Extension Pointers #8: Handling real-time data updates between Zoho CRM and third-party applications using webhooks
A webhook is a web callback triggered by a specific event to provide real-time data updates between applications.
How does a webhook work?
Webhooks help enhance the connection between two applications. When an event occurs in a web application that implements a webhook, the webhook notices the event, serializes and collects the data, and posts the data to the URL configured in the form of a HTTP request.
You can implement either an inbound webhook or an outbound webhook. If an event triggered in your Zoho CRM account causes an action in a third-party application, it is called as an outbound webhook (going from your application to a third-party application) and the opposite is called an inbound webhook (incoming to your application from the third-party application).
How functions play a role in implementing webhooks
If Zoho CRM should be notified when a particular event occurs at the third-party end, you can create webhooks to post a callback on the occurrence of that event. In order to implement this, you need to define a function in your extension that can be triggered from the third-party application. Unlike standard functions, REST API functions can be triggered from anywhere (either from an extension or a third-party application) and thus help with timely interaction.
Webhook URLs and how to obtain them
You need to create a webhook and subscribe to events for real-time updates between applications. In order to create a webhook, a webhook URL is required. By subscribing your own webhook URL, you can customize, extend and integrate it with other third-party applications, facilitating instant web notifications.
The REST API functions/Standalone deluge functions can be written and exposed as REST APIs. The API names of these functions can be used as the webhook URL while creating your webhook.
In this post, we'll look at the basic steps on how to create an inbound webhook, where a third-party application event triggers a post-data action to your Zoho CRM account.
Note: The term "event" here refers only to the events supported by the third-party application, which you can subscribe during the creation of a webhook.
The steps to achieve this functionality while building your extension are:
➤ Establish a connection with your selected third-party application.
➤ Define a REST API function, to handle the response from the third party application.
➤ Subscribe the webhook URL of the REST API function with the third-party application.
Establishing connection with the third-party application
1. Before proceeding with implementation, it is important to check whether the third-party application supports webhooks. Establish a connection between Zoho CRM and the third-party application using the authentication methods supported by the application. You can learn more about the authentication methods for developing third-party integrations here.
2. If the method of user authentication supported by the third-party application is
- OAuth- use connectors to establish the connection
- API key forms- use custom variables to establish the connection
3. Define the third-party application's API to create a webhook with the required parameters specified by the third-party application.
Note: The subscription URL is termed in different ways by each application and is an important parameter to be noted while creating webhooks. In order to send the response to Zoho CRM, the third-party applications require a URL to perform HTTP POST request from their end. The following section defines the steps required to obtain this URL.
Defining a REST API function and obtaining a webhook URL
After establishing the connection, the next step is to define a REST API function that can be invoked by the third-party application whenever a subscribed event occurs in the third-party application.
2. Choose Functions under Automate from the left panel of the Zoho Developer console under Build, then click New Function.
3. Enter the name of the function. Choose Yes for the Invoke as REST API option to create the function as a REST API function.
4. The crmAPIRequest argument of the function is categorized as Map type by default. The entire request object is mapped automatically to the crmAPIRequest argument and holds the response from the third-party when the trigger event occurs.
5. The input for the function can be acquired from the following types:
| Component | Format | Value fetched using component of crmAPIRequest |
| body | request_body = crmAPIRequest.get("body"); | Content that is passed as a stream to the request |
| params | parameters = crmAPIRequest.get("params"); | Key-value pair or as JSON object to the request |
| file_content | filecontent = crmAPIRequest.get("file_content"); | File content passed to the request |
| user_info | user_info = crmAPIRequest.get("user_info"); | Information about the user |
| method | method = crmAPIRequest.get("method"); | HTTP method name in the request |
| auth_type | authtype = crmAPIRequest.get("auth_type"); | The name of the Authentication method(API key) |
| headers | headers = crmAPIRequest.get("headers"); | Additional information of the request available in the header |
6. The default return type of a Rest API function version 2.0 is a string. You can choose to return the response as a string or use the response object crmAPIResponse to define the following specifications of the response:
Specification key | Default value |
status_code | 200 |
Content-Type | application/json;charset=utf-8 |
headers | {"Content-Disposition", "attachment;filename=response.json"} |
body | empty |
7. When you have finished defining the REST API code, click Invoke as the REST API button.
8. The URLs to invoke the function will be displayed and are termed as webhook URLs, which will be used for subscribing the function with the third-party.
Unlike the sandbox URL provided with a predefined ZAPI key, the production URL requires the value of the user's ZAPI key.
Why ZAPI key?
