Extension Pointers - JS SDK Series #8: Use the SearchRecord API in a widget to simplify business operations

Extension Pointers - JS SDK Series #8: Use the SearchRecord API in a widget to simplify business operations

Looking up relevant business information is easier when you have an internal search feature that targets certain keywords or phrases. Often times, this information will be worked with and manipulated to be useful for the current task the searcher is doing, which means that a faster internal search process will lead to better productivity.

The SearchRecord API is used to retrieve records that match your search criteria. It performs a module-level search based on either a phone number, email address, word, or other piece of criteria. It's most helpful to search for text in the fields of data type "string", "phone", or "Email".

In this post, we will look at an example that involves searching for and updating records using the searchRecord and updateRecord APIs. We'll first give the syntax followed by an example scenario.

SearchRecord API

Syntax

ZOHO.CRM.API.searchRecord(config, page, per_page) 

Here, config refers to the configuration object of the 'object' type, page refers to the page number, and per_page refers to the number of records to be generated per page.

Configuration Object

Name
Type
Description
Entity
String
SysRefName (of the module)
Type
String
Allowed values "email|phone|word|criteria"
Query
String
Query string
delay
Boolean
Query string

Note : Please check here for more details and limitations on SearchRecord API.

UpdateRecord API

Syntax

ZOHO.CRM.API.updateRecord(config) 

Here, config refers to the configuration object of the 'object' type.

Configuration Object

Name
Type
Description
Entity
String
SysRefName (of the module)
Trigger
list
The trigger input can be "workflow", "approval", or "blueprint". If the trigger is not mentioned, the workflows, approvals, and blueprints related to the API will get executed. Enter the trigger value as [] to not execute the workflows.

API data
String
The data to be updated is constructed as
updateRecord's API Data parameter.

Let's take a simple scenario where a Zoho CRM user is handling a customer case. They would like to check if a similar problem has already been addressed in another case and if they can use any of those solutions for their own case. In our example, we will see:
  • How the SearchRecord API can help the user find solutions using keywords related to the current case
  • How the Search API returns the description and the solution of cases based on the keywords we enter
  • How the user can update the correct solution to the current case if the relevant solution is found
SearchAPI.js code snippet

Util={};
var EntityIds;
var EntityName;
var inputtext;
var solutiontext;
var solutiondescription;

//Subscribe to the EmbeddedApp onPageLoad event before initializing the widget 
ZOHO.embeddedApp.on("PageLoad",function(data)
{
EntityIds=data.EntityId;
EntityName=data.Entity;

//Search for solutions using input search words
Util.search=function()
{
inputtext=document.getElementById("inputword").value;

//Searches across the cases module for the input text entered 
ZOHO.CRM.API.searchRecord({Entity:"Cases",Type:"word",Query:inputtext})
.then(function(data){
console.log(data);
rec=data.data;
$('#solutionlist').empty();

//Looping through the solutions
for (i = 0; i < rec.length; i++) 
{

/*populating the solution list list with the solutions and description of all the cases associated with the input text provided*/
solutionsid=rec[i].id;
solutionname=rec[i].Solution;
solutiondescription=rec[i].Description;
solutionsname=rec[i].Description+"-"+rec[i].Solution;

/* Add the description-solution to the list only if the description or solution field is not null for the cases searched based on the input text */
if(solutionname!=null && solutiondescription!=null)
{
var solutionlist = document.getElementById("solutionlist");
var option = document.createElement("OPTION");
option.innerHTML = solutionsname;
option.value = solutionsid;
solutionlist.appendChild(option);
}
}
})
}

//Updates the solution to the solution field of the current case and changes the case status to closed 
Util.update=function()
{
solutiontext=document.getElementById("solutiontext").value;

var config={
Entity:"Cases",
APIData:{
"id": EntityIds[0],
"Solution":solutiontext,
"Status":"Closed"
},
Trigger:[]
}
ZOHO.CRM.API.updateRecord(config)
.then(function(data){
console.log(data)
})
}

// Closes the widget popup
Util.cancel=function()
{
ZOHO.CRM.UI.Popup.close()
.then(function(data){
console.log(data)
})
}
})

In the above code snippet, the input text keyed in is retrieved and passed as the Query parameter to the searchRecord API. The type parameter is passed as 'word', and the Entity parameter as 'Cases'. This searches across the Cases module for the input text and returns all the cases with the word present.

