Building Extensions #15: Creating widgets with the JS SDK bundle in Zoho Desk—Inter-widget communication
This series aims to equip developers with all they need to build extensions for Zoho Desk in Zoho Sigma and publish them in Zoho Marketplace.
Hello Developers!
In our previous post, we briefed the use of Hooks API and explained it with an example on how to use them in a Desk extension. In this post, we'll learn about the inter-widget communication feature and how it can be used in your extensions with an example.
Inter-widget communication
There are scenarios where an extension could have multiple widgets. In such cases, it is important to have communication between these widgets for the extension to be more user-friendly. The inter-widget communication feature of Zoho Desk helps you create a connection between widgets and facilitate communication between them. When two widgets are communicating, there are a few points to remember during implementation. Let’s consider one widget as the sender and the other as the receiver.
Sender widget
- This widget should know the receiving widget's identity.
- When it knows that identity, it can send the desired data to the receiving widget.
Receiving widget
- This widget needs to be active to receive data from any sender.
- It can then process the received data.
You can achieve this with the help of a couple of SDK methods provided by the Zoho developer platform.
- App.instance.getWidgets(): The getWidgets() method will return an array of all the widgets available in the extension, including the one from where this call is made.
- siblingwidgetId: Every widget associated to the extension will have a unique ID. You can use the code widgets[0].widgetID to get the widget ID of the desired widget from the array of widgets available. The array index for the widget is defined based on the order in which the widgets are listed in the plugin-manifest file of the extension.
- var siblingWidget = App.instance.getWidgetInstance(siblingwidgetId): This returns the whole instance of the selected widget.
- siblingWidget.emit('event', data): This sends the data from the selected widget on the event occurrence.
Once we pass the data from the first widget (sender), we need to enable the other widget (receiver) to receive the event sent from the first widget. The following code snippet needs to listen to an event emitted by the sibling widget.
App.instance.on('event', function(data){});
Sender Widget | Receiving Widget |
| Need to know the receiving widget's Identity | Need to be active to receive the data |
| Get the instance of the desired widget | Receive data and process it as required |
| Send the data |
Let’s learn about inter-widget communication with an example.
Scenario
Consider a scenario where an agent is provided with detailed information about a particular customer within Zoho Desk itself that is easily accessible. Wouldn’t it be useful for the agents to understand the value of their customer easily? Yes, this can be done using an extension.
- Fetch the details of the customer from Zoho CRM.
- Showcase the required customer’s information in Zoho Desk.
Platform features
To implement the above scenario, the following Desk platform features are used.
- Background widget: This widget runs on its own in the background by default. In our use case, as soon as an agent opens a ticket, the customer's email ID needs to be fetched and the corresponding details are imported from Zoho CRM accordingly. In this case, we can use the background widget feature to fetch the data from Zoho CRM. This can be implemented using the background widget.
- Tickets subtab widget: In our example use case, we need the customer’s details to be shown to the agent. Let’s choose the ticket's subtab location to display the same.
- Inter-widget communication: Because there are two widgets being used, we can use the inter-widget communication feature for a seamless data flow between the two widgets.
Subtab widget
An agent opens a ticket. Now the background widget gets loaded by default. When the agent moves to the subtab widget to view the customer details, the subtab widget is loaded and we communicate to the background widget about the same. The customer data transferred to the subtab widget will be displayed to the agent.
Background widget
As soon as the background widget gets a communication from the subtab widget, the customer's details are fetched and transmitted back to the subtab widget.
We have attached the entire code of our sample in this post. You can download the same and reuse, if required.
Sample output
Hope you found this post to be useful. Stay tuned for more posts in this space!
See Also
Create widgets using the JS SDK bundle in the Zoho Desk platform - Request API
Create widgets with the JS SDK bundle in Zoho Desk - Data Storage API
Create widgets with the JS SDK bundle in Zoho Desk - Data Storage API
Create widgets with the JS SDK bundle in Zoho Desk - Event API
Create widgets with the JS SDK bundle in Zoho Desk - Config Params
Create widgets with the JS SDK bundle in Zoho Desk - Resource API
Create widgets with the JS SDK bundle in Zoho Desk - Hooks API
Create widgets with the JS SDK bundle in Zoho Desk - Config Params
Create widgets with the JS SDK bundle in Zoho Desk - Resource API
Create widgets with the JS SDK bundle in Zoho Desk - Hooks API
<< Previous Next >>
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
Vinoth M
Julien Bras
Ash | Zoho Desk
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
API Support for Creating Invoices with Batch-Tracked Items
Hi Zoho Community, I am working on an integration where we create invoices in ERPNext and push them to Zoho Books. I need to send batch-tracked items (batch numbers) when creating invoices. I could not find any reference in the Zoho Books API documentation.New to automation - please help
Hi there! We are new to automations in Zoho. We built out one automation campaign and it seems to be firing off for some people but others not. Please advise what's the best practice or if anything we should tweak. Thank you so much!Unable to Create Zoho Booking via the Book Appointment API
Its giving the below error { "response": { "errormessage": "Error setting value for the variable:customer_details\n null", "status": "Error" } } Request: POST Url: https://www.zohoapis.in/bookings/v1/json/appointment attached Zoho-oauthtokenTask Details on task template
When creating a task template in settings that task details seem to be missing. Is it not possible to set the details of a task, such as the priority, type, reminder settings, and custom field values?Building Toppings #3 -Testing and publishing Bigin toppings
Hey Biginners! In previous forum posts, we discussed what a Bigin topping is and explored the Bigin Developer Console's features. In this post, we're going to create a topping from scratch and discuss how to test and publish it. Our topping will automatemarkdown files?