For authentication purposes, the REST API functions use API keys as the method of authentication. It requires the value of the ZAPI key in order to authenticate a user.
Code snippet to obtain ZAPI Key
m = {"nameSpace":"<portal_name.extension_namespace>"}; apikeyresp = zoho.crm.invokeConnector("crm.zapikey",m); zapikey = apikeyresp.get("response"); |
9. The ZAPI key value can be passed in the Production URL, which will serve as a webhook URL to subscribe a webhook and invoke this function.
Creating and subscribing a webhook
➤ REST API functions can be triggered from a third-party application only when it is subscribed with that application while creating an inbound webhook.
➤ The webhook URL mentioned in the previous section will serve as the subscription URL while creating the webhook.
By following these steps, you can implement webhooks for third-party integrations using REST API functions. In our upcoming post, we'll look at a working example depicting this process.
We hope you found this guide helpful in creating and using custom webhooks to link your Zoho CRM account to third-party applications.For tips and guides like this, keep following this community forum.
SEE ALSO
Access your files securely from anywhere
Zoho Developer Community
New to Zoho LandingPage?
Zoho LandingPage Resources
New to Zoho Survey?
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Bigin?
Topic Participants
Nanditha Somasundaram Somasundaram
Sticky Posts
Client Script | Update - Introducing Commands in Client Script!
Have you ever wished you could trigger Client Script from contexts other than just the supported pages and events? Have you ever wanted to leverage the advantage of Client Script at your finger tip? Discover the power of Client Script - Commands! CommandsKaizen #165 : How to call Zoho CRM APIs using Client Script
Welcome back to another exciting Client Script post! In this post, we will discuss one of the most frequently asked questions: How do you call Zoho CRM APIs from Client Scripts? In this kaizen post, 1. Ways to make calls to Zoho CRM APIs using ClientKaizen#162 : Add Tags and Open Pre-filled Email Drafts via Client Scripts
Hello everyone! Welcome to another informative Kaizen post. In this post, let us see how to accomplish the following using Client Script. 1. How to auto-tag a record based on field update? 2. How to Open a pre-filled email draft This post will provideExtension Pointers - JS SDK series #4: Managing data from a widget using ZOHO.CRM.HTTP
Handling and managing the data between two applications is a major factor for an efficient business. There are a variety of ways to handle data between Zoho CRM and other third-party applications. You can use deluge CRM tasks, create connectors, use APIKaizen #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
New to Zoho TeamInbox?
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 Campaigns Resources
Zoho CRM Resources
Design. Discuss. Deliver.
Zoho Show Resources
Get Started. Write Away!
Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.
Zoho CRM コンテンツ
-
オンラインヘルプ
-
Webセミナー
-
機能活用動画
-
よくある質問
-
Ebook
-
-
Zoho Campaigns
- Zoho サービスのWebセミナー
その他のサービス コンテンツ
Nederlandse Hulpbronnen
ご検討中の方
Recent Topics
Storage addon failed to upgrade
Hi, I am trying to purchase addon storage, but i am getting upgrade failed error Sorry! We are unable to process your information. Please try again after some time. If the problem occurs again, please visit our Contact Us page to reach out to the appropriateMeetups Gratuitos Junio 2024 - Profundiza en las funcionalidades de tu Zoho CRM
Este junio, aprende a sacar el máximo provecho de tu Zoho CRM en la segunda edición de los Zoho Meetups 2024. Los días 18 a 21 de junio, Zoho organiza los Meetups gratuitos para usuarios de Zoho CRM en Valencia, Barcelona, Madrid y Sevilla, donde expertosHow to get the Dashboard page to be the first page when you open the app
So when it opens on a tablet or phone it opens on the welcome page, thanks.Integration between Zoho CRM and Zoho WorkDrive
I'd like to search Zoho for an invoice I've added as an attachment (pdf) to an account. The name of the invoice is 1388-advertiserx-July.pdf - but I can't find it using the search function for any of these terms: 1388 1388-advertiserx 1388-advertiserx-July.pdfTip #17: How to mandate partial payment for your appointments
When you require partial payments during the booking process, customers can only schedule with you after paying a certain amount in advance. This deposit acts as a commitment between both parties. Apart from that, it has many more advantages. BenefitsWhy option for 'include form submission in the body of the email' check box is missing
Hi In all our forms we have configured an <Email Notification> (<Rules> <Form Rules>) In some forms, there is an option to <include form submission in the body of the email> in the <Additional Options> section, however, this option is not available inno puedo recibir correos
Hola, en la cuenta de la empresa desde hace unos tres días dejamos de recibir correos y no hemos realizado ningun cambio de configuracion, requerimos asistencia urgente por favorNO PUEDO RECIBIR CORREOS EN MI CUENTA ZOHO MAIL
LO QUE SI PUEDO HACER ES ENVIAR CORREOS PERO NO PUEDO RECIBIR CORREOS. Y LA CONFIGUIRACION DE MI DNS YA ESTA CORRECTA Y APUNTAN A ZOHO PERO AUN ASI NO PUEDO RECIBIR NECESITO AYUDA URGENTE YA QUE EN MEXICO NO HAY FORMA DE COMUNICARNOS VIA TELEFONIA CONMozilla Vault extension will not Unlock even once.
