Extension pointers - JS SDK Series #1: Learn how to invoke a REST API function from a widget using the execute method

Extension pointers - JS SDK Series #1: Learn how to invoke a REST API function from a widget using the execute method

Software development kits (SDK) are sets of tools that are useful when building applications on a platform. They wrap up APIs in the form of libraries, and include sample code, utilities, and documentation that guides you in building your applications. 

In our earlier posts we discussed building embeddable widgets for Zoho CRM. These widgets help to seamlessly integrate Zoho CRM with other applications and provide contextual information along with the application's data. Zoho CRM provides the JS SDK bundled with the necessary APIs and utilities to build these widgets using JavaScript. It serves as a mode of interaction between the JavaScript code and Zoho CRM. Through this JS SDK series of extension pointers, we aim to help you gain a deeper understanding of JS SDKs, and how to build efficient extensions.

The JS SDK bundle of Zoho CRM APIs is significant in helping you develop powerful widgets using JavaScript.

The Zoho CRM JS SDK, includes most of the APIs that help you operate with Zoho CRM data. It also includes event listeners that are useful for registering your application's events. The JS SDK also provides support to manage your widget's UI, handle configurations and connections with third party applications, and more. We're going to look at the different options available in the JS SDK, one at a time, throughout this series.

In this post, let's take a look at the ZOHO.CRM.FUNCTIONS.execute() function, its benefits,and how it can be incorporated while building extensions. It's designed to help you invoke and execute a custom function from a widget. Only a standalone REST API function can be invoked from your widget. A few major pointers regarding this API are:

➤ The ZOHO.CRM.FUNCTIONS.execute() function lets you invoke only the REST API function from a widget
➤ It requires that you input the API name of the function along with the constructed set of request data

Syntax

ZOHO.CRM.FUNCTIONS.execute(func_name, req_data)

Here, 'func_name' is the API name of the REST API function. 'req_data' is the constructed argument set that needs to be passed to the function.

Example

var func_name = "sample_function";
var req_data ={
"arguments": JSON.stringify({
"Company" : "Zoho",
"Email" : "saxxxx@xxxxx@.com",
})
};
ZOHO.CRM.FUNCTIONS.execute(func_name, req_data)
.then(function(data){
console.log("REST API function invoked from widget."+data);
})

Here, 'sample_function' is the API name of the REST API function. The arguments, namely 'Company' and 'Email',are constructed and passed as the 'req_data' parameter to the ZOHO.CRM.FUNCTIONS.execute() function.

Now let's see how the execute function can be incorporated while creating widgets to build an extension.
Note: Widgets are embeddable GUI components that help extend Zoho CRM's functionality. To get detailed information on widgets and how they work,please refer here.

To demonstrate the use of ZOHO.CRM.FUNCTIONS.execute(), let's assume a scenario in Zoho CRM involving raised product issues or concerns are registered as Cases by an organization. In general, cases originate through different modes, for example through phone, web, or email. Let's build a widget with a customized UI that allows a user to key in certain values pertaining to the 'Cases' module. This widget will fetch the necessary values and pass them to a REST API function that will create a record in the Cases module. This could help the support user on a phone call with the client to quickly build a case by filling out only the specific details.

Code snippet:
sdkwidget.js

Util={};
//assigning api name of REST API function to 'func_name' parameter of the execute function
var func_name="jssdkextension__executesdkfunction";
Util.check=function()
{
console.log("inside function");
//fetching the values provided in the UI
var subject = document.getElementById("subject").value;
var phoneno = document.getElementById("phnumber").value;
var email = document.getElementById("email").value;
var x = document.getElementById("cases").selectedIndex;
var x1 = document.getElementById("cases").options;
var cases=x1[x].text;
var y = document.getElementById("status").selectedIndex;
var y1 = document.getElementById("status").options;
var status=y1[y].text;
//constructing the 'req_data' parameter with the values fed by the user through the UI
var req_data ={
"arguments": JSON.stringify({
"sub" : subject,  
"phone" : phoneno,
"cases" : cases,
"status" : status,
"email" : email
})
};
//Invoking the execute function to execute the REST API function
ZOHO.CRM.FUNCTIONS.execute(func_name, req_data).then(function(data){
var resp=JSON.stringify(data);
})
}


executesdkfunction Rest API function

//retrieving the parameters of the request
params = crmAPIRequest.get("params");
//retrieving the set of values from 'arguments' passed as 'req_data' in the javascript code
args = params.get("arguments");
data = Map();
sub = args.get("sub");
phone = args.get("phone");
caseorigin = args.get("cases");
status = args.get("status");
email = args.get("email");
data.putAll({"Subject":sub,"Phone":phone,"Case_Origin":caseorigin,"Status":status,"Email":email});
//creating a new record in the Cases module
resp = zoho.crm.createRecord("Cases",data);
}
return args;

