Kaizen #108 - Integrating Third Party Application with Zoho CRM using Java SDK
Hello, everyone! Welcome to another Kaizen week. In this post, we will discuss how third-party applications can integrate with Zoho CRM using Java SDK 5.0.
Use case
Zylker is a real-estate app which can integrate with any CRM vendor and uses that data for it's use-cases. Zylker uses Java for the backend server code. Now they want to integrate with Zoho CRM. How will they do it? Those users could be in different Zoho data centers like Europe (.eu), USA(.com), India(.in), Australia(.com.au) etc. With Zoho CRM's Java SDK 5.0, which consumes Zoho CRM v5 APIs, we can to do authorization and establish this integration. Zylker will write one common code and it should be usable for any CRM orgs across all DCs.
Java SDK Project dependency
Include the Java dependency using either Maven or Gradle. The maven dependency is as below:
<repositories> <repository> <id>zohocrmsdk-5-0</id> </repository> </repositories> <dependencies> <dependency> <groupId>com.zoho.crm</groupId> <artifactId>zohocrmsdk-5-0</artifactId> <version>4.0.0</version> </dependency> </dependencies> |
If you are not using Maven or Gradle, please include the Zoho CRM Java SDK JAR and dependant JARs directly into the Java build path.
Setting up the OAuth client
Create a Server-based Application in the corresponding API console page (https://www.zohoapis.{com/in/eu/com.au}). Enable "Multi-DC" under Settings of the app. Choose "Use the same OAuth credentials for all data centers". With this, you can use the same client ID, client secret, and redirect URI to authorize any Zoho account in any data center. Please refer to our previous posts to know more about domains and environments [Part -1] and [Part - 2].
Integrating the client with your application
In Zylker's web UI, there will be an option to integrate with Zoho CRM. The integration can be initiated from a link or a button containing the authorization URL, along with the corresponding client ID, state, redirect URI, and OAuth scopes. Once the user clicks on this link/button and completes the OAuth authorization process on Zoho, they will be redirected to the specified redirect URI with HTTP parameters location, code, accounts server, and state. These parameters can be utilized within the Java code logic of the redirect URI to begin using the Zoho CRM Java SDK.
The codes used in this post are hosted here for reference. We will focus on two distinct steps as mentioned below, for Zylker integration with Zoho CRM using Java SDK.
1. Authorize with Zoho CRM
2. Fetching data from Zoho CRM
1. Authorize with Zoho CRM
The aim of this step is to connect with the user's Zoho CRM and store the token details such as refresh token, access token and expiry time in the preferred datastore like MySQL, pgSQL etc. Once the user lands on the redirect URI after the OAuth2.0 authorization, we can extract the email of the logged-in user from zylker.com cookies. We also obtain the grant token and location from the redirect_uri of the authorization request. We pass these three values to the below integrateZohoCRM() function. This function takes care of creating a token for the connected Zoho CRM account and persisting it in the preferred datastore.
public static Boolean integrateZohoCRM(String location, String grant_token, String user_email) { Boolean integrationStatus = Boolean.FALSE; try { Environment environment = DataCenter.get(location); OAuthToken userToken = new OAuthToken.Builder() .clientID(OAuthClientDetails.CLIENT_ID) .clientSecret(OAuthClientDetails.CLIENT_SECRET) .grantToken(grant_token) .redirectURL(OAuthClientDetails.REDIRECT_URL) .userSignature(new UserSignature(user_email)) //email of the user who is trying to integrate with Zoho CRM .build(); new Initializer.Builder().environment(environment).token(userToken).initialize(); integrationStatus = Boolean.TRUE; } catch (SDKException e) { e.printStackTrace(); } catch (Exception e) { e.printStackTrace(); } return integrationStatus; } |
OAuthToken.Builder() creates a new instance of the builder for the OAuthToken class. It allows you to conveniently set up the necessary details for creating an OAuth token for authentication purposes. On passing the client ID, client secret, grant token, redirect URL, and user signature to the OAuthToken.Builder() method, we get the userToken object. One more important thing to note is that we have set the user signature as .userSignature(new UserSignature(user_email)) . This means that we are referring to the token uniquely by the email id of the logged-in Zylker user. The same signature should be used for any further operation to be done in Zoho CRM on behalf of this user.
