Zoho Creator Upcoming Updates - March 2025

Hello everyone,

We hope you’ve had the chance to explore Release Projection 1 for 2025! This month, we’re keeping up the momentum by bringing even more powerful features and enhancements to Zoho Creator. Here's what you can expect in March:

• App menu builder
  
• BYOK support for encryption
  
• Workflow for integration forms
  
• Deluge editor enhancements
  
• App logo customization
  
• Custom API enhancements
• New built-in connectors
  

------

App menu builder

Your wait is finally over! The highly anticipated app menu builder is now here. With its customizable drag-and-drop interface, you can now easily create and manage navigation menus for your Zoho Creator apps.

• Here's what you can do with the new app menu builder:
  
• Organize components: Group multiple app components under a space and control visibility for specific users.
  
• Customize menu: Add user components (forms, reports, etc.) and system components (connections, approvals, etc.).
  
• Enhance visual cues: Use elements like sections, breaks, lines, titles, and titles with lines to create structured and visually intuitive menus.
  
• Ensure a consistent experience: The app menu you configure will be reflected across platforms (web, mobile, and tablet).
  
• ... and much more!
  

For a complete breakdown, head over to the app menu help documentation.

How to access
Navigate to the Design tab in the edit mode of the application and click the App Menu Builder icon.

Here’s a sample menu with two spaces—one for trainers and another for employees. In it, different app components are organized under their respective categories.

This is how it will appear in live mode:

When you select Trainer from the dropdown, the components added to that space will be displayed.

How do I benefit from this?
The app menu builder is a versatile tool that gives you full control over how your menus should appear and helps you design tailored menus for a smooth and personalized user experience.

Note: This feature is currently available for new signups and will be gradually rolled out to all users in a phased manner.

If you want early access, send a request to support@zohocreator.com, and we’ll enable it for you!

Applicable for: C5, C6
Availability: All DCs
Reference: Understanding app menu

------

BYOK support for encryption 

In order to better meet the security needs of enterprises, we’ve introduced bring your own key (BYOK) support, giving you full control over data encryption. With BYOK, you can use your own key encryption key (KEK), instead of the default Zoho KEK, to encrypt data at rest. This feature is powered by Zoho Directory and supports four leading external key management systems (EKMs):

• AWS KMS
  
• Google Cloud KMS
  
• Thales CTM
  
• Fortanix DSM

If you prefer not to rely on third-party providers, you also have the option to upload encryption keys manually.

How to access
Navigate to Governance -> BYOK and click Configure Key. You'll be redirected to the Zoho Directory page, where you can configure your own encryption key or integrate with an external KMS.

How do I benefit from this?
BYOK enhances security and compliance by allowing enterprises to maintain full ownership of their encryption keys. This ensures greater control over sensitive data and helps enterprises fulfill regulatory requirements.

Note: This feature is currently available on an on-demand basis. If interested, please contact support@zohocreator.com to get it.

Applicable for: C6
Availability: All DCs
Released on: March 3, 2025
Reference: Encryption using Private Key in Zoho Creator

------

Workflow for integration forms 

We’ve introduced workflow support for integration forms, giving you control over third-party data by automating actions based on supported triggers all within Zoho Creator. Now you can configure actions based on supported triggers like, on load, on validate, on user input, and field rules, giving you endless possibilities to meet your requirements. With this enhancement, you can trigger workflows based on data from linked fields, making it easier to automate processes, enforce validations and maintain synchronized data across platforms.

How to create them
The process remains unchanged. While creating a workflow, integration forms will now be listed in the dropdown where you select the form.

How do I benefit from this?
This update improves efficiency by automating actions based on incoming data from integrated services. It ensures better data consistency, reduces manual effort, and enhances cross-platform synchronization.

Applicable for: C5, C6
Availability: All DCs
Released on: March 7, 2025
Reference: Understand Form Workflows

------

Deluge editor enhancements 

We'll be rolling out new enhancements to the Deluge editor to make scripting more intuitive, efficient, and user-friendly. Here's what's changing:

• Real-time error messages: The new Deluge editor detects coding errors as you script and displays intuitive error messages in real time, even before you save. This helps you quickly identify and fix issues.
  
• Custom shortcuts: You can now set up personalized keyboard shortcuts to speed up actions.
  
• Full-screen mode: Maximize your workspace with a distraction-free full-screen mode. This ensures smoother scrolling and better focus while coding.
  

How do I benefit from this?
These improvements streamline the scripting experience by providing real-time feedback, faster navigation, and a more immersive coding environment, boosting productivity for developers.

