Extension Pointers #11: Publishing an Extension

Extension Pointers #11: Publishing an Extension

Extensions are software components that help developers add features that enhance the functionality of your Zoho product.
 
Bundling an extension is essentially wrapping and delivering the components of an extension as a whole package. The process of building an extension does not end with its development, but also extends to its publication in order to make it useful. Bundling and publishing an extension is therefore an important part of the process, as it wraps up the extension and makes it ready for installation and use.
 
An extension can be published either privately or publicly. Using Sigma, you can choose to publish your extension either as a private extension or as a public extension.

 Private Extension: The extensions that are built for personal or specific organizational purposes are private extensions. When you publish a private extension, a hashed URL link is made available, which can be used to install the extension. This URL can be either used personally, or shared with other users or members of your organization as needed.
 
➤ Public Extension: The extensions that are hosted in Zoho Marketplace are public extensions. When an extension is published, an installation URL is provided along with an option to list it in Zoho Marketplace. Choosing this option makes the extension available to all Zoho users for installation and use. Listing your extension in Zoho Marketplace gives other users the chance to use the extension you've made, and also allows you to gain monetary benefits.
 
In this post, we will take a look at the steps on how to create and publish a basic extension either privately or publicly.
 
How to Develop and Publish an Extension
  • Log in to your Zoho Developer Console and choose Sigma platform.
  • Click New Extension in the Extensions Gallery section to create a new extension for Zoho CRM.
 
  • Click Save as Draft after providing the necessary extension details, and the new extension "TestExtension" will be created for Zoho CRM.
 

Note: Extensions for Zoho CRM are only supported in 'US DC' currently in the Zoho developer platform. You can create a trial account in Zoho One in US DC and begin developing your Zoho CRM extension. 
 


  • As a small example, let us create a button, "LeadsTestButton" for the Leads Module. The function of the button is to invoke a URL which leads to a new search tab, fetching details from Google about the lead's company. 

 
URL
http://www.google.com/search?q=${Leads.Company}
  •  Provide the necessary details and click Save.
 
  • Choose Publish from the left panel of the Zoho Developer console under Package, and then click Publish.
 
  • The Publish prompt box appears displaying the features that are added to the extension. Provide the Extension release notes and click Confirm.
 
 
The extension is now published!

The installation URL provided can be used personally or can be shared with other users privately as needed. This falls under the category of a "Private" extension.
 
Checking the List this extension in the Zoho Marketplace checkbox allows you to publish your extension as a public extension. Once the checkbox is checked, you will be asked for some details about your extension, and your extension is submitted to the Marketplace team for further evaluation. For a detailed guide on listing in Marketplace, click here. After thorough evaluation and fulfilling the approval standards of the Marketplace team, the extension will be listed in Marketplace for customers to use.
  
Managing extension versions: 
 
The concept of versioning goes hand in hand with publishing an extension. After an extension is published, a version number is automatically assigned to it.

If there are any changes that need to be updated or added to the extension, either in the case of adding new components or modifying its logical functionality, these changes can be done and the extension can be re-published to obtain a new installation URL. Every time the extension is re-published, a new version is assigned sequentially and the older version gets deprecated.
In our example, let's make a change to the placement of the LeadsTestButton.

 
Click Publish again, provide the Extension release notes, and click Confirm on making the necessary changes.
 

The new installation URL is provided. This URL with the modified extension features can be privately shared with other users or within the team for use.
 
In the case of public extensions (i.e. extensions listed in Marketplace), you can publish a new version of your extension to the Marketplace approval team. Once the approval standards have been met, the latest version is approved and updated in Marketplace. Customers who have previously installed this extension from Marketplace can update it from the "Updates" tab available from the Extensions Gallery.

Once the new version is created, the old version will be automatically deprecated.
 

 
We hope you found these detailed steps on how to publish an extension useful. Please follow this space for more information.
 

    Access your files securely from anywhere


            Zoho Developer Community





                                      • Desk Community Learning Series


                                      • Digest


                                      • Functions


                                      • Meetups


                                      • Kbase


                                      • Resources


                                      • Glossary


                                      • Desk Marketplace


                                      • MVP Corner


                                      • Word of the Day


                                      • Ask the Experts



                                          Zoho Marketing Automation


                                                  Manage your brands on social media



                                                        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 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

                                                                                                  • Tailoring the Share info on an IFrame link

                                                                                                    I want to adjust my form size. It's customised on a theme and normally you would be able to edit the parameters in the attached image. Now all I can do is click on it to copy it. I want to stop it having to be scrolled when people access the form. The
                                                                                                  • Custom Related List anchor tag with tel protocol

                                                                                                    The following code worked great for about a year to create clickable tel and mailto links in a related list in the Deals module. Just this morning, it started displaying the HTML as text. For example: <a href='tel:8882490100'>8882490100</a> Zoho support
                                                                                                  • Client Can't View Ticket

