Kaizen #117 - Mass Delete Records Across Modules (Part I)
Season's greetings to our coding enthusiasts!
Let us code our way into the festive spirit with another insightful post in our Kaizen series!
In this post, we will explore the process of creating a custom button using functions on the records' detail page. This enables the deletion of all associated child records when the current record is deleted. To fulfill this requirement, we will leverage APIs like COQL API, Records API, and Mass Delete API.
Currently, Zoho CRM provides the delete action exclusively for a specific related list modules when the parent record is deleted. Here are the specifics of ZOHO CRM's default support for deleting related list modules:
Record Module | Related List Module |
Leads | Activities, Visits and Email Drafts |
| Contacts | Activities, Visits, Appointments and Email Drafts |
Accounts | Activities, Contacts, Deals, Quotes, Sales Orders, Invoices, Cases, Appointments and Email Drafts |
Deals | Activities, Cases, Competitors and Email Drafts |
Campaigns | Activities, Email Drafts and Child Campaigns |
Cases | Activities and Email Drafts |
Products | Activities, Solutions, Cases and Email Drafts |
Vendors | Activities and Email Drafts |
Quotes | Activities and Email Drafts |
Sales Orders | Activities and Email Drafts |
Purchase Orders | Activities and Email Drafts |
Invoices | Activities and Email Drafts |
Services | Appointments and Email Drafts |
Custom | Activities and Email Drafts |
Perform Mass Delete Across Modules
Assume that you are the Manager of Zylker, an educational institution utilizing ZOHO CRM for customer relationship management. You have implemented custom modules, namely Training Program and Participants in your organization.
Now, you aim to streamline record management by creating a custom button on the Training Program module's records detail page. On triggering, this button should delete all associated participants of a specific program along with the program itself.
Let us guide you through the step-by-step process of fulfilling this requirement using ZOHO CRM functions.
Prerequisites
Achieving this requirement is versatile, applicable to both records with a single child module as well as records with multiple child modules.
A lookup field serves to establish a connection between two modules, designating the module where the lookup field is employed as the child module. The module that the lookup field points to is referred to as the parent module.
To keep it simple, let us consider Participants as the child module with a lookup relationship to the Training Program parent module.
The knowledge of COQL, Records and Mass Delete Records APIs, Deluge Script and ZOHO CRM Functions ensure effective execution of our outlined process.
Creating a Custom Button
Step 1: Begin by navigating to Setup > Customization > Modules and Fields > Training Program > Links and Buttons > New Button within your ZOHO CRM interface.
Step 2: Provide a name and description for the button. Next, select the Details Page as the designated location for the button from the drop-down menu.
Refer to this document to learn more on creating and using custom buttons.
Step 3: Configure the button's action by selecting Writing Function from the menu.
Step 4: Fill in the basic details for creating a new function.
Step 5: After clicking the create button, you will be directed to an editor interface, as depicted in this image.
You have to code your function logic in this editor and click the Save button on the top right corner.
For the scenario discussed, we have attached the function code in a zip file with this post. Download and explore the code to gain hands-on experience in this use case.
Step 6: Next, you will be redirected to the Links and Buttons page, where you need to configure the visibility of the button based on profiles. Afterward, click on the Save button to confirm your settings.
Flow of the function
The function should initially make a COQL API call to retrieve the participant records that correspond to the record ID of the training program from which the button is triggered. This API can fetch up to 2000 related child records in a single API call.
queryMap = Map(); queryMap.put("select_query","select id from Participants where Training_Program =" + id + "Limit 2000"); response = invokeurl [ type :POST parameters:queryMap.toString() connection:"crm_oauth_connection" ]; |
Here, connections are used to make ZOHO CRM API calls. To get the current record ID, you have to configure it in function arguments.
Click Edit Arguments from the top of the page and associate the Training Program ID as shown in this image.
Before proceeding to the next step, it's crucial to be aware of the following constraints associated with the APIs:
- COQL API: It can retrieve a maximum of 2000 records per API call.
- Delete Records API: It has the capability to delete up to 100 records in a single API call.
- Mass Delete Records API: By utilizing record IDs, it can delete a maximum of 500 records per API call.
Given these constraints, the following logic has been devised to address our specified requirement:
---> If the participant count is 0, the system should proceed to delete the current record exclusively.
---> Incases where the record count is below 100, the Delete Record API must be employed to eliminate records from the Participants module.
