Creating a Gmail integration using custom connectors

Creating a Gmail integration using custom connectors

Hello everyone!

Greetings from Deluge. Following up on our series aimed at exploring the capabilities of Deluge, today we'll take an in-depth look into the Deluge custom connections that can be created across Zoho services.

Deluge boasts an extensive range of over 260 built-in integrations spanning more than 35 Zoho services. These integrations streamline data access and modification with these services, from a single point in Zoho, without having to toggle between services. However, we understand that the needs of our users vary widely, and sometimes existing integrations may not cover every scenario.

That's where custom connections come in. Think of them as the Swiss Army Knife of integrations, enabling connections with hundreds of services—such as Gmail and Outlook—and seamlessly integrating them with your favorite Zoho services. With custom connections, you have the power to build your own integrations with virtually any third-party service and tailor them to meet your requirements. Moreover, since the custom connections use the OAuth 2.0 authentication mechanism, you're getting best-in-class security while integrating with third-party services.

What are connections? 
Before we dive into the details of custom connectors, let's take a glimpse at what connections are in Deluge. Connections are a means to connect your Zoho account and any third-party accounts you wish to integrate with. Once a connection is created and connected, you can use it in Deluge integration tasks or invokeURL scripts to perform REST operations on the target service from the required Zoho service. For more information, visit our Connections help doc.
  
Use case 
Assume the sales team of an organization uses Zoho CRM for managing leads, customer retention, and customer acquisition, and uses Gmail for communication purposes, like following up with potential clients via email.   While the system works as is, it's time-consuming and prone to error, so an integration between Gmail and Zoho CRM is necessary to improve efficiency.

A custom connection to your Google account will enable you to sync your Zoho CRM and Google accounts, allowing you to perform actions related to your Google account from Zoho CRM. For example, you can invoke the connection using the invokeURL task in Zoho CRM and send an email to your leads from your Gmail address.

Steps to configure the Google custom connection

Configuration video


Configuration steps
Creating Google OAuth credentials
  1. Visit https://console.cloud.google.com/.
  2. Click the dropdown and choose the required project.
  3. Navigate to the hamburger menu on the left and click APIs and services -> Library.
  4. You'll be taken to the API library page. Navigate to the Google Workspace section and click Gmail API.
  5. Next, click Enable on the Gmail API product details page.
  6. In order to use this API, you'll need to create credentials. Click CREATE CREDENTIALS.
  7. On the Create credentials page, choose Gmail API in the Select an API dropdown and User Data under the What data will you be accessing? section. Click Next.
  8. Next, on the OAuth consent screen, enter the App name, User support email, and Developer contact email address. Then click Save and Continue.
  9. Next, under the Scopes section, click the ADD OR REMOVE SCOPES button.
  10. In the Update selected scopes pane, search and select the gmail.readonly scope. Click Update, and then click Save and continue.


  11. Now, under the OAuth Client ID section, choose Web application in the Application type dropdown. Then name your app.


  12. Enter https://deluge.zoho.com/delugeauth/callback as the Authorized redirect URI.
  13. Click Create and download your credentials. This Client ID and others will be required later, while creating a connection in Zoho CRM.
  14. Navigate to the OAuth consent screen and click Add users under Test users. Enter the user's email address and click Save.
Creating a custom connector for Gmail
  1. Now the action shifts to Zoho CRM. Navigate to crm.zoho.com -> Settings -> Connections.
  2. Choose Custom Services and click Create Service.
  3. On the Create Service screen, choose OAuth 2.0 as the Authentication type and Header as the Parameter.
  4. Enter the Client ID, Client Secret, and Authorize URL generated from Google as shown in step 12 above.
    Tip: Having the Offline access type will allow your application to refresh tokens even when the user is not actively using the application.
  5. Then enter https://oauth2.googleapis.com/token as the Access token URL and Refresh token URL.
  6. Specify the necessary scopes like read and create, etc. and then click Create Service.
  7. On the next page, click Create Connection. Give the connection name and choose the scopes. Then click Create and Connect.
  8. Finally, authenticate the connection on the Google accounts page. Your custom connection will be created, and the two services can be integrated!
Now that the connection between Zoho CRM and Gmail has been established, you can use the invokeURL task to access and modify data in Gmail using the different APIs.

