Kaizen #73 - Portal #APIs [Part II]

Kaizen #73 - Portal #APIs [Part II]

Hi everyone! Welcome back to another week of Kaizen!

In continuation to our previous post on Portal APIs in Zoho CRM, we will discuss more on user groups and users this week.
Let us consider the case of the automobile industry. In such a case, you may need to give portal access to more than one user type, such as customers, employees, and partners.
With user types, each user will have access to the information that is most relevant to their role. For example, when you give your customers portal access, they can book services, view and update their service schedules. Your partners or employees with portal access can view customer behaviours, sales date, etc. 

Create a User Type via API

Using this API, you can create a user type for a portal you have already created.

Request URL: {api-domain}/crm/v4/settings/portals/<portal_name>/user_type
Request Method: POST
Scope: ZohoCRM.settings.clientportal.ALL/CREATE

Input Keys

 Key
 Description
name : string, mandatory
Name of the user type.
personality_module : string, mandatory
The module api name for which the user type is to be configured.
active : Boolean, optional
Represents whether the user type is active or inactive. The default value is false.
modules : JSONArray, mandatory
The JSON array containing keys that describe the user type's settings for different modules that are linked to the personality module through look up or multi-lookup fields.
modules.layouts.id : Number, mandatory
The layout the user type should be able to access.
modules.permission : key value pairs, mandatory
Boolean key-value pairs that represent the permissions you want the users to have in the module. The possible keys are view, edit, create.
modules.views : JSONObject, mandatory
The custom view or canvas view to display the records for the user type.
modules.id: Number, mandatory
The related module id.
modules.shared_type : String, mandatory
Represents whether the module is a private or public module.
modules.filters : JSONObject,mandatory
Field id, by which the module record can be filtered for the user type.
modules.fields : JSONArray, mandatory
Field permissions for the user type with read_only (Boolean), api_name(field API name) and id of the each field to be configured for the module. Note that if any of the fields in the layout is marked mandatory, they cannot be read-only in the portal.

For example, the following request creates the user type Customer for the ZylkerAutos portal, with view permission to the service module.

Sample Request:

Sample Input:

{
   "user_type":[
      {
         "name":"Customer",
         "personality_module":{
            "api_name":"Customer"
         },
         "active":true,
         "modules":[
            {
               "layouts":[
                  {
                     "id":"1306462000000095055"
                  }
               ],
               "permissions":{
                  "view" : true
               },
               "views":{
                  "id":"1306462000000091501",
                  "type":"custom_view"
               },
               "filters": null,
                fields": [
                 {
                      "id": "18936550000000063924",
                      "read_only": false
                  }
                ],
               "id":"1306462000000000125",
               "shared_type":"private"
            },
            {
               "layouts": null,
                "views": null,
               "filters": null,
               "permissions":{
                  "view":true
               },
               "id":"1306462000000000147",
               "shared_type":"private"
            }
         ]
      }
   ]
}

Sample Response

{
    "user_type": [
        {
            "code": "SUCCESS",
            "details": {
                "id": "1306462000001856005"
            },
            "message": "user type created successfully.",
            "status": "success"
        }
    ]
}

Update User Type via API

Suppose your automobile dealership firm decides to expand your online booking system to allow customers to schedule test drives, in addition to service appointments. In this case, the dealership may need to update the Customer user type to include the ability to book test drives. You can use the Update User Type API to make such updates. 

