Building extensions #4: Fundamental features of a Zoho Projects extension
Hello everyone!
Thank you for visiting our Building Extensions series. As part of this series, we've already covered how to use the Sigma cloud editor and the ZET CLI to create, test, and publish extensions for Zoho Projects. You can refer to our earlier posts for more details. We will now explore the core functionalities available to customize Zoho Projects extensions using the Sigma cloud editor approach.
Extension development: Broad objective
The comprehensive goal of extension development is generally to build tight integrations that can provide additional capabilities and make end users' work simpler and more productive. By integrating functional and technical provisions at the development end, extensions can subsequently be installed as part of the end user's Zoho Projects portal, allowing them to carry out additional functionalities while ensuring a seamless user experience.
So far, we've learned how to develop, test, and publish an extension. Now, let's look at the fundamental features of a Zoho Projects extension developed using the Sigma cloud editor.
Core features for customizing a Zoho Projects extension
In general, apps require data to function properly and carry out organizational tasks. This data must be acquired from reliable sources, analyzed, modified using logic functionalities when needed, and finally saved in order to be retrieved for future operations or business reports.
Some of the fundamental elements for customizing Zoho Projects extensions to carry out the tasks outlined above are:
- Tightly coupled integration
- Customized user interface
- Logical functionalities
- Event-based executions
- Data storage management
- Handling dialog box/pop window
Tightly coupled integration: A tightly coupled integration allows applications to be dependent on each other while ensuring a seamless and optimal exchange of information.
How it can be achieved: Connections
- The Connections feature is essential when looking to develop an integration between Zoho Projects and another application through an extension.
- You can connect with third-party applications or other Zoho products to perform activities that use data from other applications.
- You can also establish connections for many applications and utilize them as part of a single extension. This creates a safe connection between Zoho Projects and other applications, allowing for seamless data functionality.
Customized user interface: A customized user interface with personalized features and components allows for a more simplified and direct approach to the end user.
How it can be achieved: Widgets
- Widgets are graphical user interface components that help users easily access a product and perform functionalities.
- You can create custom widgets and have them embedded in different locations in your extension. View the multiple locations where you can embed a widget here.
- Zoho Projects also offers JS SDK for your javascript widget code to communicate with your extension.
Logical functionalities: Implementing an ideal concept requires the execution of a few to several fundamental blocks of logical functions.
- Functions are blocks of code that help you perform a functionality.
- You could write functions, leverage connections as part of functions to perform third-party operations, or utilize Deluge integration tasks to fulfill your functionality.
- Finally, the function must be associated with the extension in order to be used in the extension.
Event-based executions: Executing logical functionalities based on an event enables the execution of triggers, the automation of work, and the avoidance of manual supervision.
How it can be achieved: Triggers
- Triggers help execute functions in the occurrence of an event.
- You can create triggers, associate it with an event, and then associate a function to the trigger to have it executed on occurrence of that event.
- Check out the list of available trigger events here.
Data storage management: Managing and storing data plays a vital role in carrying out any operation smoothly and efficiently.
- Data storage allows you to save data or properties of an extension or entity.
- The extension property can be used to store app/extension-level data, and the entity property can be used to store entity-level data.
- Data storage is accomplished through the use of key-value pairs. The keys must be unique, and the values must be in JSON format.
Handling dialog box/pop window: Modal boxes are useful in instances where you need to prompt a dialog box that communicates data from the main application while holding control until the user completes an operation.
How it can be achieved: Modal box
- Using the modal box, you can create a new iframe instance of the extension.
- You can use modal boxes to send and receive data from one widget to another, allowing for inter-widget communication.
- To create a new instance for the widget, send data to a widget, and receive or listen to data from a widget, Zoho Projects provides many methods such as instance, emit, and so on.
In this post, we looked at the major features that may be achieved using a Zoho Projects extension. We hope you found this information useful. In our upcoming posts, we will explain each feature in detail with example use cases. Continue to monitor this space for updates!
