As we step into the new year, let’s reflect on the strides we’ve made together and gear up for the exciting opportunities 2025 holds. This month’s digest highlights key updates, engaging discussions, and upcoming events designed to keep you informed and empowered in your development journey. Let's dive right in!
Upcoming Events
ZDK CLI (Zoho Development Kit Command Line Interface)
Date: Jan 16 | Feb 6 | Feb 27 | Mar 20 | Apr 10
Time: 10:00 AM IST & 8:00 PM IST (GMT+5:30)
Managing metadata in Zoho CRM shouldn’t feel like navigating a maze. Yet, the endless clicks to modify profiles, roles, modules, or layouts—and the challenges of version control—can quickly become overwhelming. What if you could skip the hassle and manage your metadata effortlessly? Introducing ZDK CLI—your one-stop solution for streamlining metadata modifications, pushing changes directly from the command line, and tracking updates seamlessly with your preferred Version Control System (VCS). Register now and join this five-session virtual learning series to discover how to take control of your CRM workflow with ZDK CLI. Creator Tech Connect
Title: Building Intuitive UI/UX with HTML & ZML in Zoho Creator
Date: January 16, 2025
Creator's tech connect series comprises of technical sessions that provide immersive training on the key essentials and technical nuances of building a solution in Zoho Creator. This is a great opportunity for our developer community to stay informed about Creator's new feature releases, product roadmap, best practices to follow while scripting in deluge, new deluge concepts, and cloud functions. In our previous session, we discussed the most recent improvements and updates in the Zoho Creator product release. In the upcoming session, we will explore how to leverage HTML and ZML to build custom and dynamic UI/UX in Zoho Creator.
Get to know Zoho Deluge:
Title: Get to know Zoho Deluge series
Dates: January 28–30, 2025
To help users unlock the potential of Deluge, we’ve launched the Get to Know Deluge series. This program serves as an introduction to Deluge's foundational concepts while offering a glimpse into its advanced capabilities. This three-day series is designed to help participants understand the capabilities of Deluge and learn how to apply them effectively in their operations. By the end of the series, we believe participants will gain a strong understanding of Deluge’s purpose, its role across Zoho products, and its basic concepts, setting the stage for mastering its advanced features.
Resource Spotlight

We've consolidated all the resources from the developer community learning series into a centralized hub for your convenient access. Consider bookmarking our Zoho Developer Community website to stay informed about the latest updates in the developer community. - Zoho CRM Developer Updates:
- Zoho CRM: Here are big updates and enhancements in Zoho CRM in Q4 to give you a head start on putting them into action for your business and improving your operations. This way, you can close out a great year and start the next one on the right foot!
- Zoho Forms: For businesses, every minute saved during data collection can mean more time for innovation and growth. Let’s explore how Zoho Forms’ new Dynamic Prefilling with Webhooks works, its benefits, and real-world applications that can transform your data collection process in this blog.
- Zoho RPA: We're thrilled to announce the official launch of Zoho RPA—robotic process automation software designed to revolutionize automation in businesses of all sizes. In today's fast-paced digital landscape, day-to-day manual tasks can be a bottleneck to progress. This is where Zoho RPA steps in, offering comprehensive suite automation solutions to meet diverse needs.
- Zoho Sign & Bigin Integration: Introducing Zoho Sign integration for Bigin where businesses can sign, send, and manage their contracts within the CRM itself, unifying all the customer-facing operations in a single tab.
- Zoho SalesIQ: With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, chatbots are not just tools for customer service; they are transforming the entire customer experience landscape and improving business efficiency. Explore the top benefits of chatbots for businesses and customers in detail on this blog.
- Zoho Cliq Developer Platform: While we're on the subject, let's discover how Zoho Cliq's developer platform can help you build a customer support automation tool that fosters customer satisfaction and streamlines workflows for effective customer management.