Request URL : {api-domain}/crm/v4/settings/portals/<portal_name>/user_type/<user_type_id>
Request Method : PUT
Scope : ZohoCRM.settings.clientportal.ALL/UPDATE

Input Keys:

Key Description
name : string, optionalName of the user type.
personality_module : string, optionalThe module api name for which the user type is to be configured.
active : Boolean, optionalRepresents whether the user type is active or inactive. The default value is false.
modules : JSONArray, optional
The JSON array containing keys that describe the user type's settings for different modules that are linked to the personality module through look up or multi-lookup fields.
modules.layouts.id : Number, optionalThe layout the user type should be able to access.
modules.permission : key value pairs, optional
Boolean key-value pairs that represent the permissions you want the users to have in the module. The possible keys are view, edit, create.
modules.views : JSONObject, optional
The custom view or canvas view to display the records for the user type.
modules.id: Number, optional
The related module id.
modules.shared_type : String, optional
Represents whether the module is a private or public module.
modules.filters : JSONObject, optional
Field id, by which the module record can be filtered for the user type.
modules.fields : JSONArray, optional
Field permissions for the user type with read_only (Boolean), api_name(field API name) and id of the each field to be configured for the module. Note that if any of the fields in the layout is marked mandatory, they cannot be read-only in the portal.

For example, the following request updates the Customer user type's access to the Service module.

Sample Request

https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v4/settings/portals/ZylkerAutos/user_type/1306462000001856005

Sample Input

{
   "user_type":[
      {
         "modules":[
            {
               "permissions":{
                  "edit":true,
                  "create":true
               },
               "id":"1306462000000000125",
               "shared_type":"private"
            }
         ]
      }
   ]
}

Sample Response

{
    "user_type": [
        {
            "code": "SUCCESS",
            "details": {
                "id": "1306462000001856005"
            },
            "message": "Portal user type updated successfully.",
            "status": "success"
        }
    ]
}

Delete User Type via API

Let us consider the case where your company had a user type for suppliers in its portal but has decided to handle supplier management through a separate system. In this case, you would need to delete the supplier user type from the portal to simplify user management and ensure that only the necessary users have access to the portal. 

Request URL: {api-domain}/crm/v4/settings/portals/<portal_name>/user_type/<user_type_id>
Request Method: DELETE
Scope: ZohoCRM.settings.clientportal.ALL/DELETE

For example, the following request deletes the supplier user type from the ZylkerAutos portal.

Sample Request

Sample Response

{
    "user_type": [
        {
            "code": "SUCCESS",
            "details": {
                "id": 1306462000001857564
            },
            "message": "Portal user type deleted successfully.",
            "status": "success"
        }
    ]
}

Please note that you cannot delete a user type with users. You should transfer the users to another portal before deleting the user type.

Transfer User to another User Type

There may be scenarios where you have to transfer a user from one user type to another. For instance, if a customer is upgraded to premium level which offers additional services, you might need to transfer the customer to a new user type that includes these features. Also, if you ever have to delete a user type, you need to transfer the users in that user type to another one. 

Request URL: {api-domain}/crm/v4/settings/portals/<portal_name>/user_type/<user_type_id>/users/action/transfer
Request Method: POST
Scope: ZohoCRM.settings.clientportal.ALL/UPDATE

Parameters

Parameter
Description
transfer_to : string, mandatory
The id of the user type to which you want to transfer the users.
personality_ids : string, mandatory
comma separated list of ids of the users you want to transfer.

Sample Request

Sample Response

{
    "users": [
        {
            "code": "SUCCESS",
            "details": {
                "personality_id": "1306462000000659009"
            },
            "message": "User has been transferred successfully",
            "status": "success"
        }
    ]
}

You can transfer up to 200 users in one API call. If there are more than 200 users to be transferred, a job will be scheduled.

Change Status of a User 

If you want to change the activate or deactivate a user, you can do so using this API.

Request URL: {api-domain}/crm/v4/settings/portals/<portal_name>/user_type/<user_type_id>/users/<user_id>/actions/change_status
Request Method: PUT
Scope: ZohoCRM.settings.clientportal.ALL/UPDATE

Parameters

Parameter
Description
active : Boolean, mandatory
To mention whether to activate or deactivate the user.

The following request changes the status of the user to inactive.

Sample Request

Sample Response

{
    "change_status": [
        {
            "code": "SUCCESS",
            "details": {
                "personality_id": "1306462000000665004"
            },
            "message": "Status of the user changed successfully.",
            "status": "success"
        }
    ]
}

Delete User from Portal

There may be times when you want to delete a user from a portal to prevent unauthorized access. You may use the Delete User from Portal API to do this.

