Kaizen #84 - PHP SDK [Part I]

Kaizen #84 - PHP SDK [Part I]

Hello and welcome to another Kaizen week!

In this week's post, we'll show you how to get started with Zoho CRM's PHP SDK, and walk you through the configuration and initialization process.

PHP Software Development Kit

PHP SDK allows you to create client PHP applications that can be integrated with Zoho CRM effortlessly. It serves as a wrapper for the REST APIs, thus making it easier to use the services of Zoho CRM.

Why PHP SDK?

Easy authentication: You don't have to worry about manually managing authentication because the PHP SDK takes care of generating access/refresh tokens for you.
Easy and Efficient data exchange: With the PHP SDK, you can easily exchange data between Zoho CRM and your client PHP application, where the CRM entities are modelled as classes. You can declare and define CRM API equivalents as simple functions in your PHP application.

Prerequisites 

  • The client app must have PHP 7 or above with a cURL extension. cURL extension is used to connect and communicate with the Zoho CRM APIs.
  • The client app must have the PHP SDK installed through Composer. 

How to start using the PHP SDK?

  1. Prerequisite : Register your application with Zoho CRM.
  2. Install the PHP SDK.
  3. Knowledge Base : Token Persistence
  4. Configuration 
  5. initialization.

1. Register your application with Zoho CRM

Registering your application with Zoho CRM is a mandatory step in order to authenticate and authorize API calls using the OAuth2.0 standards.
  1. Go to https://api-console.zoho.com
  2. Click on Get Started or +ADD CLIENT.
  3. Choose the Client Type.
  4. Fill in the necessary details and click CREATE. Once you successfully register your self-client, you will receive a Client ID and Client Secret.

2. Install PHP SDK 

1. Install Composer, if not already installed. Please check the corresponding link for installation instructions.

2. Install PHP-SDK using Composer
  • Navigate to the workspace of your client app.
  • Run the following command in the workspace. Upon successful installation, the system will create a package named vendor in the workspace of your client app.   Note : This command installs SDK for API v2.1.

    composer require zohocrm/php-sdk-2.1

3. To use the SDK in your project, add the following line in your project PHP files. This loads and includes our PHP-SDK library in your project. If you skip this step, you will get a fatal error in response due to the missing libraries.

require 'vendor/autoload.php';

3. Token Persistence

Token persistence refers to storing and utilizing authentication tokens provided by Zoho, enabling the SDK to refresh the access tokens without the need for user intervention. The SDK offers three types of persistence - File, DB, and Custom - with file persistence being the default method. 
The persistence is achieved by writing an implementation of the inbuilt TokenStore interface, which has the following callback methods. 

Method
Description
getToken($user, $token)
Invoked before firing a request to fetch the saved tokens. This method returns an implementation of Token interface object for the library to process it.
saveToken($user, $token)
Invoked after fetching access and refresh tokens from Zoho. This method saves the token details.
deleteToken($token)
This method is used to delete the given token details.
getTokens()
This method is used to retrieve all the stored tokens.
deleteTokens() 
The method to delete all the stored tokens.
getTokenById($id, $token) 
This method is used to retrieve the user token details based on the unique ID.

a. Token Persistence using a Database

Database persistence is a technique that involves storing and retrieving data from a database. If you prefer using database persistence, you can use MySQL. 
Create a table in your database with the required columns. For example, if you want to persist your tokens in a table named token in database named zoho, use the following:
CREATE DATABASE zoho; // use this to create database named zoho
// use this to create a table named token, with the necessary columns
CREATE TABLE token ( 
  id varchar(255) NOT NULL,
  user_mail varchar(255) NOT NULL,
  client_id varchar(255),
  client_secret varchar(255),
  refresh_token varchar(255),
  access_token varchar(255),
  grant_token varchar(255),
  expiry_time varchar(20),
  redirect_url varchar(255),
  primary key (id)
);

In this example, your tokens will be persisted in the token table in your zoho database.

b. File Persistence

File Persistence allows storing and retrieving the authentication tokens from the given file path. The file contains id, user_mail, client_id, client_secret, refresh_token, access_token, grant_token, expiry_time and redirect_url. 

c. Custom Persistence

Custom Persistence refers to a technique where users can create their own method of storing and retrieving authentication tokens. To use this method, users need to implement the TokenStore interface and override its methods according to their own logic.