                                                                                                    Hi, I created a ticket for my Client since he had an issue. I added him as a Contact as well. My client got a notification in his email that the ticket has been created. When he went to view the ticket on his desktop, the screen was blank. He then viewed
                                                                                                  • Custom Status for Purchase Orders

                                                                                                    Currently Zoho books has functionality to create custom statuses for Sales Orders. Can this be extended to include custom status for purchase orders as well? It was a great decision to add this functionality to sales orders. Our use case is for tracking
                                                                                                  • My workflows not working

                                                                                                    Hi I have created my first workflow I want it so when a customer responds to a ticket that the status is changed to "reopened" We want this so its clear there is a ticket to deal with again. We only have 2 agents responding to tickets and do not have
                                                                                                  • Waiting Room

                                                                                                    Is there any plans to implement a Virtual Waiting Room for Attendees on Meetings and or Webinars?
                                                                                                  • Error AS101 when adding new email alias

                                                                                                    Hi, I am trying to add apple@(mydomain).com The error AS101 is shown while I try to add the alias.
                                                                                                  • Global Sets for Multi-Select pick lists

                                                                                                    When is this feature coming to Zoho CRM? It would be very useful now we have got used to having it for the normal pick lists.
                                                                                                  • What's New - January 2025 | Zoho Backstage

                                                                                                    Hi there! As we step into a brand-new year, we’re thrilled to bring you some exciting updates to make event management more enjoyable and efficient. Here’s what we rolled out in January to kick off 2025: Backstage 2.0 now enforced for all users We've
                                                                                                  • How do you do ticket add ons in Backstage?

                                                                                                    Hi Everyone, If you wanted to have general admin tickets and allow for add ons, like camping, or car or Carbon offset. What would you do? Peace Robin
                                                                                                  • Re-create auth token

                                                                                                    I need to re-create a self-client auth token, with the same scopes (and additional ones) as the current token. Is there a way to view the scopes assigned to the current token to ensure that no scopes are missing when creating the new one?
                                                                                                  • Writing on sketch cards is bugged when zoomed in

                                                                                                    When zoomed in, it writes a noticeable distance above or to the side of where you're actually trying to write. The further you're zoomed in, the more noticeable it is. Zooming is also entirely absent on the desktop version.
                                                                                                  • Doesn't let me test my newsletter.

                                                                                                    Hello, I click "Preview and Test". I select the email address to send the test (usually my own email). I send the test email, appears the message "Your test email has been sent", but nothing happens. I mean, there is nothing in my inbox. I also tried
                                                                                                  • reset of user password

                                                                                                    User forgot her password, so she requests a password rest, but never gets the email. How do I reset her password, since that function is not an option, even for an administrator?
                                                                                                  • In what case it's better to use Developer Console? Only for marketplace?

                                                                                                    As I can see from the documentation, the limitations are challenging. No Custom API No Page Variables No Custom Connections.
                                                                                                  • commision tracker

                                                                                                    I am after a zoho developer to finish my commission tracker as I hired someone on oDesk that started but now will respond to my emails.I really need to get It finished as it is holding up my plans Thanks Budget : $500 | Duration : a.s.a.p To leave a private message, please click the link for private response in post Action section.
                                                                                                  • Generate a Zoho Sign link

                                                                                                    From time to time I get a response "I never received your you e-document for electronic signature" is there a way to generate a Zoho Sign link to share.
                                                                                                  • Error 403: Forbidden When Updating Email Signature via API

                                                                                                    Hi Zoho Desk team, First, congratulations again on the excellent Zoho API. But, I’m encountering an issue while attempting to update an email signature via the API. Whenever I make a request to update the signature, the response returns an HTTP 403 Forbidden
                                                                                                  • Queues Management ?

                                                                                                    I need to assign the new requirements equally between my support agents. How I can configure this feature in Zoho? Thanks
                                                                                                  • Automating Custom Web Link Messages to Customers via Instant Messaging in Zoho Desk

                                                                                                    Hello, I am looking for assistance with Zoho Desk's Instant Messaging feature. Is there a way to automate the sending of a custom web link to customers every day at 6:30 PM? Any guidance or suggestions on how to achieve this would be greatly appreciated.
                                                                                                  • How do you apply field validation to a date field?

