Closing the Loop: Why Lookup Asymmetry is Harming Data Integrity in Creator

Closing the Loop: Why Lookup Asymmetry is Harming Data Integrity in Creator

TL;DR: Lookup fields allow users to add new related records inline via the "+" icon, but there's no equivalent ability to edit an existing related record without navigating away and losing form context. Adding a native "Edit" icon—with automatic User Input workflow re-triggering on save—would close this asymmetry and prevent the data quality issues that arise when fixing related records is too disruptive to bother with.
I've discovered a significant gap in how Zoho Creator handles related records through lookup fields, and I'm hoping the Zoho team can address this in a future update. This limitation creates a disjointed user experience that breaks natural workflow patterns.

The Issue
According to Zoho Creator's lookup field functionality, users can add new related records directly through a lookup field—both single-select and multi-select variants support this via the "+" icon. This is an excellent feature that streamlines data entry.
However, there is no equivalent ability to edit an existing related record while adding or editing the parent record. Once a related record exists, users must navigate away from their current form to make changes—breaking their workflow and context.
Example Use Case
Consider a Sales Order form with a lookup field to Clients.
Scenario: While creating a new Sales Order, the user notices the selected Client's phone number is outdated.
Desired behavior:
  • Click an "edit" icon next to the lookup field
  • Update the Client's phone number in a popup/modal
  • Save and return to the Sales Order form with context preserved
  • Continue completing the Sales Order without interruption
Current reality: The user must abandon their partially-completed Sales Order, navigate to the Clients report, find and edit the Client record, then return to create a new Sales Order from scratch—or risk losing unsaved data.
The Problem
Zoho Creator provides asymmetric functionality for related records—you can create but not edit:
Action Single-Select Lookup Multi-Select Lookup
Select existing related record ✓ Yes ✓ Yes
Add new related record ✓ Yes (via + icon) ✓ Yes (via + icon)
Edit selected related record ✗ No ✗ No
View selected record details inline ✗ No ✗ No
The openUrl() Workaround — And Why It Falls Short
Technically, you can use Deluge's openUrl() function to open a related record for editing—either from the User Input of a field or from an anchor tag in an Add Notes field. According to the documentation on editing records via Record ID:
// URL pattern to edit individual records by passing record ID:
// https://<base_url>/<account_owner_name>/<app_link_name>/#Form:<form_link_name>?recLinkID=<record_ID>&viewLinkName=<view_link_name>

