Map Dependency Fields in Zoho CRM using APIs

Map Dependency Fields in Zoho CRM using APIs

Welcome back to another week of Kaizen!

Over the past few weeks, we have been addressing your questions and feedback shared through our Kaizen 200th feedback form. Thank you for your continued engagement and thoughtful queries. We truly enjoy helping users solve real challenges through these Kaizen series.

This week, we will explore the Map Dependency Fields in Zoho CRM, and how you can configure and manage them using Zoho CRM APIs.



Map dependency fields with a use case

In Zoho CRM, dependency fields are also called picklist dependencies. They create a relationship between two picklist fields. A controlling field is the parent field, and a dependent field is the child field. The option chosen in the parent field decides which options should be shown in the child field. Helps you to make easy data entry and maintain cleaner with only relevant options.

In many businesses, one field’s options depend on another. For example, if your support team tracks Issue Type and Sub-Issue, showing all sub-issues at once lets users select incorrect options. A user might accidentally choose Payment Failed under Login Issue. This results in incorrect data selection and makes confusion in records.

Dependency fields solve this problem by creating a parent-child relationship between two picklist fields.

Let us consider the Support Cases module, where two picklist fields are already created:
  1. Parent Field - Issue Type: The value chosen here determines which options appear in the dependent field.
  2. Child Field - Sub-Issue: The available options change dynamically based on the selected value in the parent field.
Below table shows the picklist fields along with their respective options.

                            Issue Type

                                   Sub-Issue 

Login Issue

Forgot Password, Account Locked, 2FA Not Working
Payment Issue

Credit Card Declined, Refund Not Received, Double Charge

Feature Request

New Integration, UI Enhancement, Report Customization

By mapping these fields, CRM users see only the Sub-Issue values relevant to the selected Issue Type.

Without map dependency

Without configuring a map dependency, the Sub-Issue picklist would always display all available options - regardless of the selected Issue Type. For example, users might see options like Forgot Password, Double Charge, and Report Customization all at once. This can easily confuse users and lead to incorrect selections, such as choosing Double Charge under Login Issue.

With map dependency

With mapping dependencies, you can guide users to make correct selections by showing only the relevant options in the child field based on the option selected in the parent field.

Mapping picklist options in UI

You can map picklist field options directly from the Zoho CRM user interface.
Follow these steps:
  1. Go to Setup → Customization → Modules and Fields.
  2. Select the desired module. In this case, Support Cases.
  3. Click the ⋯ (more) icon next to the module name.
  4. Select Map Dependency Fields.
  5. On the Map Dependency Fields page, click the New button to create a new dependency.
  6. Choose the Parent Field and Child Field you want to map.
  7. Click Next button.


      8. Add option mappings to define which child field options should be shown based on the option selected in the parent field, then Save your configuration.

UI options mapping view

Mapping picklist options via API

Before mapping the options, you must need the following APIs :
  1. Modules Metadata API - To know the API name of the module.
    1. Endpoint: GET - /settings/modules
    2. Here, the API name of the Support Cases module is Support_Cases.
  2. Layouts Metadata API - Since dependencies are layout-specific, this API helps you identify the layout ID and all the available picklist fields for mapping. It also provides detailed metadata such as the layout ID, field IDs, and the corresponding picklist value IDs.
    1. Endpoint: GET /settings/layouts?module=Support_Cases

Create Dependency using the POST Map Dependency

Request URL:  {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/layouts/5725767000007972011/map_dependency?module=Support_Cases

Request Method: POST

Input JSON
Each object in the map_dependency array requires a parent field, a child field, and a pick_list_values array that maps each parent option to its relevant child options.