How can I import a markdown file into a note?Mail to Zoho Notebook
In the Instuctiosn I faound as email add@notebook.app In my account I see add@eu.notebook.app What is correct pleaseAuto-Invite Users to Portals in Zoho CRM based on Conditions
Hello Everyone, You can now automate portal invitations in Zoho CRM with the new Auto-Invite users feature in Portal management. No more manually enabling portal access one by one. With this enhancement, you can automatically send invites for users toGrowth You can Count On: Zoho Billing's 2025 Journey
As we wrap up 2025, we’re reflecting on a year rooted in steady progress and meaningful growth for Zoho Billing. Every enhancement we have introduced was built to support scalable and reliable billing growth for your business. From launching the EnterpriseNeed help with creating workflow with Bigin and Clickup
Can you please help me with this? I am trying to create a workflow in Zoho Flow wherein a bigin Pipeline deal moves to Decision Closing, it will create a task and subtasks in Clickup, under the condition/filter that the Deal name contains the word Social[Webinar] Automate generation of wills, trusts, POAs, and other estate planning documents with Zoho Writer
Managing the lifecycle of the estate planning documents such as wills, trusts, and POAs, from client intake to final storage, can be complex and time-consuming. Join our live webinar to learn how Zoho Writer transforms this process by automating documentCreate / Update Rule in TeamInbox when record is updated in ZohoCRM using flow?
I'm currently evaluating options and trying to work out if the possible scenario is possible; If a record in ZohoCRM is updated, take 2 of the fields from that - lets call them 'OrderRef' and 'OrderTo'. Using flow, if a record is added or updated, addPlans to allow more columns of monitoring, and monitoring not only your own channels?
Are their any plans to allow more columns of monitoring, and monitoring not only your own channels? Here's why - I'm sure I'm not alone in that we sell other brands products, so not only am I interested in my own brand social channels, but also the socialUnwrapping the best practices for the Zoho Desk mobile app: Part 1
In focus: Empowering the field and frontline customer support representatives Imagine having to carry your computer everywhere to respond to customers, handle escalations, and update your process. This series presents you with efficient tips to handledealing with post dated cheques
Hi, can you help me please the best way to deal with this We sell an item of three months duration that is paid for with post dated cheques in monthly stages example - item is sold £3000 Cheque 1 is for £1000 due at time of sale (say Sept) cheque 2 is dated 25th of next month (Oct) cheque 3 is dated 25th of next month +1 (Nov) Now, with invoice number one it's simple - i send a standard invoice as usual But with the other two here's what i want zoho to do next month i want it to send an invoice onIs there a way to sell in a practical method multiple subscriptions of the same product? i.e. domain names
In evaluating Zoho Billing, a hurdle to adopting it is that Zoho Billing does not seem designed to support businesses that sell multiple subscriptions of the same product. In our case, we need to sell and manage several domain names per client. Am I rightPaid Support Plans with Automated Billing
We (like many others, I'm sure) are designing or have paid support plans. Our design involves a given number of support hours in each plan. Here are my questions: 1) Are there any plans to add time-based plans in the Zoho Desk Support Plans feature? TheBug Report: "Name A-Z" sorting fails when Note titles start with an Emoji
Hello, I recently migrated from Evernote (~2600 notes across 23 notebooks). I use emojis at the start of my note titles for visual organization. The Issue: When I set the view to Sort by: Name (A to Z), the sorting logic breaks for any note starting withCopy & Paste not working
I could create and save 10 new documents but when I go to copy and paste content (just text) into them, only 1 of 10 would save the content. It would appear to save the content but when I go back into the documents, they are empty.Currency for Petty Cash
Currencies for Petty Cash should be availableediting/applying online payments
We have customers who pay part or all of an invoice and then cancel their service and want the payment as a credit to future work. It would be ideal if we could make it an excess payment and then void the invoice. I can't make it an excess payment becauseContacts per department
Hello, Is it possible to limit Contacts to a Department? ThanksThis site can’t be reached mail.zoho.com took too long to respond
In my office at any system, we couldnt able to login zoho email. it shows " This site can’t be reached mail.zoho.com took too long to respond". please fix it soon.Can send email from zoho mail, but can't receive any.