- Zoho Directory – Always Verify #06: We're wrapping up 2024 with the best identity and access management stories from across the interwebz with the December edition of Always Verify. This is your security briefing for the year & you can expect to learn why hackers love holidays and how to get ahead of them, new Microsoft 365 account deactivation errors, why it's finally time to move away using SMS based MFA. While this newsletter has a lot of cyber security advice on how to prepare for the end of the year, we are sure it will be helpful all-year round.
Community Discussions
Zoho Developer Forum
Developers ZUG Cliq Channel

These conversations are confined to the Developers ZUG Cliq channel members. If you're keen on becoming a part of this space, visit our website, click BE PART OF COMMUNITY and complete the form to get an invite to the channel. - Maintaining redundant code snippets can be a huge pain. Thankfully, Zoho CRM has a feature to reduce unnecessary code redundancy. Check out this conversation where Mike suggests the same to Morgan, which will now save @Morgan from a ton of headaches in the future!
- Sometimes, the tiniest bugs take the most time to squash. And what can make all the difference is an extra set of eyes, which is the essence of the Developers ZUG Cliq channel. Check out this conversation where @Ryan faced a deal-breaking but microscopic issue, and all it took was for him to post it in the Cliq channel for another community member to fix!
- So far, we've seen a number of examples how the Developers ZUG Cliq channel enables Zoho developers to squash bugs faced by someone else on the other side of the globe. At times, that's not enough, and we'll have to bring out the big guns. Check out this conversation where @Pablo uses AI to solve @Jason's data-type conversion issue.
- While the Cliq channel is for Zoho developers, not all issues faced by the community are coding-related. Since Zoho's services can be better than those of its competitors, many like @Shantanu prefer switching ecosystems. But not all such big jobs need to be complicated! Check out this conversation where @Subhash suggests he try one of Zoho's migration tools! You too might need it in the future ;)
Community Spotlight
ZDH Speakers
Cliq Contributors
We want to express our sincere appreciation to all our community contributors. Your commitment, expertise, and the time you invest are invaluable to the community.
For those who are new to the Zoho Developer Community, check out this post to get started.
Make sure to follow the digest every month for the most recent updates and conversations. Stay connected and participate in the forums and the Cliq channel to be featured in the upcoming month's digest. Wishing you all a very happy new year and an amazing month ahead!
SEE ALSO
Recent Topics
Introducing Assemblies and Kits in Zoho Inventory
Hello customers, We’re excited to share a major revamp to Zoho Inventory that brings both clarity and flexibility to your inventory management experience! Presenting Assemblies and Kits We’re thrilled to introduce Assemblies and Kits, which replaces the
Does the ability exist to make tax on the customer profile mandatory?
I am reaching out to inquire about the possibility of making the "Customer Tax" field mandatory when creating a new customer in Zoho. We want to ensure that all customers have their tax information recorded to maintain compliance with our internal processes.
email association with CRM
Why is it 2024 (almost 2025) and Zoho has not figured out how to integrate email with CRM? It is so inconsistent at associating emails within CRM. I am an attorney. I have clients and work with other attorneys. Attorney John Doe is associated with multiple
Fix the speed
It takes ages to load on every step even though my dataset is quite small.
Credit Note for Shipped and Fatoora pushed invoices
We have shipped a Sales Order and created an Invoice. The Invoice is also pushed to Fatoora Now we need to create a credit note for the invoice When we try it, it says we need to create a Sales Return in the Zoho Books, we have already created a Sales
FSM - Timesheet entires for Internal Work
Hi FSM Team, Several of my clients have asked how they can manage internal timesheets within Zoho FSM. Since their technicians already spend most of their day working in FSM, it would be ideal if they could log all working hours directly in the FSM app.
