Setting up and using connections in Bigin toppings

Setting up and using connections in Bigin toppings

When building a topping to extend Bigin's functionality and connect it with third-party applications, creating and handling connections is an important step. Connections provide a secure way for your topping to authenticate and communicate with other applications' APIs without exposing sensitive credentials to end users. This abstraction is both secure and makes the integration easier because it eliminates the need for developers to implement complex authorization flows manually or handle authorization tokens directly.

Bigin's Developer Console offers a feature called a connection, which acts as a bridge between your topping and the third-party application you wish to integrate with. Once a connection is configured, you can reference it in your topping's functionalities using its unique link name. This enables the topping to execute REST operations such as fetching, updating, or syncing data with the connected application securely.

Now that we've achieved a basic understanding of what a connection is and how it helps toppings interact with other applications, the next step is to understand the types of connections available in Bigin's Developer Console.

Establishing connections with services

The connections feature in Bigin's Developer Console offers two types of services to help developers configure integrations according to their requirements: default services and custom services. Default services are preconfigured services available in Bigin's Developer Console that simplify integrations with some Zoho and third-party applications. If the application you want to integrate with isn't listed in the default services, you can create a custom service and configure it according to the API specifications of the third-party application.

Default services

The connections feature offers certain default services as preconfigured options that can be easily integrated with Bigin. These services come with predefined settings such as authentication type, token endpoints, scopes, and headers, which reduces the need for manual configuration. Currently, there are around 50 default services available in the Developer Console, covering a wide range of applications and platforms. This enables developers to connect to services with minimal effort.


If the application you want to integrate with your topping isn't listed in the default services, you can create a new custom service.

Custom services

Custom services enable developers to configure all aspects of a connection manually, including the authentication type, endpoints, headers, and scopes, which enables integration with third-party applications.

When setting up a custom service, developers can specify the exact authentication flow required by the external application, whether it's basic authentication, OAuth, an API key, or another method.
Notes
Note:

Refer to the official API documentation of third-party applications when configuring these settings, as this will provide the necessary details for authentication and data access.
To create a custom service, navigate to the Connections section and choose Custom Services in the Developer Console. Based on the authentication type supported, configure the custom service for the required product.


For more details on creating and configuring custom services, please refer to this guide.
Notes
Note:

Always handle sensitive information such as client IDs, client secrets, and API keys securely, and never share them publicly. After configuring and authorizing a custom service, reference it in Deluge scripts and workflow functions by using its unique connection link name, just as you do with default services.
Next, let's look at how to implement the default service connection with an example.

Create a default service connection

Let's say you're developing a Bigin topping to synchronize contact information between Bigin and Zoho Books. This integration enables contacts created or updated in Bigin to be automatically reflected in Zoho Books. The topping uses Zoho Books APIs to create, update, and retrieve customer data using a default service connection.

To create a default service connection for the topping, choose Connections from the left panel of the Developer Console and click Get Started.


Next, navigate to My Connections or Default Services. To fetch data from the Contacts module in Bigin, create a connection first. From Default Services, select Bigin and then click Create Connection to set it up.


The system will prompt you to enter the connection details. Provide a name for the connection (for example: Bigin Connection). A connection link name is generated automatically.

Next, select the scopes required for the topping's functionality. In this use case, select ZohoBigin.modules.ALL to access data from Bigin's Contacts module.

After selecting the scope, click Create and Connect to initiate the authorization process. The system redirects you to the authorization page. Click Connect, and you'll be taken to the service's login page. Choose the Bigin organization for which the topping was created, click submit, and the connection will be created.


After establishing the connection with Bigin, you must also create a connection for Zoho Books to enable record creation. To do this, create a default service connection for Zoho Books, similar to the one created for Bigin. Select the scope ZohoBooks.fullaccess.ALL to grant complete access to modules and operations in Zoho Books.

Once you've created the connections for both Bigin and Zoho Books, the system will generate connection link names for each. These link names must be used in the business logic.



Notes
Notes
Note:

During development, authorize the connection in the Sandbox environment to test integration workflows safely.
To understand the authorization process and how to implement them, please refer to this guide on authorizing connections.


After you authorize the connection, set up a workflow rule in the Bigin Developer Console that gets triggered whenever you create or update a contact in your Bigin account. Here, we need to specify the conditions that apply to the workflow and check that the email field isn't empty.

Notes
Note:

In our use case, we'll use the email address to check whether the newly created contact in Bigin already exists as a customer in Zoho Books.