From the retrieved cases, the descriptions and solutions are fetched and populated into a select list. The user can have a look at the solutions and choose one if it resolves the current case issue.

The chosen solution is populated in the 'Enter solution here' textbox. The user can choose to edit the solution further according to their needs in the textbox and then click the 'Update Solution and close Case' button.

The updateRecord API will then update the solution entered to the solution field of the current case, and will change the status of the case to "Closed".

Sample Widget:

The user handles a case about a hardware issue. In the widget, they enter the word 'hardware' in the input field because it is a relevant word associated with the current case.



When the user clicks the 'Check for solutions' button, the searchRecord API returns all the descriptions and solutions involving 'hardware'. The user chooses a solution if it is relevant and makes further edits relevant to their case in the solution textbox. The 'Update Solution and close Case' button will update the solution to the solution field of the current case and close the ticket.



This was just an example, but there are many similar ways you can use the SearchRecord API to suit your specific business needs.

We hope you found this information useful. Keep following this space for more info!


SEE ALSO


    Access your files securely from anywhere








                            Zoho Developer Community



                                Bootcamp
                                Community
                                Pricing
                                Webinars
                                What's New
                                Integrations
                                Contact Support
                                Contact Sales
                                  Zoho Survey Resources
                                    Features
                                    Survey Templates
                                    Integrations
                                    Community
                                    iOS Mobile Surveys
                                    Pricing
                                    Android Mobile Surveys
                                    Insurvey Blogs
                                    Insight Blogs
                                    Tips & Tricks





                                                Latest Feature Updates

                                                  • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                  • Digest


                                                  • Functions


                                                  • Meetups


                                                  • Kbase


                                                  • Resources


                                                  • Glossary


                                                  • Desk Marketplace


                                                  • MVP Corner


                                                  • Word of the Day


                                                  • Ask the Experts




                                                      Zoho SalesIQ Resources

                                                            • Sticky Posts

                                                            • Kaizen #217 - Actions APIs : Tasks

                                                              Welcome to another week of Kaizen! In last week's post we discussed Email Notifications APIs which act as the link between your Workflow automations and you. We have discussed how Zylker Cloud Services uses Email Notifications API in their custom dashboard.

                                                            • Kaizen #216 - Actions APIs : Email Notifications

                                                              Welcome to another week of Kaizen! For the last three weeks, we have been discussing Zylker's workflows. We successfully updated a dormant workflow, built a new one from the ground up and more. But our work is not finished—these automated processes are

                                                            • Kaizen #152 - Client Script Support for the new Canvas Record Forms

                                                              Hello everyone! Have you ever wanted to trigger actions on click of a canvas button, icon, or text mandatory forms in Create/Edit and Clone Pages? Have you ever wanted to control how elements behave on the new Canvas Record Forms? This can be achieved

                                                            • Kaizen #142: How to Navigate to Another Page in Zoho CRM using Client Script

                                                              Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. In this post, let us see how you can you navigate to different Pages using Client Script. In this Kaizen post, Need to Navigate to different Pages Client Script ZDKs related to navigation A.

