Sheets - Remote API (disable all export except .pdf?)

Sheets - Remote API (disable all export except .pdf?)

Is there a way to embed a spreadsheet in a website that maintains document security, privacy, and allows anonymous access? i.e. Users are already logged into a private website, (some of these users are ZOHO members, some are not).

I've tried using the Viewer API, SHARE, Publish, etc... nothing seems to allow you to share a private document (and provide anonymous access) or embed it in an .html or .asp page while maintaining document security for simple file viewing? It seems the user must either have a ZOHO account, or you must manually create and maintain an organization, or it works, but you can't limit export etc...
  • The closest I can get to this functionality is using the SHEETS - Remote API, but using that creates the following issue: (similar to using Viewer, etc...) When using the Sheets Remote API can i selectively disable the export functions.
For example, I would like users to be able to export a .pdf but would like to disable all other export functions when I am using the Remote API to embed a spreadsheet within a website.
  • Alternatively, If you can not selectively disable export: Can you simply disable all export functions when setting the Sheets Remote API to "output=view, mode=view".

i.e. I would like to enable view only access with the ability to export as .pdf, (setting the form to VIEW works and I get a note on the top right of the spreadsheet that the document is opened in View Only mode): HOWEVER
  • when view only is enabled, this does not disable the export function.
  • Any ideas why the export function remains active when choosing to use view only with the Remote API?
  • I can get this working by publishing to a public url, but this is not an option because of document security!
Note: I am calling a private document if that helps, i.e.
  1. <form method="POST" action="https://sheet.zoho.com/remotedoc.im" target="foo" onsubmit="window.open('','foo','width=1024,height=768,status=0,titlebar=0,toolbar=0,directories=0,location=0,menubar=0,resizable=1,scrollbars=1')"><input type="hidden" name="url" value="mysheet.xls">
    <input type="hidden" name="apikey" value="mykey">
    <input type="hidden" name="output" value="view">
    <input type="hidden" name="mode" value="view">
    <!--<input type="hidden" name="filename" value="">-->
    <input type="hidden" name="lang" value="en">
    <input type="hidden" name="skey" value="">
    <input type="hidden" name="id" value="12345678">
    <input type="hidden" name="format" value="xls">
    <!--<input type="hidden" name="saveurl" value="">-->
    <input type="submit" name="submit" value="Open/Edit">
    </form>











We are trying limit the number of "Working" copies of the worksheet so everyone is always working on the same worksheet and changes are logged through ZOHO Docs. Creating a "viewable copy" within the project site is desirable for all users - ZOHO Docs lets us define user roles that are subsequently ignored using the Remote API  however because the export function remains enabled? (i.e. some users have View Only access, some have Collaborator Access, some do not have access to ZOHO Docs at all [thus the problem with creating and maintaining an organization using DOCS, and Publish] - but in using the Remote or Viewer API, i no longer have control over that access as anyone can export a copy?)

We are trying to create a quick view for (all) project members to open a spreadsheet directly within the html project site we have built for their project, without having to log into ZOHO Docs, so they can quickly view, or run a quick calc on a spreadsheet that is not intended as an update to the working document. We are using ZOHO Docs workspace for that functionality and it works great, but often people don't need to go to the trouble of logging into the workspace if they just want a quick view or printout of current worksheet and i just can't seem to figure out why the export function keeps working when setting to "View Only" mode?

see below



















    Access your files securely from anywhere

        All-in-one knowledge management and training platform for your employees and customers.






