Creating and configuring custom service connections in Bigin Toppings

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 connection when the application you need to integrate with isn't listed in the default services.

Consider a scenario where a team uses Bigin to manage its tasks and handles project tracking and collaboration in Trello. Keeping both the applications synchronized can be a challenging task and often requires manual data entry, which increases the risk of errors. To solve this challenge, we can create a Bigin topping with a custom service connection established with the Trello application. Using this custom service connection, we can automate the process by creating a new card inside Trello each time a new task is created in Bigin.

Let's learn how to do this.

Setting up the topping

A topping needs to be created using the Bigin Developer Center; for detailed instructions on creating a topping, refer to this post.

Once you've created the topping and accessed the Bigin Developer Console, the next steps are creating the custom service connection and configuring the topping's functionality.
  1. Navigate to the Connections section in the left panel and click the Get Started button.
  1. Under the Services section, select Custom Services, then click Create Service.
  1. Fill in the required details for the custom service in the configuration screen.
  1. Enter a name for the custom service connection under Service Name; this will automatically generate the service link name.
  2. Select the appropriate authentication type supported by the third-party application from the available options: API key, Basic Authentication, OAuth 1, OAuth 2, or AWS signature.
Notes
Note:

Refer to the official API documentation of the third-party application to determine the authentication type.
  1. Each authentication type has its own set of parameters to ensure secure integration with the third-party app. For detailed instructions on configuring each authentication type and field, refer to this guide.
  2. For integrating with Trello, we'll choose API Key, which is the authentication type supported by the Trello app. For more information on getting your API key and token, refer to the Trello API documentation. Trello requires an API key and token to authenticate with another app. They have to be configured as query parameters, so set the parameter type to Query String.
  3. In the Parameter Key fields, enter the key and token, and set their corresponding Parameter Display Names to Trello API Key and Trello Token respectively.
Notes
Note:

Providing both the key and token is essential because Trello requires these two credentials for secure API access.
The key is the unique identifier for your application, and the token is a user-specific credential that authorizes our application to access and modify Trello data.
  1. Once all the required parameters are configured, click Create Service.

After successfully creating the custom service, the next step is to establish the connection with the Trello service by clicking the Create Connection button.

  1. On the following screen, provide a connection name for your Trello integration; this name will automatically generate the Connection Link Name.
  2. Once you've entered the necessary details, click the Create And Connect button to start the connection process.
  1. You'll be prompted to authenticate your Trello account using the API key and token you got from the Trello API documentation.
  2. After entering these credentials, click Connect to authenticate and integrate your Trello account with the custom service you have created.
  1. Once the connection is established, you'll be redirected back to the Bigin Developer Console. Here, you can view the details of your custom service connection, including the connection link name, confirming that the integration with Trello is active and ready for use.

This connection link name serves as a unique identifier for your integration and will be referenced in the Deluge code.

You'll also need to create a default service connection with Bigin with the scope ZohoBigin.modules.tasks.ALL to access Task details from your Bigin account.



The next step is to set up a workflow rule to automate the card creation process. This workflow will trigger whenever a new task is created in Bigin to create a corresponding card in Trello. To do this, a custom function needs to be associated with the workflow.

To configure the workflow, navigate to the Automate section in the left panel of the Bigin Developer Console and select Workflow. Create a new workflow rule within the Tasks module, setting the trigger to activate whenever a new task is created in Bigin. For the trigger condition, choose to apply the workflow to All tasks to ensure every new task initiates the automation.

Next, associate the workflow rule with a function by selecting the Function option from the Instant Actions menu.


After providing the required function details, you'll be redirected to the Deluge editor, where you can implement the logic for creating a new Trello Card.