                                                            • Kaizen #210 - Answering your Questions | Event Management System using ZDK CLI

                                                              Hello Everyone, Welcome back to yet another post in the Kaizen Series! As you already may know, for the Kaizen #200 milestone, we asked for your feedback and many of you suggested topics for us to discuss. We have been writing on these topics over the


                                                            Manage your brands on social media
                                                            Access Zoho Social

                                                              Zoho Pagesense Resources


                                                                  Zoho TeamInbox Resources

                                                                    Zoho DataPrep 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

                                                                                                              • Duplicate Accounts

                                                                                                                Hi There, I am looking for a solution, script, workflow or anything to solve an issue we have - in our customers section we have a rule that doesn't allow duplicates, however Zoho will allow customers with xxxxx and xxxxx PLC or LTD so effectivley we

                                                                                                              • Error with If formula

                                                                                                                I've got this super simple If formula, what is the reason for the error? If ( LEN(${Leads.Trial Slot Option}) == 3,'y','n') Syntax Error. Check the examples for any functions you're using to see if you formatted them correctly. Make sure your fields are

                                                                                                              • Announcing Multi-language Support in Zoho FSM

                                                                                                                Zoho FSM now speaks your language. The much-awaited multi-language support is now available in Zoho FSM. The following languages are supported in Zoho FSM: Dutch (Nederlands) English - United Kingdom English - United States French (français) French -

                                                                                                              • Creating multiple CRM leads from a Zoho Forms subform

                                                                                                                Hi all, We have a heavily used intake form that is used for new leads as a part of our intake. There is a subform that allows the lead to add additional team members, their titles and other basic info. That form submission creates a new Lead and the subform

                                                                                                              • Free webinar! Build smarter apps with Zoho Sign and Zoho Creator

                                                                                                                Hello, Bring the power of digital signatures to the apps you build in Zoho Creator! Connect Zoho Sign as a microservice and enable seamless e-signature workflows in your applications. This integration allows you to automate signing tasks using Deluge.

                                                                                                              • Restrict Addresses in Zoho Forms?

                                                                                                                In the address field, is there a way to restrict the addresses that auto populate (via Zoho Maps or Google Maps) to a specific state (I know it's possible with the country). Additionally, how often does the address in Zoho Maps get updated? Certain addresses

                                                                                                              • Appraisals on Employee Information Profile

                                                                                                                Is it possible to show completed appraisals on each employee's "Employee Information" page? I would presume at the bottom - similar to the "Related Lists" concept in Zoho CRM. Obviously view access would be limited to employee and appropriate other roles

                                                                                                              • Zoho Tracking Image location

                                                                                                                So we've been having an issue with tracking email opens. Specifically in Gmail. Our emails are not that long either, maybe 4 sections of image/250 characters of text/button per section.  But all my test accounts I used via Gmail we're showing opens. But then come to find out the tracking image is at the very bottom of the email. So If the message is clipped (It always just clips our social icons on the bottom) and the user doesn't click the show more button it never tracks the open.  Looking at other

                                                                                                              • Weekly Tips: Secure your attachment downloads with Zoho Mail

                                                                                                                Safety is one of our main concerns, whether it’s about device security or online protection. We use tools like fingerprint scanners, facial recognition, and two-factor authentication to keep our devices and email accounts secure. We use methods like OTP

                                                                                                              • Resume Harvester: New Enhancements for Faster Sourcing

                                                                                                                We’re excited to share a set of enhancements to Resume Harvester that make sourcing faster and more flexible. These updates help you cut down on repetitive steps, manage auto searches more efficiently, and review candidate profiles with ease. Why we built

                                                                                                              • Zoho Flow Credits

                                                                                                                Hi , I would like to ask the reason why every time I added plus credit but few days later I will return back to default? (as below I add credit to 3000 but today It change back to 1000) Most important is, when the credit fully used, not any reminder to

                                                                                                              • Can Zoho Flows repeat Actions more than once?

                                                                                                                I'm attempting to make an intentional Zoho Flow loop using the below layout. However, when "WithinLimit" condition is met, the program fails to execute the action "Get & Add Request Co..." again. Is this by design? Is Zoho Flows unable to repeat actions

                                                                                                              • Looking for best practices to import data from SAP Business One (on-prem) into Zoho Analytics via Zoho DataPrep / Databridge — daily automated schedule

                                                                                                                Hi all, I’m using SAP Business One on-prem (SQL Server / or HANA — depending on DB backend) as our ERP. I want to build a pipeline that, every morning at 9:00 AM IST: pulls transactional data (invoices, customers, products, stock, etc.) from SAP B1, loads

