Kaizen #124 - Manipulating Subform using Zoho CRM APIs
Hello everyone!
Welcome back to another post in our Kaizen series.
In this post, we will discuss how to manipulate the Subform data using Zoho CRM APIs.
Subforms
A Subform is a data section embedded in the primary form to collect details related to the parent record. It helps in maintaining multiple records under a single parent record.
Using subform, you can create a parent-child relationship between modules, where the parent module represents the primary data and the child module contains the related data.
Data Model Representation
The above diagram shows the data model representation when you create a subform in a module. Use Case
Consider Zylker Consulting organization using Zoho CRM to maintain their leads and their projects. Zylker uses the Project Details subform in the Leads module to collect project-specific information collected from their Leads.
The Project Details subform includes fields such as Project Title,Type, Budget, and Status, in addition to the Parent_Id lookup field.
Now, the Zylker's sales team needs to retrieve all the details of the projects from the Leads module for further project analysis, expected budgets, and status. Let's see how to manipulate these data in CRM using Zoho CRM APIs.
The APIs used in this post
API | Methods |
Subforms API | GET, POST, UPDATE |
Records API | POST, UPDATE, DELETE |
Search API | GET |
COQL API | POST |
Bulk Read API | POST, GET |
How to retrieve subform records using the Zoho CRM APIs?
To retrieve subform records from the subform module, specify the subform module's API name to access their records or fields.
Step - 1
To know the API names of the subform fields in a module, make a GET - Fields Metadata API call. Among all the Leads' fields, subform field can be identified by the json key data_type with the value subform. Corresponding subform module can be found from the json associated_module. Below is the API call & response for such a subform field.
Request URL :
{api-domain}/crm/v6/settings/fields/{subform_field_id}?module=Leads
Request Method: GET
Sample Response:
Step - 2
Using the api_name of the subform module, make a GET Fields metadata API call to get the list of fields (along with their api_name) in the subform. One of the fields of the subform module will be Parent_Id with the data_type as lookup, pointing to the parent module (here it is Leads).
Request URL
Request Method: GET
Sample Response:
Now you know how to get the API name of the subform and its corresponding fields.
Step - 3
Sample Request and Response to retrieve subform records
The below request will retrieve all the subform records in the Leads module. The linking of subform record to the Lead's module will be available in the Parent_Id field, which is highlighted. The id key inside the Parent_Id json object is the id of the Leads records.
How to add data to the subforms?
To add records to the subform, you need the API name of the subform and its corresponding field API names.
Request URL:
Request Method: POST
Sample Input
Retrieve Subform Data via Search API and COQL API
Search API
The above response shows all records that meet the specified criteria.
How to retrieve subform records from a particular parent record?
Retrieving Subforms Data via COQL API
Sample Response:
{ "data": [ { "Last_Name": "Patricia", "Company": "Info Technology", "Email" : "patricia@mail.com", "Project_Details": //API name of the subform [ { "Project_Name": "Mobile App Development for Productivity", "Project_Type": "Mobile App Development", "Expected_Budget": 50000, "Status": "Negotiation in Process" }, //API names of the subform fields { "Project_Name": "Big Data Infrastructure Implementation", "Project_Type": "Infrastructure Upgrade", "Expected_Budget": 30000, "Status": "Proposal Submitted" }, { "Project_Name": "Big Data Infrastructure Implementation", "Project_Type": "Infrastructure Upgrade", "Expected_Budget": 30000, "Status": "Proposal Submitted" } ] } ] } |
The above highlighted syntax is used for adding data to the subform records.
Sample Response:
Kaizen #33 - Subforms API explains in detail how to Fetch, Update, and Delete the subform data with sample requests, inputs, and responses.
Retrieve Subform Data via Search API and COQL API
There may be situations where you need to fetch records based upon certain conditions.
Criteria :
The sales team wants to retrieve the subform records whose budget is greater than or equal to $40000. In this case, we will use Zoho CRM's Search API and COQL API. Let's see how to achieve this.
Search API
To retrieve the records that match your search criteria, retrieve subform data using its corresponding module API name. Note that using Search API, you can fetch data quickly from a single module.
Request URL:
Request Method: GET
Sample Response :
The above response shows all records that meet the specified criteria.How to retrieve subform records from a particular parent record?
To retrieve subforms records in a particular lead record that meet the above criteria, follow the below sample request.
Sample Request URL:
Sample Response:
Retrieving Subforms Data via COQL API
We know that the subform is maintained in a separate module. So, retrieve subform data by querying the subform module's API name and it's parent module via the Parent_Id lookup field.
Request URL:
Request Method : POST
Sample Input:
{ "select_query" : "select Expected_Budget from Project_Details where ((Expected_Budget >=40000) and (Parent_Id = 5725767000002105043))" } |
Sample Response:
Using a Parent_Id (lookup field pointing to Leads module) in the COQL criteria automatically adds a left join to the child module (Project_Details). With that join, criteria can be applied to the fields of the parent module also. Below example illustrates that we want to fetch the Expected_Budget field of the Project_Details module where the Expected_Budget is greater than or equal to 40000 for the corresponding Leads with Annual Revenue greater than 1000000.