In the Deluge code:
  1. Retrieve the details of the newly created task from Bigin using its Task ID.
  2. Extract relevant task data such as the subject (used as the task name) and description.
  3. Identify the target Trello board and the specific list where the card should be created.
  4. Fetch all lists from the Trello board and locate the list ID that matches the desired list name. For our use case, we'll be creating the task as a card in the Trello list named "Today" so that the task created on that specific day will fall under the Today list. Later, it can be moved across other lists in Trello as its status updates.
  5. Prepare the card details using the extracted task information and the identified list ID.
  6. Create a new card in Trello using the prepared details.
The code below implements the logic for automatically creating a Trello card whenever a new task is created in Bigin.
  1. // Step 1: Get task details from Bigin
  2. taskDetails = zoho.bigin.getRecordById("Tasks",task.get("Tasks.ID"),Map(),"biginandtrello__biginconnection");
  3. // Step 2: Extract task data
  4. taskData = taskDetails.get("data").get(0);
  5. taskName = taskData.get("Subject");
  6. taskDescription = taskData.get("Description");
  7. // Step 3: Trello board and target list name
  8. boardId = "KQMtdnPX";
  9. targetListName = "Today";
  10. // Step 4: Get all lists on Trello board
  11. listsResponse = invokeurl
  12. [
  13. url :"https://api.trello.com/1/boards/" + boardId + "/lists"
  14. type :GET
  15. connection:"biginandtrello__trello"
  16. ];
  17. // Step 5: Find the list ID by name
  18. listId = "";
  19. for each listItem in listsResponse
  20. {
  21. if(listItem.get("name") == targetListName)
  22. {
  23. listId = listItem.get("id");
  24. break;
  25. }
  26. }
  27. // Step 6: Check if list exists
  28. if(listId == "")
  29. {
  30. info "List with name '" + targetListName + "' not found.";
  31. return;
  32. }
  33. // Step 7: Prepare Trello card details
  34. cardDetails = Map();
  35. cardDetails.put("name",taskName + " - From Bigin");
  36. cardDetails.put("desc",taskDescription);
  37. cardDetails.put("idList",listId);
  38. // Step 8: Create Trello card
  39. createCardResponse = invokeurl
  40. [
  41. url :"https://api.trello.com/1/cards"
  42. type :POST
  43. parameters:cardDetails
  44. connection:"biginandtrello__trello"
  45. ];
  46. // Step 9: Log Trello response
  47. info "Trello card creation response: " + createCardResponse;

For details about the API endpoints and request formats used in this code, refer to the Bigin Deluge reference library and Trello API documentation.
Now, let's test whether the topping is functioning as expected. To test the topping, click Test your Topping on the top right of the Bigin Developer Console.


You can test the topping by creating a new Task in your Bigin Sandbox account and then checking your Trello account to see if a new card is created in the specified list.



In this post, We've successfully created a custom service connection between Bigin and Trello!

By using custom service connections, you can securely integrate third-party applications with Bigin and achieve your business's use cases.

Stay tuned for more posts where we'll dive deeper into additional features and best practices for developing powerful toppings in Bigin.

    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





                                                              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

                                                                                                                • Edit 'my' Notes only

                                                                                                                  The permissions around Notes should be more granular, and allow to user to be able to edit the notes he created only. The edit Notes permission is useful as it allows the user to correct any mistakes or add information as needed. However, with this same
                                                                                                                • Job Alerts for Candidates

                                                                                                                  hi All, I have 2 questions relating to sharing job details with candidates. 1. is there a way to notify candidates that meet certain criteria of current jobs available? eg. I run a candidate search, and identify 50 candidates that might be suitable. Can
                                                                                                                • Enhancing Task Accuracy: Automatically notify the owners upon Task duplication.

                                                                                                                  Hello Everyone, A Custom function is a user-written set of code to achieve a specific requirement. Set the required conditions needed as when to trigger using the Workflow rules (be it Tasks / Project) and associate the custom function to it. The requirement
                                                                                                                • Nodemailer not working with Zoho

                                                                                                                  Hi All, I'm having issues with Zoho working with Nodemailer. It works as expected when using gmail as the service. Below is the code I get when using zoho. Error sending email: Error: connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:587 at TCPConnectWrap.afterConnect [as
                                                                                                                • desktop app for TODO

                                                                                                                  Is there a desktop app for Zoho TODO?
                                                                                                                • Show/ hide specific field based on user

                                                                                                                  Can someone please help me with a client script to achieve the following? I've already tried a couple of different scripts I've found on here (updating to match my details etc...) but none of them seem to work. No errors flagged in the codes, it just
                                                                                                                • Where are Kanban swimlanes

                                                                                                                  So i've been playing with Zoho Projects Kanban view a bit more. It appears that task lists are being used as the Kanban columns, which makes sense from the implementation point of view but not the logical one.  Kanban columns are statuses that a task can flow through, while a task list has been a logical way to organize related tasks and relate them to a mislestone. In other words a task in a particular task can go through several stages while remaining in the same task list. After doing some research
                                                                                                                • Tip 19: How to display images in Pages using ZML snippets

                                                                                                                  Hi folks, We're back with another tip on how to use Zoho Markup Language (ZML) to create interactive pages in Zoho Creator. You can use ZML snippets to add various kinds of components to your pages and structure them in meaningful ways. That's not all, though—using ZML you can ensure your application is automatically compatible with all kinds of devices without any inconsistencies. We often get questions from users about how to invoke Deluge scripts within ZML code. Here's a simple use case for adding
                                                                                                                • Can zoho swign format block text spacing automatically when prefilled from zoho crm?