                              Zoho Developer Community




                                                    • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                    • Digest


                                                    • Functions


                                                    • Meetups


                                                    • Kbase


                                                    • Resources


                                                    • Glossary


                                                    • Desk Marketplace


                                                    • MVP Corner


                                                    • Word of the Day


                                                    • Ask the Experts



                                                              • Sticky Posts

                                                              • Zoho Office Integrator: Moving to the all-new Zoho Sheet

                                                                We introduced the latest version of Zoho Sheet—Sheet 5—in early 2019. This new version consists of a new user interface, improved performance, and an array of useful features. As a part of this, we will upgrade our Remote API integrations to the new version's editor interface on February 29, 2020. Update: The remote API integrations upgrade to the new version's interface will be done on April 15, 2020. Here are some exciting enhancements the new version of Sheet offers for our API users: An AI-powered
                                                              • Businesses prefer Zoho Office Integrator over Microsoft WOPI - Here's why

                                                                Businesses often have difficult decisions to make when building web applications that provide document management capabilities for their users. For example, what's the best solution to integrate with online office editors— Zoho Office Integrator or Microsoft


                                                              Manage your brands on social media



                                                                    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

                                                                                        • CRM Community Learning Series

                                                                                          CRM Community Learning Series


                                                                                        • Kaizen

                                                                                          Kaizen

                                                                                        • Functions

                                                                                          Functions

                                                                                        • Meetups

                                                                                          Meetups

                                                                                        • Kbase

                                                                                          Kbase

                                                                                        • Resources

                                                                                          Resources

                                                                                        • Digest

                                                                                          Digest

                                                                                        • CRM Marketplace

                                                                                          CRM Marketplace

                                                                                        • MVP Corner

                                                                                          MVP Corner







                                                                                            Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                            Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                            Get Started Now


                                                                                              Zoho Show Resources

                                                                                                Zoho Writer

                                                                                                Get Started. Write Away!

                                                                                                Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                                                                                                  Zoho CRM コンテンツ




                                                                                                    Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


                                                                                                        ご検討中の方




                                                                                                                • Recent Topics

                                                                                                                • [Free webinar] Custom domains for portals in Zoho Creator - Creator Tech Connect

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone, We’re excited to invite you to another edition of the Creator Tech Connect webinar. About Creator Tech Connect The Creator Tech Connect series is a free monthly webinar featuring in-depth technical sessions designed for developers, administrators,
                                                                                                                • Remove my video

                                                                                                                  Hi, How can I remove my video so that I don't have to see myself. It's weird so I always remove my own video from what I see but cannot find this feature here. Thanks!
                                                                                                                • Marking a meeting 'done'.

                                                                                                                  I would like to somehow mark a meeting 'done' and placed under the contact's page rather than deleting it and having no record of it. Am I missing a button that does this?
                                                                                                                • Partial payments for retainer invoices

                                                                                                                  When a customer does not pay the entire retainer invoice there is no way to apply a partial payment. PLEASE add this function.
                                                                                                                • Can I export to PDF in Zoho Learn

                                                                                                                  I have seen help pages where export to pdf options are available but I do not see that option available from the application. I see that exprt is available in my free trial version but that is only to html pages. I need to be able to export my manuals
                                                                                                                • Service line items

                                                                                                                  Hello Latha, Could you please let me know the maximum number of service line items that can be added to a single work order? Thanks, Chethiya.
                                                                                                                • Sending emails via Books

                                                                                                                  Anyone else getting similar problems recently ??..... Hi, Your message to the following recipient was not delivered. Please find the details below.  Bounce Details: Bounced Address : someone@google.com Bounce Reason : other ; Status : 5.0.0 (undefined status) ; Daignostic-Code : smtp;542 someone@google.com Rejected ; Bounced Time : Sep 05, 2017 06:37 PM BST Regards, Zoho Team The email addresses were fine only a few days ago but are now being rejected ?
                                                                                                                • PDF Generator Upgrade

                                                                                                                  Hi Team, What will happen if I don't make any changes for existing template. Zoho just ask us upgrade but haven't tell the benefit. Zoho Corporation
                                                                                                                • No Need To Fix Something That Is Working

                                                                                                                  Zoho Books is a great financial tool which helps businesses to become more efficient and productive with day-to-day operations. As such, every change, upgrade, improvement needs to be carefully thought before implemented in the software and I'm sure Zoho
                                                                                                                • Total Cost in reports showing zero

                                                                                                                  The image below shows my issue. The column Total Cost should show the cost to our company based on hours logged and the employee's rate. For instance, if the person working on Subtask 1 is paid 20/hr, then Total Cost should display $160 ($20x8 logged
                                                                                                                • Zoho Books (and other finance suite apps) - Retrospective Linking of Invoice and Sales Orders to Quotes.

