Creating a Gmail integration using custom connectors

Hello everyone!

Greetings from Deluge. Following up on our series aimed at exploring the capabilities of Deluge, today we'll take an in-depth look into the Deluge custom connections that can be created across Zoho services.

Deluge boasts an extensive range of over 260 built-in integrations spanning more than 35 Zoho services. These integrations streamline data access and modification with these services, from a single point in Zoho, without having to toggle between services. However, we understand that the needs of our users vary widely, and sometimes existing integrations may not cover every scenario.

That's where custom connections come in. Think of them as the Swiss Army Knife of integrations, enabling connections with hundreds of services—such as Gmail and Outlook—and seamlessly integrating them with your favorite Zoho services. With custom connections, you have the power to build your own integrations with virtually any third-party service and tailor them to meet your requirements. Moreover, since the custom connections use the OAuth 2.0 authentication mechanism, you're getting best-in-class security while integrating with third-party services.

What are connections? 

Before we dive into the details of custom connectors, let's take a glimpse at what connections are in Deluge. Connections are a means to connect your Zoho account and any third-party accounts you wish to integrate with. Once a connection is created and connected, you can use it in Deluge integration tasks or invokeURL scripts to perform REST operations on the target service from the required Zoho service. For more information, visit our Connections help doc.

  

Use case 

Assume the sales team of an organization uses Zoho CRM for managing leads, customer retention, and customer acquisition, and uses Gmail for communication purposes, like following up with potential clients via email.   While the system works as is, it's time-consuming and prone to error, so an integration between Gmail and Zoho CRM is necessary to improve efficiency.

A custom connection to your Google account will enable you to sync your Zoho CRM and Google accounts, allowing you to perform actions related to your Google account from Zoho CRM. For example, you can invoke the connection using the invokeURL task in Zoho CRM and send an email to your leads from your Gmail address.

Steps to configure the Google custom connection

Configuration video

Configuration steps

Creating Google OAuth credentials

1. Visit https://console.cloud.google.com/.
   
2. Click the dropdown and choose the required project.
   
3. Navigate to the hamburger menu on the left and click APIs and services -> Library.
   
4. You'll be taken to the API library page. Navigate to the Google Workspace section and click Gmail API.
   
5. Next, click Enable on the Gmail API product details page.
   
6. In order to use this API, you'll need to create credentials. Click CREATE CREDENTIALS.
   
7. On the Create credentials page, choose Gmail API in the Select an API dropdown and User Data under the What data will you be accessing? section. Click Next.
   
8. Next, on the OAuth consent screen, enter the App name, User support email, and Developer contact email address. Then click Save and Continue.
   
9. Next, under the Scopes section, click the ADD OR REMOVE SCOPES button.
   
10. In the Update selected scopes pane, search and select the gmail.readonly scope. Click Update, and then click Save and continue.
    
    
    
11. Now, under the OAuth Client ID section, choose Web application in the Application type dropdown. Then name your app.
    
    
    
12. Enter https://deluge.zoho.com/delugeauth/callback as the Authorized redirect URI.
    
13. Click Create and download your credentials. This Client ID and others will be required later, while creating a connection in Zoho CRM.
    
14. Navigate to the OAuth consent screen and click Add users under Test users. Enter the user's email address and click Save.
    

Creating a custom connector for Gmail

1. Now the action shifts to Zoho CRM. Navigate to crm.zoho.com -> Settings -> Connections.
   
2. Choose Custom Services and click Create Service.
   
3. On the Create Service screen, choose OAuth 2.0 as the Authentication type and Header as the Parameter.
   
4. Enter the Client ID, Client Secret, and Authorize URL generated from Google as shown in step 12 above.
   Tip: Having the Offline access type will allow your application to refresh tokens even when the user is not actively using the application.
5. Then enter https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token as the Access token URL and Refresh token URL.
   
6. Specify the necessary scopes like read and create, etc. and then click Create Service.
   
7. On the next page, click Create Connection. Give the connection name and choose the scopes. Then click Create and Connect.
   
8. Finally, authenticate the connection on the Google accounts page. Your custom connection will be created, and the two services can be integrated!
   