                                                                                                                  I'm sending zoho sign template from zoho crm, so that zoho crm pre-populates most fields. I have existing pdf documents that i am having signed. I have no ability to change the pdf documents, they are standardized government forms. The problem I am facing
                                                                                                                • Reference lookup field values in Client script

                                                                                                                  hello all, I'm using a "ZDK.Apps.CRM.Products.searchByCriteria" function call, which is returning the matching records correctly; however, one of the fields is a lookup field which I need the associated data. I believe there is a way to get this data
                                                                                                                • Every time an event is updated, all participants receive an update email. How can I deactivate this?

                                                                                                                  Every time an event is updated in Zoho CRM (e.g. change description, link to Lead) every participant of this meeting gets an update email. Another customer noticed this problem years ago in the Japanese community: https://help.zoho.com/portal/ja/community/topic/any-time-an-event-is-updated-on-zohocrm-calendar-it-sends-multiple-invites-to-the-participants-how-do-i-stop-that-from-happening
                                                                                                                • How can I filter a field integration?

                                                                                                                  Hi,  I have a field integration from CRM "Products" in a form, and I have three product Categories in CRM. I only need to see Products of a category. Thanks for you answers.
                                                                                                                • Zoho CRM - Portal Users Edit Their Own Account Information

                                                                                                                  Hi Community, I'm working on a client portal and it seems like the only I can make the Account record editable to the Contact, is if I add another lookup on the Account to the Contact record. Am I missing something as the account already has a list of
                                                                                                                • Connecting Zoho Mail with Apollo.io

                                                                                                                  Hi, I am trying to connect my Zoho Mail account with my Apollo.io account to start sending cold email for prospecting purposes. I have activated the IMAP setting but I am still unable to connect to the Apollo account. I am using my email credentials but
                                                                                                                • Where does this report come from in the Zoho One ecosystems?

                                                                                                                  Is this directly from MA, Analytics or ??? ???
                                                                                                                • Contact's title in "Contact Role Mapping"

                                                                                                                  When I'm creating a deal, I'd like to see the contacts title in the listing. Right now, I only see this: How can I get the contact's title in there?
                                                                                                                • Zoho CRM - Client Portal - Hide Notes Related List

                                                                                                                  Hi Community, I'm building a customer portal and I can't find a way to hide the notes related list. I don't want the client to see the notes I have about them. Is there a way to do this as it is no bin/trash icon when I hover over.
                                                                                                                • "Pivot Table" Conditional Formatting

                                                                                                                  Team, I there a way to use conditional formatting a "Pivot Table"  report? Thanks, Arron Blue Pumpkin Hosting | Solutions Made Simple
                                                                                                                • How many clients can be added to Zoho Practice?

                                                                                                                  How many clients can be added to Zoho Practice without having their zoho app?
                                                                                                                • Stage History

                                                                                                                  when viewing a ticket , and you look at stage history tab (kanban view) and look at the stage duration column in days, it shows the current stage of the ticket as " current stage ". Should it not rather show the amount of days it has been in that current
                                                                                                                • Automating Ticket Responses Using Zoho Desk's AI Features

                                                                                                                  We’re looking to set up an automation within Zoho Desk that can analyze incoming emails or tickets and automatically respond with relevant knowledge base articles based on the content of the request. Could you please guide us on how to configure this
                                                                                                                • Service locations are tied to contacts?

                                                                                                                  Trying the system out. And what I discovered is that it seems that the whole logic of the app is, I'd say, backwards. There is a Customer - a company. The company has contact persons and service locations can be associated with different contact persons.
                                                                                                                • Enhancements to Zoho Map integration tasks

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone, We're excited to announce enhancements to the Zoho Map integration tasks in Deluge, which will boost its performance. This post will walk you through the upcoming changes, explain why we're making them, and detail the steps you need to
                                                                                                                • Bug in Total Hour Calculation in Regularization for past dates

                                                                                                                  There is a bug in Zoho People Regularization For example today is the date is 10 if I choose a previous Date like 9 and add the Check in and Check out time The total hours aren't calculated properly, in the example the check in time is 10:40 AM check
                                                                                                                • Narrative 12: Sandbox - Testing without the risk