Applicable for: C5, C6
Availability: All DCs
Released on: 19-Mar-25
Reference: Deluge Preferences and Deluge Editor

-----

App logo customization 

Creator now offers greater flexibility in branding your applications. This provides you with the ability to fully customize your app logo to better reflect your brand identity. Choose from the following options:

• Text: Enter custom text and select from various color options to match your branding.
  
• Image upload: Upload a JPG, JPEG, or PNG file to represent your app visually.
  

How to access
Go to the Application Summary section. Hover over your app logo and click the Pen icon to edit it.

How do I benefit from this?
This feature allows for greater personalization and ensures your app aligns with your brand’s visual identity.

Applicable for: C5, C6
Availability: All DCs 
Reference: Manage Application Summary

-----

Custom API enhancements

Currently, custom APIs can't be tested in environments, which makes it challenging to ensure they're working correctly before deployment. Thankfully, you'll soon be able to fully test your APIs in environments to validate their functionality before going live. The Custom API also gets the following updates:

• User scope enhancements: Added two new user scopes—Portal Users and All Users—alongside the existing Admin Only and Selective Users. You can select these under the User Scope dropdown during configuration.
  
• Custom APIs in environment-enabled functions: Custom APIs can now be utilized in app functions that support environments.
  
• Portal user access: Portal users can now invoke Custom APIs via Widgets.
  

How do I benefit from this?

This enhancement ensures that any API-related issues are identified and resolved early in the development process. It also ensures that the production data and your end users aren't disrupted as you test APIs.

Applicable for: C6
Availability: All DCs 
Reference: Understanding custom APIs

-----

New built-in connectors

We've expanded our set of built-in connectors by adding support for 22 new connectors, which enable further integration of Zoho Creator with widely used services. The new connectors are:

• Zoho SalesIQ
  
• Zoho Notebook
  
• Zoho Vault
  
• Zoho Learn
  
• Zoho Workerly
  
• Zoho Mail
  
• Zoho FSM
  
• Zoho WorkDrive
  
• Zoho Sprints
  
• Zoho Table
  
• Catalyst by Zoho
  
• Zoho Connect
  
• Zoho Writer
  
• Asana
  
• TrainerCentral
  
• Bigin by Zoho CRM
  
• Zoho Desk
  
• Zoho CommunitySpaces
  
• Mailchimp
  
• Freshdesk
  
• Calendly
  
• Dropbox
  

Applicable for: C6
Reference: Understand Connectors 

-----

We'll notify you as these features are rolled out. In the meantime, let us know what you think about these updates in the comments below!

And that's all we have for March—we'll be back soon with another set of updates!

Regards,
Zoho Creator Team

• Topic Participants

• Ashwin Vishal R

  

• Ben Norman

• Damien Cregan

  

• Rachel

  

• Maeco - Davide

• Sticky Posts

• Introducing Zoho Creator's 2025 Release Projection 2

  Hello Creators! I'm Prakash, from the Creator product management team, and today I'm delighted to unveil our next set of features as part of Release Projection 2 for 2025. With thoughtful analysis and planning, we've curated powerful new capabilities

• Zoho Creator - 2023 Release Projection 1

  Hello everyone! A very Happy New Year to you and your family. Hope you're all good and having a great time using Zoho Creator to make your lives easier and your businesses prosper. 2022 was an action-packed year for us at Creator, and we hope to continue

• Zoho Creator User Group meetups in a city near you! - Oct - Nov, 2023

  Greetings from the Zoho Creator team! We're hosting a series of Zoho Creator meetups in various cities across the globe, and we'd love to meet you there! Our meetups are a great opportunity to network with industry peers, exchange ideas and best practices,

• Zoho Creator - 2023 Release Projection 2

  Hello everyone! Time truly flies when you're having an incredible journey, and today we mark the completion of an eventful and action-packed six months. It feels like just yesterday when we embarked on this adventure together with the launch of our new

• Upcoming Updates - August 2022

  Hi all, Greetings from the Zoho Creator team! Today we've got news for you on some exciting updates. And rest assured— there’s more to come! In this post, we'll be going over the upcoming features and improvements for this month as mentioned below. A

• Recent Topics

• Tip #41- Simplify Compliance and Efficiency with Zoho Assist’s Data Cleanup Feature- 'Insider Insights'

  Managing device data efficiently is just as important as securing remote access. With Zoho Assist’s Data Cleanup feature, admins can easily remove outdated or unnecessary device records, keeping the console organized and secure. This action is carried

