Title: Creating custom connections for extensions | Community | Zoho Finance

Title: Creating custom connections for extensions | Community | Zoho Finance

In our previous post, we discussed the significance of connections, identified their types, developed a predefined connection, and demonstrated how it can be integrated with Zoho Books using an example. In this post, we'll walk through the process of creating a custom connection using an example.

Custom connections facilitate the integration of applications with Zoho Books by aiding in configuring the required application's connection manually by providing application-specific details. Let's go over the steps involved in configuring custom connections in detail using a use case scenario.

Use case

Let's say an organization uses Zoho Books to manage its financial operations. To improve sales for the organization, one must contact and communicate with multiple clients, as well as check in with vendors on a regular basis to remain up to date on new products on the market, take demos, and assess whether the products need to be brought into the organization.

In these cases, it is best to schedule appointments with clients and vendors in order to conduct business in an organized manner. This can be easily performed by integrating an appointment scheduling software so appointments can be scheduled with a click.

For our demo purpose, let's consider Zoho Bookings as the appointment scheduling software. Since it is not available under the default list of services in predefined connections, let's create a custom connection to achieve this.

Steps to create a custom connection
  • Go to Sigma and access your workspace.
  • Enter the developer portal of the Zoho Books extension you're creating a connection for.
  • Navigate to the Build section and click Connections.
   
  • Click New Connection to create a new connection.
NotesNote: Alternatively, you can use the View All option under a connection type to see all the services under that particular connection type and begin creating connections.
     
  • Choose Custom Services and click Create Service.
   
  • Provide the details of the service.
➤ Enter a name for the service, and the service link name will be immediately filled in.
➤ Choose the authentication type that corresponds to the authentication mechanism supported by the service for which you are building the connection. These details will be available as part of the service's API documentation. For our example, we'll use OAuth2, because Zoho Bookings supports it as an authentication mechanism.         
  
➤ The remaining fields to be configured for the service differ based on the authentication type used. In our case, the parameter type is Header, and the grant type is Authorization Code.
   
➤ Please refer to the table below for the values that need to be configured in the remaining fields.
Note: Register the service in the Zoho Developer API console to get the client credentials.
  • Finally, click the Create Service button.
  
  • The service is created successfully. Click Create Connection to create a connection for this service.
  • Provide the connection details, select the scope, and click Create and Connect.
 
  • Proceed with the flow to accept the scopes and authorize the connection.
 

The connection is now authorized, and you'll be directed to the connection details page. This page will also contain sample code in both Deluge and JSON formats that can be used to utilize this connection as part of your extension components. Depending on which component you want to invoke the connection in, you can use the appropriate sample code format.

Additionally, a predefined connection for Zoho Books is created to perform operations on Zoho Books data to implement our use case. Get more information on predefined connections in our previous post.

Now, in accordance with our use case, let's create a custom button that includes this connection to schedule appointments (in Zoho Bookings) with clients and vendors using Zoho Bookings with a single click (from Zoho Books).
We require two custom fields for our logic, one for setting the meeting start time with the client or vendor, and the other to display the Bookings appointment calendar link once the meeting is scheduled.
  • Create custom fields for the Customers and Vendors module by selecting Preferences > Customers and Vendors > Field Customization > New Custom Field.
 
  • Next, create a custom button and include the logic to schedule an appointment.
  • Create a custom button for the Customers and Vendors module by selecting Preferences > Customers and Vendors > Custom Buttons > New.
InfoBook meeting custom button function Deluge code - Please find code snippet as an attachment in the post
  • In the above code, the Get Contacts API of Zoho Books is invoked through the InvokeURL method using the predefined connection to get the contact/customer details for whom the appointment has to be scheduled in Zoho Bookings. Refer to this post to get complete details on the parameters required to call the InvokeURL method.
  • From the API response, the required details are fetched from which the start time (custom field data) is formatted to the way required by the Zoho Bookings API.
  • Next, the Zoho Bookings API to get the service ID and staff ID are invoked consecutively through the InvokeURL method using the custom connection created.
  • The Book appointment API is used to schedule the appointment using the service ID, the staff ID obtained from the Zoho Bookings API, and customer details obtained previously via the Zoho Books API.
  • Finally, using the update contact Zoho Books API, the Zoho Bookings calendar URL is updated in the custom field created to display the calendar booking URL.
We've now completed the extension setup for our use case.

After testing and publishing the extension, as per our use case, you can book a meeting for a Zoho Books customer through Zoho Bookings and have your Zoho Bookings calendar reflected inside Zoho Books as well.

z
This is an example demonstration of the benefits of using a custom connection in a Zoho Books extension. This is a versatile use case that may even be used to schedule an internal meeting with your Zoho Books teammates who are working on a project. Similarly, this use case can be enhanced and implemented based on your needs.

We hope you found this information useful. Keep following us for more tips.