Now that we have the OAuthToken object, we can send it to the Initializer class (as shown below) to create the refresh/access tokens and persist it.
new Initializer.Builder().environment(environment).token(userToken).initialize(); |
As we haven't mentioned anything about where to do the persistence, by default the token details are persisted in a file named 'sdk_tokens.txt' using File Persistence. The content of the file would look like the following:
"id","user_name","client_id","client_secret","refresh_token","access_token","grant_token","expiry_time","redirect_url","api_domain" //Do not clear this default format, or else you will need to generate a grant token again in order to run the program. "1","patricia@gmail.com","1000.xxxxx","xxxxxx","1000.xxxxxx.xxxx","1000.xxxxxxxxx.xxxxxxx","1000.xxxxxxxxx.xxxxxxx","1697370902510","https://www.zoho.com","https://www.zohoapis.com" |
Apart from File Persistence, tokens can be persisted using Database persistence or Custom persistence.
Note
When Zoho introduces a new DC in future, it will be enough to update the project with the latest version of Zoho CRM Java SDK 5.0 and no further code change will be required.
2. Fetching data from ZohoCRM
Once the integration is done, we can create OAuthToken with the user's email as UserSignature and call Zoho CRM Java SDK function. This will fetch the data specific to the user. The following fetchCRMData() function is a sample to fetch data from Zoho CRM.
public static void fetchCRMData(String email) throws Exception { OAuthToken userToken1 = new OAuthToken.Builder() .userSignature(new UserSignature(email)) .build(); new Initializer.Builder().token(userToken1).initialize(); RecordOperations ro = new RecordOperations(); ParameterMap paramInstance = new ParameterMap(); List < String > fieldNames = new ArrayList < > (Arrays.asList("Company", "Email")); paramInstance.add(RecordOperations.GetRecordsParam.FIELDS, String.join(",", fieldNames)); @SuppressWarnings("rawtypes") APIResponse response = ro.getRecords("Leads", paramInstance, null); . . . } |
In this example, we use the SDK's RecordOperations() for retrieving records from the Leads module. This is done in the following steps:
- A new instance of RecordOperations is being created and assigned to the variable ro. This object handles operations related to records in Zoho CRM.
- ParameterMap instance is used to specify request parameters for the API calls. We can fetch the Company and the Email fields from the Leads module by passing them as the FIELDS parameter.
- We use the getRecords() method to make the API request via SDK, which fetches the respective CRM data.
We hope you found this post useful and interesting. Stay tuned for more exciting posts.
Previous Kaizen Post : #107 Field Trackers in Zoho CRM
For more topics on Kaizen, please refer to our Kaizen collection here.
Access your files securely from anywhere
Centralize Knowledge. Transform Learning.
All-in-one knowledge management and training platform for your employees and customers.
New to Zoho Recruit?
Zoho Developer Community
New to Zoho LandingPage?
Zoho LandingPage Resources
New to Zoho Survey?
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Bigin?
Topic Participants
Subramanian K
Sticky Posts
Kaizen #198: Using Client Script for Custom Validation in Blueprint
Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – 1 More to the Big Two-Oh-Oh! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.Kaizen #226: Using ZRC in Client Script
Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. In today's post, lets see what is ZRC (Zoho Request Client) and how we can use ZRC methods in Client Script to get inputs from a Salesperson and update the Lead status with a single button click. In thisKaizen #222 - Client Script Support for Notes Related List
Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. The final Kaizen post of the year 2025 is here! With the new Client Script support for the Notes Related List, you can validate, enrich, and manage notes across modules. In this post, we’ll explore howKaizen #217 - Actions APIs : Tasks
Welcome to another week of Kaizen! In last week's post we discussed Email Notifications APIs which act as the link between your Workflow automations and you. We have discussed how Zylker Cloud Services uses Email Notifications API in their custom dashboard.Kaizen #216 - Actions APIs : Email Notifications
Welcome to another week of Kaizen! For the last three weeks, we have been discussing Zylker's workflows. We successfully updated a dormant workflow, built a new one from the ground up and more. But our work is not finished—these automated processes are
New to Zoho TeamInbox?
Zoho TeamInbox Resources
Zoho CRM Plus Resources
Zoho Books Resources
Zoho Subscriptions Resources
Zoho Projects Resources
Zoho Sprints Resources
Qntrl Resources
Zoho Creator Resources
Zoho CRM Resources
Design. Discuss. Deliver.
Zoho Show Resources
Get Started. Write Away!
Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.