• Revenue Management: #6 Revenue Recognition in Professional Services Industry

  If you run a consulting firm, agency, or any service-based business, you have a situation where you have signed the contract, maybe even sent the invoice, and have received some initial payments. So, can you consider this as revenue? What if the project

• Zoho fsm scheduled maintenance dispatch

  Hi, I'm reaching out regarding an issue I'm encountering with the Scheduled Maintenance feature in Zoho FSM. I’m trying to configure it so that it automatically dispatches all maintenance jobs scheduled within the next 150 days, starting from today. However,

• zoho.inventory.getRecords returns no records

  I running a custom function (Deluge) in Zoho Flow with a connection to Zoho Inventory. To debug the problem, I created the test function below. It returns "Number of contacts fetched: 0". This confirms that there's no issue with the org ID or connection

• Feature announcement - Simplifying document creation with Zoho Sign

  Hi there, We are pleased to announce the release of our document creation feature, enabling you to create, edit, and finalize documents like agreements, purchase orders, and contracts without relying on external tools or applications. <br> This

• Integrating File Attachments in Zoho Flow Email Notifications

  Hi, I would like to be able to send an email once an entry is made in a form, and in this email, I would like to attach a file that has been added to the form using the ImageUpload (or FileUpload) widget. So, I started by creating a flow that will trigger

• Zoho project purchases

  Hi Folks, I think having a purchase module in projects will help in putting together a project p and L. Project wise purchases and expenses.  Do let me know your thoughts.

• Create Tasklist with Tasklist Template using API v3

  In the old API, we could mention the parameter 'task_template_id' when creating a tasklist via API to apply a tasklist template: https://www.zoho.com/projects/help/rest-api/tasklists-api.html#create-tasklist In API v3 there does not seem to be a way to

• How can I restore all the deleted Time entries of a Task in Zoho Projects

  How can I restore all the deleted Time entries of a Task in Zoho Projects? Query: In Zoho Projects, I cloned a task and deleted the time entries from the cloned task. However, this also deleted the time entries from the original task. How can I restore

• Is there a way to make an account inactive in ZoHo Desk

  We have a few Clients "Accounts" that we no longer do business with. It would be beneficial for them to not show up in lists. However, we want to go back and view tickets, time, etc.

• How to set the value of the Phone field importing contacts in Zoho Desk

  Hi everyone, i'm new in Zoho Desk, we're setting up the environment and i'm importing contacts from another CRM using a file CSV and i'm getting a problem with phone numbers (italian): the leading zero is cut away, also if the value is inside double quotes.

• Set Custom Icon for Custom Modules in new Zoho CRM UI

• Deprecation Notice: OpenAI Assistants API will be shut down on August 26, 2026

  I recieved this email from openAI what does it means for us that are using the integration and what should we do? Earlier this year, we shared our plan to deprecate the Assistants API once the Responses API reached feature parity. With the launch of Conversations,

• How to center a field inside a section?

  I’ve been trying to center a field inside a section in Zoho Canvas. When I align it visually, it looks centered in the editor, but after clicking Save, the field appears misaligned on the actual canvas. I also tried setting the field to full width, but

• Kaizen #192 - Implementing Custom Token Persistence in Python SDK

  Welcome back to another week of Kaizen! Last week, we discussed how to implement Login with Zoho using OAuth 2.0 and saw how to bring it to life in a real-world application with the Zoho CRM Python SDK. We also discussed how Zylker Academy built a custom

• Showing the map along with mileage expense

  When you use the GPS to track mileage, it shows you the map of the actual path travelled. It would be very useful and practical to save that map with the mileage expense, so that when the report is created, it provides a map of each mileage expense associated

• Enable Validation Rule for Multi-Select Picklist Field

  Zoho, Please allow validation rules for multi-select fields.

• File Upload field not showing in workflow

  Hi, I have added a field on Zoho CRM. I want to use it in a workflow where that particular field is updated based on another field, however it is not showing up in the field list to select it in the workflow. Why is this please?