// Example: Open related Client record for editing via User Input
client_id = input.Client_Lookup.ID;
edit_url = "#Form:Clients?recLinkID=" + client_id + "&viewLinkName=Clients_Report&zc_LoadIn=dialog";
openUrl(edit_url, "same window");
Critical Limitation: While openUrl() can open the related record for editing, the lookup field's User Input workflow does not re-trigger when the related record is saved. This means any field population logic that runs on record selection won't run again after an edit.
The result is a broken workflow:
  • Parent form → Can open child record for editing ✓
  • Child record → Can be edited and saved ✓
  • Parent form → User Input workflow does not re-trigger
  • Parent form → Lookup display shows stale data
  • Parent form → Dependent fields remain outdated
Workaround Approach Implementation Problems Status
openUrl() from User Input Trigger openUrl() on field change to open related record in dialog - User Input workflow doesn't re-trigger after edit
- Lookup field shows stale display data
- Dependent fields remain outdated
⚠ Partial solution
Anchor tag in Add Notes Embed clickable link using <a href="..."> in Add Notes field - Same limitations as openUrl()
- Requires visible Add Notes field
- Less discoverable for users
⚠ Partial solution
1-Row Subform Replace lookup with a subform limited to 1 entry for "inline" editing - Cannot search/select from existing records
- Designed for creating new child data, not picking existing
- Doesn't scale (can't browse 5,000+ records)
- Loses all lookup field benefits
✗ Architectural mismatch
JavaScript Widget Build custom widget with iframe and postMessage API - Requires complete UI rebuild
- Complex development effort
- Maintenance overhead
- Not native Creator experience
✗ Overkill for simple requirement
Navigate Away User leaves current form, edits related record, returns - Loses unsaved parent form data
- Destroys dynamic form state and transient variable calculations
- Breaks user workflow
- Poor user experience
✗ Not viable
The Missing Pieces
For a complete solution, Zoho Creator would need to provide:
Capability Current State Required State
Native Edit Icon Not available on lookup fields Edit icon alongside + (add) icon
Parent Form Preservation No mechanism to preserve state Parent form remains open with unsaved data intact
User Input Re-trigger Does not fire after related record edit Existing User Input workflow re-triggers on related record save
Lookup Display Refresh Display shows stale data after edit Lookup field reflects updated related record data
What Should Happen Instead
Proposed Solution 1: Native Edit Icon on Lookup Fields
Add an edit icon (pencil) alongside the existing add icon (+) on lookup fields:
[ Selected Client Name     ▼ ]  [+]  [✏️]
│ │
│ └── Edit selected record (NEW)
└──────── Add new record (existing)
Clicking the edit icon would open the selected record in a dialog/modal, preserving the parent form's state.
Note for Multi-Select Lookups: The edit icon could appear next to each individual "pill" or selected item in the list, allowing users to edit any of the selected records independently.
Proposed Solution 2: Re-trigger Existing User Input Workflow
When a record is selected in a lookup field, it already triggers the field's User Input workflow. This same behavior should occur automatically when an edited related record is saved—no separate event type needed:
// Existing User Input workflow on Client_Lookup field
// This ALREADY triggers when a record is selected
// It SHOULD also trigger when the related record is edited and saved

on user input of Client_Lookup
{
// Populate fields based on selected client
input.Contact_Phone = input.Client_Lookup.Phone;
input.Contact_Email = input.Client_Lookup.Email;
input.Billing_Address = input.Client_Lookup.Address;
}
Expected behavior: After editing the Client record via the lookup field's edit icon and saving, the User Input workflow should re-trigger automatically—without requiring the user to manually de-select and re-select the record. This seamless refresh is what makes the UX feel native. The workflow would update any dependent fields with the corrected data using existing logic, no new code required.
Proposed Solution 3: Lookup Field Property for Edit Behavior
Add a lookup field property to control edit behavior:
Lookup Field Properties:
├── Allow Add New Record: ☑ Enabled
├── Allow Edit Selected Record: ☑ Enabled ← NEW OPTION
│ └── Edit Opens In: ○ Dialog ○ Slide-in Panel ○ New Tab
└── On Related Record Save: ○ Refresh Lookup ○ Custom Script ○ No Action
Note: The Edit icon should naturally respect the user's Module Permissions. If a user does not have 'Edit' access to the related form, the icon should remain hidden or disabled—consistent with existing permission behavior for the Add (+) icon.
Real-World Impact
This limitation affects any workflow involving:
  • CRM/Sales workflows — Updating client contact info while creating quotes or orders
  • Project management — Editing task details while logging time entries
  • Inventory systems — Correcting product specifications while processing orders
  • HR applications — Updating employee details while processing leave requests
  • Support ticketing — Modifying customer information while handling tickets
  • Data integrity — When users spot typos or outdated info but can't fix it easily, they tend to ignore it. This leads to "dirty data" accumulating simply because the "cost" of fixing it (navigating away, losing context) is too high
  • Any parent-child data relationship — Where child record corrections are discovered during parent record creation

User Experience Impact: Users are forced to choose between completing their current task with stale/incorrect related data, or abandoning their work to fix the related record. This friction compounds across every data entry session, significantly impacting productivity.