Sample
You can use the below code in invokeURL task to get the latest emails from Gmail.

userId = "emailaddress@gmail.com";
get_gmail = invokeurl
[
url: "https://gmail.googleapis.com/gmail/v1/users/"+userId+"/messages"
type: GET
connection : "connectionname"
];
messageID = get_gmail.get("messages").get(0).get("id");

get_gmail_withID = invokeurl
[
url: "https://gmail.googleapis.com/gmail/v1/users/"+userId+"/messages/"+messageID
type: GET
connection : "connectionname"
];

Content_of_the_mail = get_gmail_withID.get("snippet");
info "Mail Content : " + Content_of_the_mail;

gmail_values = get_gmail_withID.get("payload").get("headers");
for each headers in gmail_values
{
if ( headers.get("name") == "Subject" )
{
info "Subject of the Mail : " + headers.get("value");
}
if ( headers.get("name") == "From" )
{
info "From Address : " + headers.get("value");
}
}

References

----

And that's a wrap for today! We hope you found this post informative and start using custom connections to experience the full capabilities of Deluge and Zoho.

Kindly let us know if you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions in the comments, or write to us at support@zohodeluge.com!
 
Regards,
The Deluge Team

    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

                                                                                                                • Trigger a Workflow Function if an Attachment (Related List) has been added

                                                                                                                  Hello, I have a Case Module with a related list which is Attachment. I want to trigger a workflow if I added an attachment. I've seen some topics about this in zoho community that was posted few months ago and based on the answers, there is no trigger
                                                                                                                • How can I link Products in a Deal Subform to the Products Module

                                                                                                                  Hello, I have a pricing subform on our Deals page and use a lookup field to associate a product with each line. I want to be able to look at a product page within the Products module and see a list of the deals connected to that product. I have this working
                                                                                                                • Email Field Validation Incorrectly Rejects RFC-Compliant Addresses (Forward Slashes)

                                                                                                                  I've encountered a validation issue with Zoho Creator's Email field that rejects RFC-compliant email addresses containing forward slashes, and I'm hoping the Zoho team can address this in a future update. The Issue When entering an email address containing
                                                                                                                • Call result pop up on call when call ends

                                                                                                                  I’d like to be able to create a pop up that appears after a call has finished that allows me to select the Call Result. I'm using RingCentral. I have seen from a previous, now locked, thread on Zoho Cares that this capability has been implemented, but
                                                                                                                • ZOHO.CRM.UI.Record.open not working properly

                                                                                                                  I have a Zoho CRM Widget and in it I have a block where it will open the blocks Meeting like below block.addEventListener("click", () => { ZOHO.CRM.UI.Record.open({ Entity: "Events", RecordID: meeting.id }).catch(err => { console.error("Open record failed:",
                                                                                                                • Payment system for donations management

                                                                                                                  I manage an organization where we receive donations from payers. Hence, there is no need to first create invoices and then create payments received against the invoices. What are the recommended best practices to do this in ZohoBooks?
                                                                                                                • Recording the deducted TDS on advance received from Customer (Zoho Books India)

                                                                                                                  Hi, How can we record the tds that has been deducted by my customer for the advance that he has paid to me. 1) My customer has paid Rs 10000 to me as advance (Rs 9800 as cash and deducted Rs 200 as TDS). I am not able to record the tds that has been deducted
                                                                                                                • Changing Account Type in Chart of Accounts

                                                                                                                  Does anyone know how to change/edit the account type for an Account name in Chart of Accounts. Zoho will not let me do this for some reason
                                                                                                                • Bulk bank rule creatioin

                                                                                                                  Hi team, I am exploring Option to create a multiple bank rule. Could please suggest the option to implement this?
                                                                                                                • Zoho books aide

                                                                                                                  Bonjour, je rencontre un problème avec Zoho Books. J’ai effectué une demande de support via l’interface prévue à cet effet, mais je n’ai jamais de retour. Je ne reçois ni email de confirmation, ni information concernant la prise en charge de ma demande,
                                                                                                                • Smart Data, Smarter Contracts — Ensuring Consistency Between Metadata and Documents

                                                                                                                  In contract management, data accuracy is not just a nice-to-have—it is essential. A single mismatch between what your system shows and what is written in the contract can ripple into approval delays, compliance risks, and broken trust in your data. Imagine
                                                                                                                • Join Zoho Meeting only via Web browser and not with Zoho Meeting App

