Setting up and using connections in Bigin toppings
When building a topping to extend Bigin's functionality and connect it with third-party applications, creating and handling connections is an important step. Connections provide a secure way for your topping to authenticate and communicate with other applications' APIs without exposing sensitive credentials to end users. This abstraction is both secure and makes the integration easier because it eliminates the need for developers to implement complex authorization flows manually or handle authorization tokens directly.
Bigin's Developer Console offers a feature called a connection, which acts as a bridge between your topping and the third-party application you wish to integrate with. Once a connection is configured, you can reference it in your topping's functionalities using its unique link name. This enables the topping to execute REST operations such as fetching, updating, or syncing data with the connected application securely.
Now that we've achieved a basic understanding of what a connection is and how it helps toppings interact with other applications, the next step is to understand the types of connections available in Bigin's Developer Console.
Establishing connections with services
The connections feature in Bigin's Developer Console offers two types of services to help developers configure integrations according to their requirements: default services and custom services. Default services are preconfigured services available in Bigin's Developer Console that simplify integrations with some Zoho and third-party applications. If the application you want to integrate with isn't listed in the default services, you can create a custom service and configure it according to the API specifications of the third-party application.
Default services
The connections feature offers certain default services as preconfigured options that can be easily integrated with Bigin. These services come with predefined settings such as authentication type, token endpoints, scopes, and headers, which reduces the need for manual configuration. Currently, there are around 50 default services available in the Developer Console, covering a wide range of applications and platforms. This enables developers to connect to services with minimal effort.
If the application you want to integrate with your topping isn't listed in the default services, you can create a new custom service.
Custom services
Custom services enable developers to configure all aspects of a connection manually, including the authentication type, endpoints, headers, and scopes, which enables integration with third-party applications.
When setting up a custom service, developers can specify the exact authentication flow required by the external application, whether it's basic authentication, OAuth, an API key, or another method.
Note:
Refer to the official API documentation of third-party applications when configuring these settings, as this will provide the necessary details for authentication and data access.
To create a custom service, navigate to the Connections section and choose Custom Services in the Developer Console. Based on the authentication type supported, configure the custom service for the required product.
Note:
Always handle sensitive information such as client IDs, client secrets, and API keys securely, and never share them publicly. After configuring and authorizing a custom service, reference it in Deluge scripts and workflow functions by using its unique connection link name, just as you do with default services.
Next, let's look at how to implement the default service connection with an example.
Create a default service connection
Let's say you're developing a Bigin topping to synchronize contact information between Bigin and Zoho Books. This integration enables contacts created or updated in Bigin to be automatically reflected in Zoho Books. The topping uses Zoho Books APIs to create, update, and retrieve customer data using a default service connection.
To create a default service connection for the topping, choose Connections from the left panel of the Developer Console and click Get Started.
Next, navigate to My Connections or Default Services. To fetch data from the Contacts module in Bigin, create a connection first. From Default Services, select Bigin and then click Create Connection to set it up.
The system will prompt you to enter the connection details. Provide a name for the connection (for example: Bigin Connection). A connection link name is generated automatically.
Next, select the scopes required for the topping's functionality. In this use case, select ZohoBigin.modules.ALL to access data from Bigin's Contacts module.
After selecting the scope, click Create and Connect to initiate the authorization process. The system redirects you to the authorization page. Click Connect, and you'll be taken to the service's login page. Choose the Bigin organization for which the topping was created, click submit, and the connection will be created.
After establishing the connection with Bigin, you must also create a connection for Zoho Books to enable record creation. To do this, create a default service connection for Zoho Books, similar to the one created for Bigin. Select the scope ZohoBooks.fullaccess.ALL to grant complete access to modules and operations in Zoho Books.
Once you've created the connections for both Bigin and Zoho Books, the system will generate connection link names for each. These link names must be used in the business logic.
Note:
During development, authorize the connection in the Sandbox environment to test integration workflows safely.
To understand the authorization process and how to implement them, please refer to this guide on authorizing connections.