Add a way of clearing fields values in Flow actions
It would be great if there was an option to set a field as Null when creating flows. I had an instance today where I just wanted to clear a long integer field in the CRM based on an action in Projects but I had to write a custom function. It would be
Role Management
I am creating an analytics dashboard for a company that will be utilized by its various departments such as Finance, Marketing, and HR. My goal is to design the dashboard with separate tabs for each department. Additionally, I plan to implement role-based
Highlight a candidate who is "off limits"
Hello: Is there a way to highlight a candidate who is "off limits"? I would like to have the ability to make certain candidate and / or Client records highlighted in RED or something like that. This would be used for example when we may have placed a candidate somewhere and we want everyone in our company to quickly and easily see that they are off limits. The same would apply when we want to put a client or former client off limits so no one recruits out of there. How can this be done? Cheers,
Announcing new features in Trident for Windows (v.1.37.5.0)
Hello Community! Trident for Windows just received a major update, with a range of capabilities that strengthen email security and enhance communication. This update focuses on making your mailbox safer and your overall email experience more reliable.
Early Payment Discount customize Text
Hi, I’m currently using Zoho Books and am trying to customize the standard “Early Payment Discount” message that appears in the PDF invoice template. I’ve reviewed the documentation here: https://www.zoho.com/books/help/invoice/early-payment-discount.html
Deprecation of SMS-based multi-factor authentication (MFA) mode
Overview of SMS-based OTP MFA mode The SMS-based OTP MFA method involves the delivery of a one-time password to a user's mobile phone via SMS. The user receives the OTP on their mobile phone and enters it to sign into their account. SMS-based OTPs offer
Zoho Sheet - Desktop App or Offline
Since Zoho Docs is now available as a desktop app and offline, when is a realistic ETA for Sheet to have the same functionality?I am surprised this was not laucned at the same time as Docs.
DKIM Now Mandatory - Changes to Zoho Forms Email Policies
Hello Zoho Forms Users, This post is to inform you about an important update regarding the authentication of all email domains in your Zoho Forms account. This year, we are doubling down on our commitment to deliver a secure, seamless, and empowering
Call description in notes
When completing a call, we type in the result of the call in the description. However, that does not show up under the notes history on the contact. We want to be able to see all the calls that have taken place for a contact wihtout having to go into
Email Address for Contact not Populating
When I click "Send Mail" from a Contact's page, their email address does not auto populate the "To" field. How do I make this happen?
New in CRM: Dynamic filters for lookup fields
Last modified on Oct 28, 2024: This feature was initially available only through Early Access upon request. It is now available to all users across all data centers, except for the IN DC. Users in the IN DC can temporarily request access using this form
Why hybrid project management might be the best fit for you?
Project management techniques are designed to equip teams with proven methods for easy and efficient project execution. While management teams may have apprehensions about adopting the hybrid method of project management, we’ve compiled the top reasons
Allow all Company Users to view all projects, but only owner/admins can change projects
I was wondering if there was a permission setting I could adjust to allow all our company users to see all projects created. Then, only the project owners and admins with the change permission. Thanks
Fail to send Email by deluge
Hi, today I gonna update some email include details in deluge, while this msg pops up and restrict me to save but my rules has run for one year. can you tell me how to use one of our admin account or super admin account to send the email? I tried to update
Seeking help to be able to search on all custom functions that are defined
Hello I have a lot of custom functions defined (around 200) and i would like to search some specific strings in the content of those. Is there a way to accomplish that? If not, is there a way to download all existing custom functions in some files locally
Totals for Sales Tax Report
On the sales tax report, the column totals aren't shown for any column other than Total Tax. I can't think of a good reason that they shouldn't be included for the other columns, as well. It would help me with my returns, for sure. It seems ludicrous
Add Bulk Section / Grid Layout Duplicate Feature in Zoho Forms Builder
Currently in Zoho Forms, users can only duplicate individual fields. There is no option to duplicate an entire section or two-column/grid layout with all internal fields. This becomes inefficient when building structured forms such as Family Details,
Leistungsdatum in Rechnungen (Zoho Books)
Hallo, ist es irgendwie möglich den Leistungszeitraum in der Rechnung aufzuführen? Beste Grüße Aleks
Zoho Trident Windows - Streams Not Visible
Namaste We’re having an issue with Streams not being visible in Trident (Windows), which is important for us as we share many emails internally. It appears that the feature to show Streams above the Inbox folder, as seen in the default mailbox view, is
Sales IQ Chat Widget is Only Displaying Last Name
Can anyone suggest why the widget is only displaying "last name"?! We have the latest version of the wordpress plugin installed. Thanks Thanks!