The Asymmetry Problem:
The ability to add new related records directly from a lookup field is incredibly useful and demonstrates that Zoho Creator understands the value of contextual record management. The absence of an equivalent edit capability creates an inconsistent and frustrating user experience.
If users can add related records without leaving the form, they should be able to edit them too.
Setting the Standard:
Zoho Creator is marketed as the platform for building bespoke solutions—applications tailored to workflows that standard SaaS offerings cannot accommodate. Bespoke solutions shouldn't be constrained by out-of-the-box limitations like this.
Creator is the ideal place to pioneer this feature. Developers choose Creator precisely because we need workflows that are more fluid and contextual than pre-built software allows. Native inline editing for lookup fields would reinforce Creator's position as a developer-first platform.
Request to Zoho Team

Can this be addressed in a future update?

The current implementation forces users to choose between:

1. Workflow Continuity
Complete the current form with potentially outdated related data, then fix later (risking data quality issues)
2. Data Accuracy
Abandon the current form, navigate to fix the related record, then start over (losing time and unsaved work)

We shouldn't have to make this choice—lookup fields should support both adding AND editing related records.

Community Input Requested: Has anyone else encountered this limitation or developed a more elegant workaround? I'd particularly love to hear from anyone who has implemented a JavaScript Widget solution and whether the development overhead was justified.


📚 Documentation References:
🔗 Related Community Discussions:
    • Recent Topics

    • Claude + MCP Server + Zoho CRM Integration – AI-Powered Sales Automation

      Hello Zoho Community 👋 I’m excited to share a recent integration we’ve worked on at OfficehubTech: ✅ Claude + MCP Server + Zoho CRM This integration connects Zoho CRM with Claude AI through our custom MCP Server, enabling intelligent AI-driven responses
    • Notes badge as a quick action in the list view

      Hello all, We are introducing the Notes badge in the list view of all modules as a quick action you can perform for each record, in addition to the existing Activity badge. With this enhancement, users will have quick visibility into the notes associated
    • Search Bar positioning

      Why is the Search bar on the far right when everything is oriented towards the left?
    • Basic Mass Update deluge schedule not working

      I'm trying to create a schedule that will 'reset' a single field to 0 every morning - so that another schedule can repopulate with the day's calculation. I thought this would be fairly simple but I can't work out why this is failing : 1) I'm based in
    • The Social Playbook - January edition: Getting started with content creation

      Social media isn’t just about posting some random content. It’s about why certain content works, how brands stand out, and what makes people pause mid-scroll. The Social Playbook is a monthly community series where we break all of that down. Through real
    • Import Error: Empty values for mandatory fields - Closing Date

      Hello, I've tried multiple times to import a CVS Potential list from another Zoho account. But the error message I get is: Empty values for mandatory fields - Closing Date There are valid dates in this field, so I don't understand why this error messages
    • Adding custom "lookup" fields in Zoho Customization

      How can I add a second “lookup” field in Zoho? I’m trying to create another lookup that pulls from my Contacts, but the option doesn’t appear in the module customization sidebar. In many cases, a single work order involves multiple contacts. Ideally,
    • Special characters (like â, â, æ) breaking when input in a field (encoding issue)

      Hey everyone, We are currently dealing with a probably encoding issue when we populate a field (mostly but not exclusively, 'Last Name' for Leads and Contracts). If the user manually inputs special characters (like ä, â, á etc.) from Scandinavian languages,
    • Feature Requests - Contact Coloured Picklist Visibility & Field Visibility During Ticket Creation

      Hi Desk Team, I have 2 feature requests for you. Since Coloured Picklists are now available in Desk, It would be great if the colours were visible on the Related Details (Contact Information) when creating a ticket. In the screenshot below, I have 2 fields
    • How to integrate XML with Zoho CRM

      Hi, I have an eCom service provider that gives me a dynamic XML that contains order information, clients, shipments... The XML link is the only thing I have. No Oath or key, No API get... I want to integrate it into Zoho CRM. I am not a developer nor
    • Feature Request - Ability to Customise Contact Info Card on Ticket Details View

