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

    • Gmail - Error 553 Relaying Disallowed

      Hey Zoho, I have just set up my mail server and added a couple of email accounts. I've verified my domain and added the mx records with my registrar (namecheap.com) What I'm trying to do is to be able to send email from my domain through Gmail.  In Google

    • Candidate status change

      I am trying to change candidate status from "interview scheduled" to "hired". Where do I do this at?

    • How can I set up my contacts so that all users can have them on hand when they sign in?

      Hi.  For my business I would like to set up the Contacts so they are available for any user. 

    • Sharing Knowledge Base articles across multiple departments

      It would be useful to share some Knowledge Base articles across multiple departments where they are applicable, rather than having to go into other departments to find the article you're looking for. For example. Our reception uses the 'Admin' desk whereas our IT guys use the 'Support' desk, however both divisions would find KB articles about our company intranet useful. Reception does not have access to the support desk, so cannot see articles created in the Support KB. Perhaps you could install

    • Getting Project Template List using the REST API

      I am trying to confirm that I can use the REST API to create a project using a project template. The API documentation indicates this is possible by providing the Template ID, but it is not clear at all how to get a list of available Project Templates

    • Where do we manage tags?

      Where is the page where we can view all tags and manage them (like change a tag name to something else or merge tickets under a particular tag with another)?

    • Custom Return Path - Host Name

      Hi there, I've successfully set up SPF/ DKIM for Marketing Automation, but struggling to complete the Custom Return Path. I'm settting up on Wix. What should the host name be for the CNAME record? In Zoho Help it just says: "type your host name (sub-domain

    • Trouble Connecting Zoho Mail via IMAP in n8n – Need Help

      Hi everyone 👋, I'm trying to connect my Zoho Mail account to n8n using the IMAP Email Trigger node, but I'm facing issues getting it to work fully. ✅ Here's what I’ve done so far: ✅ IMAP access is enabled in my Zoho Mail settings ✅ I’m using the correct

    • How to send Messages to Leads/customers

      I’d like to inquire about the process for sending messages or follow-up communications to customers directly from Zoho CRM. Could you please guide me on the best way to do this—whether via email, SMS, or any integrated messaging feature? Additionally,

    • Daily-rate for projects

      I am billing my client through daily billing rates; for Zoho Books projects, only hourly rates can be set up. Please enhance this. Thanks.

    • AI feature in Zoho Desk suggesting answers based on past ticket threads

      Hi I would like to suggest something that would be very useful : instead of suggesting answers based on the Knowledge Base, I think it would be great if Zia could analyze the history of all customer and agents threads, to suggest answers in new tickets.

    • Admin Console Email

      I can't remember the admin console email or password. How do I find that out?

    • help me! the button "remove zoho ad" is not responding

      help me! the button "remove zoho ad" is not responding, kindly advice. please to check the follows : https://sitepreview-643549202.zohositescontent.com/previewsite https://sitebuilder-643549202.zohositescontent.com/builder thanks,best  regards

    • Zoho Forms API

      Is there any way to get all form entry list using API? Looking forward to hear from you

    • Free tier

      Does a completely free tier Zoho email still exists? If so why am I receiving email reminders that my account would expire in 2 days

    • Disable "skip to content" in Help Center

      Our users used to be able to press the tab button to skip between fields when submitting a new ticket in the help center. Now it pulls up the "skip to content" button in the top left corner. I know this is an accessibility feature, but is there any way

    • Mail Data Migration

      Hello Team, I have an issue with my organization mail data migration from Google to Zoho. We used Google Workspace before now but decided to change to Zoho to enjoy your service. I have successfully created an account and 1. Complete Domain verification

    • Prompting email addresses when sending an email

      Hi, I was just wondering if it was possible to disable the prompt / suggestion of email addresses when you begin typing an email address into the TO or CC box? Some of the email addresses that are being suggested are people that no longer require the

    • This is a HTML email and your email client software does not support HTML email!

      I have a small business, recently the email notification is coming like this to me, can anyone please help me? I am not so IT savvy -----=_NextPart_b4583c76c623900f59ad5b420c6da260 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_b4583c76c623900f59ad5b420c6da260_alt"

    • How to insert a ZohoUser in a subform field?

      I am building an new external web app that uses the ZohoCRM REST API (v8) to push data to Zoho. How do I use the ZohoCRM REST API to insert ZohoUsers into a subform field? I've tried several approaches and none of them have worked - inserting the ID as

    • Unable to receive emails

      Hello - I set up an email account for my domain. I can send emails but cannot receive them. I believe the issue might be with incorrect IMAP configuration (?) - but im not sure and cant find where this is on the platform. Im using Zoho hosting for the

    • Zoho Account delete function

      Hello Zoho support team The issue is as follows: Step1: Created an account community@bisonenergy.net Step2: Deleted this account. Step3: Created the new group mail using the same mail address, but the data already exists. So I have to change the name

    • help, 554 5.1.8 blocked

      got this blockade, i don't know why?