Zoho CRM コンテンツ
-
オンラインヘルプ
-
Webセミナー
-
機能活用動画
-
よくある質問
-
Ebook
-
-
Zoho Campaigns
- Zoho サービスのWebセミナー
その他のサービス コンテンツ
Nederlandse Hulpbronnen
ご検討中の方
Recent Topics
CRM x WorkDrive: We're rolling out the WorkDrive-powered file storage experience for existing users
Release plan: Gradual rollout to customers without file storage add-ons, in this order: 1. Standalone CRM 2. CRM Plus and Zoho One DCs: All | Editions: All Available now for: - Standalone CRM accounts in Free and Standard editions without file storagePromote a layout to standard so I can delete one layout
Similar to this and many other topics: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/set-layout-as-standard The problem, every model has a standard layout, which is what we use most of the time... But as the business grows and evolves we may have toAdding VENDOR SKU to PURCHASE ORDERS
how can we add the Vendor SKU when issuing a Purchase Order , so the PO shows the Supplier SKU and our own Internal SKU , which is what we want to receive into the system .Can Zia summarize fields?
A great use case of AI for me would be summarizing company descriptions. We often get long winded descriptions from databases or scraping websites, then reduce them to a couple of sentences stating what a company actually does. Is there any way withinZoho Recruit Community Meet-up - India (Venues Finalised)
Zoho Recruit Community Meet-up - India (Venues Finalised) Namaste, India. 🙏🏼 The Zoho Recruit team is hitting the road—and we're absolutely excited behind the scenes. Join us for the Zoho Recruit India Meet-up 2026, a morning designed to make your recruiting[Webinar] Solving business challenges: Secure, real-time, and external collaboration
Hi Zoho Writer users, We are excited to announce Zoho Writer's webinar for March 2026: Solving business challenges: Secure, real-time, and external collaboration. Zoho Writer supports real-time collaboration by allowing teams to work together in documents.Table dimensions
I try changing the dimensions of the table on my computer but it doesn't change. Do I have to be a premium member or does it only work on the app?Zoho CRM Community Digest - January 2026 | Part 2
Hello Everyone! Here’s the second part of January’s Zoho CRM Community Digest, rounding up the remaining highlights from the month. From newly rolled out updates to thoughtful implementation questions and practical solutions, the community once againFind and Merge Duplicates to trigger webhook
My sales team uses the Find and Merge Duplicates feature often to cleanup records in the CRM. We use webhooks to signal to our internal tools database when new Contacts are created, updated, or deleted, in order to keep our DB in sync with Zoho CRM. However,Introducing WhatsApp integration and quick editing capabilities in Zoho Sign
Hi there, Zoho Sign already helps users collect signatures via email and SMS, and we're happy to announce that you can now send documents and authenticate recipients right through WhatsApp. Some of the key benefits include: Communication with recipientsDynamic Field Folders in OneDrive
Hi, With the 2 options today we have either a Dynamic Parent Folder and lots of attachments all in that one folder with only the ability to set the file name (Which is also not incremented so if I upload 5 photos to one field they are all named the sameLogging Out of FSM
I have tried to log out of FSM app of the last person and it will not let me do so. I need to log in to my account.Manage Every Customer Conversation from Every Channel inside Zoho SalesIQ
Your customers message you from everywhere. But are you really able to track, manage, and follow through on every conversation, without missing anything? With interactions coming in from websites, mobile apps, and messaging platforms like WhatsApp andSuper Admin Logging in as another User
How can a Super Admin login as another user. For example, I have a sales rep that is having issues with their Accounts and I want to view their Zoho Account with out having to do a GTM and sharing screens. Moderation Update (8th Aug 2025): We are workingEnhancement in Zoho CRM: Control who gets to participate in a forecast by customizing the user hierarchy
Include only users from the sales function; exclude the rest Dear Customers, We hope you're well! We started this year with a series of exciting enhancements to Zoho CRM and to this list, we are thrilled to add an enhancement to forecasting. Let's talkMultiple Zoho One accounts
Hello. I'm searching for a solution to run multiple organizations under 1 Zoho One account or have a different Zoho One account for each organization and still be able to easily login to each. Currently Zoho One doesn't allow the same email address toTips and tricks #63: Hold and Drag to select elements in the Show app for iOS
Hello everyone! Welcome to another tips and tricks article. In today's article, we will learn about the Hold and Drag function in the Show app for iOS. The Hold and Drag option lets you select multiple elements on a slide quickly. Once they are selected,Organize and manage PDFs with Zoho PDF Editor's dashboard
Hello users, Zoho PDF Editor's dashboard is a one-stop place to upload, sort, share PDF files, and more. This article will explore the various capabilities that Zoho PDF Editor's dashboard offers. A few highlights of Zoho PDF Editor's dashboard: UploadPossible to generate/download Quote PDF using REST API?
See title. Is there any way after a quote has been created to export to a PDF using a specified template and then download it? Seems like something that should be doable. Is this not supported in the API v2.0?Free Webinar - AI for email: Helpful or Hype?