Sign up for a Zoho Developer account and start developing extensions for Zoho products using Sigma.
SEE ALSO:
Access your files securely from anywhere
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
Nanditha Somasundaram Somasundaram
Sticky Posts
Building extensions #10: Fetch customized user inputs, store them globally at the app level, and access them across entities
This data storage concept enables you to store data related to your extension for both entity properties and extension properties. In our previous piece, we looked at how to store data for entities using entity properties. In this post, we'll look atBuilding extensions #9: Store, retrieve, and access entity-specific data in widgets using data storage
Data storage - Overview Storing data related to the extension you are working on is essential. It can be saved as key-value pairs for an entity or extension, known as entity and extension properties, respectively. Data can be saved for the following entitiesBuilding extensions #7: Create custom widgets for a simplified end-user experience
Discover the benefits of using widgets! We explored the significance of widgets, prerequisites, and the availability of JS SDK methods as part of our previous post. In this post, let's go over a detailed example of using widgets along with certain ZohoBuilding extensions #6: Custom user interfaces with Widgets
Welcome to our post on Widgets for Zoho Projects! In our last post, we explored the significance of the connections feature, showed how to use it, and provided an example use case. In this article, we'll look at the importance of widgets, another featureBuilding extensions #5: Integrating applications with Zoho Projects through Connections
In our last post, we discussed the essential features that a Zoho Projects extension can provide. Starting with this post andin every subsequent post going forward, we'll go through each of those features in depth, one by one, with an example use case.
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
Request for Auto PO - Min–Max based Automated Purchase Feature
Dear Zoho POS Team, I’m writing to request a feature enhancement that would significantly streamline inventory management for businesses using Zoho POS — particularly supermarkets, FMCG retail, and multi-store operations like ours. Feature Requested:Masters in UK – Experiences, Universities, and Career Outcomes
This forum discussion is for students who are planning or considering a Masters in UK and want to gain practical insights beyond official university websites. The UK attracts international students due to its globally recognized universities, diverseExport your notes from Notebook!
Dear users, The long awaited feature is now live. Yes, you can now export your notes from Notebook app in bulk. But the feature has just started with web app alone for now. You can try the export feature as mentioned below: Go to our web app, https://notebook.zoho.com Go to 'Settings' > 'Export' Now, select the format: You can select either ZNote or HTML Once done, you can use the same to import or can have this a local backup of your notes. Note: Export for other platforms are in development andPrepopulating Fields
Hello, I have a form (Assets) with 2 lookup fields: Client (from Clients) Site (from Client Sites) I modified the code (highlighted in red below), so the Site dropdown shows the list of sites related to the Client. must have Client_Site ( type = picklistUnable to sort as Descending order
Trying to change the sort order for a lookup field (checkboxes) from Ascending to Descending and keep getting an error in Deluge that the order must be Ascending Did anyone ran into this? Thanks EyalExport Invoices to XML file
Namaste! ZOHO suite of Apps is awesome and we as Partner, would like to use and implement the app´s from the Financial suite like ZOHO Invoice, but, in Portugal, we can only use certified Invoice Software and for this reason, we need to develop/customize on top of ZOHO Invoice to create an XML file with specific information and after this, go to the government and certified the software. As soon as we have for example, ZOHO CRM integrated with ZOHO Invoice up and running, our business opportunitiesCan I change the format of the buttons in the email templates?
Hi all! We have been working hard trying to brand our email templates, and have some way to go yet. One of the things we can't seem to edit is the green ${Cases.CUSTOMER_PORTAL_BUTTON} button and the font of the View Ticket text. Is there any way of doingissue with deluge script
i used chat gpt to build this script and I am getting 2 errors which I cannot figure out how to fix: void monthly_sales_order_generation() { try { // ---------------- CONFIG ------------------- analytics_url_1 = "https://analytics.zoho.com/api/<workspaceID>/report/<reportID1>/data";Introducing LinkedIn Apply Connect for Zoho Recruit
Attract up to 3x more qualified candidates and hire more efficiently with LinkedIn Apply Connect. Let candidates fill-in job applications without any redirections, gain deeper insights with applicant highlights within Zoho Recruit, and keep candidatesRecruit paid support?
