Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - March 2024

Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - March 2024



Hello everyone,

In this digest, we've brought you a roundup of the highlights, community discussions, resources, and updates from March to keep you in the loop. Let's get right to it!

March Highlights

Zoho Developer Hangout 13

Zoho CRM offers flexibility for businesses to tailor it precisely according to their unique requirements. However, even the best suits may need a few extra accessories. That's where Zoho Creator steps in. When integrated with Zoho CRM, it extends the platform's capabilities, allowing you to build custom applications, forms, and views, transforming them into custom tabs within the CRM interface. Think of it as the stylish pocket square that completes the look. In this session, our MVP @Damien Cregan provided an introduction to Deluge scripting and its role in creating integrations between Zoho Creator and Zoho CRM. He also delved into the intricacies of fetching records from Creator within CRM and vice versa, as well as creating and updating records in both platforms. Watch the recording here.

Zoho Developer Hangout 14

By serving as gateways for accessing and sharing functionalities and data across applications, APIs empower developers to tap into external resources and services that enrich their applications with enhanced features and solutions. Eric, a consistent top contributor in the Zoho Developer Community, says, "Zoho APIs can be fun to use. For core applications like CRM, Desk, and Books, there is an abundance of API endpoints to use and play with. Whether you are developing in or out of Zoho, there is a lot of commonality." In this episode, he discussed the API documentation, limitations, and gotchas, using the API in Deluge, and then demonstrated a use case outside of Zoho with a Ruby application. Watch the recording here.

Upcoming Events

Note: To stay on top of the upcoming developer community events, keep an eye on this page.
  1. Zoho Developer Community Bootcamps - India: We're excited to announce a line-up of Zoho Developer Community Bootcamps in India. These bootcamps focus on empowering developers of all skill levels to learn and build extensions for Zoho products and potentially monetize them by listing them on Zoho Marketplace. This is a great opportunity to network with fellow developers and Zoho users, interact with Zoho experts, share ideas and experiences, and grow together as a community. Read through the details here and register for the meetup in your city.

  2. Zoho QEngine 101: We are happy to announce Zoho QEngine 101 series for the developer community consisting of five sessions in total. This series aims to enable attendees to create test cases from scratch, manage them under modules, and execute them for three different platforms—web, mobile, and API—using Zoho QEngine. Registration and more details here. We also have the Get to know Zoho QEngine webinar series to enhance your understanding of how to leverage QEngine for efficient application testing, particularly through automation. 

  3. Zoho CRM APIs: In this series, you will learn about OAuth2.0 authorization used by Zoho CRM APIs, CRUD operations for retrieving, creating, updating, and deleting records, efficient search/query methods, data synchronization techniques for consistency across platforms, and working with SDKs for seamless integration of Zoho CRM functionality into applications. Register for this multi-part series and start using developer-centric CRM features like a pro!

  4. Zoho Extensions 101 – Extensions for Zoho Finance Suite: This series offers a comprehensive exploration of developing extensions and widgets for the Zoho Finance suite. Starting with an introduction to Sigma and the Zoho Books platform, subsequent sessions cover creating extensions, testing, publishing, and listing apps in the Zoho Marketplace. Click here for the detailed agenda and registration.

  5. eSignatures with Zoho Sign: Discover how to create legally binding documents and seamlessly integrate Zoho Sign into your website or mobile application using Zoho Sign APIs and SDKs. Join us to learn the importance of integrating a digital signature solution into your website, get a product walkthrough of Zoho Sign, and gain insights into utilizing Zoho Sign's APIs effectively. Register here.

  6. Catalyst Masterclass – Build next-gen bots with NLP capabilities using ConvoKraft: Join us for an exclusive webinar on Catalyst ConvoKraft with industry experts to learn how to build next-gen bots with advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) capabilities. Catalyst ConvoKraft is an open platform on which third-party, non-AI developers can build chatbots. Developers can easily embed bots built on ConvoKraft into their application's front end for end-users to interact with.

  7. Learning Table Series: We designed this series to provide users with valuable insights and knowledge about Creator's capabilities in various business use cases and applications. This year, we have adopted the 12 Months 12 Industries concept. Every month, we will focus on a specific industry, illustrating its unique processes with real-time business scenarios and how to make best use of Creator for that industry. Our recent webinar on Creator for the Logistics Industry was a success, and during the upcoming session, we'll be exploring Creator for the Education Industry.

    Title: Creator For the Education Industry
    Date: May 2, 2024
    APAC & ANZ: 11 AM to 12 PM IST - Registration Link
    EMEA: 4 PM to 5 PM IST - Registration Link
    Americas: 9 PM to 10 PM IST - Registration Link

  8. Creator Tech Connect Series: Creator's tech connect series would comprise 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. We are conducting a three-month series on mobile applications in Zoho Creator. The recently concluded session focused on customizing mobile applications in Zoho Creator, while the upcoming session in the series will be about Rebranding mobile applications in Zoho Creator.

