to be able to re-order

    • Is there any way to integrate Zoho with Zapier?

      Is there any way to integrate Zoho with Zapier? I'd like to use it to create a workflow, sharing posts from our Wordpress website to all our channels.

    • Popular Articles Report

      From data to decisions: A deep dive into ticketing system reports Content management teams can use various metrics to assess the effectiveness of knowledge base articles, improve content quality, and ensure articles are regularly updated. Predefined article

    • Invoice Ref. Field

      Hello Team, Currently, the Invoice Ref. field is set to a Number type with a maximum limit of 9 digits. However, we often receive customer invoices that contain up to 12 digits. In some cases, the invoice reference includes not only numbers but also letters

    • 60 Days Into Zoho - Tiktok Branding Startup -7 Questions?!

      Wsp Everybody I co-own a TikTok Branding / Consulting Startup & have been using Zoho for the past 60 days - Am now looking to make our overall operations & processes more Efficient & Effective! Curious to know how others are using the platform & what's

    • Turning off the new UI

      Tried the new 'enhanced' UI and actively dislike it. Anyone know how to revert back?

    • XML format to import knowledgebase into Zoho Desk

      Hi, We just started to use Zoho Desk and want to import our knowledgebase from our old support system (Freshdesk) to Zoho Desk. Can anyone give us information about the format of xml file to import? There is no explanation on the related page.

    • Pushing Zoho People leave into Microsoft calendar: how to chose how "event" is shown (busy, free etc)

      Hi, how can I select how a "leave" event is pushed into Microsoft calendar? I want for leave "working elsewhere" to show as working elsewhere and NOT as busy.

    • Duplicate Accounts

      Hi There, I am looking for a solution, script, workflow or anything to solve an issue we have - in our customers section we have a rule that doesn't allow duplicates, however Zoho will allow customers with xxxxx and xxxxx PLC or LTD so effectivley we

    • Error with If formula

      I've got this super simple If formula, what is the reason for the error? If ( LEN(${Leads.Trial Slot Option}) == 3,'y','n') Syntax Error. Check the examples for any functions you're using to see if you formatted them correctly. Make sure your fields are

    • Announcing Multi-language Support in Zoho FSM

      Zoho FSM now speaks your language. The much-awaited multi-language support is now available in Zoho FSM. The following languages are supported in Zoho FSM: Dutch (Nederlands) English - United Kingdom English - United States French (français) French -

    • Creating multiple CRM leads from a Zoho Forms subform

      Hi all, We have a heavily used intake form that is used for new leads as a part of our intake. There is a subform that allows the lead to add additional team members, their titles and other basic info. That form submission creates a new Lead and the subform

    • Free webinar! Build smarter apps with Zoho Sign and Zoho Creator

      Hello, Bring the power of digital signatures to the apps you build in Zoho Creator! Connect Zoho Sign as a microservice and enable seamless e-signature workflows in your applications. This integration allows you to automate signing tasks using Deluge.

    • Restrict Addresses in Zoho Forms?

      In the address field, is there a way to restrict the addresses that auto populate (via Zoho Maps or Google Maps) to a specific state (I know it's possible with the country). Additionally, how often does the address in Zoho Maps get updated? Certain addresses

    • Weekly Tips: Secure your attachment downloads with Zoho Mail

      Safety is one of our main concerns, whether it’s about device security or online protection. We use tools like fingerprint scanners, facial recognition, and two-factor authentication to keep our devices and email accounts secure. We use methods like OTP

    • Resume Harvester: New Enhancements for Faster Sourcing

      We’re excited to share a set of enhancements to Resume Harvester that make sourcing faster and more flexible. These updates help you cut down on repetitive steps, manage auto searches more efficiently, and review candidate profiles with ease. Why we built

    • Looking for best practices to import data from SAP Business One (on-prem) into Zoho Analytics via Zoho DataPrep / Databridge — daily automated schedule

      Hi all, I’m using SAP Business One on-prem (SQL Server / or HANA — depending on DB backend) as our ERP. I want to build a pipeline that, every morning at 9:00 AM IST: pulls transactional data (invoices, customers, products, stock, etc.) from SAP B1, loads

    • Zoho One Unified Portal - Applications

      Hello, It is great to see the work on the New Unified Customer Portal. Thanks for that. The number of applications is limited though. It is now only around the Zoho Books ecosystem (Books, Expense...) and Zoho Social. = Are other applications planned

    • Marketing Tip #10: Start a customer loyalty program

      Winning a new customer is great, but keeping them coming back is even better. A loyalty program rewards repeat buyers with points, giving them more reasons to shop again. Over time, this builds trust and long-term relationships. Try this today: Set up

    • Zia Actions: AI-powered Workflow Automation for Faster and Smarter Execution

      Hello everyone, Updated on 12th Dec 2025 Zia actions for Workflow is available for Enterprise edition ONLY. These features are currently available in the following DCs: US, CA, EU, IN, and AU Email Auto reply and Content Generation are available as Early

    • Do Individual Forums within Categories, in Desk Community, Produce Their Own RSS Feed?

      Do Individual Forums within Categories, in Desk Community, Produce Their Own RSS Feed? If not, can anyone share a work-around that could help me get an RSS feed for individual category forums?

    • Change Last Name to not required in Leads

      I would like to upload 500 target companies as leads but I don't yet have contact people for them. Can you enable the option for me to turn this requirement off to need a Second Name? Moderation update (10-Jun-23): As we explore potential solutions for

    • Resend Client Portal Invitation + View Email Delivery Status

      Hi Zoho Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to request two important enhancements related to the Zoho Creator Client Portal invitation process. At the moment, when we add a user to the Client Portal, Zoho Creator automatically sends an invitation

    • Get user last login

      1. Is there a way to programmatically get the last user login to trigger certain workflows? 2. Is there a way to programmatically access the custom fields on a user's account?

    • Seeking Zoho Creator Expert (Delivery Management App / Logistics Ops) — Built & Deployed Before

      Hi everyone, We’re building a Delivery Management App (focused on delivery operations for now) using Zoho Creator. We’re looking for a Zoho Creator expert who has already developed and deployed a similar delivery/workflow system and can assist us with

    • Automating Employee Birthday Notifications in Zoho Cliq

      Have you ever missed a birthday and felt like the office Grinch? Fear not, the Cliq Developer Platform has got your back! With Zoho Cliq's Schedulers, you can be the office party-cipant who never forgets a single cake, balloon, or awkward rendition of

    • Copy paste from word document deletes random spaces

      Hello Dear Zoho Team, When copying from a word document into Notebook, often I face a problem of the program deleting random spaces between words, the document become terribly faulty, eventhough it is perfect in its original source document (and without

    • Next Page