The highlighted text in the code snippet above is used to fetch the values provided by the user through the variable 'arguments' that is passed as the 'req_data' parameter to the REST API function.

Note: You can obtain the API name of the function from the sandbox URL or production URL obtained while using the option 'Invoke as REST API' in the script editor function.



Sample Output of Widget Screen



A new record is inserted in the Cases module according to the inputs provided.



Hope you found this information useful! For more about JS SDKs, keep following this space.

SEE ALSO:



<<Previous                                                                                                                                                    Next>>


    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



                                                              • Sticky Posts

                                                              • Kaizen #198: Using Client Script for Custom Validation in Blueprint

                                                                Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – 1 More to the Big Two-Oh-Oh! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.
                                                              • Kaizen #226: Using ZRC in Client Script

                                                                Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. In today's post, lets see what is ZRC (Zoho Request Client) and how we can use ZRC methods in Client Script to get inputs from a Salesperson and update the Lead status with a single button click. In this
                                                              • Kaizen #222 - Client Script Support for Notes Related List

                                                                Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. The final Kaizen post of the year 2025 is here! With the new Client Script support for the Notes Related List, you can validate, enrich, and manage notes across modules. In this post, we’ll explore how
                                                              • 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


                                                              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

                                                                                                                • Passing the CRM

                                                                                                                  Hi, I am hoping someone can help. I have a zoho form that has a CRM lookup field. I was hoping to send this to my publicly to clients via a text message and the form then attaches the signed form back to the custom module. This work absolutely fine when
                                                                                                                • One Contact with Multiple Accounts with Portal enabled

                                                                                                                  I have a contact that manages different accounts, so he needs to see the invoices of all the companies he manage in Portal but I found it not possible.. any idea? I tried to set different customers with the same email contact with the portal enabled and
                                                                                                                • User Automation: User based workflow rules & webhooks

                                                                                                                  User management is an undeniable part of project management and requires adequate monitoring. As teams grow and projects multiply, manual coordination for updating users & permissions becomes difficult and can give way to errors. User automation in Zoho
                                                                                                                • Default Ticket View - Table?

                                                                                                                  Guys, We mostly use the table view to queue tickets. Maybe I am missing it - but how can I set that view as 'default" for all our agents? Thanks JV
                                                                                                                • Zoho One IS BUGGY

                                                                                                                  Here are some things that just don't work: - Disabling applications from certain Spaces - Adding users (probably only for me) - Renaming applications in Zoho One Portal (fixed by now) - Reordering applications in Spaces When I try to reorder: It feels
                                                                                                                • Merge Fields that previously worked are now giving an Error!

                                                                                                                  Saving a URL Link button on the Deal module. The below fields used to save without issue at all, but now produce an error of "URL contains unsupported merge field!" ${Contacts.Mailing Street} ${Contacts.Mailing City} ${Contacts.Mailing State} ${Contacts.Mailing
                                                                                                                • Clarification on Zoho Forms 1-User Plan: Multiple Submitters and Approvers

                                                                                                                  Question Content (Copy–Paste Ready) Hello Zoho Team, I would like clarification regarding Zoho Forms pricing and user limits. I am planning to subscribe to the ₹700/month (1 user) plan. My use case is as follows: Only 1 person (myself) will create and
                                                                                                                • App for Mac OS X please!

