Report Criteria: Status == "Active"
Page Embed Criteria: City == "New York"
Result: Status == "Active" AND City == "New York"

• Application bloat with multiple near-identical reports
• Violates the DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) principle
• Maintenance nightmare—changes must be applied to every clone
• Confusing for users who see multiple similar reports in navigation

// Instead of simply setting "Active Clients" as the default Custom Filter,
// developers must construct URL parameters manually:

base_url = "https://creatorapp.zoho.com/myaccount/crm-app/#Report:Clients_Report";

// Replicate the Custom Filter logic with field-based parameters
filter_params = "?Status=Active&Status_op=18";  // 18 = EQUALS operator

openUrl(base_url + filter_params, "same window");

Report Properties → Custom Filters → [Filter Name] → ☑ Set as Default

https://creatorapp.zoho.com/myaccount/crm-app/#Report:Clients_Report?zc_CustomFilter=Active_Clients

// Clean, maintainable approach
openUrl("#Report:Clients_Report?zc_CustomFilter=Active_Clients", "same window");

// Instead of duplicating all the filter logic
openUrl("#Report:Clients_Report?Status=Active&Status_op=18", "same window");

• Default filtered views — A Clients report should show "Active Clients" by default, not all clients
• Dashboard navigation — Clicking a KPI tile should open a report with the relevant Custom Filter applied
• Email links to filtered reports — "Click here to see overdue invoices" should pre-apply the appropriate filter
• Embedded reports in Pages — Different page contexts should show different default filter states without cloning reports
• Mobile experience — On mobile apps, filters are hidden behind menus. Users often miss them entirely. A default Custom Filter ensures users see relevant data immediately without navigating through menus on a small screen
• User onboarding — New users should see a sensible default view, not unfiltered data overwhelming them

Developer Impact: Custom Filters are excellent for end-user experience but nearly useless for automation and programmatic control. This gap forces developers to maintain duplicate filter logic—once in Custom Filters for manual use, and again as URL parameters for automation.

Can this be addressed in a future update?

The current implementation forces developers to choose between:

We shouldn't have to choose—Custom Filters should support both user interaction AND programmatic control.

Community Input Requested: Has anyone else encountered this limitation or found a workaround? I'd love to hear how others are handling scenarios where a default Custom Filter is needed.

• Primary: Define Custom Filters - Zoho Creator Help
• Related: Understand Predefined Custom Filters
• Related: Functionality-based URLs

• Ability to define Custom Filter as a parameter in the URL
• Applying a Custom Filter to report on load