Request URL: {api-domain}/crm/v4/settings/portals/<portal_name>/user_type/<user_type_id>/users
Request Method: DELETE
Scope: ZohoCRM.settings.clientportal.ALL/DELETE

Parameters

ParameterDescription
personality_ids : string, mandatoryComma separated ids of the users you want to delete from the portal.

Sample Request

Sample Response

{
    "users": [
        {
            "code": "SUCCESS",
            "details": {
                "personality_id": "1306462000000659009"
            },
            "message": "Portal user deleted successfully.",
            "status": "success"
        }
    ]
}

Please note you can delete up to 499 users from a portal synchronously. If you want to delete 500 or more users, a delete job will be scheduled.

We hope you found this post useful, and that it has given you a better understanding of the Portal APIs. See you next week with another useful topic.

If you have any questions or feedback, please let us know in comments below, or write to us at support@zohocrm.com. We would love to hear from you!


    • Recent Topics

    • Zoho Workdrive - Communication / Chat Bar

      Hi Team, Please consider adding an option to allow admins to turn on or off the Zoho Communication Bar. Example of what I mean by Communication Bar: It's such a pain sometimes when I'm in WorkDrive and I want to share a link to a file with a colleague

    • Kaizen #190 - Queries in Custom Related Lists

      Hello everyone! Welcome back to another week of Kaizen! This week, we will discuss yet another interesting enhancement to Queries. As you all know, Queries allow you to dynamically retrieve data from CRM as well as third-party services directly within

    • Need the ability to have read only fields on a form.

      There needs to be functionality in Creator that allows a field on a form to be read only. Most screen building software applications have this capability. I know you can hide certain fields from specific users and that you can also make the whole form read only but that's not the functionality I need. I want to be able to create a form where certain fields are editable and other are for display purposes only (read only). For example if the form was displaying information on an item that the user

    • Reverse payment on accidentally closed invoice.

      An invoice was closed accidentally with the full payment added. However, only partial payment was paid. How can I reopen the invoice and reverse this to update it to show partial payment?

    • New integration: Track booking page appointments in Google Analytics 4

      Hello all, Greetings from the Zoho Bookings team! We’re excited to introduce our new Google Analytics 4 (GA4) integration designed to help you track booking activity, understand customer behavior, and measure marketing performance, all in one place. What

    • How to list emails in a folder, e.g. Inbox, on multiple pages when using Zoho mail webpage?

      Something as shown in the figure. There are totally 50 emails in Sent folder. If "Mail per page" equals 20, then the Sent folder is split into 3 pages. When I wander through Sent folder, I can just select a specific page to jump to. BTW, it seems that

    • Zoho Calendar soft bounce on @hotmail.com and @yahoo.com email addresses

      Hello, our Zoho calendar recently does not send the calendar invites to emails with hotmail and yahoo domains and comes back with a "soft bounce". other domains like Gmail works fine. Also sending "email" to the same emails to the above domains work well

    • ERROR CODE :512 - 5.4.4 DNS error:NXDOMAIN.

      Suddenly we cant send mail, we are getting this error for all outbound mail to multiple domains.

    • Can Zoho Flows repeat Actions more than once?

      I'm attempting to make an intentional Zoho Flow loop using the below layout. However, when "WithinLimit" condition is met, the program fails to execute the action "Get & Add Request Co..." again. Is this by design? Is Zoho Flows unable to repeat actions

    • Unveiling Cadences: Redefining CRM interactions with automated sequential follow-ups

      Last modified on 01/04/2024: Cadences is now available for all Zoho CRM users in all data centres (DCs). Note that it was previously an early access feature, available only upon request, and was also known as Cadences Studio. As of April 1, 2024, it's