                                                                                                                  Behind the scenes of a successful ticketing system: BTS Series Narrative 12: Sandbox - Testing without the risk What is a sandbox environment? A sandbox environment is a virtual playground that allows you to test freely and experiment with various elements
                                                                                                                • Announcing new features in Trident for Mac (1.27.0)

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone! Trident for macOS (v1.27.0) is here with new features and enhancements to improve scheduling and managing your calendar events. Let's take a quick look at them. Stay aligned across time zones. Both the scheduled and original time zones
                                                                                                                • Slow uploads of large files

                                                                                                                  I'm wanting to use Workdrive for transferring large images and video (we're talking things from 100MB-5GB). I'm running solo on a 500MBit/sec fiber connection. I'm getting upload speeds to Workdrive of no more than about 1-3Mbytes/sec when going through
                                                                                                                • Migrate Your Notes from OneNote to Zoho Notebook Today

                                                                                                                  Greetings Notebook Users, We’re excited to introduce a powerful new feature that lets you migrate your notes from Microsoft OneNote to Zoho Notebook—making your transition faster and more seamless than ever. ✨ What’s New One-click migration: Easily import
                                                                                                                • need to upload from airtable to google drive

                                                                                                                  I have a zapier zap that automates between airtable and google drive. When a customer uploads a new file into airtable via a client portal interface, zapier uploads that file into a folder linked to that customer's project record. I need to replicate
                                                                                                                • Can't delete functions that are associated with deleted workflow rules

                                                                                                                  We have a handful of functions that were once associated with a workflow rule, but the rule has been deleted. The function still thinks it is associated so I can't assign it to a new rule. It is starting to get really messy because we have a list of functions
                                                                                                                • Default Sorting on Related Lists

                                                                                                                  Is it possible to set the default sorting options on the related lists. For example on the Contact Details view I have related lists for activities, emails, products cases, notes etc... currently: Activities 'created date' newest first Emails - 'created
                                                                                                                • Credit Management: #1 Credit You Owe vs Credits Owed to the Business

                                                                                                                  Think about the last time you ordered food online. You might have paid in advance through your card, but you received a $20 refund because your order got delayed or cancelled. In most apps, refunds don't go into the bank account directly; instead, they're
                                                                                                                • Tip #46- Turn Every Session into an Insight with Zoho Assist survey report- 'Insider Insights'

                                                                                                                  Delivering exceptional remote support isn’t just about resolving issues, it’s about understanding how both customers and technicians experience each session. That’s where Survey Report in Zoho Assist come in. You can configure and customize survey questions
                                                                                                                • CRM/Bookings integration edits Contact names

                                                                                                                  Hi there, I've installed the extension that connects Zoho CRM and Zoho Bookings. When we get a new appointment from Bookings from an existing Contact, that Contact's record shows this: First Name was updated from asd to blank value Last Name was updated
                                                                                                                • Domain Change

                                                                                                                  “Please update my Email-in domain from @biginmail.biginmail.in to @biginmail.zoho.com. Messages to the .in domain are bouncing.”
                                                                                                                • Webhooks Limit Exceeded

                                                                                                                  Today, I received an error message saying, 'Total number of Webhook call exceeded', but when I look at Manage > Billing, it doesn't look like any of my invokeURL calls are being logged. Following the advice from this thread: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/webhooks-daily-limits-in-zoho-creator
                                                                                                                • Auto select option in CRM after Zoho Form merge

                                                                                                                  Hi, I have a dropdown field in Zoho CRM that is filled with a Zoho Form. The data is filled but not automatically shown. After selecting the right value in the dropdown the information a second field is shown. So the question is; how can I make the dropdown
                                                                                                                • Bring your CRM data straight into your presentations in Zoho Show

                                                                                                                  Let's say you are working on a presentation about your team's sales pipeline for an upcoming strategy meeting. All the information you need about clients and leads is in Zoho CRM, but you end up copying details from the CRM into your slides, adjusting
                                                                                                                • Zoho People 2.0 Help Manual

                                                                                                                  Hello All, Zoho People Help Documentation is now available at this link. Please go through and get in touch with us at support@zohopeople.com in case of any questions. Regards, Hemalatha Chandrasekaran | Zoho People
                                                                                                                • Introducing New APIs in Zoho Contracts

                                                                                                                  We are excited to announce the release of new APIs in Zoho Contracts to help you automate and manage every stage of your contract lifecycle more efficiently. Here’s a quick overview of what’s new: 1. Complete Contract Draft You can use this API to complete
                                                                                                                • Next Page