{

    "map_dependency": [ //Array that contains one or more dependency mappings

        {

            "parent": { // Mandatory - Represents the parent picklist

                "api_name": "Issue_Type", //Mandatory - API name of the parent field

                "id": "5725767000007985243" // Mandatory - Unique ID of the parent picklist

            },

            "pick_list_values": [  //Mandatory - List of parent picklist values and their corresponding child mappings

                {

                    "display_value": "-None-",

                    "maps": [

                        {

                            "display_value": "-None-",

                            "actual_value": "-None-",

                            "id": "5725767000007985204"

                        }

                    ],

                    "actual_value": "-None-",

                    "id": "5725767000007985249"

                },

                {

                    "display_value": "Login Issue",

                    "maps": [

                        {

                            "display_value": "Forgot Password", //Label shown in the UI for the parent value

                            "actual_value": "Forgot Password", //Actual stored value of the parent picklist option

                            "id": "5725767000007985185" //Mandatory - Unique ID of the parent picklist option

                        },

                        {

                            "display_value": "Account Locked",

                            "actual_value": "Account Locked",

                            "id": "5725767000007985187"

                        }

                        

                    ],

                    "actual_value": "Login Issue", //Actual value of the parent field's option

                    "id": "5725767000007985242" //Mandatory - Unique ID of the parent field's option

                },

                {

                    "display_value": "Payment Issue",

                    "maps": [

                        {

                            "display_value": "Credit Card Declined",

                            "actual_value": "Credit Card Declined",

                            "id": "5725767000007985191"

                        },

                        {

                            "display_value": "Refund Not Received",

                            "actual_value": "Refund Not Received",

                            "id": "5725767000007985193"

                        },

                        {

                            "display_value": "Double Charge",

                            "actual_value": "Double Charge",

                            "id": "5725767000007985195"

                        }

                    ],

                    "actual_value": "Payment Issue",

                    "id": "5725767000007985244"

                },

                {

                    "display_value": "Feature Request",

                    "maps": [

                        {

                            "display_value": "New Integration",

                            "actual_value": "New Integration",

                            "id": "5725767000007985197"

                        },

                        {

                            "display_value": "UI Enhancement",

                            "actual_value": "UI Enhancement",

                            "id": "5725767000007985199"

                        },

                        {

                            "display_value": "Report Customization",

                            "actual_value": "Report Customization",

                            "id": "5725767000007985201"

                        }

                    ],

                    "actual_value": "Feature Request",

                    "id": "5725767000007985246"

                }

            ],

            "child": { //Mandatory - Represents the child field

                "api_name": "Sub_Issue", //Mandatory - API name of the child field

                "id": "5725767000007985186" //Mandatory - Child picklist field ID

            }

        }

    ]

} 


Sample Response 

{
    "map_dependency": [
        {
            "code": "SUCCESS",
            "details": {
                "id": "5725767000008174001"
            },
            "message": "map dependency created",
            "status": "success"
        }
    ]
}


Retrieve the configured field mappings using the GET Mapped Dependency Fields API

Request URL:  {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/layouts/5725767000007972011/map_dependency/5725767000008174001?module=Support_Cases

Request Method: GET
Sample Response

{
    "map_dependency": [
        {
            "parent": {
                "api_name": "Issue_Type",
                "id": "5725767000007985243"
            },
            "internal": false,
            "active": true,
            "id": "5725767000008180001",
            "source": 1,
            "category": 0,
            "pick_list_values": [
                {
                    "display_value": "-None-",
                    "maps": [
                        {
                            "display_value": "-None-",
                            "actual_value": "-None-",
                            "id": "5725767000007985204"
                        }
                    ],
                    "actual_value": "-None-",
                    "id": "5725767000007985249"
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "Login Issue",
                    "maps": [
                        {
                            "display_value": "Forgot Password",
                            "actual_value": "Forgot Password",
                            "id": "5725767000007985185"
                        },
                        {
                            "display_value": "Account Locked",
                            "actual_value": "Account Locked",
                            "id": "5725767000007985187"
                        },
                        {
                            "display_value": "2FA Not Working",
                            "actual_value": "2FA Not Working",
                            "id": "5725767000007985189"
                        }
                    ],
                    "actual_value": "Login Issue",
                    "id": "5725767000007985242"
                },
              .
              .
              .
            ],
            "child": {
                "api_name": "Sub_Issue",
                "id": "5725767000007985186"
            }
        }
    ]
}
You will get a JSON structure containing all dependency mappings. Check if your parent and child fields appear as configured.