    • Not Receiving Emails from Gmail, but Other Providers Work Fine

      Hello, I'm experiencing an issue where my Zoho Mail account does not receive any emails sent from Gmail addresses. However, I can successfully receive emails from other providers such as Hotmail and Yahoo. There are no problems with sending emails—I'm

    • Basic String Search Not Possible in CRM Deluge – Feature Request or Workaround?

      Hi all, I’m trying to solve what should be a very basic automation task in Zoho CRM Deluge: Find the first 11-digit number anywhere in a string (specifically an email subject). In almost any programming language—even 1980s BASIC!—this is a trivial loop:

    • Reencaminhamento de e-mails.

      Boa tarde, gostaria de saber se tem a possibilidade de realizar o reencaminhamento de um e-mail especifico. Ex. Eu recebo alguns e-mails de um remetente e gostaria que o meu amigo de trabalho também recebesse esse e-mail, somente deste destinatário, é

    • Knowledge base articles is now available in the Zoho Desk mobile app!

      Hello all,   As a customer service agent, every day you might have to deal with many questions and issues reported by the users. With Knowledge Base, you can reduce the issue resolution life cycle for your organization.   We are delighted to announce that we have brought in support for 'Knowledge Base articles' in the Zoho Desk iOS mobile app.  This feature is already available for Android users.   KB articles are available to iOS users in the latest version of the app (v2.4.9). You can update the

    • Set Default Payment Method & Default account

      Hi, I would like to know how to set the default payment method and default bank account when recording payments in zoho books. At present we have to change these fields everytime we record a payment, which leads to potential error and as we have a very

    • More than one "Other" response in a Multiple Choice (Many Answers) question type?

      Is there a way to have more than one "Other (Please Specify)" with a short response as an option to a Multiple Choice (Many Answers) question? I understand there may be other ways, but I am looking for this way specifically as it would be best for the

    • Zoho Surveys

      Dear Zoho Support Team, I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to inquire about the availability and documentation for the Zoho Survey API. Background: I am currently working on a project that requires programmatic access to survey data and

    • Help Needed: Jira to Zoho Projects Migration — Tickets Imported as Unassigned & Comments Under Admin Name

      Hi Zoho Team and Community, We recently completed a migration from Jira to Zoho Projects using the official import method outlined in this Zoho Help Article. Issue Summary: We had already added all users to Zoho Projects before the migration, using the

    • Zoho Finance Estimate to Deal Attachment

      Hi, I'm trying to fetch estimate pdf from zoho books and upload it as deal attachment without success. any tips how to achieve this?

    • Journeys - how do i branch on contact call result

      Hi all. I want to branch based on the Call result field in contacts. Any idea how I can do this? Also what is the best way to have this condition checked at each step? Thanks!

    • The 3.1 biggest problems with Kiosk right now

      I can see a lot of promise in Kiosk, but it currently has limited functionality that makes it a bit of an ugly duckling. It's great at some things, but woeful at others, meaning people must rely on multiple tools within CRM for their business processes.

    • Perform custom actions from the Ticket interface using Buttons

      Hello everyone, We have introduced an option to add Buttons to the tickets, which will facilitate direct access to other applications, websites, allows execution of custom workflows, and more. Accessibility and visibility of buttons The buttons can be

    • Inserting a video from library in microsite

      Hello, We have uploaded videos in our space library. We created a new event and want to use the videos in our main page our microsite. It's possible to selected image from the library, but no videos. Only URL are accepted, but videos in library have no

    • UUIDs

      Has anyone coded a Universal Unique Identifier (UUID) generator in Deluge?

    • Create Tasks in arbitrary Zoho Project triggered from CRM [Zoho Projects]

      Community, hello What I'm trying to do is to create a Zoho Project when a Deal is created in CRM and then to be able to add tasks to this Project also from Zoho CRM with the trigger (Blueprint/ Workflow). I succeeded in creating Project using Zoho Flow,

    • Invalid Client - Client ID passed does not exist

      Hi, Daniel here. i try to generate an authorization code by following this page Authorization Request - Web Apps - OAuth | Zoho Accounts https://accounts.zoho.com/oauth/v2/auth?scope=ZohoCRM.users.ALL&client_id=1000.myclientid&response_type=code&access_type=offline&redirect_uri=https://localhost:7195/account/integrations/zoho/tokencallback

    • Generate Token v2 api using c# sdk

      Hello I am trying to generate a access token using c# sdk but fails every time.is there any sample code so that i can implement that code to insertleads in crm.  my use case is i want to insert and update lead in zoho crm. when user signup in my website i insert the detail of that user in crm using API v1. but V2 api is more confusing that API v1 . so please can anyone provide me a sample code of c# sdk to generate token and insert lead in crm. Or is there any way to achieve this without using c#

    • Next Page