                                                                                                                  It would be awesome to have a mail app for Mac OS X that included all the cool features such as steams, calendar, tasks, contacts, etc. Most people prefer native apps, rather than running it through a web browser. I know that we can use the IMAP, CalDAV,
                                                                                                                • Facing Issues with Sites Mobile font sizes

                                                                                                                  my page renediaz.com is facing issues mobile view, when i try to lower font sizes in home page, instead of changing the size, it changes the line space
                                                                                                                • Zoho Books Payroll

                                                                                                                  How am I supposed to do payroll and pay my employees with Zoho Books? I think it's pretty strange that an accounting software doesn't have the ability to perform one of the most common functions in business; paying your employees. Am I missing something,
                                                                                                                • Canvas templates can now be shared with different CRM organizations

                                                                                                                  ----------------------------------------Moderated on 14th February, 2023------------------------------------------- Dear all, This feature is now open for all users in all DCs. To learn more about importing and exporting canvas templates, read our help
                                                                                                                • 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
                                                                                                                • ZOHO Books Query

                                                                                                                  Good day, Can someone please advise. I recently migrated from ZOHO Invoice to ZOHO Books. No that I want to use the inventory on Books I cant as all my items have transaction history. The person I spoke to at ZOHO said I need to create a new Company profile
                                                                                                                • creating an alias

                                                                                                                  your instructions for creating an alias are wrong. there is no add alias in my mail account. also i dont have a control panel link just a settings link how do i really make an alias
                                                                                                                • Reply to Email for SO/PO

                                                                                                                  Hello, We are new to Zoho Books and running into an issue. Our support@ email is our integration user. When our team is sending out PO/SO's we are updating the sender email, but for some reason many of our responses are coming back to our support@ email
                                                                                                                • ZOHO Payroll Canada

                                                                                                                  Any plans on the roadmap for Canada?
                                                                                                                • Zoho Books Sandbox environment

                                                                                                                  Hello. Is there a free sandbox environment for the developers using Zoho Books API? I am working on the Zoho Books add-on and currently not ready to buy a premium service - maybe later when my add-on will start to bring money. Right now I just need a
                                                                                                                • Multi-currency and Products

                                                                                                                  One of the main reasons I have gone down the Zoho route is because I need multi-currency support. However, I find that products can only be priced in the home currency, We sell to the US and UK. However, we maintain different price lists for each. There
                                                                                                                • ZOHO Writer Folders

                                                                                                                  Hi We would love to have ability to create folders on the left hand side. We would then be able create and store our documents within each folder Hope you can provide this feature soon ! dux.centra
                                                                                                                • How can Data Enrichment be automatically triggered when a new Lead is created in Zoho CRM?

                                                                                                                  Hi, I have a pipeline where a Lead is created automatically through the Zoho API and I've been trying to look for a way to automatically apply Data Enrichment on this created lead. 1) I did not find any way to do this through the Zoho API; it seems like
                                                                                                                • Escalation request: organization merge and data export (Ticket [154609577])

                                                                                                                  Hello Zoho Team, I am posting here because my support ticket has not received substantive responses through the usual channels. Summary of the issue (ongoing for three weeks): I requested assistance with a data migration and a merge of two Zoho organizations.
                                                                                                                • Different form submission results for submitter and internal users

                                                                                                                  I'm looking for suggestions on how to show an external submitter a few results while sending internal users all the results from the answers provided by the external user. The final page of our form has a section with detailed results and a section with
                                                                                                                • Formatting and slow

                                                                                                                  Creating campaigns are difficult.  I'm fairly computer literate but some of the way Zoho Campaigns formatting works is painful.  Images fail to upload or are very slow. To top it off, syncing the contacts is a pain as well as temperamental links to create Segments. At this rate I'm afraid we might need to migrate back to Mailchimp.
                                                                                                                • Boost your Zoho Desk's performance by archiving tickets!

                                                                                                                  The longer your help desk operations are, the more likely it is to accumulate tickets that are no longer relevant. For example, ticket records from a year ago are typically less relevant than currently open tickets. Such old tickets may eventually lead
                                                                                                                • Paste emails to create segment

                                                                                                                  We are moving over from Mailchimp to ZOHO. However Mailchimp allows me to create a segment by pasting in emails from excel (or importing a .csv) can I do the same in Mailchimp?
                                                                                                                • Getting the Record ID of a form once it is submitted - so that form can be edited later

                                                                                                                  In Zoho Forms, where can I access the record ID of a form once the form is submitted? - Record ID is not available in webhook payloads - It is not available to form fields, including in formulas - It is not available as a parameter in a thankyou page
                                                                                                                • Auto-Generate Line Numbers in Item Table Using HTML & CSS Counters (Zoho Books & Zoho Inventory Custom Templates)

                                                                                                                  <div> <style> /* Start counter from 0 inside tbody */ tbody#lineitem { counter-reset: rowNumber; } /* Increment counter for each row */ tbody#lineitem tr { counter-increment: rowNumber; } /* Show counter value in first column */ tbody#lineitem tr td:first-child::before
                                                                                                                • Possible to define default font and size in Zoho Campaigns?