                                                                                                                  Dear Zoho team, according to the documentation [1], Zoho Meeting only offers web view for Chrome and Firefox on a desktop. For other browsers and devices, participants can only join a Zoho Meaning with the Zoho Meeting App installed. This is a big hurdle
                                                                                                                • Manage control over Microsoft Office 365 integrations with profile-based sync permissions

                                                                                                                  Greetings all, Previously, all users in Zoho CRM had access to enable Microsoft integrations (Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks) in their accounts, regardless of their profile type. Users with administrator profiles can now manage profile-based permissions
                                                                                                                • inability to use different primary address on invoice per location

                                                                                                                  my company operates in two different locations with different email address. The problems then is the inability to edit the primary to suite the invoice for the second location.
                                                                                                                • Analytics & Reporting Improvements + Export Bug

                                                                                                                  Hello, I would like to raise several important product suggestions and issues regarding Zoho Expense: 1. Filter in Admin View → Analytics → Expense Details → Receipt Is it possible to add a filter that allows us to prioritize or sort reports that have
                                                                                                                • AI Search and Record Retrieval Inside Zoho Creator – Is This Possible?

                                                                                                                  Is it possible to integrate an AI assistant into Zoho Creator that can intelligently search, retrieve, and analyze records within the application’s forms and reports? Can AI access and query existing Creator data securely using Deluge or APIs to provide
                                                                                                                • I have a requirement to integrate Zoho Books with Zoho Projects at both project and task levels.

                                                                                                                  Currently, when i create transactions in Zoho Books (Expenses, Invoices, Bills), we can only map them at the project level. However, our requirement is to: Map records at both project and task levels Sync these transactions back to Zoho Projects under
                                                                                                                • Scheduled AU Data Center Database Version Upgrade for Zoho Forms

                                                                                                                  Dear Zoho Forms' users, We would like to update you on a scheduled AU Data Center database version upgrade for Zoho Forms. Find the schedule below: Migration window: Sunday, 22nd February 2026 12.00 AM to 12.30 AM AEDT This migration is a part of our
                                                                                                                • Cannot get code to work with v2.mergeAndStore!

                                                                                                                  Please can someone help me pass subform items into a repeating mail merge table row using v2.mergeAndStore? I have a mail merge template created in Writer and stored in Workdrive. This template is referenced by a custom CRM function which merges all of
                                                                                                                • Hotmail is blocking the zoho mail IP

                                                                                                                  Greetings, Since last Tuesday (5 days ago today) I wrote to Zoho support and I still haven't received a single response (Ticket ID: 2056917). Is this how you treat people who pay for your email service? I am making this public so that those who want to
                                                                                                                • Zoho Bookings and Survey Integration through Flow

                                                                                                                  I am trying to set up flows where once an appointment is marked as completed in Zoho Bookings, the applicable survey form would be sent to the customer. Problem is, I cannot customise flows wherein if Consultation A is completed, Survey Form A would be
                                                                                                                • Zoho CRM Community Digest - December 2025 | Part 2

                                                                                                                  Hello Everyone! During the final weeks of December, Zoho CRM introduced updates that not only enhanced product capabilities but also offered deeper guidance through Kaizen posts. This section highlights what was released and shared in the last two weeks
                                                                                                                • CRUD actions for Resources via API

                                                                                                                  Hello, is it possible to perform CRUD actions through the API for Resources? We want to create a sync from Zoho CRM Car record to Bookings resources to create availabilities for Car bookings. For Test drives, not only the sales person needs to be available,
                                                                                                                • Kaizen #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"
                                                                                                                • オンライン勉強会のお知らせ Zoho ワークアウト (2/19 参加無料)

                                                                                                                  ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの中野です。 2月開催のZoho ワークアウトについてお知らせします。 今回はZoomにて、オンライン開催します。 ▶︎参加登録はこちら(無料) https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/6AyVUxp6QDmMQiDGXGkxPA ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Zoho ワークアウトとは? Zoho ユーザー同士で交流しながら、サービスに関する疑問や不明点の解消を目指すイベント「Zoho
                                                                                                                • doubts about customer happiness in zoho desk

                                                                                                                  Good afternoon, Desk community. The reason for my message is that I have a question regarding the customer satisfaction surveys we can ask our clients to rate our service. I know that in Desk, you can activate Customer Happiness to send a survey to the
                                                                                                                • COQL API in JS Widget only pulling 200 records