Hi all, Could anyone who has paid support package advise if it provides value for money with regards to support response times? Exploring the idea as unfortunately when we have faced issues with Recruit it has been a 7+ day timescale from reporting toIntroducing Dedicated Modules for Plans, Addons, and Coupons in Zoho Billing
We’ve enhanced the way you manage Plans, Addons, and Coupons in Zoho Billing. Previously, all three grouped together under Subscription Items. Now, each one has its own dedicated module, giving you a cleaner and more intuitive experience. This updateTicket Status email
Good day, This was discussed in the past, but it would be helpful if we could have the system assign a custom response to a status. We have various statuses for tickets, e.g. "closed due to no response", or "Pending Status", it would be helpful for theCustomer ticket creation via Microsoft Teams
Hi all, I'm looking to see if someone could point me in the right direction. I'd love to make it so my customers/ end users can make tickets, see responses and respond within microsoft teams. As Admin and an Agent i've installed the zoho assist app withinHolidays
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 weCan I use a Standalone CRM Function as the Callback URL For Async Export Data API?
I am creating an export job using this API https://www.zoho.com/analytics/api/v2/bulk-api/export-data-async/create-export/view-id.html There is a "callbackUrl" key in the CONFIG object. I tried copying the URL for a standalone function in CRM which canFuture Orders - Due Date
Hi In my role, I can receive tickets where the work required is requested months in advance. Using a Future Orders option, which I believe was setup under the On Hold status type, hides the Due Date, in all views/ticket etc. Whilst I understand the reasoningIntroducing Withdrawal Reasons for Offers
We’re excited to introduce a new enhancement to the Offer module that brings more clarity and accountability to every withdrawn offer. The Withdrawal Reason update ensures that each withdrawal — manual or automatic — is backed by a clear explanation,Zoho Creator customer portal users
Hi, I'm in a Zoho One subscription with our company. I'm running a project now that involves creating a Zoho Creater application and using the Zoho Creator Customer Portal. At most we need 25 customer portal users. In our Zoho One plan we only get 3GPS tracking only or Check out facility
Dear Team, Zoho CRM is quite robust CRM but till date i was waiting for the feature of having GPS tracking of Sales employees which is a common demand by all customers for thier field sales executives. We cover them by saying that CRM provides CheckinHTML Tags added to Reports with Notes
Recently Zoho added the ability to markup text within notes. That way, users can change font size, colors, etc. It's a great change. However, since the change, reports that include a column for "Note Content" are printing HTML tags within the report.In App Auto Refresh/Update Features
Hi, I am trying to use Zoho Creator for Restaurant management. While using the android apps, I reliased the apps would not auto refresh if there is new entries i.e new kitchen order ticket (KOT) from other users. The apps does received notification but would not auto refresh, users required to refresh the apps manually in order to see the new KOT in the apps. I am wondering why this features is not implemented? Or is this feature being considered to be implemented in the future? With theAppraisals on Employee Information Profile
Is it possible to show completed appraisals on each employee's "Employee Information" page? I would presume at the bottom - similar to the "Related Lists" concept in Zoho CRM. Obviously view access would be limited to employee and appropriate other rolesAI Interview Insights: Turn Recorded Interviews into Quick Transcripts & Summaries
Evaluating interviews shouldn’t require replaying long recordings or taking manual notes. With AI Interview Insights, you can now review complete transcripts and AI-generated summaries of your One-way (Recorded) interviews right inside Zoho Recruit. ThisKaizen #220: Actions API - Webhooks APIs - Part 2
Hello all!! Welcome back to the follow-up Kaizen post of Kaizen #219: Actions API - Webhooks APIs - Part 1. In the previous week, we covered how to configure a basic Webhook and how to include Headers, Body, and URL Parameters using both the POST WebhookStandard Payment Term is not pulled from account to quotation