                                                                                                    We are using Sign for remote e-signature of liability waivers. The signer must enter a date of birth, and if they are a minor their legal guardian must sign for them. However we have had numerous problems with signers returning an invalid date of birth
                                                                                                  • Implement Regex in Layout and Validation rules

                                                                                                    Hello all, We are excited to announce that users can now implement Regular Expressions (Regex) in our layout and validation rules. This new functionality allows for more flexible rules to be created when designing and validating forms. What is Regex?
                                                                                                  • Zoho Desk Validation Rule Using Custom Function

                                                                                                    Hi all, I tried to find the way to validate fields using custom function just like in Zoho CRM but to no avail. Is there a way to do this?
                                                                                                  • Editing landing page after signup for a webinar

                                                                                                    Hi, how can I edit the landing page after signing up for a webinar. I personalized the email "registration confirmation", which is working fine. Nevertheless after submitting the form, the participant gets redirected to a page, which looks like the standard
                                                                                                  • Kiosk GetRecords can't compare formulas

                                                                                                    (submitted as a help request by accident - should have been a topic) Scenario: I have an "email domain" formula whose value is "@xyz.com" if the e-mail address is brent@xyz.com . I have the same field in Leads and Contacts. So, theoretically, I should
                                                                                                  • Kiosk can't merge picklist or multiselect

                                                                                                    There is no ability to load a multiselect or picklikst field into a kiosk with the values that have been previously selected. So, I essentially have 3 unacceptable options: 1.)Load the value into a text string and include instructions like this: "Picklist
                                                                                                  • Fillable template with dynamic tables?

                                                                                                    Is there a way to build a fillable template so that users can add rows to a table? To describe what I'm trying to accomplish the table has 3 sections; a header row, some number of rows with custom information, and a summary row with totals. I can't figure
                                                                                                  • Tip of the Week - Timeline User Filter for Dashboard

                                                                                                    Does the Date User Filter in your Dashboard leave out a few reports from filtering? This happens when the reports are not created over the same table and the (time) column over which the user filter is created.   To solve this, Zoho Reports has a Timeline User Filter. This filter applies the criteria on all reports, matching it with the best possible date column associated with a report. i.e., if your reports are based on a date column, then it will filter it for that data column.  To know more on
                                                                                                  • Zoho Forms Webhooks - Only sends on submission not on edit.

                                                                                                    Hi There, We have a slightly unique use case for Zoho Forms. We used Zoho Forms for the collection of Guest Lists. When a customer submits their guest list they get an email confirmation. Within this is a link for them to update their guest list before
                                                                                                  • Add Knowledge Base KB Articles to multiple categories

                                                                                                    Greetings,  Love you help center system.  One item that would be incredibly helpful to many of us would be able to add a single Knowledge Base KB article to multiple categories in our system.  It seems it could be quite easy to use a checkbox form, instead
                                                                                                  • What does "Tickets for Review" do?

                                                                                                    What is the purpose of the va nilla view " Tickets for Review?"
                                                                                                  • Report of Leads/Accounts/Deals with no open activities

                                                                                                    How can we replicate the option in filter to only show Leads/Accounts/Deals with no open activities ? The option is present in the filters (please find screenshot) but I am unable to find them in the report. Thanks
                                                                                                  • Cannot set Subform Multiline field to read-only using Client Script

                                                                                                    I am using client script to set different subform fields as read-only It works for Single Line Fields, but when I try to set a Multiline field as Read-only it doesn't work var subform = ZDK.Page.getSubform("Subform_1"); var item_Code_old = subform.getField('Item_Code_Old').setReadOnly(true);
                                                                                                  • Changing Color Theme of Guided Conversations

                                                                                                    Hello, We have recently added Guided Conversations to one of our websites, but I am wondering if there is a way to customize the color scheme so it matches the appearance of the website? Thank you in advance!
                                                                                                  • Lost the ability to sort by ticket owner

                                                                                                    Hi all, in the last week or so, we have lost the ability to sort tickets by Ticket Owner. Unlike the other columns which we can hover over and click on to sort, Ticket Owner is no longer clickable. Is it just us, or are other customers seeing this too?
                                                                                                  • Can't login to Zoho mail

                                                                                                    I'm logged into Zoho but when I try to go in zoho mail I get: Invalid request! The input passed is invalid or the URL is invoked without valid parameters. Please check your input and try again. I just set up my mx records and stuff with namecheap a few
                                                                                                  • Social Media Simplified with Zoho Social: Bridge sales and social media marketing

                                                                                                    Social media marketing has become the go-to strategy for most businesses who are trying to boost awareness of their product/service, create a brand image in the minds of their audience, increase website traffic and engagement, and generate leads. Posting
                                                                                                  • This domain is not allowed to add. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details

                                                                                                    I am trying to setup the free version of Zoho Mail. When I tried to add my domain, theselfreunion.com I got the error message that is the subject of this Topic. I've read your other community forum topics, and this is NOT a free domain. So what is the
                                                                                                  • Work Orders / Bundle Requests

                                                                                                    Zoho Inventory needs a work order / bundle request system. This record would be analogous to a purchase order in the purchasing workflow or a sales order in the sales cycle. It would be non-journaling, but it would reserve the appropriate inventory of
                                                                                                  • Create Quote does not show the "Product Description" entered as part of the Product setup.

                                                                                                    The product description created as part of the product setup page, does not show in the Create Quote module; The module allows for an additional description to be added but without access to the original stored description. By selecting the product from the "Product Name Lookup" pop-up, the "Product Description" part should be populated from the product record where the user is allowed to further modify it.
                                                                                                  • Next Page