                                                                                                                  In some cases, Quotes and Invoies may be created sperately instead of using the convert feature. In this feature request I am asking for the Finance Suite team to consider adding a lookup field to reference the quote on Invoices and Sales Orders, or some
                                                                                                                • Bring real app analytics into Zoho Creator apps with Zoho Apptics

                                                                                                                  We’re kicking off the year with a release we’ve been looking forward to for a long time. After being in the works for a while, Zoho Creator and Zoho Apptics are now officially integrated, bringing in-depth product analytics directly into the Zoho Creator
                                                                                                                • Early Access: Check Printing in Zoho Books

                                                                                                                  Hello Everyone,   Are you constantly writing checks to pay your vendors?   We've got a great news to share with you! You can now pay your vendors by writing and printing a check directly from Zoho Books. The feature is ready and we'll be rolling it out to our customers in phases.  It is available in the  US Edition of Zoho Books and also in the Global edition, where the country is selected as USA and the currency is USD.   Here’s a summary of what’s possible:   1. Write and print a check. 2. Make
                                                                                                                • ZohoMail's outbound webhook sends incorrect folderId and messageId

                                                                                                                  I used a webhook (outbound) from within ZohoMail to send message details when a new message arrives that meets specific criteria. I received this data correctly. Now I want to get the attachment from this email message. When I made an api call using folder
                                                                                                                • Use URL field to populate Image in a Email Template

                                                                                                                  We have two records Record 1: Appointments (with a Lookup to Doctors module) Related Record 2: Doctors (with a URL field that is an image of the doctor) We would like to populate a CRM email template with the image of the URL field for the related doctor
                                                                                                                • 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
                                                                                                                • Zoho Bookings Forge: A hands-on workshop series

                                                                                                                  Hello all! We’re hosting a five-part, hands-on workshop series to help you optimize Zoho Bookings for your business. In these sessions, we’ll cover key features, practical use cases, and clear steps to get started or improve your current setup. Here are
                                                                                                                • 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
                                                                                                                • Introducing Workqueue: your all-in-one view to manage daily work

                                                                                                                  Hello all, We’re excited to introduce a major productivity boost to your CRM experience: Workqueue, a dynamic, all-in-one workspace that brings every important sales activity, approval, and follow-up right to your fingertips. What is Workqueue? Sales
                                                                                                                • Delete button

                                                                                                                  Hi, The delete button were hide into the three dot button. Can I display outside? why Zoho make this update?
                                                                                                                • Zoho Vault CLI for Developers and Automations

                                                                                                                  Hi everyone, If you're managing credentials in scripts, CI/CD pipelines, or automation workflows, Zoho Vault's Command Line Interface (CLI) can help you securely access and manage secrets directly from your terminal. Zoho Vault was launched in 2013 as
                                                                                                                • Zoho Subscriptions -- Zoho Commerce integration

                                                                                                                  Is there integration between Zoho Subscriptions and Zoho Commerce? I would like to create subscription plans in Zoho Subscritpions and list them for on my Zoho Commerce store.
                                                                                                                • Synching changes to Stripe when changes are made in Zoho Billing

                                                                                                                  We have a situation where we have merged customers in Zoho BIlling and then found out later that the payment in Stripe was not updated and still associated with the old customer record. The card gets updated and billed, but that payment is still associated
                                                                                                                • How can I link Products in a Deal Subform to the Products Module

                                                                                                                  Hello, I have a pricing subform on our Deals page and use a lookup field to associate a product with each line. I want to be able to look at a product page within the Products module and see a list of the deals connected to that product. I have this working
                                                                                                                • Help Center and SEO: Any Benefit to My Domain-Mapped Website Ranking?