    • customer data security

      We are exploring ways to enhance our within Zoho CRM. Our Goal: We want to fully integrate RingCentral with Zoho CRM to enable click-to-call functionality for our sales team. However, to comply with data privacy regulations and protect customer contact

    • Zoho Cliq not working on airplanes

      Hi, My team and I have been having this constant issue of cliq not working when connected to an airplane's wifi. Is there a reason for this? We have tried on different Airlines and it doesn't work on any of them. We need assistance here since we are constantly

    • Sync CRM inventory data with Zoho Books

      I just switched everything over to ZoHo books, but I am trying to find out why the CRM Estimates, Invoices, and Sales Orders created in ZoHo CRM are not then duplicated in ZoHo Books? I had Quickbooks before, and had to do everything twice, I thought

    • mask Customer phone number and agents cant see customer phone number

      Is there any way we can integrate Zoom Phone with Zoho CRM while ensuring that customer phone numbers remain masked? We need a solution where agents can make outbound calls but cannot see customer phone numbers. Please let us know if there is any solution

    • Email Reminders on Shared Calendars

      How do we turn off the setting that emails reminders to everyone who has accepted or declined a calendar invite? If 8 of us have been invited to the same meeting, we receive 8 notifications for every step of the process, from invitation to decision.

    • WebDAV / FTP / SFTP protocols for syncing

      I believe the Zoho for Desktop app is built using a proprietary protocol. For the growing number of people using services such as odrive to sync multiple accounts from various providers (Google, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, etc.) it would be really helpful if you implemented standard protocols such as WebDAV / FTP / SFTP so that alternative inc clients can be used.

    • What's New in Zoho Inventory | Q2 2025

      Hello Customers, The second quarter have been exciting months for Zoho Inventory! We’ve introduced impactful new features and enhancements to help you manage inventory operations with even greater precision and control. While we have many more exciting

    • How to refresh a ticket view ?

      I am doing a widget where I send a rest api call to make a new draft to the ticket I am viewing. The issue is sometimes it refresh a ticket view and I can see inserted draft right away, but sometimes I do not see it even if it is inserted correctly and

    • Ugh! - Text Box (Single Line) Not Enough - Text Box (Multi-line) Unavailable in PDF!

      I provide services, I do not sell items. In each estimate I send I provide a customized job description. A two or three sentence summary of the job to be performed. I need to be able to include this job description on each estimate I send as it's a critical

    • Merge Items

      Is there a work around for merging items? We currently have three names for one item, all have had a transaction associated so there is no deleting (just deactivating, which doesn't really help. It still appears so people are continuing to use it). I also can't assign inventory tracking to items used in past transactions, which I don't understand, this is an important feature moving forward.. It would be nice to merge into one item and be able to track inventory. Let me know if this is possible.

    • Supervisor Rules - Zoho Desk

      Hi, I have set up a Supervisor Rule in Zoho Desk to send an email alert when a ticket has been on hold for 48 hours. Is there a way to change it so that the alert only sends once and not on an hourly basis? Thank you Laura

    • ResponseCode 421, 4.7.0 [TSS04] Messages from 136.143.188.51 temporarily deferred due to user complaints

      Had email bounce. Let me know if you can fix this. Thanks. Michael

    • Zoho Canvas - Custom templates for related lists

      Hi, I see that the example pages load always one of our related lists in a custom template, but I dont know how to work with that:  1) How can i make my own custom templates for related lists?  2) Where and how can i check out existing custom templates?

    • Automation #15: Automatically Adding Static Secondary Contacts

      Rockel is a top-tier client of Zylker traders. Marcus handles communications with Rockel and would like to add Terence, the CTO of Zylker traders to the email conversations. In this case, the emails coming from user address rockel.com should have Terence

    • New Zoho triggers Google Dangerous flag due toabnormal charcters

      Just signed up and doing my first email test. I sent it to my google email account but it got flagged as Dangerous" due abnormal characters. My DNS setup looks ok. Page snips attached Help Please Thanks, Rick DC PowerWorld

    • Is there a API to fetch tasks in a Board/Section

      I am writing a scheduled function that retrieves all the tasks and send an reminder on cliq. I cannot seem to find a API to fetch tasks (by user / board / section) What are the way to fetch tasks?