After you authorize the connection, set up a workflow rule in the Bigin Developer Console that gets triggered whenever you create or update a contact in your Bigin account. Here, we need to specify the conditions that apply to the workflow and check that the email field isn't empty.
Note:
In our use case, we'll use the email address to check whether the newly created contact in Bigin already exists as a customer in Zoho Books.
When the workflow meets the specified conditions, an instant action - in this case, a function - which will execute a custom functionality that performs the following operations:
- Retrieves the contact details from Bigin by referencing the established connection link name biginandbooksconnection0__booksconnection.
- Searches Zoho Books for an existing contact that matches the email.
- If a matching contact exists, update the contact's phone and contact person details in Zoho Books.
- If the script doesn't find a matching contact, it creates a new contact in Zoho Books with the relevant information.
Below is the code that automates contact synchronization between Bigin and Zoho Books:
- //Retrieve contact details from Bigin using the established connection
- biginContact = zoho.bigin.getRecordById("Contacts",contact.get("Contacts.ID"),Map(),"biginandbooksconnectionnew__biginconnection");
- //Extract relevant contact data
- biginData = biginContact.get("data");
- contactDetails = biginData.get(0);
- email = contactDetails.get("Email");
- phone = contactDetails.get("Phone");
- mobile = contactDetails.get("Mobile");
- fullName = contactDetails.get("Full_Name");
- //Search Zoho Books for existing contacts by email
- searchParams = Map();
- searchParams.put("search_text", email);
- booksContactsResponse = invokeurl
- [
- url :"https://books.zoho.com/api/v3/contacts"
- type :GET
- parameters:searchParams
- connection:"biginandbooksconnectionnew__booksconnection"
- ];
- info "Searched by name in Books: " + booksContactsResponse;
- booksData = booksContactsResponse.get("contacts");
- if(booksData != null && booksData.size() > 0)
- {
- // Extract the existingContactId
- existingContactId = booksData.get(0).get("contact_id");
- // Update existing contact
- updateParams = Map();
- updateParams.put("contact_name",fullName);
- updateParams.put("phone",phone);
- updateParams.put("mobile",mobile);
- updateParams.put("email",email);
- // Define contact person details
- contactPerson = Map();
- contactPerson.put("last_name",fullName);
- contactPerson.put("mobile",mobile);
- contactPerson.put("phone",phone);
- contactPerson.put("email",email);
- contactPerson.put("is_primary_contact",true);
- contactPersonsList = List();
- contactPersonsList.add(contactPerson);
- updateParams.put("contact_persons",contactPersonsList);
- //Prepare and execute update request
- parameters_data = Map();
- parameters_data.put("JSONString",updateParams.toString());
- info "parameters_data value:" + parameters_data;
- updateResponse = invokeurl
- [
- url :"https://books.zoho.com/api/v3/contacts/" + existingContactId + "?organization_id=XXXXXXX"
- type :PUT
- parameters:parameters_data
- connection:"biginandbooksconnectionnew__booksconnection"
- ];
- info "Updated Contact: " + updateResponse;
- }
- else
- {
- // Create new contact
- contactDetails = Map();
- contactDetails.put("contact_name",fullName);
- contactDetails.put("email",email);
- contactDetails.put("phone",phone);
- contactDetails.put("mobile",mobile);
- // Define contact person details
- contactPerson = Map();
- contactPerson.put("last_name",fullName);
- contactPerson.put("mobile",mobile);
- contactPerson.put("phone",phone);
- contactPerson.put("email",email);
- contactPerson.put("is_primary_contact",true);
- // Add to contact persons list
- contactPersonsList = List();
- contactPersonsList.add(contactPerson);
- contactDetails.put("contact_persons",contactPersonsList);
- // Prepare and execute the create request
- parameters_data = Map();
- parameters_data.put("JSONString",contactDetails.toString());
- createResponse = invokeurl
- [
- url :"https://books.zoho.com/api/v3/contacts?organization_id=XXXXXXX"
- type :POST
- parameters:parameters_data
- connection:"biginandbooksconnectionnew__booksconnection"
- ];
- info "Created Contact: " + createResponse;
- }
For details about the API endpoints and request formats used in this code, refer to the Bigin Deluge reference library and Zoho Books contacts API documentation.