SEE ALSO

    • Recent Topics

    • Zoho Flow s’enrichit avec les subflows et les actions Webhook

      Nous sommes ravis d’annoncer deux ajouts importantsà Zoho Flow : les subflows et les webhooks sortants. Ces nouvelles fonctionnalités ont été conçues pour vous aider à créer des workflows plus facilement et à automatiser davantage de tâches répétitives.

    • How to assign canvas view for portal user

      Hi , as a portal user, I can switch to another canvas view, however, I cannot find any field to configure a default canvas view for portal user. May I ask how to set it up in CRM? And if I can view list by sheet view as a portal user?

    • Restrict Leave Application Based on Attendance Cycle (24th to 23rd)

      Hi Zoho Team, Our organization follows a custom attendance cycle from 24th of the current month to 23rd of the next month. I would like to configure the system so that: Employees should not be able to apply backdated leave for any date after the attendance

    • How do I assign a parent to an existing campaign?

      I created a campaign but now I'd like to make that existing campaign a child of another.  How can I do this?

    • Categorize Tickets Through The App

      I used to be able to categorize and assign tickets through the app without any issues. However, for the past year, whenever I try to edit a ticket, select a category, and click save, it doesn’t actually save the changes. As a result, I haven’t been able

    • Can't add picture to email template. Says I'm over the character limit.

      I tried creating an email template with a picture and it says I'm over the character limit. The picture is pretty small. What can I do?

    • Allow breakdown of per diem for meals provided

      Would it be possible to break the per diem down into what you get for each meal. The reason for this is we want to offer per diem but if a meal is provided by a customer or sales we need to remove this from the per diem bucket for that day. We break down

    • Automatically moving Leads into their corresponding buckets

      Hi, I have developed a lead pipeline and created different cadences for various lead segments. After enrolling leads into their respective cadences, each lead goes through a series of follow-ups (in my case, three emails). If a lead does not respond after

    • Tracking Email Template usage

      I'd like to be able to track how many times agents/users send an email from Templates. This is so we can track their activity in relation to Campaigns in CRM. Thanks

    • Get employee id of authenticated user via API

      Hi, For adding timetracking records an employee id is required. Is there an API Route available to get the employee ID of the current authenticated user? or something like /users/me Currently using https://people.zoho.com/people/api/forms/employee/getRecords

    • Zoho Social API for generating draft posts from a third-party app ?

      Hello everyone, I hope you are all well. I have a question regarding Zoho Social. I am developing an application that generates social media posts, and I would like to be able to incorporate a feature that allows saving these posts as drafts in Zoho Social.

    • Collect in-app feedback with richer context and granular insights

      Hello, Apptics community! From GenAI chatbots to one-tap checkouts, user experience standards keep rising—yet 96% of unhappy users never explain what went wrong; they simply leave. Introducing in-app feedback 2.0 banner In-app feedback 2.0 is here to

    • Temporary restiction

      My account says You have been temporarily restricted from publishing jobs from Zoho Recruit.Click here to request a one-time approval to publish your jobs and when I go to click it shows error. Kindly assist.

    • Help with Quote template for peer review

      We are wanting to do peer review of quotes/proposals, however the quote templates dont have product cost, profit margins, etc. It is difficult for a manager to approve a quote without ensuring nothing is going out at improper margins, etc. I have not

    • India Tech Support

      Is there no phone tech support number for India? And no chat facility either?

    • How many AR fields We can add in a form?

      I want to add at least 10-15 AR fields in a form. I just want to know is there any limit on the AR fields or do I need to pay extra money for using 10-15 AR fields. Thanks in advance.

    • Agent working hours

      Hi, I know it is possible to set company business hours but is it possible so that agents can have different ones? I.e. some agents cover later hours on specific weeks - can these be set so those agents that are "working" get notified about tickets etc. 

    • Disallow CLOSE if tags field is empty

      I want to introduce a mandatory condition that NEW tickets (not prior closed tickets) cannot enter the CLOSED state without first having an entry in the tags field. Is there a way I can do this?

    • Central de Ajuda - Restringir visualização de tickets

      Estou tentando configurar o Zoho Desk para que determinados usuários dentro de uma mesma conta consigam visualizar apenas os tickets criados por usuários específicos dessa conta — e não todos os tickets ou apenas os seus próprios. Até onde sei, existe

    • Business Hours with lunch break

      Our business hours are: mon - fri 08:30 - 13:00, 15:00 - 18:30. How can I handle the lunch break? If I use 8:30 - 18:30 it obviously breaks SLA. Thanks

    • Default/Private Departments in Zoho Desk

      1) How does one configure a department to be private? 2) Also, how does one change the default department? 1) On the list of my company's Zoho Departments, I see that we have a default department, but I am unable to choose which department should be default. 2) From the Zoho documentation I see that in order to create a private department, one should uncheck "Display in customer portal" on the Add Department screen. However, is there a way to change this setting after the department has been created?