I have been using the Vault extension in Chrome based browsers for years, yet after installing the Mozilla Extension in Firefox, it will not unlock. Initially it did redirect me to log into my account, and then enter the master password. However, it didUnable to Download CRM Contact Data: WorkDrive Integration Issues
## Problem Description We need to let users download contact information from CRM as CSV files to their local computers. Since we couldn't implement a direct download option, we're trying to use WorkDrive as a workaround - but we're encountering issuesSort mail by name and subject
I don't see sort function on columns FROM and Subject. I see only sort functio by date. Could add it ?Zoho Creator monthly roundup - September 2024
Hello all, We're back with an exciting set of new features and enhancements that will elevate your Creator experience even further. In case you missed it, we’ve recently revamped our Product Roadmap page, now with a refreshed design and showcasing allKiosk Studio Session #1: View paid customers in the same industry
Update | 15 Oct 2024: Session #2 is now available here! Hello everyone! We're excited to launch our new series of posts on Kiosk Studio today. Called Kiosk Studio Sessions , these posts will be packed with actionable ideas to help you get the most outIssues hosting Zoho Desk Web Form on SharePoint and/or Power BI
Zoho Desk onboarding support has no experience with embedding their web form in either SharePoint or Power BI. Microsoft states that SharePoint and Power BI only support iframe HTML. And unfortunately, the web form embed code that Zoho generates is not"Send with Zoho Sign" broken
Our company uses hyphens in our file name conventions. Our users have been sending the files from other modules with the "Send with Zoho Sign" shortcut in the upper right buttons. Since around June 10, 2024, this stopped working. Our users can send theNot able to change colors help center
Hi. How can I change the orange color in the help center? You can change everything besides this font color And how can I remove the part on the bottom?Transform Numeric Values using st, nd, rd, th or Convert Numerals to Ordinal Form - Deluge
Please Use this sample Code This_Day_Date = zoho.currentdate.toString("dd"); value1 = "th"; if(This_Day_Date.right(1) ="1" && This_Day_Date != "11") { This_Day_Date = This_Day_Date+" "+"st"; } else if ( This_Day_Date.right(1) = "2" && This_Day_Date !=Kaizen #166 - Handling Query Variables in Zoho CRM
Hello, Code Enthusiasts! Welcome to another week of Kaizen! This week, we'll dive into handling variables in Zoho CRM Queries and see how they can be deployed in Kiosk to dynamically retrieve data. This technique is especially useful for integrating dataAutomate User Invitations on Zoho Desk with API
Automate User Invitations on Zoho Desk with API Hello Team, We are excited to announce that you can now automatically invite users to the Zoho Desk portal using the API! ### How It Works For example, when a contact is created in Zoho Desk and you enableIs there a way to add clients who don't have organisation in Zoho Books/Payroll/Expense ?
The Zoho Practice software is only allowing a total of 15 such clients who are not organisations in Zoho Books/Payroll/Expense. i.e. 5 organisation in each of the software by creating a new organization for them and adding the accountant as the adminEmail with attachments saving attachments into Zoho CRM from Zoho Mail
Hi, I get a lot of emails from prospective clients asking if we would bid their project. Those projects usually have many documents associated with them that I link to. I would like to have those documents be saved as an attachment in my Potential or Contact or Account. I don't see a way to do that that isn't multi-step. As of now I do the following: 1.) Open email 2.) If email sender isn't in my Zoho CRM database I enter them creating a Potential 3.) I download the attachment and save it to a differentFixed assets recording
Hello there, I recorded a bill for a vendor contain (Computer) so the PC is a fixed assets, do I need to do a manual journal to include this PC under the fixed assets category (furniture & equipment)? If yes, please take me through the manual journalMulti-Select lookup field has reached its maximum??