Hello, Zoho Mail community! 👋 We're kicking things off with a webinar you won't want to miss—and yes, we're going there: Is AI in email actually useful, or is it all hype? In this session, two of our experts will have an open, no-fluff conversation aboutBalancing access, security, and productivity with Email Policy
An organization typically includes multiple user groups, such as leadership, sales, and support, each with different email usage patterns and security needs. Administrators must balance flexibility and control, thereby ensuring email usage aligns withIs it possible to update multiple work items at once?
Hi, Is it possible to update the statuses/release tags of multiple work items at once? I came across this thread that says it's not possible at the moment, but it was related to the Sprints mobile app. Does this feature not exist in the website as well?See Every IM Conversation as It Happens
Instant messaging moves fast. Customers expect quick replies and smooth conversations across WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, and live chat. But without real-time visibility, small issues become big problems. A session stays open longer than expected. ARelease Notes | January 2026
We have rolled out a set of powerful new enhancements across Zoho Vertical Studio that bring several long-awaited capabilities to your applications. These updates focus on deeper customization, smarter automation, better reporting, and improved usabilityProduct Request: Send email to Secondary email
Guys, we should be able to send the campaign to the secondary email too. Is this on the plans for Zoho Campaign? It looks like I can map the secondary email from the CRM to the Campaigs, but can not send the message.Franchise
Is there a solution of how to organize global franchise organisations?Recording overpayment?
So a customer just overpaid me and how do I record this? I can't enter an amount that is higher than the invoice amount. Eg. Invoice is $195 and he sent $200. He's a reccuring customer so is there a way to record so that he has a $5 advance for future invoice?Holidays
Hi; For defining Holidays, you need to add logic to handle the year as well as the month & day. We need to be able to enter Holidays for the next year. I need to add a holiday for January 2, 2017, but I can't until January 1st, which is a Sunday and weComposite Product (kit) - Dynamic Pricing
I am setting up Composite Products for item kits that I sell. I also sell the items from the kit individually. Problem is when pricing changes on an individual part, the Composite Product price does not change meaning when the cost of item # 2 in theUrgent: Slow Loading Issue on Zoho Commerce Website
Dear Zoho Support Team, I am experiencing slow loading times on my Zoho Commerce website, which is affecting its performance and user experience. The issue persists across different devices and networks. Could you please investigate this matter and provideNeed help with importing expenses
I'm using the template downloaded from the application. When I try to import my expenses, I get the message: Duplicate entry in the Expense Date column. Ensure it contains unique values. None of the rows will import. There are duplicate dates, but theySearch not working!
I have items in my notebook tagged but when I search for a tag nothing comes up! Any fix for this?ERROR CODE :550 - 550 5.1.1 Invalid email recipients
This message was created automatically by mail delivery software. A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its recipients. This is a permanent error. mustafa.ashraf@techlink-eg.net, ERROR CODE :550 - 550 5.1.1 Invalid email recipientsWhat's New in Zoho POS - February 2026
Hello everyone, Welcome to Zoho POS’s monthly updates, where we share our latest feature updates, enhancements, events, and more. Let’s take a look at how February went. Purchase and sell items on different units We have introduced a unit conversion functionalityCan i integrate bigin with google voice?
I make all my calling through google voice to seprate my personal line from business. I want to log my calls with customers automatically but i domt see anywhere where i can do that. Any help? Im pretty sure i wont be able to. SadPOP/SMTP access authentication failed
I am unable to log setup outlook for my zoho mail account. I am using these settings poppro.zoho.com port 995 SSL smtp.zoho.com port 587(tls)/465(ssl) username/password works on mail.zoho.com but not with POP access. Can you help?Our Review Of Zoho CRM after 60 Days
The purpose of this is to just share with Zoho why I love their product, but ultimately why I could not choose Zoho CRM for our next CRM. About two months ago we begun a CRM exploration process for our financial planning firm, based in Texas. We alreadyError AS101 when adding new email alias
Hi, I am trying to add apple@(mydomain).com The error AS101 is shown while I try to add the alias.This domain is not allowed to add. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details
I am trying to setup the free version of Zoho Mail. When I tried to add my domain, theselfreunion.com I got the error message that is the subject of this Topic. I've read your other community forum topics, and this is NOT a free domain. So what is theAllow Admin to Configure Report > More Options Button
As an Admin, I want to configure the options of the Report > More Options button to improve UX and reduce Developer overhead. See attached screenshot. Original question posted here: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/modify-standard-repNext Page