Now that the connection between Zoho CRM and Gmail has been established, you can use the invokeURL task to access and modify data in Gmail using the different APIs.

Sample

You can use the below code in invokeURL task to get the latest emails from Gmail.

userId = "emailaddress@gmail.com";
get_gmail = invokeurl
[
url: "https://gmail.googleapis.com/gmail/v1/users/"+userId+"/messages"
type: GET
connection : "connectionname"
];
messageID = get_gmail.get("messages").get(0).get("id");

get_gmail_withID = invokeurl
[
url: "https://gmail.googleapis.com/gmail/v1/users/"+userId+"/messages/"+messageID
type: GET
connection : "connectionname"
];

Content_of_the_mail = get_gmail_withID.get("snippet");
info "Mail Content : " + Content_of_the_mail;

gmail_values = get_gmail_withID.get("payload").get("headers");
for each headers in gmail_values
{
if ( headers.get("name") == "Subject" )
{
info "Subject of the Mail : " + headers.get("value");
}
if ( headers.get("name") == "From" )
{
info "From Address : " + headers.get("value");
}
}

References

Connections
invokeURL

----

And that's a wrap for today! We hope you found this post informative and start using custom connections to experience the full capabilities of Deluge and Zoho.

Kindly let us know if you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions in the comments, or write to us at support@zohodeluge.com!

 

Regards,

The Deluge Team

• Topic Participants

• Ashwin Vishal R

  

• Kaushal

• Anand M B

  

• Recent Topics

• Projects Tasks Not Showing Dependencies

  I'm clicking on tasks and the popup to add dependencies isn't showing. I can't disconnect the nodes either. For some reason when I slide a task backwards it says it cannot go before a predecessor, even though there is not predecessor. Double clicking

• Deprecation of C4 endpoint URLs

  Note: This post is only for users who are still using the C4 endpoints. Hello everyone, At Zoho Creator, we're committed to continuously enhancing the security, performance, and capabilities of our platform. As part of this ongoing effort, we'll be deprecating

• Introducing AWS authentication for connections in Deluge

  Hello everyone, We're incredibly excited to announce the all-new AWS authentication for connections in Deluge! This highly anticipated feature simplifies connecting to Amazon Web Services, opening up a world of possibilities and allowing you to seamlessly

• Customize User Invites with Invitation Templates

  Invitation Templates help streamline the invitation process by allowing users to create customized email formats instead of sending a one-size-fits-all email. Different invitation templates can be created for portal users and client users to align with

• ListObjects is recognized by VBA

  Sub addNewRow() Dim ws As Worksheet ' Set your worksheet name Set ws = ThisWorkbook.Sheets("Invoice") ' Set your table name (change "Table1" to your actual table name) ws.ListObjects("InvItems").ListRows.Add End Sub I am getting Unknown function: Li

• KPI Widget dashboard select periods

  I have a problem with selecting periods as a user filter. In the beste scenario I would like to have to have a period filter like Google Analytics has of Datastudio (see attachment). In the KPI widget I "Group by "inquiry_date" on week&Year". It selects

• Need a way to secure Prefill URLs in Zoho Forms (hide or encrypt prefilled values)

  Hi everyone, I often use Zoho Forms with prefilled URLs to simplify the user experience — for example: https://forms.zohopublic.com/.../form?Name=David&Amount=300 However, the problem is that all prefilled values are visible and editable in the link.

• Can’t send emails from Zoho CRM after adding a new user — verification codes not received

  Hi everyone, We recently added a new user to our Zoho CRM account and purchased an additional license. Since then, we haven’t been able to send any emails from Zoho CRM. Our Zoho Mail accounts are working perfectly, we can send and receive emails directly

• CRM for email in Outlook: how to ignore addresses?