                                                                                                                  Is it possible to define a default font (font, size and colour) for the text, H1 and H2 in Zoho Campaigns? For example: In a campaign, I add a text block, and the text is automatically century gothic, size 11, grey (6f6f6e) by default? Thank you!
                                                                                                                • Zoho Sites - General Feedback

                                                                                                                  Hi Everyone-- Quick question for discussion: is it me or is working with Zoho Sites like entering the Twilight Zone? I've built many sites over the years, but this platform seems impossible. I've spent an entire day and a half trying to get a simple one-color
                                                                                                                • Zoho People & Zoho CRM Calendar

                                                                                                                  Hi, Does anyone know if it is possible to link Zoho People and the calendar in CRM? I would like when holidays are approved they automatically appear in the calendar on CRM. Thanks 
                                                                                                                • File Upload field not showing in workflow

                                                                                                                  Hi, I have added a field on Zoho CRM. I want to use it in a workflow where that particular field is updated based on another field, however it is not showing up in the field list to select it in the workflow. Why is this please?
                                                                                                                • You cannot send this email campaign as it doesn't have any eligible contacts in the selected mailing list. You can try adding contacts or choose other mailing lists.

                                                                                                                  please help
                                                                                                                • Strengthening the capabilities of CommandCenter in Zoho CRM Plus

                                                                                                                  When you look at the prospect-to-customer journey in most businesses 10 to 15 years ago, it was relatively straightforward. Many of us remember walking into a store, sharing our requirements with a sales associate, reviewing a few options, and making
                                                                                                                • Announcing Kiosk 1.1 - Customize screen titles, configure new fields & actions, use values from your Kiosk to update fields, and more.

                                                                                                                  Hello all We are back again with more enhancements to Kiosk. So what's new? Enhancements made to the Components Add titles for your Kiosk screens and adjust its width to suit your viewing preferences. Three new fields can be added to your screen: Percentage,
                                                                                                                • Any recommendations for Australian Telephony Integration providers?

                                                                                                                  HI,  I am looking for some advice on phone providers as we are looking to upgrade our phone system, does anybody have experience with any of the Australian providers that integrate with CRM Telephony? So far we are looking at RingCentral and Amazon Connect, and would love to hear feedback on any of the other providers you might have tried.  Thank you
                                                                                                                • Zoho Campaigns Workspaces

                                                                                                                  Hi, I’m currently working on a Zoho CRM + Zoho Campaigns setup for a franchisee-based organization, where each franchise must only see and use its own contacts. At the moment, franchisees cannot properly access their contact lists in Zoho Campaigns unless
                                                                                                                • Newsletter in multiple languages

                                                                                                                  Hi We are planning on starting to use Zoho Campaigns for our newsletters. Since we send our newsletters in three languages, I would need the "unsubscribe page" and other pages related to the NL (Thank you page and so on) to be available in different languages
                                                                                                                • Fixed assets in Zoho One?

                                                                                                                  Hi, We use Zoho Books and have the fixed asset option in it. I started a trial for Zoho One and I do not see that as an option. Is the books that is part of zoho one equivalent to Zoho Books Elite subscription or is it a lesser version? Thanks, Matt
                                                                                                                • Set Default Status of Assembly to "Assembled" When Entered in UI

                                                                                                                  I've just discovered the new "confirmed" status of Assemblies within Inventory. While I understand the intent of this (allowing for manufacturing planning and raw material stock allocation), it was initially confusing to me when manually entering some
                                                                                                                • I need to Record Vatable amount and non vatable amount separately in zoho books in a single line

                                                                                                                  I need to Record Vatable amount and non vatable amount separately in zoho books in a single line give me the customisation option and in invoice copy to customer the total amount should be inclusive 5%vat and no need to show the vatable and non vatable
                                                                                                                • Next Page