Hey Team There seems to be something off. I do have "Net 30" as my default payment term in Zoho Books for my customers. If, from the customer overview or quote section, I create a new Quotation, the payment terms field stays blank and doesn't get theCanva Integration
Hello! As many marketing departments are streamlining their teams, many have begun utilizing Canva for all design mockups and approvals prior to its integration into Marketing automation software. While Zoho Social has this integration already accomplished,Manage your invoices from Bigin's mobile app (iOS)
Hello everyone! We're happy to announce that users can now integrate Zoho Books with the latest version of Bigin's iOS app. Zoho Books can be integrated with Bigin only via the web application. Users can view the Zoho Books tab in the detail pages ofHubSpot CRM to Zoho Creator Integration
I'm trying to create an integration between HubSpot CRM and Zoho Creator with HubSpot being the push source (if a contact is created or updated in HubSpot, it pushes the information to Zoho Creator). I have two questions: 1- Is it best to use Zoho FlowSystematic SPF alignment issues with Zoho subdomains
Analysis Period: August 19 - September 1, 2025 PROBLEM SUMMARY Multiple Zoho services are causing systematic SPF authentication failures in DMARC reports from major email providers (Google, Microsoft, Zoho). While emails are successfully delivered dueAccessibility controls and multilingual captcha authorization for Help Center users
Hello everyone, As part of our ongoing effort to improve user experience, we are excited about the accessibility controls and predefined accessibility personas added in the Help Center, similar to what is already available in Zoho Desk. Help Center usersGain control over record sharing with portal users through our new enhancement: criteria-based data exposure
Dear Customers, We hope you're well! Portals is a self-service avenue through which your clients can access and manage their direct and related data in Zoho CRM. This empowers them to be more independent and enables them to experience a sense of transparencyZoho Sign + Zoho CRM : la solution pour simplifier vos accords de vente
La conclusion d’un contrat de vente nécessite de nombreuses étapes : préparation de documents, validations successives et collecte des signatures. Les équipes commerciales passent souvent par plusieurs cycles de collaboration et de révision, tout en assurantZoho Desk Limitations
Good day, all, I would like to know whether others share my frustration with some of Zoho's limitations. Don't get me wrong, I like Desk (and I also have a subscription for Analytics), I have been with them for close to 10 years, and unfortunately, IItem/service subtotal
Just discovered & really pleased that we can drag to re-order the line items in Sales orders & Invoices, a very nice feature which doesn't seem to be documented? It would be nice to be able to insert a subtotal as a line item to complete this great featureConverting Sales Order to Purchase Order
Hi All, Firstly, this code works to convert a sales order(SO) to a purchase order (PO) via a button, however I am running into an issue when I convert the SO where the values from the line items are not pulled across from the SO to the PO. The ones inhow to Solve Conflict Invoices in Zoho POS
Hello Team, I am facing a repeated issue in Zoho POS while saving a sale that contains service-based items. My products are intentionally created as Service (Non-Inventory) items because I do not want to track stock for them. However, every time I tryAll new Address Field in Zoho CRM: maintain structured and accurate address inputs
The address field will be available exclusively for IN DC users. We'll keep you updated on the DC-specific rollout soon. It's currently available for all new sign-ups and for existing Zoho CRM orgs which are in the Professional edition. Latest updateCopy, Paste, Highlighted text
when i copy paste text it gets highlighted. Fix this. WTF is with this black highlight ? Fix copy pasting. Some people pay for using this mail service.Pricing Strategies: #6 Common Mistakes while Configuring Pricing
"Why does this month's billing feel messy again?" That was the exact line Priya muttered while staring at the spreadsheet full of edited pricing, one-off discounts and mismatched subscription details. Her business was growing, but the pricing machinePublish to LinkedIn via API
Hi, Is it possible to publish a job opening to LinkedIn (paid job slots) if creating a job opening via api / deluge function? Or is the user required to manually publish via the job boards process? Many Thanks AdrianNext Page