Building 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 Zoho Projects JS SDK methods.
Use case: A developer is working on a Zoho Projects task and wants to know if there are any existing references that could be used to get a head start on their work.
Goal: Our goal here is to simplify the developer's job by presenting them with articles that are relevant to the task at hand.
Solution: Widgets! To achieve this goal, it would be ideal for the developer to have access to relevant Zoho Desk articles from a tab on the Task Details page. This can be accomplished by developing a custom widget.
Required components:
- A connection between Zoho Projects and Zoho Desk.
- An extension configuration process that includes:
A. Creating an extensionB. Configuring the plugin manifestC. Setting up the widget code to display the Zoho Desk articles on the Zoho Projects Task Details tab
We have already explored the steps to establish a connection, create an extension, and configure the plugin-manifest.json file as part of our earlier posts. You can refer to those resources for detailed guidance. In this case, we have already completed most of these steps (screenshots below).
1. Connection
We have created a connection to establish a secure integration between Zoho Projects and Zoho Desk.
2. Extension Configuration
A. Extension creation: We have created a new extension for Zoho Projects.
B. Plugin-manifest.json configuration: Once the extension is created, we next configure the plugin-manifest.json file to include the created connection and a widget.
For our extension use case, the plugin-manifest.json file is configured as shown in the below screenshot.
C. Setting up the widget code:
Now that we have the connection established, the extension created, and the plugin-manifest.json configured, let's go ahead and set up the custom widget code to achieve our goal.
Index.html - Widget code
<!DOCTYPE html> <html> <head> <title>App Default Screen</title> <script src="" target="_blank">https://js.zohocdn.com/projects/js/client_sdk.min.js"></script> <script src="" target="_blank">https://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.12.4.min.js"></script> <style> div.a { line-height: 200%; } </style> </head> <body> <div class="a"> <ul id="demo" style="font-size:20px"> <b>Article Details</b></ul> </div> </body> <script> var subject = ""; Util = {}; zohoprojects.init().then(function() { //Fetching the task subject using the Zoho Projects JS SDK method zohoprojects.get("task.name").then(function(response) { subject = response.data; var articledetails = { type: "GET", headers: { "orgId": "xxxxxxx", "Content-Type": "application/json" } }; var url = "https://desk.zoho.com/api/v1/articles/search?title=" + subject + "*"; //Using the request JS SDK method to invoke and get the Desk articles matching the task subject using the connection zohoprojects.request(url, articledetails, "zohodeskforlistingarticles").then(function(response) { var list = document.getElementById('demo'); var a = document.createElement("a"); var result = response.result; var data = result.data; //Looping through the articles for (i = 0; i < data.length; i++) { var title = data[i].title; var author = data[i].author; var authorname = author.name; var weburl = data[i].webUrl; var entry = document.createElement('li'); entry.innerHTML = title.link(weburl) + " by " + authorname; list.appendChild(entry); } }); }); }); </script> </html> |
- Here, we utilized the Zoho Projects JS SDK method to extract the task name, which is the task subject.
- We then used the Zoho Projects Request method to invoke the Zoho Desk API to search for articles.
- The Request method is used to make requests to third-party applications. It must be invoked with the belowparameters:
- Third-party API URL: This is the URL of the third-party application's API that needs to be invoked. In our case, we need to fetch articles from Zoho Desk based on a search value, so we used the Zoho Desk Articles Search API. We've included a search query parameter in the API as the title of the help article (wildcard search), and we've set the value of the search query parameter (title) as the task's subject. As a result, the API will look for any Zoho Desk help articles that satisfy a wildcard match with the task subject.
- Data object: Depending on the type of action being performed, each API requires a method type, body, header, and/or parameters to be invoked. To invoke the third-party application API, a data object with the necessary API details must be created. In our scenario, a header providing the Zoho Desk org ID is required to call the Zoho Desk article search API, which we have hardcoded.
- Connection: To work on the data of a third-party application safely, we would need to connect to that application. The link name of the connection created for the third-party application is the value of the connection parameter. This value will be available in the JSON code generated when the third-party application connection is established. This connection allows you to invoke the Zoho Desk API securely.
- Once the API is invoked by providing the necessary parameters for the Request method, the response for the invoked Zoho Desk search articles API is returned. We extract the information we require from the response, like the title, author name, and web URL. We then list and display this data in the Zoho Projects task details widget, Related Articles.
Sample output
- Access your Zoho Projects portal and enter into a task.
- Choose the Related Articles task tab, which is the widget we created.
- The widget displays the available Zoho Desk articles that are related to the task at hand.
- Finally, click on an article to view its detailed information in Zoho Desk.
Using this method, developers working on Zoho Projects tasks can discover relevant articles and get helpful information to troubleshoot problems.
You can further enhance this use case by including a text box in the widget that allows the developer to enter a keyword and search for related articles using the Zoho Desk search articles API.