4. Configuration

Configuration is a critical step in which you set up SDK's configuration details like user authentication, token persistence, logging and API call timeout settings, and more. Listed below are the keys that you define in this step.

Key
Description
user
mandatory
Represents the mail id, which is used to identify and fetch tokens from the File or DB.
environment
mandatory
Represents the data centre details in Domain::Environment pattern.
Domains : USDataCenter, EUDataCenter, INDataCenter, CNDataCenter, AUDataCenter
Environments : PRODUCTION(), DEVELOPER(), SANDBOX()
token
mandatory
Contains user token details. Depending on the tokens, you can choose grantToken flow, refreshToken flow or accessToken flow.
logger
optional
Contains the configuration for logging exceptions and API call information. By default, the logs will be available in the workspace as sdk_logs.log.
store
optional
Contains details for the Token Persistence object. You can choose between DB Store, File Store or Custom Store, and configure accordingly.
SDKConfig
optional
Contains additional configuration details like timeout, autorefresh fields, picklistvalidation, etc
requestProxy
optional
Contains the details of the proxy, if you are using a proxy server to authenticate and make the API calls.
resourcePath
optional
The path containing the absolute directory path to store user specific files containing the module fields information.


Let us discuss how to configure each of them, in detail.
a. user : The user key will be used to store and identify the tokenstore details in the DB or File Storage for token persistence. Create an instance of UserSignature that identifies the current user with the following :
  1. $user = new UserSignature("patricia@zoho.com");
b. environment : The API environment which decides the domain and the URL to make API calls. 
  1. $environment = USDataCenter::PRODUCTION();
c. token : Create an instance of OAuthToken with the information that you get after registering your Zoho client. Depending on the tokens available with you, you can choose one of the following flows. 
Note : You need to generate the tokens (grant/access/refresh) beforehand. 
  • grantToken flow - You should use the grant Token for configuration.
    $token = (new OAuthBuilder())
      ->clientId("clientId")
      ->clientSecret("clientSecret")
      ->grantToken("grantToken")
      ->redirectURL("redirectURL")
      ->build();

  • refreshToken flow -In this flow, use the refresh token.
    $token = (new OAuthBuilder())
      ->clientId("clientId")
      ->clientSecret("clientSecret")
      ->refreshToken("refreshToken")
      ->redirectURL("redirectURL")
      ->build();

  • accessToken flow - You can use the access token to configure in this flow. Please note that the token will not be persisted in this case, and the access token will be directly used to make the API calls.

    $token = (new OAuthBuilder()
      ->accessToken("accessToken")
      ->build(); 

d. logger : Create an instance of Logger Class to log exception and API information. You can set the level you want to log (FATAL, ERROR, WARNING, INFO, DEBUG, TRACE, ALL, OFF), and also configure the file path and file name for the log file.

$logger = (new LogBuilder())
->level(Levels::INFO)
->filePath("/Documents/php_sdk_log.log")
->build();

e. store : Configure your token persistence using this method. If this is skipped, the SDK creates the sdk_tokens.txt in the current working directory to persist the tokens by default.
  • DB Store - Configure the Database details, where you want to store your tokens.
    $tokenstore = (new DBBuilder())
    ->host("hostName")
    ->databaseName("dataBaseName")
    ->userName("userName")
    ->password("password")
    ->portNumber("portNumber")
    ->tableName("tableName")
    ->build();

  • File store - Give the absolute file path, where you want to store the tokens. 
    $tokenstore = new FileStore("absolute_file_path");

  • Custom Store - In this method, you can implement your own method for storing and retrieving the tokens. Please note that to do so, you must implement the TokenStore interface, and override its callback methods (getToken, saveToken, deleteToken, getTokens, deleteTokens, getTokenById). 
    $tokenstore = new CustomStore();

Note :  The corresponding storage will  have id, user_mail, client_id, client_secret, refresh_token, access_token, grant_token, expiry_time and redirect_url. The id is a unique system generated key.

f. SDKConfig : The additional SDK configurations are taken care of with this method. 