When the workflow meets the specified conditions, an instant action - in this case, a function - which will execute a custom functionality that performs the following operations:
  1. Retrieves the contact details from Bigin by referencing the established connection link name biginandbooksconnection0__booksconnection.
  2. Searches Zoho Books for an existing contact that matches the email.
  3. If a matching contact exists, update the contact's phone and contact person details in Zoho Books.
  4. If the script doesn't find a matching contact, it creates a new contact in Zoho Books with the relevant information.
Below is the code that automates contact synchronization between Bigin and Zoho Books:
  1. //Retrieve contact details from Bigin using the established connection
  2. biginContact = zoho.bigin.getRecordById("Contacts",contact.get("Contacts.ID"),Map(),"biginandbooksconnectionnew__biginconnection");
  3. //Extract relevant contact data
  4. biginData = biginContact.get("data");
  5. contactDetails = biginData.get(0);
  6. email = contactDetails.get("Email");
  7. phone = contactDetails.get("Phone");
  8. mobile = contactDetails.get("Mobile");
  9. fullName = contactDetails.get("Full_Name");
  10. //Search Zoho Books for existing contacts by email
  11. searchParams = Map();
  12. searchParams.put("search_text", email);
  13. booksContactsResponse = invokeurl
  14. [
  15. url :"https://books.zoho.com/api/v3/contacts"
  16. type :GET
  17. parameters:searchParams
  18. connection:"biginandbooksconnectionnew__booksconnection"
  19. ];
  20. info "Searched by name in Books: " + booksContactsResponse;
  21. booksData = booksContactsResponse.get("contacts");
  22. if(booksData != null && booksData.size() > 0)
  23. {
  24. // Extract the existingContactId
  25. existingContactId = booksData.get(0).get("contact_id");
  26. // Update existing contact
  27. updateParams = Map();
  28. updateParams.put("contact_name",fullName);
  29. updateParams.put("phone",phone);
  30. updateParams.put("mobile",mobile);
  31. updateParams.put("email",email);
  32. // Define contact person details
  33. contactPerson = Map();
  34. contactPerson.put("last_name",fullName);
  35. contactPerson.put("mobile",mobile);
  36. contactPerson.put("phone",phone);
  37. contactPerson.put("email",email);
  38. contactPerson.put("is_primary_contact",true);
  39. contactPersonsList = List();
  40. contactPersonsList.add(contactPerson);
  41. updateParams.put("contact_persons",contactPersonsList);
  42. //Prepare and execute update request
  43. parameters_data = Map();
  44. parameters_data.put("JSONString",updateParams.toString());
  45. info "parameters_data value:" + parameters_data;
  46. updateResponse = invokeurl
  47. [
  48. url :"https://books.zoho.com/api/v3/contacts/" + existingContactId + "?organization_id=XXXXXXX"
  49. type :PUT
  50. parameters:parameters_data
  51. connection:"biginandbooksconnectionnew__booksconnection"
  52. ];
  53. info "Updated Contact: " + updateResponse;
  54. }
  55. else
  56. {
  57. // Create new contact
  58. contactDetails = Map();
  59. contactDetails.put("contact_name",fullName);
  60. contactDetails.put("email",email);
  61. contactDetails.put("phone",phone);
  62. contactDetails.put("mobile",mobile);
  63. // Define contact person details
  64. contactPerson = Map();
  65. contactPerson.put("last_name",fullName);
  66. contactPerson.put("mobile",mobile);
  67. contactPerson.put("phone",phone);
  68. contactPerson.put("email",email);
  69. contactPerson.put("is_primary_contact",true);
  70. // Add to contact persons list
  71. contactPersonsList = List();
  72. contactPersonsList.add(contactPerson);
  73. contactDetails.put("contact_persons",contactPersonsList);
  74. // Prepare and execute the create request
  75. parameters_data = Map();
  76. parameters_data.put("JSONString",contactDetails.toString());
  77. createResponse = invokeurl
  78. [
  79. url :"https://books.zoho.com/api/v3/contacts?organization_id=XXXXXXX"
  80. type :POST
  81. parameters:parameters_data
  82. connection:"biginandbooksconnectionnew__booksconnection"
  83. ];
  84. info "Created Contact: " + createResponse;
  85. }
For details about the API endpoints and request formats used in this code, refer to the Bigin Deluge reference library and Zoho Books contacts API documentation.
After you configure the workflow and associate the function with the instant action, test the topping in the sandbox environment.
  1. To do this, click Test Your Topping in the upper-right corner of the Developer Console. This action will redirect you to the Bigin sandbox account, where you can create a new contact to test whether the functionalities work properly.
  2. After creating a new contact in Bigin, navigate to the Customers module in the Sales section of Zoho Books. When you set up the integration correctly, you'll see the newly created contact here, which confirms that Bigin and Zoho Books are synchronizing as expected. This process provides a safe and effective way to validate the workflow before deploying the topping to a production environment.


In this post, we've explained that default service connections in Bigin simplify authentication and connection with third-party applications by using predefined settings such as authentication type, token endpoints, and scopes. These connections are convenient because the Developer Console pre-configures the authentication flow and endpoints of the application you're integrating with.