You can also accomplish use cases such as creating a task tab widget to associate data with a task. Every time the task loads, task-specific data can be displayed on the Task tab. To accomplish these kind of use cases, the data storage feature is available in Zoho Projects. We look forward to exploring the data storage feature,, and other use cases for custom widgets, in future posts.
We hope you found this information useful. Follow this space for further 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
Can the Product Image on the Quote Template be enlarged
Hello, I am editing the Quote Template and added ${Products.Product Image} to the line item and the image comes up but it is very tiny. Is there anyway that you can resize this to be larger? Any help would be great! ThanksCreating Parent Child relationship in Accounts
We have customers with multiple locations, I setup the HQ as an account, then I setup the different sites marking the HQ as the parent to that location. If I then do a Deal for one of the locations, is there a way to show by looking at the parent accountLearner transcript Challenges.
Currently i am working on a Learner Transcript app for my employer using Zoho Creator. The app is expected to accept assessment inputs from tutors, go through an approval process and upon call up, displays all assessments associated with a learner inClient and Vendor Portal
Some clients like keeping tabs on the developments and hence would like to be notified of the progress. Continuous updates can be tedious and time-consuming. Zoho Sprints has now introduced a Client and Vendor Portal where you can add client users and#7 Tip of the week: Delegating approvals in Zoho People
With Zoho People, absences need not keep employees waiting with their approval requests. When you are not available at work, you can delegate approvals that come your way to your fellow workmate and let them take care of your approvals temporarily. Learn more!Admin Tip: Manage sub-domain emails using sub-domain stripping
As an admin, you may need separate domains for different departments such as sales, support, and marketing. While this approach offers flexibility, creating and managing multiple domains can quickly become overwhelming, especially since each domain requiresQuick Copy Column Name
Please add the ability to quickly copy the name of a column in a Table or Query View. When you right-click the column there should be an option to copy the name, or if you left-click the column and use the Ctrl+C keyboard shortcut it should copy theAbility to Edit YouTube Video Title, Description & Thumbnail After Publishing
Hi Zoho Social Team, How are you? We would like to request an enhancement to Zoho Social that enables users to edit YouTube video details after the video has already been published. Your team confirmed that while Zoho Social currently allows editing theHow do I remove a data source from Zoho Analytics?
I am unable to find a delte option on a datasource that i put in the system as an error. On teh web it refers to a setup icon but I do not see that on my interface?Add Employee Availability Functionality to Zoho People Shift Module
Hello Zoho People Product Team, Greetings and hope you are doing well. We would like to submit a feature request to enhance the Zoho People Shift module by adding employee availability management, similar to the functionality available in Zoho Shifts.Bigin, more powerful than ever on iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, and watchOS 26.
Hot on the heels of Apple’s latest OS updates, we’ve rolled out several enhancements and features designed to help you get the most from your Apple devices. Enjoy a refined user experience with smoother navigation and a more content-focused Liquid GlassDelay in rendering Zoho Recruit - Careers in the ZappyWorks
I click on the Careers link (https://zappyworks.zohorecruit.com/jobs/Careers) on the ZappyWorks website expecting to see the job openings. The site redirects me to Zoho Recruit, but after the redirect, the page just stays blank for several seconds. I'mIs Desk Down?
Across department - always an error. [Status Mode] - error [Table View and the rest] - workingHow do I change the wording of the tile of SignForm?
When my user opens a SignForm url, the title that is presented is always "SignForm signer Information" and a form is displayed asking for the username and email address. This can be confusing to the end user. How can I change the title at least (Or atHow to link tickets to a Vendor/Vendor Contact (not Customer) for Accounting Department?
Hi all, We’re configuring our Accounting department to handle tickets from both customers and vendors (our independent contractors). Right now, ticket association seems to be built around linking a ticket to a Customer / Customer Contact, but for vendor-originatedThis user is not allowed to add in Zoho. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details
Hello, Just signed up to ZOHO on a friend's recommendation. Got the TXT part (verified my domain), but whenever I try to add ANY user, I get the error: This user is not allowed to add in Zoho. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details I have emailed as well and writing here as well because when I searched, I saw many people faced the same issue and instead of email, they got a faster response here. My domain is: raisingreaderspk . com Hope this can be resolved. Thank youProblem with CRM Connection not Refreshing Token
I've setup a connection with Zoom in the CRM. I'm using this connection to automate some registrations, so my team doesn't have to manually create them in both the CRM and Zoom. Connection works great in my function until the token expires. It does not refresh and I have to manually revoke the connection and connect it again. I've chatted with Zoho about this and after emailing me that it couldn't be done I asked for specifics on why and they responded. "The connection is CRM is not a feature toAutomatic Matching from Bank Statements / Feeds
Is it possible to have transactions from a feed or bank statement automatically match when certain criteria are met? My use case, which is pretty broadly applicable, is e-commerce transactions for merchant services accounts (clearing accounts). In theseUnify Overlapping Functionalities Across Zoho Products
Hi Zoho One Team, We would like to raise a concern about the current overlap of core functionalities across various Zoho applications. While Zoho offers a rich suite of tools, many applications include similar or identical features—such as shift management,Automation #7 - Auto-update Email Content to a Ticket
This is a monthly series where we pick some common use cases that have been either discussed or most asked about in our community and explain how they can be achieved using one of the automation capabilities in Zoho Desk. Email is one of the most commonlyTicket to article and Ticket to template
Hello! I would like to know if it is possible (and how) to do the following actions: 1. To generate an article from a ticket (reply + original message) 2. Easy convert an answer to an email templateIs there API Doc for Zoho Survey?
