Introducing an easy way to access resources defined in the resources.json file

Dear Zoho Desk extension developers,

We heard you; it is next to impossible to access the Zoho Desk resources created by an extension without knowing their unique values. For example, to access the fields created by an extension, you must know the ID or apiName of the field in the Zoho Desk organization. Without knowing either, it becomes challenging to access the information required. But worry not. We have now made it easy for you to retrieve resource details.

We take pleasure in introducing a new capability intended to make extensions a bit more powerful and context-filled. This is the ability to include Zoho Desk resources, such as fields and webhooks, within your extensions. You can also access those resources through their unique identifiers, using Zoho Desk's module-specific REST APIs.

(For detailed information on how to include Zoho Desk resources in an extension, refer to the Developer Guide.)

To support this functionality, we are introducing a new key called resourceName, which uniquely identifies resources created by extensions. Each resource you want to include in your extension must be specified in the resources.json file, and each resource must have a unique resourceName.

The two resources that are currently supported in extensions are custom fields and webhooks. So, if you include these resources in your extension, make sure to specify a unique resourceName for each field/webhook you add. Just like all other resources, the resourceName key is also validated while packing the extension.

Any new extension that you develop must contain the resourceName key if you choose to include Zoho Desk fields and webhook resources. As for older extensions, we have ensured backward compatibility to support the inclusion of resources. This backward compatibility will be supported only for 3 months, which is until January 9, 2020. Therefore, we request you to tweak the code of your extensions accordingly, before this date.

Here's a detailed overview of the resourceName key.

How resourceName works

When you define a resourceName in the resources.json file, the ID and apiName (if available) of the resource are also mapped to it automatically. After this, you can use the ID and/or apiName (if available) in APIs related to the resource, as required.

You can also use the resourceName key to retrieve the ID or apiName of a resource.

Retrieving the ID and apiName of a resource

Using the resourceName value, you can retrieve the ID and apiName of a resource in one of the following ways:

Through a merge field in the invoke API, or
Using the client SDK

1. Through a merge field in the invoke API

In this method, you must specify the resourceName value in Zoho Desk's invoke API in the following format.

{{resourceType.resourceName.id}} or {{resourceType.resourceName.apiName}}

Merge Field Details

resourceType should be fields or webhook, based on your use case.
id returns the fieldId or webhookId, based on the value in resourceType.
apiName returns the apiName of the resource. This key is applicable only to fields.

To get a clearer idea, refer to this example:

var reqObj = {
url: 'https://desk.zoho.com/api/v1/tickets/1000000017201',
headers: {
"Authorization": "Zoho-oauthtoken 1000.41a9b31ac5adaa187ba160e250a88551.15bd423103f52f4853c1bc7243b2085d",
"orgId": "15167075"
},
postBody: {
"cf": {
"{{fields.field1.apiName}}": "Testing"
}
},
data: {},
type: 'PATCH'
}