    • Ask the Experts 21: Power up your support game with Zoho Desk Automation

      " In every business, there are tasks to automate, Zoho Desk helps with features that integrate Assignments to manage tickets and teams to align,Macros for quick actions and workflows to streamline Contracts and schedules to hold things tight, Plans run

    • If leads are assigned to a person before 4:00 PM and the stage is "Fresh Lead", then an email should be triggered at 4:00 PM to all assigned users. If leads are assigned after 4:00 PM and the stage is

      If leads are assigned to a person before 4:00 PM and the stage is "Fresh Lead", then an email should be triggered at 4:00 PM to all assigned users. If leads are assigned after 4:00 PM and the stage is "Fresh Lead", then the email should be triggered the

    • Multiselect lookup in subform

      It would be SO SO useful if subforms could support a multiselect look up field! Is this in the works??

    • Tasks as calendar events? What about a way to verify a meeting actually happened?

      I'm not sure how to best ask this, but i'm looking to add some guard-rails into zoho for the end-user. However for guardrails to be effective they can't really add extra steps for the end-user. i.e. every step that's added for the user, is another place

    • Attachments should sync between Zoho Finance in CRM and Zoho Books

      It would EXTREMELY helpful and practical if the attachments added to an invoice via Zoho Finance in CRM synced with the invoice updates in Zoho Books. Currently, attachments to an invoice updated in CRM DO NOT appear as attachments when viewing the same

    • Introducing a new home page view and UI enhancements for Dashboards

      Hello everyone,  In CRM, the home pages provide a quick view of the various happenings in a business with the help of dashboards. The home pages also help to organize one's and the team's day's work. There are three views in the home tab: Classic User's

    • Translation support expanded for Modules, Subforms and Related Lists

      Hello Everyone!   The translation feature enables organizations to translate certain values in their CRM interface into different languages. Previously, the only values that could be translated were picklist values and field names. However, we have extended

    • Call result pop up on call when call ends

      I’d like to be able to create a pop up that appears after a call has finished that allows me to select the Call Result. I'm using RingCentral. I have seen from a previous, now locked, thread on Zoho Cares that this capability has been implemented, but

    • Data Template Amending

      Hi, is it possible to remove data templates once you have applied them in Workdrive? Also, once I have added a new field to a data template can I mass update multiple files who have already been allocated that template and amend just that one added

    • Zoho Flow y subformularios de Zoho CRM

      Buenas tardes, En mi empresa vamos a empezar a usar los subformularios de zoho crm pero estos los voy a tener que rellenar con zoho flow ya que va a ser el encargado de rellenar dichos campos del subformulario. El problema es que a la hora de intentar

    • Recurring Invoices

      We are looking at moving our invoices to ZOHO Billing, I have started the trial period and like that I can et up for four different companies. The one feature we need which is mentioned in the documentation is Recurring Invoices so we can send our Rent

    • Implement Meeting Polls in Zoho Bookings

      Dear Zoho Bookings Support Team, We'd like to propose a feature enhancement related to appointment scheduling within Zoho Bookings. Current Functionality: Zoho Bookings excels at streamlining individual appointment scheduling. Users can set availability

    • Zoho Projects App update: Arabic and Hebrew language support

      Hello everyone! In the latest version(v3.10) of the Zoho Projects iOS app update, we have brought in support to access the app in RTL(Right to Left) languages (Arabic and Hebrew). Note: RTL is yet to be supported on the Calendar and Gantt charts modules

    • I want to cancel @mention group in the notes in Zoho CRM

      Hi Everybody, I want to prevent people from mentioning a specific group in notes in Zoho CRM. We have one group called Team Sales, and although we've asked users not to mention groups, they still mention the group name. My workaround is to change the

    • Kaizen #193: Creating different fields in Zoho CRM through API

      🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.

    • How to install node packages in Zoho Creator cloud functions

      I wanted to create some functions which requires node packages like axios, fetch, multer etc., How and where can i install the node packages in Zoho creator to use it in Zoho creator Nodejs function.

    • Session "Ask Me Anything" Zoho France - Le 26 Juin 2025 14h à 17h (en Français

      Chers Utilisateurs, Vous cherchez à mieux comprendre Zoho CRM ou Zoho Desk ? Nos experts seront disponibles pour répondre à toutes vos questions lors de notre session Ask Me Anything. Rejoignez-nous ici pour en discuter en ligne. Pendant trois heures,

    • Option to Crop Existing Agent Image in Zoho One Directory

      Hello Zoho Team, We hope you're all doing well. We would like to request a small but useful enhancement to the Zoho One Directory. 🎯 Current Limitation At present, the system allows cropping an agent image only during the initial upload of an agent's

    • Introducing Sub-Accounts in Zoho Books!

      Hello Everyone, Sub-Accounts is LIVE! Yes, you read it right. The much needed and most requested feature is now live in Zoho Books. The sub-accounts feature in Zoho Books will help you to classify your accounts further which will give you a more detailed view of your accounts while running reports. You can create sub-accounts for the below Accounts: Asset Cost of Goods Sold Expense Liability Fixed Asset Other Asset Other Current Asset Long Term Liability Other Current Liability Other Liability Other

    • Next Page