Hi everyone, Is there API doc for Zoho Survey? Currently evaluating a solution - use case to automate survey administration especially for internal use. But after a brief search, I couldn't find API doc for this. So I thought I should ask here. ThanKaizen #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 relatedWebDAV / FTP / SFTP protocols for syncing
I believe the Zoho for Desktop app is built using a proprietary protocol. For the growing number of people using services such as odrive to sync multiple accounts from various providers (Google, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, etc.) it would be really helpfulNon-responsive views in Mobile Browser (iPad)
Has anyone noticed that the creator applications when viewed in a mobile browser (iPad) lost its responsiveness? It now appears very small font size and need to zoom into to read contents. Obviously this make use by field staff quite difficult. This is not at all a good move, as lots of my users are depending on accessing the app in mobile devices (iPads), and very challenging and frustrating.[Free Webinar] Learning Table Series - AI-Enhanced Logistics Management in Zoho Creator
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. About Learning Table Series Learning Table Series is a free, 45-60How to use Rollup Summary in a Formula Field?
I created a Rollup Summary (Decimal) field in my module, and it shows values correctly. When I try to reference it in a Formula Field (e.g. ${Deals.Partners_Requested} - ${Deals.Partners_Paid}), I get the error that the field can’t be found. Is it possibleZoho Creator to Zoho CRM Images
Right now, I am trying to setup a Notes form within Zoho Creator. This Notes will note the Note section under Accounts > Selected Account. Right now, I use Zoho Flow to push the notes and it works just fine, with text only. Images do not get sent (thereError Logs / Failure logs for Client Scripts Functions
Hi Team, While we are implementing client scripts for the automation, it is working fine in few accounts but not working for others. So, it would be great if we can have error Logs for client scripts also just like custom functions. Is there any way thatZoho Books blocks invoicing without VeriFactu even though it is not mandatory until 2027
I would like to highlight a very serious issue in Zoho Books for Spain. 1. The Spanish government has postponed the mandatory start of VeriFactu to January 1st, 2027. This means that during all of 2026 businesses are NOT required to transmit invoicesProblem : Auto redirect from zoho flow to zoho creator
Hi there, I've been waiting for zoho team to get back on this for last couple of days. Anyone else have the problem to access zoho flow? everytime I click on zoho flow it redirects me to zoho creator. I tried incognito mode but it still direct me to zohoWhy am I seeing deleted records in Zoho Analytics syncing with Zoho CRM?
I have done a data sync between Zoho CRM and Zoho Analytics, and the recycle bin is empty. Why do I see deleted leads/deals/contacts in Zoho Analytics if it doesn't exist in Zoho CRM? How can I solve this problem? ThanksHow to use MAIL without Dashboard?
Whenever I open Mail, it opens Dashboard. This makes Mail area very small and also I cannot manage Folders (like delete/rename) etc. I want to know if there is any way to open only Mail apps and not the Dashboard.Peppol: Accept Bill (Belgium)
Hi, This topic might help you if you're facing the same in Belgium. We are facing an issue while accepting a supplier bill received by Peppol in Zoho Books. There is a popup with an error message: This bill acceptance could not be completed, so it wasZoho Books is now integrated with Zoho Checkout
Hello everyone, We're glad to be announcing that Zoho Books is now integrated with Zoho Checkout. With this integration, you can now handle taxes and accounting on your payment pages with ease. An organization you create in Zoho Checkout can be added to Zoho Books and vice-versa. Some of the key features and benefits you will receive are: Seamless sync of customer and invoice data With the end-to-end integration, the customer and invoice details recorded via the payment pages from Zoho CheckoutSync Issue
My Current plan only allows me with 10,000 rows and it is getting sync failure how to control it without upgrading my planAdd Zoho PDF to Zoho One Tool Applications
It should be easy to add from here without the hassle of creating a web tab:JOB WISE INVOICE PROCESS
I WANT TO ENABLE JOB WISE TRACKING OF ALL SALES AND PURCHASEPDF Template have QTY as first column
I want to have the QTY of an item on the sales orders and invoices to be the first column, then description, then pricing. Is there a way to change the order? I went to the Items tab in settings but don't see how to change the order of the columns onRAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) Type Q+A Environment with Zoho Learn
Hi All, Given the ability of Zoho Learn to function as a knowledge base / document repository type solution and given the rapid advancements that Zoho is making with Zia LLM, agentic capabilities etc. (not to mention the rapid progress in the broaderNext Page