Hi, My domain is sattvameditationresort.com. I've updated MX records with those of Zoho. But i can't send any mails to this email id from gmail. I have checked the MX status with MXTOOLS, its showing the correct entry either. The error is as shown below:My domain did not activate
Hi, my domain (apsaindustrial.com.ar) did not activate, and the phone verification message never arrived. Please would you solve this problem? Thanks.Host not found?
Howdy! So i'm trying to add my custom domain for with the mail server. I have 100% control of my DNS and have tried every single option (TXT, CNAME, and even HTML) multiple times, ensuring i did it properly, to no luck. I get the same error message everyAuto End Chats After Customer Inactivity
Hello Everyone, I may be missing something, but is there a way to auto-end chats when a customer has been inactive for an amount of time? I have several operators (we use a shared set of account with schedules for people... that's another story) but atReport on opportunities showing only the last note added.
Hi I need to create a report that shows the most recent note added to each opportunity. This is so management can see what the latest update is according to the assigned salesperson. One workaround is to use the status field but this implies added manual work and mistakes as the salesperson would have to copy the existing status to a note before adding the latest status... otherwise the activity history would be lost. My current workaround is a report on Notes with Opportunities as the related module.Please add Zelle as an online payment option
Hello, I would like to request Zelle be added to the online payment service providers for Zoho Invoice. Considering how ubiquitous Zelle has become as a way to pay people via the major banking institutions, I feel like many freelancers would benefit fromGetting Project Template List using the REST API
I am trying to confirm that I can use the REST API to create a project using a project template. The API documentation indicates this is possible by providing the Template ID, but it is not clear at all how to get a list of available Project TemplatesHow to display the CONTACT ID in the Contact page
Hi, I've seen this conversation below and it is exactly the same question I'm raising now, but unfortunately the last message is not solved https://help.zoho.com/portal/community/topic/show-contact-id-while-editing-contact-form I need to show the ContactId and I don't know how to do this. The last message included in the conversaton shows the way but not it is not completed. "I am sorry by default we do not have the option to show the record ID for the contacts in the field in a record. When youHow to change margins in templates
Hi, I'm new to Zoho Campaigns, and am trying to figure out how to adjust the margins within an email template. The default margins make the text go all the way to the edges of the page. Please advise.Create Canvas list view templates from images powered by Zia
Currently available for all paid editions of Zoho CRM in the US, EU, IN, JP & CN DCs. Designing a personalized CRM interface just got even easier. In today’s fast-evolving digital landscape, AI is transforming the way we work by automating complex tasksPainfully Slow Zoho mail
Since yesterday Zoho Mail seems to have starting functioning very slowly and having a few bugs. It's slow to open mails, slow to send, slow to change between email accounts. Sometimes clicking on a particular folder (eg Sent folder) stops working and"Wrong password or login" Problem to configure Zoho on MAIL App on my Macbook
Hi, I'm having problems to configure my e-mail on my MAIL App(Macbook pro). My e-mail is hari@trespontoum.net Actually was working perfectly, and still working on my Iphone. My MAIL App prompt me that my login or password is wrong. I tried to change 3"User already exist in your org"
Hello, I've just read a discussion about this issue, which didn't solve my problem. I'm trying to add the following emails: sales@kiss-my-boutique.co.uk returns@kiss-my-boutique.co.uk orders@kiss-my-boutique.co.uk I'm getting an error message each time I try and add them. None of them are primary or secondary emails and none of them have been created as users before. I know this as when I try and login and do 'forgot my password' all I get is an error message saying 'user invalid'. Please advise.Operation Not Permitted
Hi, I have problem in adding user after verifying the domain but it seems like error appeared which is "operation not permitted". For your information, I had delete other domain before did it.Email forwarding setup fails
I'm trying to set up email forwarding from my Zoho email to my gmail address. I followed the directions to set up email forwarding here: https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/email-forwarding.html. I did only steps 1-6. After doing this, rather than settingShopify store email issues- Not getting emails
Hi We have migrated from Microsoft outlook to Zoho back in March, we have a shopify store, the domain is hosted on namesilo, not shopify, I have seen some people here complaining about not getting emails from customers who fill out the contact form onInvoice Discount Account
Is there a way to change the account used for Discounts applied to an invoice? The current Discount account (ZB native account) type is an "Income" type. I would like to change it to "Other Income", but that is not possible, I am assuming because it containsNext Page