  We’re using the "Zoho CRM for email" add-in for Outlook. When opening an email, the add-in displays all email addresses from the message and allows me to add them to the CRM or shows if they’re already contacts. However, sometimes people listed in To

• Scheduling Calls in CommandCenter / Blueprints

  I would love it if you could add a function to schedule a call in the lead's record for a future date. I know you can add a Task by going to Instant Actions > Task and completing the form: These tasks go into the lead's record under Open Actions. But

• Quickly send emails and sync conversations with custom email addresses in CRM

  Editions: All editions DCs: All DCs Release plan: This enhancement has been released for customers in all DCs except IN and US. We will be enabling it for IN and US DC customers soon. [Update on 22 May 2024] This enhancement has been released for all

• Zoho製品と生成AIツールの活用について

  いつもありがとうございます。 弊社では、Zoho Oneを契約し、CRMを軸として、見込み客の管理から商談、その後の受注や請求の管理、サポート業務（Desk）、業務データのレポーティング（Analytics）などを行っております。 Zohoサービス自体には、Ziaというツールが搭載されているかと存じますが、それ以外の外部の生成AIツールと連携した活用などもできるのでしょうか？具体的には、CopilotなどがZohoに登録されているデータや情報を見て、対話型で必要なデータを提示してくれたり、商談や蓄積されたメモなどを分析してユーザが知見を得られるような活用ができないか、と考えております。

• Work with Contacts who use multiple Emails / Manage obsolete Email addresses without loosing Emails in Context

  Hello List Work with Contacts who use multiple Emails Only after 1 week in using Zoho CRM productively we have contacts which randomly use 2 different email addresses. From the concept I've understood that Zoho CRM offers two email fields which are recognized

• New Field in CRM Product Module Not Visible in Zoho Creator for Mapping

  I created a new single-line field in the Products module in Zoho CRM. Zoho CRM and Zoho Creator are integrated, but the newly created field in CRM is not visible in Zoho Creator when I try to map fields.

• I want to subscribe 1 professional user but the email only 250 per day?

  When I subscribe 1 professional user, I am only able to send 250 email per day? So less? Or is it typo, 2500 rather than 250? Any sale agent or friends can clear my doubt? Thank You

• How to add a % Growth column for year-over-year comparison (2024 vs 2025)

  Hello, I am trying to build a monthly revenue comparison between 2024 and 2025 in Zoho CRM Analytics. My current setup is: Module: Deals (Affaires) Filter: Stage = Closed Won Date field: Closing Date Grouping: By Month Metrics: Sum of Amount for 2024,

• How do you map a user picklist field to another user picklist field.

  In Zoho Projects, I'm trying to map a custom field (user picklist) in Task Details to a field (user picklist) in the Project Details. How do you get the two to map to each other? This is what I currently have that works for my other fields but doesn't

• Explore Competitive 3D Scanner Prices at Protomont Technologies

  The genesis of Protomont Technologies emerged from the collaborative efforts of the founders in 2019, both the founders shoulder an enormous experience in the world of 3D Printing. Protomont Technology aims to craft your vision with creativity, empowering

• New and improved API resources for Zoho Sign Developers

  Hello, Developers community! We know that for you, an API's real value depends on how quickly, easily, and reliably you can integrate the it with your application. That's why we're excited to talk about the recent improvements to our developer resources,

• Project Approval Process Workflow

  Issue: When a new Project is created, there is lack of process/workflow that provides their manager a process to approve or review. Suggestion/Idea: Similar to “Workflow”, we need “Workflow” ability at Project level, where based on the criteria of the

• Why can I not choose Unearned Revenue as an account on items?

  Hello, I do not understand why we don't have the ability to code an item to unearned revenue. It is not an uncommon situation to have in business. I understand that there is the Retainer invoice as an option, however that doesn't really work for us. Our

• Rules not working properly

  I created a rule to display certain fields on certain states. But it seems to be not working. It hides the fields even when I selected California, (which is a state that should show the fields when selected)

• Notebook font size issue

  If I copy something from somewhere and paste it in my notebook, the font size becomes smaller.

• Sign in process is beyond stupid. I'd rather plug my phone into USB and copy files than sign in to this POS.

  792 clicks and fields to fill in just to get into a 3rd rate app is too stupid for me.