      Hi Desk Team, I've added a "Contact Priority" and "Account Prioirty" field and it would be very useful to agents if they could see that information in the Contact Info card on the Ticket Details view. It would be great if we could choose some fields to
    • Tax in Quote

      Each row item in a quote has a tax value. At the total numbers at the bottom, there is also a Tax entry. If you select tax in both of the (line item, and the total), the tax doubles. My assumption is that the Tax total should be totalling the tax from
    • Zoho Flow integration with Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp

      Hi there,  any plans of adding integrations with Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp into Zoho Flow? Seems that more and more business are delivering automated updates such as "your order is received",  "your order has been shipped" and so on via these two platforms. Not sure if Whatsapp has the API access needed i am pretty sure that Facebook Messenger has... Kind regards Bo Thygesen 
    • Really want the field "Company" in the activities module!

      Hi team! Something we are really missing is able to see the field Company when working in the activities module. We have a lot of tasks and need to see what company it's related to. It's really annoying to not be able to see it.🙈 Thx!
    • Multi-currency and Products

      One of the main reasons I have gone down the Zoho route is because I need multi-currency support.  However, I find that products can only be priced in the home currency, We sell to the US and UK.  However, we maintain different price lists for each. 
    • Campaigns unsubscribe/manage preferences links

      Hi, Where can I edit the unscubscribe and manage preferences link in the footer of the email. I would like it so that when you click 'manage preferences' an form opens up that allows the person to choose what type of emails they do and don't wish to
    • email address somehow still not verified (?!)

      L.S. After creating a new email template in CRM I was about to send a group email to my clients, then Zoho CRM announced that they would change the sender address to some kind of Zoho-e-ddress because my email address "has not been verified". Not only
    • Marketing Tip #17: Add credibility to your online store with Review Widgets

      One of the fastest ways to build trust in an online store is to show real customer feedback right where people are deciding to buy. Third-party widgets let you embed things like Google Reviews, Instagram feeds, or even a WhatsApp chat button. These add
    • adding several team members to an Opportunity

      How can we add several team members to one opportunity for collaboration? I have researched and only found something called Deal Team which I cannot find in my CRM to configure.
    • PDF Annotation is here - Mark Up PDFs Your Way!

      Reviewing PDFs just got a whole lot easier. You can now annotate PDFs directly in Zoho Notebook. Highlight important sections, add text, insert images, apply watermarks, and mark up documents in detail without leaving your notes. No app switching. No
    • Bulk update Profile Permissions

      Dears, What should we do if we add new forms or reports and need to update more than 20 permissions? Updating them one by one feels pretty harsh, doesn’t it?
    • From Zoho CRM to Paper : Design & Print Data Directly using Canvas Print View

      Hello Everyone, We are excited to announce a new addition to your Canvas in Zoho CRM - Print View. Canvas print view helps you transform your custom CRM layouts into print-ready documents, so you can bring your digital data to the physical world with
    • Unify Overlapping Functionalities Across Zoho Products

      Hi Zoho One Team, We would like to raise a concern about the current overlap of core functionalities across various Zoho applications. While Zoho offers a rich suite of tools, many applications include similar or identical features—such as shift management,
    • Filter in fields from Jira extension

      We have installed the Jira extension so we can maken Jira issues from Zoho desk. In Zoho desk I can also see the Jira issue status for example but I can not filter on this field. I would like to setup an filter showing me the closed Jira issues. How can
    • text length in list report mobile/tablet

      Is there a way to make the full text of a text field appear in the list report on mobile and tablet? With custom layouts, the text is always truncated after a certain number of characters.
    • Zoho Creator customer portal limitation | Zoho One