---> If the participant count exceeds 100, the Mass Delete Records API should be used for deleting records within the child module. For scenarios where more than 500 records need deletion, it is necessary to execute this in a loop for four iterations with each deleting 500 records.
Let us execute this logic in Deluge script,
if(!isNull(response)) { response = response.toMap(); count = response.getJSON("info").get("count").toNumber(); has_more = response.getJSON("info").get("more_records"); id_list = List(); itr_list = {0,1,2,3}; response = response.getJSON("data"); result = List(); if(count > 0) { for each item in response { id_list.add(item.getJSON("id")); } if(count > 100) { end = 0; start = 0; for each itr in itr_list { if(count / 500 - itr > 0) { idMap = Map(); if(count - end > 500) { end = end + 500; } else { end = count; } idMap.put("ids",id_list.subList(start,end)); response = invokeurl [ type :POST parameters:idMap.toString() connection:"crm_oauth_connection" ]; start = end; } } } else { response = invokeurl [ url :"https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v6/Participants?ids=" + id_list type :DELETE connection:"crm_oauth_connection" ]; } } } |
Now, let us address the scenario of a training program with over 2000 participants. Following the logic outlined above, our custom button will handle the deletion of only 2000 records.
To manage this, after successfully deleting the initial 2000 records, the record from the Training Program module should not be deleted. Here, we have to configure a pop-up message signaling that additional records require deletion. To proceed, users must click the same button to eliminate the remaining records along with the current one.
After deleting all records from the child modules, the custom button will proceed to remove the current Training Program record, as shown in the following Deluge code.
if(isNull(response) || !has_more) { response = invokeurl [ type :DELETE connection:"crm_oauth_connection" ]; return "Deleted Successfully"; } return "Over 2000 related records were detected. Click 'Cascade Delete' again to delete the remaining and this training program. "; |
Let us now check our custom button from the details page of the Training Programs module.
To prevent additional clicks for deleting the remaining records, we will circle back to you on next Friday with a solution that incorporates the looping mechanism.
We have also brought you a wave of innovation and enhanced features in our V6 APIs. Take a look at them and empower your coding journey with us.
If you have any queries, feel free to drop them in the comments section below or reach out to us directly at support@zohocrm.com. We eagerly await your thoughts and feedback on this!
Cheers to a productive and joyful season!
Additional Reading |
Custom Buttons: Creating and using custom buttons |
ZOHO CRM Functions: An Overview and setting up functions |
Deluge Script: Introduction to Deluge |
Connections: Working with connections |
Kaizen #80: Types of queries and when to use them |
Kaizen #81: Supported field types in COQL with examples |
Records API: Delete Records |
Mass Action: Mass Delete Records API |
Access your files securely from anywhere
New to Zoho Recruit?
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
Kiruthiga G
Sticky Posts
Kaizen #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 achievedKaizen #142: How to Navigate to Another Page in Zoho CRM using Client Script
Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. In this post, let us see how you can you navigate to different Pages using Client Script. In this Kaizen post, Need to Navigate to different Pages Client Script ZDKs related to navigation A.Kaizen #210 - Answering your Questions | Event Management System using ZDK CLI
Hello Everyone, Welcome back to yet another post in the Kaizen Series! As you already may know, for the Kaizen #200 milestone, we asked for your feedback and many of you suggested topics for us to discuss. We have been writing on these topics over theKaizen #197: Frequently Asked Questions on GraphQL APIs
🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! 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 #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.
New to Zoho TeamInbox?
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
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
Retainer invoice in Zoho Finance modlue
Hello, Is there a way of creating retainer invoices in the Zoho Finance module? If not can I request this is considered for future updates please.Rules not working properly
I created a rule to display certain fields on certain states. But it seems to be not working. It hides the fields even when I selected California, (which is a state that should show the fields when selected)Notebook font size issue
If I copy something from somewhere and paste it in my notebook, the font size becomes smaller.Sign in process is beyond stupid. I'd rather plug my phone into USB and copy files than sign in to this POS.