Configuration Key
Description
autoRefreshFields
Default Value : False
A boolean configuration key to enable or disable automatic refreshing of module fields in the background. If set to true, fields are refreshed every hour, and if set to false, fields must be manually refreshed or deleted.
pickListValidation
Default Value : True
This field enables or disables pick list validation. If enabled, user input for pick list fields is validated, and if the value does not exist in the pick list, the SDK throws an error. If disabled, the input is not validated and the API call is made.
enableSSLVerification
Default Value : True
A boolean field to enable or disable curl certificate verification. If set to true, the SDK verifies the authenticity of certificate. If set to false, the SDK skips the verification.
connectionTimeout
Default Value : 0
The maximum time (in seconds) to wait while trying to connect. Use 0 to wait indefinitely.
timeout
Default Value : 0
The maximum time (in seconds) to allow cURL functions to execute. Use 0 to wait indefinitely.
  1. $autoRefreshFields = false;
  2. $pickListValidation = false;
  3. $enableSSLVerification = true;
  4. $connectionTimeout = 2;
  5. $timeout = 2;
  6. $sdkConfig = (new SDKConfigBuilder())
  7. ->autoRefreshFields($autoRefreshFields)
  8. ->pickListValidation($pickListValidation)
  9. ->sslVerification($enableSSLVerification)
  10. ->connectionTimeout($connectionTimeout)
  11. ->timeout($timeout)
  12. ->build();
g. requestProxy : Create an instance of RequestProxy containing the proxy properties of the user. Configure this only if you're using a proxy server to make the API calls.

$requestProxy = (new ProxyBuilder())
 ->host("proxyHost")
 ->port("proxyPort")
 ->user("proxyUser")
 ->password("password")
 ->build();

h. resourcePath : Configure path containing the absolute directory path to store user specific files containing module fields information.

$resourcePath = "/Documents/phpsdk-application";

5. Initilization

Once you have completed the configuration process, you can move on to initializing the SDK and begin making API requests.

Here is a sample code to initialize the SDK, using refresh token flow and DB Persistence.

<?php
use com\zoho\api\authenticator\OAuthBuilder;
use com\zoho\api\authenticator\store\DBBuilder;
use com\zoho\api\authenticator\store\FileStore;
use com\zoho\crm\api\InitializeBuilder;
use com\zoho\crm\api\UserSignature;
use com\zoho\crm\api\dc\USDataCenter;
use com\zoho\api\logger\LogBuilder;
use com\zoho\api\logger\Levels;
use com\zoho\crm\api\SDKConfigBuilder;
use com\zoho\crm\api\ProxyBuilder;
use com\zoho\api\authenticator\store\DBBuilder;

require_once "vendor/autoload.php";

class Initialize
{
  public static function initialize()
  {
    $user = new UserSignature("patricia@zoho.com");
    $environment = USDataCenter::PRODUCTION();
    $token = (new OAuthBuilder())
    ->clientId("1000.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx")
    ->clientSecret("554a9776d10ff016a92c1eb01xxxxxxxxxx")
    ->refreshToken("1000.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx")
    ->redirectURL("www.zoho.com")
    ->build();
    $logger = (new LogBuilder())
    ->level(Levels::INFO)
    ->filePath("/Documents/php_sdk_log.log")
    ->build();
   $tokenstore = (new DBBuilder())
    ->host("insert_your_hostname_here")
    ->databaseName("insert_your_database_name_here")
    ->userName("insert_your_db_username_here")
    ->password("insert_your_db_password_here")
    ->portNumber("insert_your_portnumber_here")
    ->tableName("insert_your_table_name_here")
    ->build();
    $autoRefreshFields = false;
    $pickListValidation = false;
    $connectionTimeout = 2;
    $timeout = 2;
    $sdkConfig = (new SDKConfigBuilder())
    ->autoRefreshFields($autoRefreshFields)
    ->pickListValidation($pickListValidation)
    ->sslVerification($enableSSLVerification)
    ->connectionTimeout($connectionTimeout)
    ->timeout($timeout)
    ->build();
    $resourcePath = "/Documents/phpsdk-application";
    $requestProxy = (new ProxyBuilder())
    ->host("proxyHost")
    ->port("proxyPort")
    ->user("proxyUser")
    ->password("password")
    ->build();
    (new InitializeBuilder())
    ->user($user)
    ->environment($environment)
    ->token($token)
    ->store($tokenstore)
    ->SDKConfig($configInstance)
    ->resourcePath($resourcePath)
    ->logger($logger)
    ->requestProxy($requestProxy)
    ->initialize();
  }
}
?>