      I'm asking you all for any feedback as to the logic or reasoning behind drastically limiting portal users when Zoho already meters based on number of records. I'm a single-seat, Zoho One Enterprise license holder. If my portal users are going to add records, wouldn't that increase revenue for Zoho as that is how Creator is monetized? Why limit my customer portal to only THREE external users when more users would equate to more records being entered into the database?!? (See help ticket reply below.)
    • Link Contacts to Billed Accounts

      Hello, I want to do a survey on all my customers of 2025. For that I want to select all contacts linked to accounts who where billed in 2025. How to I create this link to I can then use Zoho Survey with this database of contacts?
    • Export all of our manuals from Zoho Learn in one go

      Hi, I know there's a way to export manuals in Zoho Learn, but I want to export everything in one go so it won't take so long. I can't see a way to do this, can I get some assistance or is this a feature in the pipeline? Thanks, Hannah
    • Bring Zoho Shifts Capabilities into Zoho People Shift Module

      Hello Zoho People Product Team, After a deep review of the Zoho People Shift module and a direct comparison with Zoho Shifts, we would like to raise a feature request and serious concern regarding the current state of shift management in Zoho People.
    • Historical Sales Info - Blend with Finance Invoice Line Items, Access in CRM and Desk

      My company has been using Zoho One since 2021, with sales data going back through 2020. However, we have been in business much longer, and we have historical sales information that we want to have at our fingertips when talking with customers (usually
    • Pre-Zoho Sales Info - Best Way to Add to Desk / CRM

      My company has been using Zoho One since 2021, with sales data going back through 2020. However, we have been in business much longer, and we have historical sales information that we want to have at our fingertips when talking with customers (usually
    • Shift-Centric View for Assigning and Managing Shifts in Zoho People

      Hello Zoho People Product Team, Greetings and hope you are doing well. This feature request is related to Zoho People - please don't move it to zoho one! We would like to submit a feature request regarding the shift assignment and management view in Zoho
    • CRM function REST API response format

      Is there a way to control the JSON response returned by the CRM function REST API? If I call a function using either OAuth or an API key it returns a 200 OK response with a string in the format shown below. I am using a particular feature of an external
    • Add Employee Availability Functionality to Zoho People Shift Module

      Hello Zoho People Product Team, Greetings and hope you are doing well. We would like to submit a feature request to enhance the Zoho People Shift module by adding employee availability management, similar to the functionality available in Zoho Shifts.
    • Using MPN across multiple SKUs and inventory tracking

      I have several different SKU's that share a common MPN and would like to track inventory by MPN. SKU1 has MPN1 assigned SKU2 has MPN1 assigned Here is an example If I start with 5 of MPN 1 in stock I want each SKU1 and SKU2 to show as 5 in stock, If I
    • Unable to Access Application:

      Whenever I try to access my application from the desktop, say I am editing it and want to test something in the desktop environment I get: An error has occurred. An internal error has occurred. Please check the URL , or try refreshing the page I can edit
    • Cannot see Application from Lookup field

      Hi all, I am trying to access data for an application on our account via a lookup field; however, the application doesn't appear in the dropdown at all. Can anyone shed any light on this, please? I have asked Zoho support; however, they're just as confused,
    • Cannot see correct DNS config for mail after moving domain to another provider

      I have moved my domain from one provider to another and after that zoho mail stopped working (expected). Problem is, zoho mail admin panel still shows (10 hours after move) that all records are correct while I haven't changed anything in my domain DNS
    • Zoho CRM Meetings Module Issues

      We have a use-case that is very common in today's world, but won't work in Zoho CRM. We have an SDR (Sales Development Rep) who makes many calls per day to Leads and Contacts, and schedules meetings for our primary Sales Reps. He does this by logging
    • Zoho Books integration sync from Zoho CRM does not work

      Hi Zoho Community & Zoho Support We just tried to get a sync some products into Zoho Books from CRM using the native sync and we're getting an error: "It looks like some mandatory fields you're trying to map are empty. Please provide valid field names
    • Next Page