792 clicks and fields to fill in just to get into a 3rd rate app is too stupid for me.Ampersand in URL parameter // EncodeURL does not work
Hi Zoho, I have a url link with a parameter. The parameter is including ampersand in some cases (Can be "H&M" or "P&I") When trying to use %26 instead of "&" (the result I get using EncodeURL()) I get H%26M instead of H&M in the parameter field. How can I solve this? Thanks! Ravidhow can we create in zoho crm a new contact when the looup does not find a similar existing one
In forms/integrations/zoho crm / ne w record tab, contact name is to be mapped with my form contact name. When I go in biew edit/lookup configuration, I don t get the options (help dedicated page simply repeat the same info you get in the app) and doesDirectory Websites
Directories are a good website category to gain search engine traffic. Directories for a professional service category as an example can help their members in search results over their individual website. It would be nice to have a directory templateManage Task on Mobile
How do we manage our task on mobile devices? It seems that there should be a standalone mobile app to handle the new task features. The new features released in regards to Task management are great by the way! Now we need to bring that all together inSet Default Payment Method & Default account
Hi, I would like to know how to set the default payment method and default bank account when recording payments in zoho books. At present we have to change these fields everytime we record a payment, which leads to potential error and as we have a veryUnified WhatsApp Number Management in Zoho Desk and SalesIQ
Dear Zoho Desk Support Team, We are currently utilizing both Zoho Desk and Zoho SalesIQ for our customer support operations. While both platforms offer WhatsApp integration, we are facing challenges due to the requirement of separate WhatsApp numbersCustomer Portal on Zoho Desk
Hi, I'd like to know more about the items below I found when setting up the Customer Portal on Zoho Desk. Could someone help me explaining these in details? Especially the 2nd and 3rd point. Thanking you in advance! Permissions Customers can sign up for Customer Portal Customers can view tickets of their organization (contacts) Customers must register to access Customer Portal Display Community in Customer Self Service portalSlow Performance on desk.zoho.com. 11/3/2025
I’m not seeing any active service alerts for desk.zoho.com, but everyone on our account is currently experiencing very slow load times when opening or navigating tickets. We’ve already tried the standard troubleshooting steps — clearing cache and cookies,"Authorize to Access Your Account"
Hi, I'm trying to log into cliq on my phone but I can't. It says "Authorize to access your account - Verify your identity to access your account using oneAuth credentials", and asks for a password. I tried maybe 100 different passwords and nothing works.Books API Receiving an Error that Doesn't Make Sense when Creating Credit Note - trying to use 'ignore_auto_number_generation' argument
Hello, I'm working on a newly created routine and I'm getting an error that doesn't make sense when trying to create a new Credit Note. Here is my POST request. Endpoint: https://www.zohoapis.com/books/v3/creditnotes?organization_id=########## Body: {Computer Showing Offline in Unattended Access
I have a computer that was connected to the internet but showing offline in Assist. I tried uninstalling the program and deleting it from Zoho Assist the reinstalling and it still does not show up. I have been a user for several months and am not pleased with the lack of connectivity with Assist. If this continues I will have to find another product. The computer I reinstalled it on is not even showing up in Assist now. The name is NYRVLI-PC. ThanksClosing Accounting Periods - Invoice/Posting dates
Hi, I have seen in another thread but I'm unsure on how the 'transaction locking' works with regards to new and old transactions. When producing monthly accounts if I close December 24 accounts on 8th Jan 25 will transaction locking prevent me from postingZoho CRM Portal Error
Hi, We’re experiencing an issue with the Zoho CRM Portal. When we try to access it, we receive an HTTPS connection error: net::ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID. If we proceed past that, we then get a 400 Bad Request error. Could you please help us resolveCan we do Image swatches for color variants?
We want to do something like the attached screenshot on our new zoho store. We need image swatches instead of normal text selection. We want to user to select an image as color option. Is this doable? I don't see any option on zoho backend. Please hMeeting impossible to use when sharing screen
he Meeting tool in Brazil is practically unusable when sharing anything, whether it’s a presentation or simple navigation. When accessed via Cliq, the situation gets even worse: even basic calls fail to work properly, constantly freezing. And as you areIntegrating Zoho CRM EmbeddedApp SDK with Next.js — Initialization and Data Fetching Issues
You can get an idea from my code I have given in end: First, I worked on a React project and tried the same thing — it worked. My goal was to import the Zoho script and then load contacts using the Zoho Widget SDK, which was successful in React. Now,Feature enhancement: Highlight rows based on a cell value
Hello Sheet users, We're excited to announce a new feature enhacement, shaped directly by your valuable feedback! As you might know, conditional formatting is a great tool for anyone dealing with large data sets. Previously, if you’ve ever wanted to drawScript Editor not an option
I am trying to apply a script to a sheet and Script Editor is not an option. I don't want to go outside Sheets to do this (like Creator) if it can be done inside Sheets.monetizing the courses
Can I add a price for course enrollment ?How to copy value from a single line field into a picklist field within a module's subform?