                                                                                                              • Zoho One Unified Portal - Applications

                                                                                                                Hello, It is great to see the work on the New Unified Customer Portal. Thanks for that. The number of applications is limited though. It is now only around the Zoho Books ecosystem (Books, Expense...) and Zoho Social. = Are other applications planned

                                                                                                              • Marketing Tip #10: Start a customer loyalty program

                                                                                                                Winning a new customer is great, but keeping them coming back is even better. A loyalty program rewards repeat buyers with points, giving them more reasons to shop again. Over time, this builds trust and long-term relationships. Try this today: Set up

                                                                                                              • Zia Actions: AI-powered Workflow Automation for Faster and Smarter Execution

                                                                                                                Hello everyone, Workflows got a notch better with AI-based actions. Actions such as field extraction, prediction, auto reply, and content generation facilitate quick execution with improved speed and accuracy. Zia can intercept useful details in newly

                                                                                                              • Unable to access my Zoho forms account

                                                                                                                For some days now, I haven't had access to my Zoho Forms account. I keep getting an error that says, "You are an inactive user in your organization" via the mobile app and "You don't have permission to access this organization" via the web. I was removed

                                                                                                              • Zoho Voice lance BYOC (Bring Your Own Carrier) : intégrez votre opérateur

                                                                                                                Pour accompagner sa croissance, une entreprise a besoin d’une infrastructure téléphonique flexible et évolutive. Les solutions de téléphonie s’adaptent aux exigences du centre de contact, tout en intégrant aisément les opérateurs locaux de votre choix.

                                                                                                              • Do Individual Forums within Categories, in Desk Community, Produce Their Own RSS Feed?

                                                                                                                Do Individual Forums within Categories, in Desk Community, Produce Their Own RSS Feed? If not, can anyone share a work-around that could help me get an RSS feed for individual category forums?

                                                                                                              • Open Form in Same window as Page from embedded Report

                                                                                                                I have a page that has an embedded report, as shown below. When I click the + sign to add a new record, the form shows up inside the page where the report was embedded. I know that I can add a custom action to the report grid or report detail view and

                                                                                                              • ABN with Legal Entity Name

                                                                                                                Hi, How can I execute this? The ABN number is entered in Accounts Module and ideally, it should display or suggest the correct Legal Entity Name based on the ABN lookup. ex. Account Name: JPG Resources ABN Number: 65 067 761 871 Legal Entity Name: (auto

                                                                                                              • Auto-Invite Users to Portals in Zoho CRM based on Conditions

                                                                                                                Hello Everyone, You can now automate portal invitations in Zoho CRM with the new Auto-Invite users feature in Portal management. No more manually enabling portal access one by one. With this enhancement, you can automatically send invites for users to

                                                                                                              • Change Last Name to not required in Leads

                                                                                                                I would like to upload 500 target companies as leads but I don't yet have contact people for them. Can you enable the option for me to turn this requirement off to need a Second Name? Moderation update (10-Jun-23): As we explore potential solutions for

                                                                                                              • Drag and Drop in Creator Application

                                                                                                                Hi, I am in the planning phase of a new application and I would like to use 'Drag and Drop' in the user interface of my new Creator application that I am sketching out, but I don't seem to be able to find any reference that this is available to developers. In my instance I have table of entries and I would like to be able to allow users to move an entry to another table (much like you do in your own interface when creating a Pivot Table report. In addition, I would like the user to be able to re-order

                                                                                                              • Resend Client Portal Invitation + View Email Delivery Status

                                                                                                                Hi Zoho Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to request two important enhancements related to the Zoho Creator Client Portal invitation process. At the moment, when we add a user to the Client Portal, Zoho Creator automatically sends an invitation

                                                                                                              • Get user last login

                                                                                                                1. Is there a way to programmatically get the last user login to trigger certain workflows? 2. Is there a way to programmatically access the custom fields on a user's account?