You are now all set to explore the functionalities of SDK. Here is a sample code to get the records from Leads module, with the ifmodifiedsince header.

<?php
use com\zoho\api\authenticator\OAuthBuilder;
use com\zoho\crm\api\dc\USDataCenter;
use com\zoho\crm\api\InitializeBuilder;
use com\zoho\crm\api\UserSignature;
use com\zoho\crm\api\record\RecordOperations;
use com\zoho\crm\api\record\GetRecordsHeader;
use com\zoho\crm\api\HeaderMap;
use com\zoho\crm\api\ParameterMap;
require_once "vendor/autoload.php";

class Record
{
    public static function initialize()
    {
        $user = new UserSignature('myname@mydomain.com');
        $environment = USDataCenter::PRODUCTION();
        $token = (new OAuthBuilder())
        ->clientId("1000.xxxxxxx")
        ->clientSecret("4b5baxxxxxxxxxxxxf")
        ->grantToken("1000.xxxxx")
        ->build();
        (new InitializeBuilder())
            ->user($user)
            ->environment($environment)
            ->token($token)
            ->initialize();
    }

    public static function getRecords()
    {
        $recordOperations = new RecordOperations();
        $paramInstance = new ParameterMap();
        $headerInstance = new HeaderMap();
     $ifmodifiedsince = date_create("2022-06-01T12:00:00+05:30")->setTimezone(new \DateTimeZone(date_default_timezone_get()));
        $headerInstance->add(GetRecordsHeader::IfModifiedSince(), $ifmodifiedsince);
        $response = $recordOperations->getRecords("Leads", $paramInstance, $headerInstance);
        echo($response->getStatusCode() . "\n");
        print_r($response);
    }
}
Record::initialize();
Record::getRecords();


Next week, we will dive deeper and provide more sample codes to help you further. Stay tuned!

If you have any queries, let us know the comments below, or drop an email to support@zohocrm.com. We would love to hear from you. 



    • Recent Topics

    • Automate timeout chat tracking with Workflows in SalesIQ

      With our feature-packed Nova release, Workflows has become one of the most powerful tools in Zoho SalesIQ. They let you automate follow-up actions when key events occur, such as when a chat ends, a visitor leaves a bad/good rating, or a lead is updated.

    • Mass edit / Mass update products

      Hi, Is there any way to mass update or bulk edit product fields in Zoho Inventory?

    • Automatic Verification of IMAP Integration Status

      Our sales staff have their O365 email integrated with CRM, over time this integration requires re-authentication via the UI. I can manually check the integration status by accessing Settings -> Channels -> Email -> Email Sharing -> "Configuration Type"

    • Tip of the Week #68– Share and access files faster with Zoho WorkDrive extension.

      Have you ever wasted time searching for the right file to attach to your emails—or worried whether the right people could access it? Without proper sharing settings, files might end up inaccessible to teammates or, worse, visible to people who shouldn’t

    • CV-Library: The Newest Source Booster in Zoho Recruit!

      We’ve expanded your sourcing toolkit — CV-Library, one of the UK’s largest and most trusted online job boards, is now available as a Source Booster in Zoho Recruit. This gives recruiters instant access to millions of UK-based candidate profiles, all without

    • Zoho AI Translate Task as Rest API

      I cant find any docs on how to use Zoho AI Translate Task from a rest api call https://www.zoho.com/deluge/help/ai-tasks/translate.html I am working on a custom Widget and I dont think I can execute zoho deluge ai translate task from a custom widget.