• CRM Custom function updating a module record shows the Super Admin user as the record modifier

  Dear Zoho CRM Team, Is there any way to update this so that when a custom function has updated a record the Super Admin user doesn't become the modifier? This happens on the record as a modifier and shows up in the audit logs. It would be more useful

• Best practice importing items and matching assemblies

  Hi, I was wondering what would be the best practice to import items and composite items (assemblies) From my backup, what should I import first? The items or the composite items? I am on Zoho one, using inventory and books. Kind regards, Sabine

• Best way to fetch employee names from Zoho People into Zoho Creator Inventory Stock Form field Employee Name Lookup

  Hi Team, I have a requirement in my Zoho Creator application (Inventory Stock Adjustment) where I need to fetch employee names from Zoho People and use them as a lookup in a form. Currently, I am considering using an integration field to fetch this data

• get file api is returning Junk data

  I am working on extension development where at one point I need to retrieve attachments on records I found out I can use only invokeconnection and not invokeurl in extension development The invoke connection returns the image in raw binary format. When

• Need help with message box

  End user updates many records at once. Each have unique serial number. They want a confirmation box that says starting number, ending number and qty. Is there any way to do this? I been searching and asking support but seems like no great solution.

• [Webinar] The Transformative Power of Gen BI

  Traditional decision-making tools are no longer enough. The integration of generative AI into business intelligence (BI) is proving to be a true game changer—enabling businesses to make faster, smarter, and better informed decisions. Early adopters of

• Backorder process review - Automating Removal of Sales Order from "On Hold" When PO is Received

  Hello Zoho Inventory Team, Currently, sales orders in On Hold status are released only when the bill for the purchase order is created. In our workflow, it would be much more efficient if the sales order could automatically move out of On Hold as soon

• How to access the saved Query using API?

  I have created a query in setting. Is it possible to access it from a API? What's the endpoint? I tried /v8/queries/important_deals but didnt' work.

• création d'une base de données

  base de donnee d'un lycée

• User Session variables to recall after form submit & redirect to menu

  Hey, Forgive me if this is a simple answer I have overlooked. I have built a big onboarding process for my SAAS platform which is built and managed by an external Dev team. I am hoping to embed my new creator app on the SAAS platform. I have a menu page

• Zoho Writer Merge Template with data from Zoho Analytics Views

  Hello, Is there any way to pull information from Zoho Analytics and put it into a Merge Template? I am trying to create a bulk export of one report that filters on a field to create a single document for each of the filter fields.

• Having to enter bill before stock shows as available.

  Hi, Am I right in thinking you must create a bill from the purchase order receipt before the goods are available for shipping?

• Agent Availability Report

  From data to decisions: A deep dive into ticketing system reports Businesses need to track when their support agents check in and check out from work. This report, titled Agent Availability, is one of the static reports that helps managers track the number

• Writing by Hand in "Write" Notes

  Hi there! I just downloaded this app a few moments ago, and I was wondering if there was a way to write things by hand in "Write" mode instead of just typing in the keyboard. It would make things a bit more efficient for me in this moment. Thanks!

• AI-driven construction analytics using Zoho Projects Plus

  Construction projects thrive on timelines; if a project is completed on or before the expected time, it makes headlines, but if it gets delayed, the company’s credibility will be at risk. Such projects require precise planning and constant monitoring,

• Canadian payroll

  Hello ZOHO, is any updates on when payroll for Canada will be available?

• Unified customer view: Bringing product intelligence into your CRM data

  For businesses today, applications and digital interfaces are the main touch points in the customer journey. While Zoho CRM data already tells who your customers are and what they buy, Zoho Apptics tells you how they interact and engage with your product.

• Zoho Creator SaaS app with multiple client AND multiple users

  I am close to finalizing a Zoho Creator app that will be used by different companies to manage sale info, and each company can have multiple users using the app. Things were going perfectly until I tried a search on a report. I use a database field in each table to separate the data for each company, which works great. BUT when I do a search, I get to see ALL the data. This means that Company A could easily see the data from Companies B and C via the built-in search. Is there a way to set up the

• Project Change Orders and Additions

  We are in the process of migrating from QuickBooks Online to Zoho Books. We have Zoho One and like the ability to sync all of our data across everything. And I like that projects work in a way that's less dumb than QuickBooks. I'm trying to figure out

• Track online, in-office, and client location meetings separately with the new meeting venue option

  Hello everyone! We’re excited to announce meeting enhancements in Zoho CRM that bring more clarity and structure to how meetings are categorized. You can now specify the meeting venue to clearly indicate whether a meeting is being held online, at the

• Possible to send Zoom AI Companion transcripts and summaries to contacts in CRM?

  Title says it all. Is it possible to send Zoom AI Companion transcripts and summaries to contacts in Zoho CRM?

• How do I edit the Calendar Invite notifications for Interviews in Recruit?

  I'm setting up the Zoho Recruit Interview Calendar system but there's some notifications I don't have any control over. I've turned off all Workflows and Automations related to the Calendar Scheduling and it seems that it's the notification that is sent

• Next Page