To sum up: Bigin's connections feature provides a flexible foundation for integrating with a wide range of external services, and using these connections, developers can extend Bigin's integration capabilities.

Stay tuned for more about developing toppings and exploring other related features available in the Bigin Developer Console.

<< Previous                                                                                                                                                      Next>>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

    • Recent Topics

    • Displaying only unread tickets in ticket view

      Hello, I was wondering if someone might be able to help me with this one. We use filters to display our ticket list, typically using a saved filter which displays the tickets which are overdue or due today. What I'd really like is another filter that

    • Is there provision to charge the attendees to join the webinar?

      We want to host some webinar of public interest and want to charge them to participate in this. Does this feature in-build in the application? Offcourse, we will be having Razor pay account activated for these purpose.

    • Pricelists

      So we have them in books but I cannot find them in commerce?

    • Desktop app doesn't support notecards created on Android

      Hi, Does anybody have same problem? Some of last notecards created on Android app (v. 6.6) doesn't show in desktop app (v. 3.5.5). I see these note cards but whith they appear with exclamation mark in yellow triangle (see screenshot) and when I try to

    • Don't send customer email when creating a ticket

      Hi Is there an easy way to stop the system sending an email to the customer when we manually create ticket.

    • Connecting a contact with the deal + Emails not showing up under Deals

      Hello. I have two problems. Im not sure if the problem is due to level of my subscription - Im on Proffessional plan. 1. I have a JotForm connected with ZohoCRM which automatically creates a contact and a new deal based on form submission. That is done

    • Accessing GDPR Data Source metadata for workflows and Zoho Analytics

      Hi everyone, We have GDPR compliance enabled in Zoho CRM, which has added the Data Source section within the Data Privacy tab for Leads and Contacts. This section shows useful information such as: Original creation source, for example Zoho Forms Form

    • Tiktok

      When will Tiktok be added to the Zoho Social Platform?

    • Zoho Mail iOS app update: Spam Controls & Sender Verification

      Hello everyone! We are excited to introduce spam control enhancements in the Zoho Mail iOS app update. Let's dive into what's new. Spam Alerts in Mail Preview : Mail preview now shows warning alerts for emails identified as potentially harmful, helping

    • Mise à jour de Zoho Books – France

      Chers clients, Merci pour votre patience et votre soutien continu. Avec les évolutions réglementaires à venir en France nous introduisons de nouvelles fonctionnalités dans Zoho Books pour les clients français. Ces mises à jour ont été conçues pour répondre

    • Admin Logging in as another User

      How can a Super Admin login as another user. For example, I have a sales rep that is having issues with their Accounts and I want to view their Zoho Account with out having to do a GTM and sharing screens. Latest Update (27th April 2026): With the early

    • Zoho Books API: Bulk update thousands of records using Node.js with OAuth refresh, retries and resume support

      Hello everyone, During Zoho Books implementations, one common challenge is updating a large number of existing records. The current options are usually: Update records manually from the UI using Mass Update (with limited batch size). Update records one

    • SalesIQ's Summer '26 Release: For The Moments That Matter

      Every customer journey is made up of moments. The moment someone discovers your business. The moment they need help. The moment you decide to reach out. The moment a simple chat turns into something more. And the moments that continue long after the conversation

    • CNIL - Suivi de Pixel

      Bonjour à tous, À la suite de la nouvelle recommandation de la CNIL sur les pixels de suivi dans les e-mails, savez-vous si Zoho Campaigns permet : de conditionner le suivi des ouvertures au consentement de chaque contact ; de proposer un lien permettant

    • Customer/Vendor Portal session duration - can it be extended?

      Hi all, We'd like to know how long the login session lasts for the Customer/Vendor Portal in Zoho Books, and whether there's any way to extend it (either through settings or via support/API). Right now this is causing a pretty poor experience for our

    • Accessible & Customizable User Governance in Zoho Projects!

      As teams expand and collaborate with multiple external collaborators across projects, keeping control of user access to project data becomes a challenge. Mismanaged access can cause accidental or unauthorized edits, data leaks and lack of accountability.