After you configure the workflow and associate the function with the instant action, test the topping in the sandbox environment.
- To do this, click Test Your Topping in the upper-right corner of the Developer Console. This action will redirect you to the Bigin sandbox account, where you can create a new contact to test whether the functionalities work properly.
- After creating a new contact in Bigin, navigate to the Customers module in the Sales section of Zoho Books. When you set up the integration correctly, you'll see the newly created contact here, which confirms that Bigin and Zoho Books are synchronizing as expected. This process provides a safe and effective way to validate the workflow before deploying the topping to a production environment.
In this post, we've explained that default service connections in Bigin simplify authentication and connection with third-party applications by using predefined settings such as authentication type, token endpoints, and scopes. These connections are convenient because the Developer Console pre-configures the authentication flow and endpoints of the application you're integrating with.
To sum up: Bigin's connections feature provides a flexible foundation for integrating with a wide range of external services, and using these connections, developers can extend Bigin's integration capabilities.
Stay tuned for more about developing toppings and exploring other related features available in the Bigin Developer Console.
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
Sabitha M
Sticky Posts
Building Toppings #5 - Creating and configuring custom service connections in Bigin Toppings
Hello Biginners, Integrating Bigin with external applications extends its capabilities and enables customized functionalities. In our last post, we saw how to create a default service connection. Today, we'll see how to create a custom service connectionBuilding Toppings #4 - Setting up and using connections in Bigin toppings
When building a topping to extend Bigin's functionality and connect it with third-party applications, creating and handling connections is an important step. Connections provide a secure way for your topping to authenticate and communicate with otherBuilding 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 automateBuilding Toppings #2 - Learn how to use Bigin's Developer Console to build toppings
Hey Biginners, In our last post, we discussed what toppings are, why they're essential to extending Bigin's capabilities, and how the Bigin Developer Center serves as the starting point for building them. As a cloud platform, the Developer Center empowersBuilding Toppings #1 - Serving your needs with Bigin Toppings
Hey Biginners! We're excited to kick off our Developer Community series on building toppings for Bigin, and our goal is to provide an accessible, beginner-friendly, and relevant path for every developer. Imagine creating tiny pieces of software that unlock
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
Implementing Inventory Process
I am just starting to create an inventory system through Zoho for a nonprofit. We receive in-kind donations of items for kids, and utilize them in 2 or 3 different programs. Then families come in and take the items. I'm thinking of this structure: OurBest way to start zoho inventory with bulk openning stock
We are already using zoho book since long time for cars trading company. Now to streamline more, would like to import the excel data of closing stock of inventory to zoho inventory and to start on. Since we need to track each VIN (unique vehicle id number)Service Reports.