                                                                                                              • Seeking Zoho Creator Expert (Delivery Management App / Logistics Ops) — Built & Deployed Before

                                                                                                                Hi everyone, We’re building a Delivery Management App (focused on delivery operations for now) using Zoho Creator. We’re looking for a Zoho Creator expert who has already developed and deployed a similar delivery/workflow system and can assist us with

                                                                                                              • Automating Employee Birthday Notifications in Zoho Cliq

                                                                                                                Have you ever missed a birthday and felt like the office Grinch? Fear not, the Cliq Developer Platform has got your back! With Zoho Cliq's Schedulers, you can be the office party-cipant who never forgets a single cake, balloon, or awkward rendition of

                                                                                                              • Cliq iOS can't see shared screen

                                                                                                                Hello, I had this morning a video call with a colleague. She is using Cliq Desktop MacOS and wanted to share her screen with me. I'm on iPad. I noticed, while she shared her screen, I could only see her video, but not the shared screen... Does Cliq iOS is able to display shared screen, or is it somewhere else to be found ? Regards

                                                                                                              • Spotlight #7 - Automatic Transitions in Blueprint

                                                                                                                Previously, records could not be moved from one state to another without user intervention. With automatic transitions, move records from one state to another automatically, when it elapses its pre-defined time. This Spotlight discusses how automatic

                                                                                                              • Whatsapp Connection Status still "Pending" after migration

                                                                                                                Hello, I migrated my WhatsApp API to Zoho from another provider a day ago. So far the connection status is still “Pending”. There is a problem? How long does it usually take?

                                                                                                              • Adding Multiple Files to a Zoho Vault Entry

                                                                                                                There is a old blog post talking about adding multiple file attachments to one Zoho Vault Secret: https://www.zoho.com/blog/vault/introducing-new-features-in-zoho-vault-powerful-password-sharing-wider-storing.html Is that still possible, I can see how

                                                                                                              • Dropshipping 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 being

                                                                                                              • Add Attachment Support to Zoho Flow Mailhook / Email Trigger Module

                                                                                                                Dear Zoho Support Team, We hope you are well. We would like to kindly request a feature enhancement for the Mailhook module in Zoho Flow. Currently, the email trigger in Zoho Flow provides access to the message body, subject, from address, and to address,

                                                                                                              • Zoho Invoice Customer Login Portal

                                                                                                                Are there any plans for a customer portal to Zoho Invoice, ala Freshbooks?  I would like customers that I invoice to be able to login to review invoices and invoice history.  I have not switched from Freshbooks for this very reason.

                                                                                                              • the custom domain forwards by default to the old career site / how to switch it off??

                                                                                                                dear friends, how to switch off the old version of the career site?? The set up custom domain forwards directly to the old site, so that I cant publish it... Any ideas? Thank you! KR, Victoria

                                                                                                              • Partner with HDFC And Sbi Bank.

                                                                                                                Hdfc and sbi both are very popular bank if zoho books become partner with this banks then many of the zoho books users will benefit premium features of partnered banks.

                                                                                                              • What KPIs Do You Use to Measure Your Support Team’s Performance in Zoho Desk?

                                                                                                                Hi everyone, We hope you’re all doing well. We are trying to improve how we measure the performance and effectiveness of our support department, and we would really appreciate learning from the community. We assume there are several common and widely-used

                                                                                                              • Preserve Ticket Issue Mapping When Migrating from Jira to Zoho Projects

                                                                                                                Hello Zoho Projects Team, We hope you are doing well. We are currently exploring a full migration from Jira to Zoho Projects, and we identified a critical limitation during the migration process involving Zoho Desk integration. Current Situation: We use

                                                                                                              • Imported contacts succesful but contacts do not show up in Contacts

                                                                                                                I imported +300 contacts. I can see them in import history. When clicking on a contact in import history I see all the imported contact details for any given contact. So import seems to be successful.   However the imported contacts do not show up in the contacts tab. Not in All contacts, and not in a filtered view where they absolutely should show up. The search function also does not find any imported contact.   Help?

                                                                                                              • Next Page