    • Bulk deleting Zoho CRM records using Deluge, COQL and CRM API

      Hello everyone, During CRM implementations, data cleanup is a common task, especially after testing, migrations, imports, or integration development. The Zoho CRM UI allows deleting records in batches of 100, which is not practical when dealing with thousands

    • CNIL - Suivi de Pixel

      Bonjour à tous, À la suite de la nouvelle recommandation de la CNIL sur les pixels de suivi dans les e-mails, savez-vous si Zoho Campaigns permet : de conditionner le suivi des ouvertures au consentement de chaque contact ; de proposer un lien permettant

    • Zoho CRM Layout Rules: Nine New Actions, Profile-Based Execution, and Interactive Preview

      Hello everyone, Availability: This feature is now available for customers in the JP and SA DCs. It is planned to be released for other customers in soon. We’re excited to announce powerful new enhancements to Layout Rules in Zoho CRM - a feature built

    • How to View Part Inventory and Warehouse Location When Creating a Work Order in Zoho FSM

      Hi everyone, We’re currently setting up Zoho FSM and would like to improve how our team selects parts when creating a Work Order. Right now, when we add a part or item to a Work Order, we can select it from our Zoho Inventory list but we don’t see any

    • Zoho Sprints - Q2 Updates for 2026

      Improve your agile project management experience with the newly released capabilities in Zoho Sprints. This quarter we've shipped a few new features and enhancements that are built around smarter planning and execution tools, tighter integrations, and

    • Problem with currency field in Zoho CRM

      Hi Guys Zoho Books has a feature in currency fields that automatically converts decimal numbers with commas ( , ) to period format ( . ) when pasting them. For example: R$ 2,50 --> R$ 2.50 Is this behavior available in Zoho CRM? I couldn't find any configuration

    • Building extensions #5: Creating custom user interfaces using widgets

      In our last post, we looked at connections and how they help build a seamless integration with an example. In this post, we'll explore creating widgets in Zoho Sprints and their benefits with a real-time example. Widgets What and where? Widgets are custom

    • Images not saved in notes

      Created noteboards and create a note, copy pasted the image, close the note and open again, image is not coming this same problem occurs in note on notebook I have attached the replication steps as video url to analyse it, and also attached the videos

    • How to Change Notecard Color After It Is Created

      I would like to change the color of a Notecard that already exists in my notebook. I can't for the life of me figure out how to do it. I don't see an option or color picker anywhere.

    • Cannot export Zoho Notebook data nor search via MCP (GDPR)

      Hi, I'm using Zoho Notebook for a few years now. Not as my main notetaking app, but for specific usecases I did find it handy. Now I want to export all my data. Preferably all notes in html format with metadata like note title, included images and parent

    • Add a MATRIX field to the forms creation

      Same as Zoho forms, we need a Matrix field in Zoho Creator forms, is very usefull

    • incoming mails not received

      incoming mails not received

    • Integrate QuickBooks with Bigin and streamline your sales and accounting!

      If your business relies on Bigin for customer management and QuickBooks for accounting and invoicing, this new integration is here to make your operations more efficient. By connecting these two platforms, you can now manage your CRM and financial processes

    • Automatically calculate and include tax on quotes

      I've recently been VAT registered and now need to include VAT on my quotes. I have been able to set the tax label and amount but still need to click the tax link and select the tax I wish to include before it appears on the quote. Does anyone know of

    • Relative Dates

      Is there a way to apply a Relative Date filter in DataPrep (ie. Today or Yesterday)? I need to filter a dataset to only include rows with a created date of yesterday, but I’m not finding a way to do it?

    • Change email addresses - Advise how

      Good day, I need assistance to change all our users email addresses Please advise

    • email signature

      How do you add an email signature

    • Email Forwarding | How to Enable and Disable Email Forwarding on a Non-Admin User Account

      Email Forwarding Issue: Enable and Disable Email Forwarding

    • Ask the Experts 31: Improving support performance with reports and dashboards

      Hello everyone, Join us for the next Ask the Experts (ATE) session! Ask the Experts is an opportunity to connect with people who have deep knowledge of Zoho Desk. Let's look at the topic we're focusing on this month. Just as we rely on the right tools

    • Zia AI capabilities now available in all paid editions

      Hello everyone, We are expanding the availability of AI-powered features in Desk to the other paid subscriptions from 7th July 2026. Right now, the following AI-based features are available for Enterprise edition users: Intelligence: Sentiment analysis,

    • Product updates in Zoho Workplace applications | June 2026

      Hello Workplace Community, Let’s take a look at the new features and enhancements that went live across all Workplace applications for the month of June. Zoho Mail Alphanumeric support for attachment extensions in rule conditions Attachment extension

    • Biggest supported size of a note

      I'm still testing this ZOho Notebook before purchasing a premium licence and can't work with large notes. I store personal vocabulary in two 13,000-word / 83200-character notes. Same poor experience with PC, Web, and mobile apps: Is there an application

    • I need help lease Email

      I' not getting an email replay when someone open a ticket

    • Sigma function call hangs forever from Desk widget — app_install_id/encapiKey are null

      Calling ZOHODESK.request() from the widget to invoke a Sigma DRE function URL hangs forever (never resolves, never rejects, no error) until client timeout. Tried with merge fields app_install_id={{sigmaInstallId}}/{{installationId}} and encapiKey={{enCapApiKey}}

    • Next Page