    Title: Rebranding Mobile Applications in Zoho Creator
    Date: May 9, 2024
    APAC & ANZ: 11 AM to 12 PM IST - Registration Link
    EMEA: 4 PM to 5 PM IST - Registration Link
    Americas: 9 PM to 10 PM IST - Registration Link

Resource Spotlight

We've consolidated all the resources from the developer community learning series into a centralized hub for your convenient access. Consider bookmarking the Zoho Developer Community website to stay informed about the latest updates in the developer community.

Community Discussions

Zoho Developer Forum

  • At times, even the tiniest syntax slip-up can be vexing. That's where community support comes through, as members have likely encountered similar challenges. In this instance, @Philip sought assistance on our forum for a WHERE clause issue in a COQL query, and as usual, @Haiku Technical Support swiftly offered helpful tips to guide @Philip and @DataWarehouse.
  • More often than not, minor script glitches can escalate into significant time drains for developers. @Jason's struggle with transferring subform records highlights the frustration such issues can bring. Our MVP @Hugh Marshall's timely intervention not only resolved the problem but also underscored the invaluable support network within the community.
  • @Emmanuel struggled to update a multi-select field in Zoho CRM, prompting other community members to jump into the discussion with similar challenges. @Sunderjan and @Pheranda pitched in with code snippets to help them through their predicaments.
  • Identifying the cause of a problem is key to resolving it, which is precisely what @Hugh Marshall aided in with @Jorge's situation. While attempting to parse an XML file in Zoho CRM, @Jorge Andrés faced challenges in isolating and processing details from the XML, despite exploring different solutions. Go through this conversation to understand how community can be your go-to when you’re stuck in coding conundrums.

Developers ZUG Cliq Channel

Note: These conversations are confined to the Developers ZUG Cliq channel members. If you're keen on becoming a part of this space, please fill in this onboarding form to receive your invitation to join the channel.
  • Does it spark your interest when I say that it's possible to search email ID in Leads and Contacts modules at the same time? Go through this discussion where @Venessa West shares how.
  • @Nhivethasre comes to @Piyush's rescue with the steps involved in publishing his Zoho Creator app on Google Play Store and Apple's App Store. Make sure to bookmark this thread for future reference when you're ready to publish your own app!
  • Our champions Tasha and Puneeth offered step-by-step solution to Fatih in this discussion to fetch data from a website (specifically, YouTube) using Deluge and funnel it into Zoho Desk via an app developed with Zoho Catalyst.
  • Check out this lovely conversation that shows the pros coming together to help each other out with great camaraderie!
  • @Haiku Technical Support helped @Danny save some time by suggesting a more straighforward solution to his requirement, avoiding the need to integrate more products than needed.

Community Spotlight

ZDH Speakers

The contributions of our ZDH presenters have been instrumental in the success of the this segment. We extend our heartfelt appreciation for their efforts.

As a continuation of featuring a ZDH presenter each month, this time, we would like to introduce our ninth presenter Christopher Mowers. Explore this post to discover the knowledge and insights he shared with the community.

Cliq Contributors

The Developers ZUG Cliq channel has consistently served as the primary hub for community members seeking technical assistance and engaging in savvy discussions. Here are our top contributors who have gone the extra mile to support and assist the Zoho Developer Community:



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. 

We appreciate you dedicating your time to peruse this month's digest. Make sure to follow the digest each month for the most recent updates and conversations. Stay connected and participate in the forums to be featured in the upcoming month's digest. Wishing you an amazing month ahead!

SEE ALSO


    • Recent Topics

    • [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

    • Create custom rollup summary fields in Zoho CRM

      Hello everyone, In Zoho CRM, rollup summary fields have been essential tools for summarizing data across related records and enabling users to gain quick insights without having to jump across modules. Previously, only predefined summary functions were

    • 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

    • Posibility to add Emoticons on the Email Subject of Templates

      Hi I´ve tried to add Emoticons on the Subject line of Email templates, the emoticon image does show up before saving the template or if I add the Emoticon while sending an Individual email and placing it manually on the subject line. Emoticons also show

    • Clarity on extended contract status

      Clarity on “extended” status- How does Zoho “extend” a contract?  E.g. if client extends by 1 month, can the “end date” be adjusted accordingly in Zoho and tagged as “Extended” with a clear audit trail that also captures the client’s email? Note- Email

    • Customizing contract status

      Can we customize/add/remove status on Zoho contracts ourselves or does Zoho needs to do this? Context- There is a long list of status on Zoho but not all of them are relevant for us . There are few status which are missing and needs to be added. E.g-

    • Set Custom Business Calendars and Holidays for Global Teams

      Managing a project across diverse teams means accounting for more than just tasks and deadlines; it means acknowledging how and when each team actually works. Users might follow different working days or observe region-specific holidays that cannot be

    • [Integration edition] Deluge learning series - Integrations between Zoho apps and Third-party services with Deluge | 28 August 2025

      We’re excited to welcome you to the Deluge learning series: Integration edition! The Integration edition will run for three months: Session 1 – Integrating Zoho Apps with Deluge using inbuilt integration tasks Session 2 – Integrating Zoho Apps with Deluge

    • Critical Vulnerability in all major password manager plugins - is Zoho Vault affected?