Hello Team, I have a requirement to create multiple service reports for a single AP. That means, in one AP I have 5 service line items, and all line items are linked to assets. Once I complete the AP, I want to generate 5 individual service reports, oneBlueprint enhancements - Parallel and multiple transitions, and more
Last modified on Sep 4, 2023: All Zoho CRM users can now access these enhancements. Initially, these features were available only on an early access basis and by request. However, as of August 2, 2023, they have been made available to all users in allItem Bulk Edit - Allow for Reorder Level
We're implementing a process for using the Reorder Level field for Items, and I have to go through and add this value to a huge chunk of our Items. It's driving me bonkers that I have to do this individually through the UI rather than bulk updating. ItZoho CRM || Unable to Bulk Assignment of Territories for Contacts
Dear Zoho CRM Support Team, I hope this email finds you well. We recently performed a bulk upload of Contacts into Zoho CRM using the official sample Excel template downloaded from the CRM. The upload itself was completed successfully; however, we encounteredWhat's New in Zoho Inventory | August – October 2025
Hello customers, The last quarter has been incredibly productive! We've released a powerful slate of new features and enhancements in Zoho Inventory designed to give you better control, greater efficiency, and expanded functionality across your inventoryDisable Zoho Inventory Tracking / Delink Zoho Books & Inventory
We have integrated zoho inventory with zoho books? Now after a long time, we want to disable inventory tracking and delink these 2 modules. Zoho says we cant do it. Anybody else going thru the same ? Any possibility at all? Why does zoho not allow toTracking Non-Inventory Items
We have several business locations and currently use zoho inventory to track retail items (sales and purchase orders). We were hoping to use zoho inventory to track our non-inventory items as well (toilet paper, paper towels, etc). I understand that wePrice Managment
I have been in discussions with Zoho for some time and not getting what I need. Maybe someone can help explain the logic behind this for me as I fail to understand. When creating an item, you input a sales rate and purchase rate. These rates are justSet Warehouse based on Vendor
Greetings. I would like to set automaticaly the Warehouse based on the Vendor. Context: I am working on an adaptation of a Purchase Order to be used as a Quotation. I have defined that when a user has to raise a quote the Vendor will be "PROCUREMENT" I would like to set the Warehouse to a predefined value when "PROCUREMENT" is set as Vendor. I have tried to do with the Automation feature using the Field Update option, but Warehouse does not is listed as a field. Can you help? Thanks in advance.Auto tagging
Some of the articles I enter into Notebook get there when I enter them in Raindrop.io and IFTTT copies the articles in Notebook. When this happens the notes are tagged but instead of useful one word tags with topic the tag pertains to the specific articleHow do I save audio files to my PC that I record into Zoho Notebook from my phone?
I was thinking of using Zoho Notebook as a way to store composition ideas, as well as for other things if it can handle this. For this to be useful for me though, I need to be able to have an easy way to download those audio files to my PC, either individuallySearch mails in shared mailbox
Hi everyone, is there a way to search mails in shared mailbox's? Search in streams or mail doesn't return anything from mails in shared mailboxes. Thanks! RafalKaizen #186 : Client Script Support for Subforms
Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post on Client Script! In this edition, we’re taking a closer look at Client Script Support for Subforms with the help of the following scenario. " Zylker, a manufacturing company, uses the "Orders"Writing SQL Queries - After Comma Auto Suggesting Column
When writing SQL Queries, does anyone else get super annoyed that after you type a comma and try to return to a new line it is automatically suggest a new column, so hitting return just inputs this suggested column instead of going to a new line? AnyoneConvert invoice from zoho to xml with all details
How to convert an Invoice to XML format with all detailsSync your Products Module for better context.
In customer support, context is everything. The integration between Zoho Desk and Zoho CRM helps your sales and support teams function as one, delivering better customer experiences. With the latest update to this integration, you can now sync the Product module in your Zoho CRM with your Zoho Desk portal. This feature enables products from Zoho CRM to reflect in the "product" field in Zoho Desk. This can save your support team valuable time and effort. Some things to note when syncing the two:Where is the desktop app for Zoho Projects???
As a project manager, I need a desktop app for the projects I manage. Yes, there's the web app, which is AWESOME for cross browser and platform compatibility... but I need a real desktop app for Projects that allow me to enter offline information whereCRM verify details pop-up
Was there a UI change recently that involves the Verify Details pop-up when changing the Stage of a Deal to certain things? I can't for the life of me find a workflow or function, blueprint, validation rule, layout rule ect that would randomly make itDoes Zoho Writer have Dropdowns
I want to add a drop down field in Zoho writer. Is this possible?Multiple header in the quote table???