    • Having trouble fetching contents of Zoho Connect Feeds using the API, requesting alternative API documentation.

      I'm trying to retrieve feed/post data from Zoho Connect using the API but facing challenges with the current documentation. What I've tried: OAuth authentication is working correctly (getting 200 OK responses) Tested multiple endpoints: /pulse/nativeapi/v2/feeds,

    • Adding an Account Name to Tasks/Reminders

      Does anyone know how to add the related account name to a task?  When we look at the list of activities and when the reminders pop up, there is no way of quickly seeing who the account is. 

    • Triggering Zoho Flow on Workdrive File Label

      Right now Im trying to have a zoho flow trigger on the labeling/classification of a file in a folder. Looking at the trigger options they arent great for something like this. File event occurred is probably the most applicable, but the events it has arent

    • SendMail to multiple recipients

      Hi, I'm trying to send an email to a list of recipients.  Right now the "to" field is directed to a string variable. (List variables won't work here). In the string variable, how can I make it work? trying "user@app.com;user2@app.com" or "user@app.com; user2@app.com" just failed to send the emails. Ravid

    • Populate drop down field from another form's subform

      Hello, I found how to do that, but not in case of a subform. I have a Product form that has a subform for unit and prices. A product might have more than one unit. For example, the product "Brocoli" can be sold in unit at 3$ or in box of 10 at 25 $. Both

    • Usar o Inventory ou módulo customizado no CRM para Gestão de Estoque ?

      Minha maior dor hoje em usar o zoho é a gestão do meu estoque. Sou uma empresa de varejo e essa gestão é fundamental pra mim. Obviamente preciso que esse estoque seja visível no CRM, Inicialmente fiz através de módulos personalizados no próprio Zoho CRM,

    • Signup forms behaviour : Same email & multiple submissions

      My use case is that I have a signup form (FormA) that I use in several places on my website, with a hidden field so I can see where the contact has been made from. I also have a couple of other signup forms (FormB and FormC) that slight differences. All

    • getting error in project users api

      Hello, I'm getting a "Given URL is wrong" error when trying to use the Zoho Projects V3 API endpoint for adding users to a project. The URL I'm using is https://projectsapi.zoho.com/api/v3/portal/{portalid}/projects/{projectid}/projectusers/ and it's

    • Change total display format in weekly time logs

      Hi! Would it be possible to display the total of the value entered in the weekly time log in the same format that the user input? This could be an option in the general settings -> display daily timesheet total in XX.XX format or XX:XX.

    • Different Company Name for billing & shipping address

      We are using Zoho Books & Inventory for our Logistics and started to realize soon, that Zoho is not offering a dedicated field for a shipping address company name .. when we are creating carrier shipping labels, the Billing Address company name gets always

    • How to display historical ticket information of the total time spent in each status

      Hi All, Hoping someone can help me, as I am new to Zoho Analytics, and I am a little stuck. I am looking to create a bar chart that looks back over tickets raised in the previous month and displays how much time was spent in each status (With Customer,

    • Zoho Projects iOS app update: Global Web Tabs support

      Hello everyone! In the latest version(v3.10.10) of the Zoho Projects app update, we have brought in support for Global Web Tabs. You can now access the web tabs across all the projects from the Home module of the app. Please update the app to the latest

    • Zoho Community Weekend Maintenance: 13–15 Sep 2025

      Hi everyone, We wanted to give you a heads-up that Zoho Community will undergo scheduled maintenance this weekend. During this period, some community features will be temporarily unavailable, while others will be in read-only mode. Maintenance Window:

    • Agent Performance Report

      From data to decisions: A deep dive into ticketing system reports An agent performance report in a ticketing system provides a comprehensive view of how support agents manage customer tickets. It measures efficiency and quality by tracking key performance

    • Next Page