Update the existing mapped options using the PUT Mapped Dependency Fields API

Request URL:  {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/layouts/5725767000007972011/map_dependency/5725767000008174001?module=Support_Cases

Request Method: PUT

Input JSON

{

    "map_dependency": [

        {

            "parent": {

                "api_name": "Issue_Type",

                "id": "5725767000007985243"

            },

            "pick_list_values": [

                {

                    "display_value": "-None-",

                    "maps": [

                {

                    "display_value": "Login Issue",

                    "maps": [

                        {

                            "display_value": "Forgot Password",

                            "actual_value": "Forgot Password",

                            "id": "5725767000007985185"

                        },

                        {

                            "display_value": "Account Locked",

                            "actual_value": "Account Locked",

                            "id": "5725767000007985187"

                        },

                        { // mapped a new option to the existing mapping

                            "display_value": "2FA Not Working",

                            "actual_value": "2FA Not Working",

                            "id": "5725767000007985189"

                        }

                    ],

                    "actual_value": "Login Issue",

                    "id": "5725767000007985242"

                }

            ],

            "child": {

                "api_name": "Sub_Issue",

                "id": "5725767000007985186"

            }

        }

    ]

}





Delete existing dependency using the DELETE Mapped Dependency Fields API

Request URL:  {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/layouts/5725767000007972011/map_dependency/5725767000008174001?module=Support_Cases

Request Method: DELETE

Sample Response


{
    "map_dependency": [
        {
            "code": "SUCCESS",
            "details": {
                "id": "5725767000008174001"
            },
            "message": "map dependency deleted",
            "status": "success"
        }
    ]
}



Assigning picklist values using the Insert Records API

When you insert a record, you can directly pass the picklist option’s display value (not the ID) in the request body.

Request URL: {api-domain}/crm/v8/{module_api_name}
Request Method: POST

Sample Input 

{

    "data" : [

        {

            "Name" : "Support Case 1",

            "Support_Case" : "Login Issue",

            "Issue_Type" : "Login Issue",

            "Sub_Issue":"Forgot Password"

        }

    ]

}


Note: When creating or updating records via API, CRM does not validate the dependency relationship between parent and child picklist values.
To ensure data consistency and prevent data loss, always use the Get Map Dependency API before creating or updating records and to know correct mappings as well. This helps you retrieve the correct parent–child mappings and pass only valid picklist values in your API requests.

FAQs

Q1. Is the Map Dependency field supported in subforms?

Yes. You can configure dependency mappings for picklist fields within subforms as well. The Map Dependency Fields API supports creating parent–child picklist relationships directly inside a subform. To do this via API, use the subform’s API name as the module name when making the dependency mapping call.
This ensures that the dependency is created specifically for the picklist fields inside that subform, not the main module.

Q2. Can I keep the parent field in the main form and the child field in the subform?

Not currently. As of Zoho CRM API Version 8, cross-level mapping where the parent field is in the main form and the child field is in a subform, or vice versa is not supported neither via the UI nor through the API.

You can only:
  1. Map picklists within the main form, or
  2. Map picklists within the same subform.

Q3. What happens if I delete a picklist value that is part of a dependency?

If you delete a picklist option, the corresponding mapping will be automatically removed from the dependency.


Q4. What happens if I rename a picklist value that is part of a dependency?

If you rename a picklist option, the dependency will be automatically updated with the new option label.



We hope this post helps you learn more on mapping dependency fields in CRM using Zoho CRM APIs. Try it out, and let us know your experience in the comment section or reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com 

Stay tuned for more insights in our upcoming Kaizen posts!
Cheers!

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