Hello, Is it possible in Zoho CRM to add multiple headers or sections within the Quote product table, so that when the quote is printed it shows separate sections (for example “Products” and “Services”)? To clarify, I’m asking because: This does not appearopenUrl in blueprints
My customer wants to open a URL at the end of a blueprint transition. Seems this isn't possible right now but it would be very useful. In this thread, https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/openurl-not-working the Zoho agent said that it's logicallyDropshipping Address - Does Not Show on Invoice Correctly
When a dropshipping address is used for a customer, the correct ship-to address does not seem to show on the Invoice. It shows correctly on the Sales Order, Shipment Order, and Package, just not the Invoice. This is a problem, because the company beingPrepayment of a sales order
How does everyone handle this common (at least it is common for us!) situation? We require all our orders to be fully prepaid before shipment since we manufacture made to order, custom products. Since ZOHO does not allow a sales order to be prepaid, we are forced to create an invoice at the time an order is placed to allow the customer to pay it. Our sales category is therefore skewed, since the sale was actually booked at the time an order was placed, rather then at the time it is shipped, whichAccess to Specific Zoho Desk layout for external parties
Hi, We have a partner who handles for us sales requests from specific markets. He is not a Zoho Desk user. But we want him to b part of a specific Zoho Desk layout to handle inquiries. How to achieve it in the easiest way possible?Deposit on a Sales Order
Good day, 100% of my business is preorders, no inventory. I am trying to run away from QB for one of my businesses, but I require two options that I don't seem to find with Zoho Books. 1 - If there is a way to apply a deposit on a sales order, as withHow Does Knowledge Base Search and Article Recommendation Work?
Hello, I would like to understand how the Knowledge Base search engine works. Specifically, does it search based on: The article title only? The full article content? Both, the article and the content? Keywords? Tags? Also, how does the system determineBulk Delete Attachments
Is there a way to bulk delete attachments on the form entries? our storage is full and deleting files one by one is pain taking process.How do I sync multiple Google calendars?
I'm brand new to Zoho and I figured out how to sync my business Google calendar but I would also like to sync my personal Google calendar. How can I do this so that, at the very least, when I have personal engagements like doctor's appointments, I canAbility to Disable System Banner Messages in Chat Flow Control
Dear Zoho SalesIQ Team, Greetings, We would like to request an enhancement related to the system banner messages in Zoho SalesIQ chat flow control. Current Behavior: SalesIQ allows configuring various automatic banner/system messages such as: WaitingIdle Chat Reminders for Agent-Handled Conversations
Dear Zoho SalesIQ Team, Greetings, We would like to request an enhancement to the Idle Chat Handling functionality in Zoho SalesIQ—specifically for chats that are handled by human agents after a bot-to-agent transfer. Current Behavior: In Zobot settings,Snapchat
Are there any plans to add Snapchat to Zoho Social or is there any API that we can use to integrate into Zoho.Zoho Sign "An unexpected error occured" when clients trying to sign documents
We are unable to have clients sign our documents. When attempting to complete the process an error appears saying "an unexpected error occured" and in the document history just shows "signing failure." We are at a complete standstill with no response¡Vuelven los Workshops Certificados de Zoho a España!
¡Hola usuarios de Español Zoho Community! Hace ya unos días que hemos dado la bienvenida al 2026, y promete ser un año de lo más emocionante. Y es que nos gustaría haceros nuestro particular regalo de Reyes, aunque lleguemos un poco tarde. 🎁 ¡Nos gustaríaCancel Subscription
Hi , Im want to cancel my account but without success please help me to do itHow to list services on quote instead of products
I need to create a customer facing estimate that displays our services. The default quote layout only allows products to be listed. Is there a way to correct this?Making an email campaign into a Template
I used a Zoho Campaign Template to create an email. Now I want to use this email and make it a new template, but this seems to be not possible. Am I missing something?Syncing calendar with Google Calendar doesn't work when events are sent to auto repeat
Hi... The ZOHO CRM -- GOOGLE CALENDAR sync is broken. If I create a single event on either side, sync works, but if I create an event with auto repeat on either side it doesn't work. Furthermore, events created before the sync don't show up in the calendar.Invoice status on write-off is "Paid" - how do I change this to "Written off"
HI guys, I want to write off a couple of outstanding invoices, but when I do this, the status of the invoices shows as "Paid". Clearly this is not the case and I need to be able to see that they are written off in the customer's history. Is there a wayNext Page