                                                                                                                  First of, I love the Help Center which I've just decided to integrate into my website to replace its old-fashioned FAQs. So much more to achieve there now! Lots of new benefits to the site visitors and to me in terms of organizing and delivering all the
                                                                                                                • Business Hours with lunch break

                                                                                                                  Our business hours are: mon - fri 08:30 - 13:00, 15:00 - 18:30. How can I handle the lunch break? If I use 8:30 - 18:30 it obviously breaks SLA. Thanks
                                                                                                                • Enable Free External Collaboration on Notecards in Zoho Notebook

                                                                                                                  Hi Zoho Notebook Team, I would like to suggest a feature enhancement regarding external collaboration in Zoho Notebook. Currently, we can share notes with external users, and they are able to view the content without any issue. However, when these external
                                                                                                                • Zoho Commerce

                                                                                                                  Hi, I have zoho one and use Zoho Books. I am very interested in Zoho Commerce , especially with how all is integrated but have a question. I do not want my store to show prices for customers that are not log in. Is there a way to hide the prices if not
                                                                                                                • Multi-currency in Zoho CRM Forecast and Reports

                                                                                                                  As a company we have branches in 4 different countries with as many different currencies. Our Sales Teams would like to work with their local currency as much as possible. The Forecast module using only 1 currency is practically usable only by the sales
                                                                                                                • Zoho Projects Android and iOS app update: Conditional layout rules for Tasks

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone! Task conditional layout rules configured on the web app(projects.zoho.com) are now applied on the Zoho Projects Android and iOS app. Conditional layout rules can be set for the Add/ edit task form and it allows you to change the property
                                                                                                                • How to account for vat with postponed VAT accounting

                                                                                                                  Hi everyone, looking for some help with postponed VAT accounting, I use DHL express for my imports and they used to pay the VAT for me and then invoice me. I could then log this as a bill and the VAT element from import was recorded as input VAT, all
                                                                                                                • Is there a way to show contact emails in the Account?

                                                                                                                  I know I can see the emails I have sent and received on a Contact detail view, but I want to be able to see all the emails that have been sent and received between all an Accounts Contacts on the Account Detail view. That way when I see the Account detail
                                                                                                                • Zoho mail admin panel not opening

                                                                                                                • Zoho CRM WooCommerce Integrtation

                                                                                                                  Looking for a solution for my 50 client to show detailed analytics on source of traffic that led to events, leads, conversions. Hi all, I have not been able to find a workable guide or solution to how exactly step by step integrate the Zoho CRM with WooCommerce
                                                                                                                • 500 internal server error on opening an iframe through a deluge script

                                                                                                                  Hi Team I am trying to open an external url in an iframe through my deluge script which is associated to a custom button . By doing this i am getting an "Internal Server Error" . Please can you help me with this.
                                                                                                                • Kaizen #225 - Making Query-based Custom Related Lists Actionable with Lookups and Links

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone! Welcome back to another post in the Kaizen series! This week, we will discuss an exciting enhancement in Queries in Zoho CRM. In Kaizen #190, we discussed how Queries bridge gaps where native related lists fall short and power custom related
                                                                                                                • Filter button in the Zoho Sheet Android App doesn't toggle on

                                                                                                                  I am a new Zoho Sheets user and experiencing a specific issue with the filter functionality in the Android mobile application. Detailed Issue Description: The filter icon appears correctly in the toolbar. Upon tapping the filter icon/button, the toggle
                                                                                                                • Is Zoho Sites still actively being developed?

                                                                                                                  Hello, Is Zoho Sites still actively being developed as part of the Zoho ecosystem? I noticed that the What's New page (https://www.zoho.com/sites/whats-new.html) does not show any updates since Q1 2025. We were considering migrating our website from Squarespace
                                                                                                                • Project Notifcatiion Emails - Milestone

                                                                                                                  Hello: I cannot get myself, or most importantly my portal client user to recieve an email upon completion of a milestone. I have set up our 1st project. I have set up a test client user. (accepted the invitation and is listed in the system as a client
                                                                                                                • Zoho Forms - Feature Request - Year Field

                                                                                                                  Hi Zoho Forms Team, You currently have the following date and time fields: Date Time Date and Time Year and Month It would be useful if you could include a "Year" field For example a recent application I completed said "What year was your house built?"
                                                                                                                • Next Page