    • Is there the possibility to book less than 250 customer portal users?

      If you use the Creator, which is included in Zoho ONe, you can create a customer portal and give access to a maximum of 3 external people / customers, right? On the Creator website I saw that you can add 250 users for 100€/month. However, we don't need

    • Display Parts custom fields in the Work Order

      Hello, I see that is it possible to add custom fields in the Parts module. Would it be possible to also add those custom fields in the Work Order Module under Parts? This would be very useful for customer who want to showcase more information about parts.

    • Unable to edit Saved Estimates

      We are facing issue with editing the price or discount for a saved estimate for nearly 1 week.

    • Translation Blueprint & Picklists with Custom Values

      Hello everyone, I downloaded the translation file and I'm not finding the blueprint transitions. Does this means that the transitions cannot be translated? Also, the picklist values to be translated in the document are not the same that are actually used the in module. For exemple, for my lead module, the picklist values for Lead Status are : Not-contacted, contacted, junk and lost lead. In the translation document (English to French), this is what I see: PicklistValues.Leads.Lead_Status.Contact

    • How to create a custom sales signal?

      I want to create a custom sales signal for a custom module. is it possible to create one? If anyone know please let me know

    • Only show products in offers based on lead source

      We work with several lead sources, each with their own products and different pricing. For example, one product might have two or three different prices. Sometimes, when creating a quote, the wrong product is accidentally selected. Is there a way to only

    • Narrative 7 - The importance of data sharing

      Behind the scenes of a successful ticketing system - BTS Series Narrative 7 - The importance of data sharing Definition Data sharing requires a commitment to preserving the integrity and dependability of shared data throughout its entire lifecycle. This

    • TrueSync regularly filling up my local disk

      Seems that WorkDrive's TrueSync randomly starts filling up my local hard drive space. None of the folders have been set as "Make Offline" but still it seems to randomly start making file offline. The settings of the app is so minimal and is of no real

    • Check out in Meetings

      Why there is no check out in Meetings of Zoho CRM, very difficult to track

    • Issue with Zoho Projet

      Zoho Project on all the cellphones of my customer is crashing. He has mixed brands (Samsung and Pixel). Everything is fine on website and mobile website. Could not reproduce the issue in workshop using Samsung/Pixel/iPhone Uninstallation of Zoho Project

    • SecurePass email English language issue -- please hire someone to correct the English language issues sprinkled throughout your interface

      I wrote previously about some incorrect English in your SecurePass offering. After about six months it was corrected. I have never revoked permission before today and just discovered another language mistake that was not corrected. When you revoke a SecurePass

    • Published Components

      @zoho team, Checking if we can add a password for the public links as we have non-licensed users

    • Zoho Creator customer portal users

      Hi, I'm in a Zoho One subscription with our company. I'm running a project now that involves creating a Zoho Creater application and using the Zoho Creator Customer Portal.  At most we need 25 customer portal users. In our Zoho One plan we only get 3

    • Please Enable Snippets for Agents Adding Comments

      Snippets and templates are currently enabled for agents when they use the reply functionality. There is currently no way to add a template or snippets when an agent comments. This is really weird. Our agents don't use the reply functionality, only the

    • Tip of the Week - Extracting Data from JSON Columns

      Let's say you are importing a CSV or Excel file into Zoho Analytics. What if the file contains a few columns in JSON format? This is where Zoho DataPrep, embedded right within Zoho Analytics, comes in handy. This week's tip explains how to extract data

    • Deluge UI Updates

      Are there any updates planned for the Deluge UI in Zoho Desk? It feels quite dated and lack-lustre after you've spent some time in the CRM Deluge UI.

    • Zia Agents - Follow Ups

      It would be nice to have Zia Agents do follow ups. A lot of times agents are trying to schedule things with users and they say "can we set your printer up tomorrow?" and the user never says anything. A way to have a personalized reminder to the user automatically

    • Hide Agents name in Ticket Responses in "My Area"

      We were able to hide the agents name in the emails, however, the customer is able to see which agent has responded to a ticket in the thread of emails by going into their Help Center thread. Is there any way we can hide that information?