      Hi Zoho, a security researcher found a critical clickjacking vulnerability in all major browser password managers: DOM-based Extension Clickjacking: Your Password Manager Data at Risk | Marek Tóth Is Zoho Vault affected as well? Apparently the Vault extension

    • Introducing SecureForms in Zoho Vault

      Hey everyone, Let’s face it—asking someone to send over a password or other sensitive data is rarely straightforward. You wait. You nudge. You follow up once, twice—maybe more. And when the information finally arrives, it shows up in the worst possible

    • Tables from ZohoSheets remove images when updated from source

      I have a few tables from a ZohoSheet in a ZohoWriter document that will remove the images in the cells when I refresh from the source. The source still has the images in the table when I go to refresh. After updating from the source, as you can see the

    • Change eMail Template for Event-Invitations

      Hello ZOHO-CRM Team How I can change the eMail Template for Event-Invitations? I work with the German Version of the Free Version. I know how I can modify eMail alerts or Signature Templates, but where I can other eMails modify you send out? Thank you for your answer. Regards, Juerg

    • Inventory Adjustments

      Hi, How to transfer the material from one head to another ? Like materials purchased for manufacturing the laptop need to transfer from consumption inventory (Quantity of raw materials reduced) to destination inventory ( Quantity of Laptop increased)

    • Need Your Insights

      Hi Zoho, I'm confused why the flow only sends to one output. setVariable15 is from a list. It doesn't consider the 2nd entry. Any thoughts?

    • Map Dependency Fields - How can can I limit picklist values from a multi-select Parent field?

      I know the "Map Dependency Fields" feature doesn't allow a multi-select parent field. However, I need the functionality. Can I do it through a deluge function, and would it still support color coding picklists? We need the color coding for quick scanning

    • DYK 1 - Color Palette for Enhanced Visual Identification of Status

      Introducing the Did You Know series of posts. The goal of this series is to familiarize users with certain features or enhancements in Zoho Projects that may not be evident at first glance. The first post in this series deals with color palettes for indicating

    • Invalid field in the COQL query

      Dear Zoho Support! I believe that you already helped me with a similar problem a few years ago. One of my clients has a custom field named "LOB" in the "Deals" Module (see the field's metadata below). The COQL query using this field: : "select id, Deal_Name,

    • Automating Employee Birthday Notifications in Zoho Cliq

      Have you ever missed a birthday and felt like the office Grinch? Fear not, the Cliq Developer Platform has got your back! With Zoho Cliq's Schedulers, you can be the office party-cipant who never forgets a single cake, balloon, or awkward rendition of

    • Transferring domain registration to new registrar and switching email hosting at the same time?

      I need to transfer an existing domain uv cure adhesive that's currently with SiteGround to Porkbun. I also need to move the existing custom email addresses from SiteGround to Zoho Mail. I'm not sure if I should transfer the domain first and then tackle

    • Split deposits

      Can Zoho do split deposits. One deposit, two checks for two separate invoices from different customers. This is one of the most common tasks I can imaging. When I mark the two invoices paid, there are two deposits in bank register. When I try to match,

    • Feedback: Streamlining Note Management in Zoho Notebook

      Dear Team/Support, I would like to share some feedback regarding the note management system that could help improve usability and accessibility for users like myself. Notebook 1 (screenshot attached): Currently, the system does not allow selecting and

    • Deactivate Desk Contact without Deleting Contat

      We have a client who has multiple tenants for regulatory purposes, and as such, has a few users that have email addresses in both tenants. They've then emailed into the ticketing system, so we have multiple contacts (no big deal, we want to keep their

    • Delete my store of Zoho commerce

      Hi Team, I want to delete my stores of commerce. Please help me asap. Looking for the positive response soon. Thanks Shubham Chauhan Mob: +91-9761872650

    • Ability to add VAT to Retainer Invoices

      Hello, I've had a telephone conversation a month ago with Dinesh on this topic and my request to allow for the addition of VAT on Retainer Invoices.  It's currently not possible to add VAT to Retainer Invoices and it was mutually agreed that there is absolutely no reason why there shouldn't be, especially as TAX LAW makes VAT mandatory on each invoice in Europe!   So basically, what i'm saying is that if you don't allow us to add VAT to Retainer Invoices, than the whole Retainer Invoices becomes

    • [Free Webinar] Learning Table Series - Zoho Creator for Asset Management with AI Enhancements

      Hello Everyone! We’re excited to invite you to another edition of Learning Table Series, where we showcase how Zoho Creator empowers industries with innovative and automated solutions. Each month highlights a specific sector, and this time our focus is

    • Next Page