Hello there, I have a single line field in a module's subform. I would like the value in the field to automatically update a picklist field within the same subform (both have items with the same names). Is this possible via function? Unfortunately, workflowsCan we add zoho books features like invoices estemates etc on our zohocommerce website. When our customer login with their account they can able to see all books features in one place on zohocommerce?
Can we add zoho books features like invoices estemates etc on our zohocommerce website. When our customer login with their account they can able to see all books features in one place on zohocommerce?Copy paste from word document deletes random spaces
Hello Dear Zoho Team, When copying from a word document into Notebook, often I face a problem of the program deleting random spaces between words, the document become terribly faulty, eventhough it is perfect in its original source document (and withoutCreate custom rollup summary fields in Zoho CRM
Hello everyone, In Zoho CRM, rollup summary fields have been essential tools for summarizing data across related records and enabling users to gain quick insights without having to jump across modules. Previously, only predefined summary functions wereDownload a file from within a zoho creator widget
I have a widget running in Zoho Creator , it displays uploaded documents in a table file, and I have added a download link in the view. ( The widget is created with html, css and javascript). I do not succeed in getting the download working. Do I haveTaxes for EU B2B Transactions
Currently, ZC doesn't seem to have a procedure for validating VAT numbers of businesses purchasing in another EU state, and removing local VAT is valid. This is essential for all inter EU B2B trade.Unable to Receive Emails on Zoho Mail After Office 365 Coexistence Setup – Error: 553 Relaying Disallowed
Hello, My domain name is bigniter.com, and I’ve been using Zoho Mail as my email service provider without any issues. Recently, I followed the steps outlined in the Zoho documentation to enable Coexistence with Office 365: 🔗 https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/adminconsole/coexistence-with-office365.html#multi-serverEnhance Sign CRM integration
Hello all, I'm working on a custom Deluge script to enhance the integration between Zoho CRM and Sign by using a writer merge template for additional flexibility. I want to replicate the post-sign document integration that exists between CRM and SignCRM Related list table in Zoho analytics
In Zoho Analytics, where can I view the tables created from zoho crm related lists? For example, in my Zoho CRM setup, I have added the Product module as a related list in the Lead module, and also the Lead module as a related list in the Product module.Candidate Registration/Invitation
It would be great to include the 'invite' candidate functionality into some of the automation functions - ether through a custom function trigger or webhook or accessible through an email template. Currently there is no way to add this functionality into any workflows or blueprint steps which, I find limits the ability to invite candidates to engage with us directly through our candidate portal.[Free Webinar] Learning Table Series - Creator for Infrastructure Management | A Partner-driven collaborative session
Hello Everyone! We’re excited to invite you to another edition of Learning Table Series, where we showcase how Zoho Creator empowers industries with innovative and automated solutions. About the Learning Table Series The Learning Table Series is a free,Where we can change the icon in social preview
Hi, we changed our logo, and the image that appear in preview (ex : when we post a appointment link somewhere) is still our old logo. I did change our logo in the org setting. https://bookings.zoho.com/app/#/home/dashboard/settings/basic-info?clview=falseCadences
I have just started using Cadences for follow-up up email pipeline. Is it just me or do you find the functionality very basic? For example, it will tell me (if I go looking for it) if someone has replied to a follow-up and been unenrolled; but it won'tI have error AS101 when I try to add paypal@mydomain.com to Zoho
Please help me with this. I tried to call the help line 4 times but don't get any response.VAT on Multiple Expenses
Firstly, might I say I am based in Ireland, and I'm not an accountant, and therefore my understanding of procedures could be somewhat limited. Scenario. An employee pays for items throughout a month, and therefore their claim for expenses includes multiple items - some of the items are VAT deductible (eg, an IT product) and some are not (eg, a client lunch). Discovery The odd thing in ZBooks, is that whilst it seems possible to add a VAT rate to a one-off item of expense, it is not possible to addDetect and ignore bots in visitors
The SalesIQ visitor numbers are basically useless to us because there is no bot detection. We get the same bots coming in from the same countries looking at the same pages every day. It can't be that difficult to tell the difference between an actualAgent assignment filter?
Godo day, We are starting to play with FSM to see if it's going to work for our needs. Now so far we have found that it's very restrcitve in the field department you you have layout rules or can't even hide fields depending on the users roles. We can'tNext Page