• cant use mail API

  I have generate Auth token from https://accounts.zoho.com/apiauthtoken/nb/create?SCOPE=ZohoMail/ZohoMailApi&EMAIL_ID=Zoho Mail Username or Email ID&PASSWORD=Your Zoho Mail Password and get the token but when i use that token on http://mail.zoho.com/api/organization/

• Ampersand in URL parameter // EncodeURL does not work

  Hi Zoho, I have a url link with a parameter. The parameter is including ampersand in some cases (Can be "H&M" or "P&I") When trying to use %26 instead of "&"  (the result I get using EncodeURL()) I get H%26M instead of H&M in the parameter field. How can I solve this? Thanks! Ravid

• how can we create in zoho crm a new contact when the looup does not find a similar existing one

  In forms/integrations/zoho crm / ne w record tab, contact name is to be mapped with my form contact name. When I go in biew edit/lookup configuration, I don t get the options (help dedicated page simply repeat the same info you get in the app) and does

• Directory Websites

  Directories are a good website category to gain search engine traffic. Directories for a professional service category as an example can help their members in search results over their individual website. It would be nice to have a directory template

• Manage Task on Mobile

  How do we manage our task on mobile devices? It seems that there should be a standalone mobile app to handle the new task features. The new features released in regards to Task management are great by the way! Now we need to bring that all together in

• 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

• Customer Portal on Zoho Desk

  Hi, I'd like to know more about the items below I found when setting up the Customer Portal on Zoho Desk. Could someone help me explaining these in details? Especially the 2nd and 3rd point. Thanking you in advance! Permissions Customers can sign up for Customer Portal Customers can view tickets of their organization (contacts) Customers must register to access Customer Portal Display Community in Customer Self Service portal

• Computer Showing Offline in Unattended Access

  I have a computer that was connected to the internet but showing offline in Assist. I tried uninstalling the program and deleting it from Zoho Assist the reinstalling and it still does not show up. I have been a user for several months and am not pleased with the lack of connectivity with Assist. If this continues I will have to find another product. The computer I reinstalled it on is not even showing up in Assist now. The name is NYRVLI-PC. Thanks

• Zoho CRM Portal Error

  Hi, We’re experiencing an issue with the Zoho CRM Portal. When we try to access it, we receive an HTTPS connection error: net::ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID. If we proceed past that, we then get a 400 Bad Request error. Could you please help us resolve

• Integrating Zoho CRM EmbeddedApp SDK with Next.js — Initialization and Data Fetching Issues

  You can get an idea from my code I have given in end: First, I worked on a React project and tried the same thing — it worked. My goal was to import the Zoho script and then load contacts using the Zoho Widget SDK, which was successful in React. Now,

• monetizing the courses

  Can I add a price for course enrollment ?

• Can we add zoho books features like invoices estemates etc on our zohocommerce website. When our customer login with their account they can able to see all books features in one place on zohocommerce?

  Can we add zoho books features like invoices estemates etc on our zohocommerce website. When our customer login with their account they can able to see all books features in one place on zohocommerce?

• Taxes for EU B2B Transactions

  Currently, ZC doesn't seem to have a procedure for validating VAT numbers of businesses purchasing in another EU state, and removing local VAT is valid. This is essential for all inter EU B2B trade.

• Unable to Receive Emails on Zoho Mail After Office 365 Coexistence Setup – Error: 553 Relaying Disallowed

  Hello, My domain name is bigniter.com, and I’ve been using Zoho Mail as my email service provider without any issues. Recently, I followed the steps outlined in the Zoho documentation to enable Coexistence with Office 365: 🔗 https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/adminconsole/coexistence-with-office365.html#multi-server

• Candidate Registration/Invitation

  It would be great to include the 'invite' candidate functionality into some of the automation functions - ether through a custom function trigger or webhook or accessible through an email template.  Currently there is no way to add this functionality into any workflows or blueprint steps which, I find limits the ability to invite candidates to engage with us directly through our candidate portal. 

• [Free Webinar] Learning Table Series - Creator for Infrastructure Management | A Partner-driven collaborative session

  Hello Everyone! We’re excited to invite you to another edition of Learning Table Series, where we showcase how Zoho Creator empowers industries with innovative and automated solutions. About the Learning Table Series The Learning Table Series is a free,

• Next Page