Shopify - Item sync from Zoho Inventory
Hi team, We’ve connected Shopify with Zoho Inventory. We want that when an item is created in Zoho Inventory, it must create a product in Shopify. But currently, new items created in Zoho Inventory are not getting created in Shopify even after clicking
Bulk upload image option in Zoho Commerce
I dont know if I am not looking into it properly but is there no option to bulk upload images along with the products? Like after you upload the products, I will have to upload images one by one again? Can someone help me out here? And what should I enter
Is it possible to setup bin locations WITHOUT mandating batch tracking?
Hi fellow zoho users, I'm wondering if anyone else has a similar issue to me? I only have some products batch tracked (items with shelf life expiry dates) but I am trying to setup bin locations for my entire inventory so we can do stock counting easier.
Kill zoho meeting
Saying the quiet part out loud. Can zoho please just give up on the idea that they can make a meeting platform and just make our workplace licenses cheaper when you remove it so people can switch to zoom or teams. Tired of the excuses, you guys cant make
Utilisation de Zoho en conformité avec l’article 286 du Code général des impôts (CGI)
Cher(e) client(e), Conformément à l’article 286 du Code général des impôts (CGI) impose aux entreprises assujetties à la TVA d’utiliser des systèmes de caisse ou de gestion commerciale certifiés lorsqu’elles enregistrent des ventes à des particuliers.
Unable to Create Task as a Support Administrator
Hello! I want to ask for help regarding creating tasks within the tickets. I am by default the Support Admin. I should be able to create tasks or activities right? But there's a prompt that I need to contact the Administrator. See photos for reference.
Introducing Forms in Zoho Sheet
We hereby bring you the power of forms in Zoho Sheet. Now, build and create your own customized forms using Zoho Sheet. Be it compiling a questionnaire or rolling out a survey, Zoho Sheet can do it all for you. Forms is an excellent feature that helps you collect information in the simplest of ways and having it in Zoho Sheet takes it a notch higher. Build Simple yet Powerful forms Building forms using Zoho Sheet is fairly simple. The exclusive 'Form' tab lets you create one quickly. Whether you
Layout one survey question in a time & redirect next Page based on previous response
I have doubt while, I am scripting survey on the Zoho where I redirecting to next page based on my previous response but didn’t get success on this. Please help me on this and tell me how I layout one survey questions in a time when I submit response
Zoho Bookings form pre-filled with Zoho Forms in
Hi, I've got a contact page on my website and I'd like to have the option to book an appointment (redirected to zoho bookings page) after an option is submitted on the contact form. how would I go about doing this? thanks
Support “Other” Option with Free Text in Dropdown Fields
Hello Zoho Bookings Team, Greetings, We would like to request an enhancement to the registration form fields in Zoho Bookings, specifically for dropdown fields. Current Limitation: At the moment, dropdown fields do not support an “Other” option that allows
Sending automated messages that appear in the ticket's conversation thread
Good morning, esteemed Zoho Desk community, warm greetings Today I am here to raise the following problem, seeking a solution that I can implement: I need to implement an automation that allows me to send reminder messages to customers when I am waiting
Introducing parent-child ticketing in Zoho Desk [Early access]
Hello Zoho Desk users! We have introduced the parent-child ticketing system to help customer service teams ensure efficient resolution of issues involving multiple, related tickets. You can now combine repetitive and interconnected tickets into parent-child
Please verify my account
Hi, We have just launched our website and received media coverage in our country. Hundreds of users are signing up for our platform every day. We would like to send them a welcome email, but we are unable to do so because our ZeptoMail account has not
Payment Card or Identity form-fill from Vault?
Hello! I'm working on replacing Bitwarden with Vault and one issue I've run into is that I can't find any option to fill address and payment forms from Payment Card or Identity info that has been saved in Vault. Is there a way to do this? Is it a planned
Next Page