Hi there, I want to create a multi-select lookup field in a module but I can't select the model I want the relationship to be with from the list. From the help page on this I see that you can only create a max of 2 relationships per module? Is that true?Zoho Sheet-Pulling in Data
I have a module where we track POs, Bills etc (its easier for us this way). In this PO Module, we have a task related to a Job/Deal and various fields for costs. A Supplier on a Job might have several POs in this module for the job. I want to generateCan't get ZFS file ID of a field via specific module record
I have a `fileupload` field on a custom module that I need to replace the file for but I don't know how to get the ZFS ID from the module record. # Getting the current fileupload GET https://www.zohoapis.eu/crm/v7/<MODULE>/<ID> # Response { data: [{ //Contemplating moving my site from WordPress to Zoho Sites
Hi Everyone, We currently find ourselves in a situation where we ant to review and update our current sites content. We are small business owners, not developers. We currently use a wide range of Zoho products. We sometimes think about the possibility of either moving or just starting from scratch on Zoho Sites. I would like to know if anyone has done this and of course the things that need to be considered. We have spent quite a bit of time getting our current site positioned organically and I guessMultiple Salesperson against an invoice
Hello, Against a particular invoice, we have multiple sales people working. The reason we combine the invoice is becuase we are an exporter and often consolidate cargo for our customer to save them freight costs. How do I capture the contribution of eachAllow a brand to connect multiple facebook pages at the same time
Our company have multiple facebook pages to represent, every branch, right now we can only link one facebook page, so we can only recive messages from one branch. It would be nice to be able to connect all pages.Whatsapp reply not reflected under Tickets for offline agent
Hi, We are encountering a situation where WA response from customer is not reflected under tickets (if the agent handling the case previously is not active due to off day/ MC). The ticket will remain in the offline agent's queue until agent is back toSelect CRM Custom Module in Zoho Creator
I have a custom module added in Zoho CRM that I would like to link in Zoho creator. When I add the Zoho CRM field it does not show the new module. Is this possible? Do i need to change something in CRM to make it accesible in Creator?Send Whatsapp with API including custom placeholders
Is is possible to initiate a session on whatsapp IM channel with a template that includes params (placeholders) that are passed on the API call? This is very usefull to send a Utility message for a transactional notification including an order numberIncrease Round Robin Scheduler Frequency in Zoho Desk
Dear Zoho Desk Team, We hope this message finds you well. We would like to request an enhancement to the Round Robin Scheduler in Zoho Desk to better address ticket assignment efficiency. Current Behavior At present, the Round Robin Scheduler operatesSeparate One-Time Mentions from Ongoing Ticket Following in Zoho Desk
Dear Zoho Desk Support Team, We are writing to request an enhancement to the mention functionality within Zoho Desk. Currently, when an agent is mentioned in a ticket, they receive notifications for all subsequent activity on that ticket, similar to beingMass update Accounts in Zoho Desk
We used the integration feature to bring in all of our accounts from Zoho CRM. While all of the names and links are in place, on the Zoho Desk side the email, phone, website, and address fields are blank. By going into each account I can select "UpdateVivaldi will not open the Zoho Mail app when I click a email link in the browser
I'm running Vivaldi on Arch with the Plasma desktop and have under default applications Zoho Mail set as my default email client. Whenever I click a email link in Vivaldi I get the below when it should be launching Zoho. Any ideas on rectifying this issue?Digital publisher
Kinetic Digital Publisher provides comprehensive digital publishing services, including eBook creation, formatting, cover design, and marketing. We help authors publish and promote their work across online platforms with ease.Time Zone Correction with Daylight Savings Time
Hey, I'm writing a series of reports where the source data is synced from an external source which stores the date/time information in GMT, but I want the reports to be in local time. Now, I understand there is the CONVERT_TZ function which allows meLoad form in iframe without header
I am trying to load a form into an iframe without the header, but I am not having any luck. I am using openUrl() to load the iframe with the form URL and zc_Header set to false, e.g. #Form:Add_Case?zc_Header=false but it is still loading the header. AnyFilter embedded report
How to filter embedded report in a page, below code is not working. dateField => startDate & dateField=< endDate The report should print on page containing records from startDate to endDate. params='zc_Header=true&Service_Date__gte=<%=startDate%>&Service_Date__lte=<%=endDate%>'Creator Simplified #5: Set file upload restrictions in Zoho Creator
Hey Creators, Welcome to the next post in the Creator Simplified series. Today, we’ll explore how to implement file upload restrictions to limit user submissions to specific file types. By implementing an allowed list for file uploads, you can optimizeNext Page