    • Option to Automatically Update Extensions

      Hello Zoho Desk Team, We recently received an email notifying us about an extension update that must be done manually. We’d like to request a feature that allows extensions to be updated automatically without requiring manual intervention. This would

    • Embed Report with Auto Height

      Hello Developers, When we embed report within Page, we are getting one awesome feature to adjust the report height. "Auto" and "Custom' height. This "Auto" option works well when we have no records. But I want to embed report based on some conditions

    • Zoho Payroll: Product Updates - August 2025

      This month’s updates to Zoho Payroll bring enhanced efficiency and smarter features, simplifying payroll management for users in India, UAE, KSA, and US. Read on to explore how these updates can streamline your workflow. Filter Pay Runs by Type (India,

    • Numerical Rating for Interviewer Assessments

      Introducing Numerical Rating, a powerful new addition to interviewer assessments that brings precision and flexibility to candidate evaluations. ✅ What is Numerical Rating? Numerical Rating lets interviewers assign a score for each question in the assessment,

    • User Tips: Adding Multiple Products (Package) to a Quote v2.0 (with Client Script)

      This solution is an improvement on the original idea which used deluge. My solution was posted in the comments are: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/adding-multiple-products-package-to-a-quote The updated version uses client script instead

    • Are downloadable product available in Zoho Commerce

      Hi all. We're considering switching to Zoho Commerce for our shop, but we sell software and remote services. Is there a features for downloadable products? I can't find any information about this. Thank you very much Alice

    • Need Faster Help? Try Live Chat Support

      Hello there, We understand that sometimes, whether you’re facing an issue, exploring a feature, or need quick clarification, sending an email and waiting for a response just doesn’t cut it. You need answers, and you need them now. That’s exactly why we

    • Custom image for each contact using merge tag

      Hi, I'm wondering if it's possible to set up an email campaign to display a different image for each contact using a custom field for the image url. I tried inserting custom html: <img src='$[UD:APP_IMAGE_URL||]$'/> but the editor seemed to reject this and did not actually add anything to the email template. Has anyone got any ideas? cheers, Jeremy

    • Comment Reactions like a Thumbs Up

      Can we please have the ability to emoji react on comments or at the very least, thumbs a comment up? Literally every other project management system out there can support this and it is very much needed to just acknowledge a comment instead of completely

    • Zoho Mail Search Engine Sucks

      Hello There! I really like all the features of Zoho Mail and I believe is way better than Gmail except for the Search Function. I believe Zoho Mail has a very poor search function, if you misspelled a word in the search box, Zoho Mail won't display any

    • Allow Subtasks and Task Lists to have their own Layout

      I'd like to have the ability for subtasks and task lists to have their own layout.  A subtask for us doesn't require all the fields that a parent task has.  The subtask seems cluttered with all the extra fields. Within a project Task List had different purposes.  I'd like the task layout to be different for some task lists.

    • How to update Customers in Zoho Books through Zoho Flow?

      Updating customers in Zoho Flow using a "update customer" action is deleting contact persons in Zoho Books.

    • Conect chat of salesiq with zoho cliq

      Is there any way to answer from zoho cliq  the chat of salesiq initiated by customers?

    • How to transfer credit between customers?

      Hi All, We have a slightly odd situation. It happens that we have two separate customers that are related to each other personally. One customer has an amount of credit, and would like to use that credit to pay the *other* customers invoice. How would

    • Zoho Books Reports: Basic report with total items sold and Cost of goods sold

      How can books show a report with Item Name || Qty Sold || Total Revenue || Total Cost of Goods Sold || Margin I need to factor in also invoices that have been credited where customers returned good. This seems like such a basic report, I'm sure I'm missing

    • The amount entered is more than the balance due for the selected bills."

      Hi Team i am trying to record payments for vendors using API and getting this error in response as { "code": 28011, "message": "The amount entered is more than the balance due for the selected bills." } JSON is prepared according to Documentation and

    • Next Page