                                                                                                                  Hello! We've been building a custom homepage widget using the Zoho JS SDK, and it seems that this https://help.zwidgets.com/help/latest/ZOHO.CRM.API.html#.coql only allows 200 records. I thought the limit was 2000 for COQL queries, but am I mistaken?
                                                                                                                • Standard Description Field - Can I change label or add dd tooltip

                                                                                                                  Is there a way fo you guys to allow the customer to change the label name for the description field in the customer portal when submitting tickets. Or at least allow us to add a tooltip to clarify what description we need from them. I know I can create my own separate multi line description field but if I do that, it doesn't have the nice toolbar with Bold, Italic, Underline, color, font, indent, etc. Can you please allow us to add a tooltip to the zoho standard description field?
                                                                                                                • Introducing parent-child ticketing in Zoho Desk [Early access]

                                                                                                                  Hello Zoho Desk users! We have introduced the parent-child ticketing system to help customer service teams ensure efficient resolution of issues involving multiple, related tickets. You can now combine repetitive and interconnected tickets into parent-child
                                                                                                                • Compensation | Salary Packages - Hourly Wage Needed

                                                                                                                  The US Bureau of Labor Statistics says 55.7% of all workers in the US are paid by the hour. I don't know how that compares to the rest of the world, but I would think that this alone would justify the need for having an hourly-based salary package option.
                                                                                                                • Customizing Helpcenter texts

                                                                                                                  I’m customizing the Zoho Desk Help Center and I’d like to change the wording of the standard widgets – for example, the text in the “Submit Ticket” banner that appears in the footer, or other built-in widget labels and messages. So far, I haven’t found
                                                                                                                • Ability to Edit Ticket Subject when Splitting a Ticket

                                                                                                                  Often someone will make an additional or new request within an existing ticket that requires we split the ticket. The annoying part is that the new ticket maintains the subject of the original ticket after the split so when the new ticket email notification
                                                                                                                • Automatically Update Form Attachment Service with Newly added Fields

                                                                                                                  Hi, When I have a Form Setup and connected to a 3rd Party Service such as OneDrive for Form Attachments, when I later add a new Upload Field I have to remove and redo the entire 3rd Party Setup from scratch. This needs to be improved, such as when new
                                                                                                                • Unable to produce monthly P&L reports for previous years

                                                                                                                  My company just migrated to Books this year. We have 5+ years financial data and need to generate a monthly P&L for 2019 and a monthly P&L YTD for 2020. The latter is easy, but I'm VERY surprised to learn that default reports in Zoho Books cannot create
                                                                                                                • Reopen ticket on specific date/time

                                                                                                                  Is there a way that we can close a ticket and setup a reopen of that ticket on a specific date and time? (without using the "on hold" ticket option)
                                                                                                                • API credit COQL COUNT

                                                                                                                  The docs describe API credits in COQL from the LIMIT perspective: https://www.zoho.com/crm/developer/docs/api/v8/COQL-Overview.html When using aggregate functions such as `COUNT` or `SUM`, is that billed as 1 API credit?
                                                                                                                • Anyone Building AI-Based SEO Dashboards in Zoho Analytics?

                                                                                                                  Hey everyone, I’m currently working on an SEO reporting dashboard in Zoho Analytics and looking to enhance it with AI-based insights—especially around AI visibility, keyword trends, and traffic sources. The goal is to track not just traditional metrics
                                                                                                                • Remove 'This is an automated mail from Zoho Sign' in footer

                                                                                                                  Hi there, Is it possible to remove or change the text under the e-mail templates? I can't figure out how to do that: Would love to hear from you. Kind regards, Tristan
                                                                                                                • Passing Info from Function to Client Script

                                                                                                                  Hello, I have recently started making use of client script for buttons, allowing me to give the user information or warnings before they proceed. This is great. However, I have never quite managed to pass back any extra information from the function to
                                                                                                                • Drag 'n' Drop Fields to a Sub-Form and "Move Field To" Option

                                                                                                                  Hi, I would like to be able to move fields from the Main Page to a Sub-Form or from a Sub-Form to either the Main Page or another Sub-Form. Today if you change the design you have to delete and recreate every field, not just move them. Would be nice to
                                                                                                                • Next Page