{ "select_query" : "select Expected_Budget from Project_Details where ((Expected_Budget >=40000) and (Parent_Id.Annual_Revenue > 100000 ))" } |
From the SQL perspective, above COQL can be interpreted as
select pd.Expected_Budget from Project_Details as pd left join Leads as l on pd.Parent_Id=l.id where pd.Expected_Budget>=40000 and l.Annual_Revenue > 1000000 |
Bulk Read API
Bulk Read API allows you to fetch a large set of data i.e., you can fetch a maximum of 200,000 records in a single API call.
To export subform records in the Leads module in CSV file format, use the subform's API name.
Request URL:
Request Method: POST
Sample input to export subform records:
{ "callback": { "method": "post" }, "query": { "module": { "api_name": "Project_Details" //API name of the Subform module }, "file_type": "csv" } } |
Export subform records that meet the specified criteria
To export subform records based on the given criteria above (similar to the criteria for Search and COQL APIs).
Sample Input:
{ . . . "query": { "module": { "api_name": "Project_Details" }, "fields": [ "Project_Name", "Project_Type", "Expected_Budget", "Status" ], "criteria": { "field": { "api_name": "Expected_Budget" }, "comparator": "greater_equal", "value": "40000" //Retrieving subform records with an expected budget greater than or equal to $40,000 } } } |
Export subform records that meet the specified criteria for the particular parent record
To export the subform records of a particular parent record in the Leads module. Check the below sample request.
Sample Input:
{ . . . "query": { "module": { "api_name": "Project_Details" }, "fields": [ "Project_Name", "Project_Type", "Expected_Budget", "Status" ], "criteria": { "group": [ { "field": { "api_name": "Expected_Budget" }, "comparator": "greater_than", "value": "39999" }, { "field": { "api_name": "Parent_Id" }, "comparator": "equal", "value": "5725767000002105043" } ], "group_operator": "AND" } } } |
As the API is an asynchronous API, the response will not be available instantly; the bulk read job is scheduled, and the status can be checked. Once the job is completed, it'll be notified in the callback URL. The records are available in a downloadable CSV file or ICS file (for events). You can export subform records in a module using the subform module API name. See Kaizen #12 Bulk Read API to know how to view the status of the scheduled job and download the file, along with more sample requests and responses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Is the API name of the subform case-sensitive? Also, how can I view the API name of a subform field in the web UI?
Yes, the API name of a subform is case-sensitive. To know the API name of a subform module (e.g. Project Details) Please go to Setup -> Developer Hub -> APIs -> CRM API -> API names -> Click on the parent module where the subform was created (e.g. Leads) and scroll down there you can view the subform field's API name.
Q. I changed the order of subform records and made a GET - Records API call. The system listed the records in the same order as displayed in the UI, rather than the order of their creation. Is this the system design?
When you make a GET - Records API call for a module, it lists the subform records ordered in the UI. Note that you can re-order the subform records. So, when you retrieve those records via the API, they will be listed in the same order as they are arranged in the UI.
Q. Can we change a subform field's API name via API?
You can change the API name of the subform field only through the UI. Go to Setup -> Developer Hub -> APIs -> CRM API -> API names -> Click on the parent module where the subform was created (e.g. Leads) and go to the Field Label section. There you can view the subform field name and edit the API by clicking on the Edit option.
We trust that this post meets your needs and is helpful. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section or reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com
Stay tuned for more insights in our upcoming Kaizen posts!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Previous Kaizen Post : Kaizen #123 Data Synchronization from a third party application
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cheers!
Additional Reading:
Kaizen Posts:
- Kaizen #10 - Search Records API and Query API
- Kaizen #31 - Subforms API
- Kaizen #80 - COQL API - Part I
- Kaizen #81 - COQL API - Part II
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
Subramanian K
Vigneshwaran K
Raghuram T
Andres
dkvagency
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
Not able to Sign In in Zoho OneAuth in Windows 10
I recently reset my Windows 10 system, after the reset when I downloaded the OAuth app and tried to Sign In It threw an error at me. Error: Token Fetch Error. Message: Object Reference not set to an instance of an object I have attached the screenshotMapping a custom preferred date field in the estimate with the native field in the workorder
Hi Zoho, I created a field in the estimate : "Preferred Date 1", to give the ability to my support agent to add a preferred date while viewing the client's estimate. However, in the conversion mapping (Estimate to Workorder), I'm unable to map my customIs there a way to request a password?
We add customers info into the vaults and I wanted to see if we could do some sort of "file request" like how dropbox offers with files. It would be awesome if a customer could go to a link and input a "title, username, password, url" all securely and it then shows up in our team vault or something. Not sure if that is safe, but it's the best I can think of to be semi scalable and obviously better than sending emails. I am open to another idea, just thought this would be a great feature. Thanks,Single Task Report
I'd like a report or a way to print to PDF the task detail page. I'd like at least the Task Information section but I'd also like to see the Activity Stream, Status Timeline and Comments. I'd like to export the record and save it as a PDF. I'd like theAuto-response for closed tickets
Hi, We sometimes have users that (presumably) search their email inbox for the last correspondence with us and just hit reply - even if it's a 6 month old ticket... - this then re-opens the 6 month old ticket because of the ticket number in the email's subject. Yes, it's easy to 'Split as new Ticket', but I'd like something automated to respond to the user saying "this ticket has already been resolved and closed, please submit a new ticket". What's the best way to achieve this? Thanks, EdHow to Push Zoho Desk time logged to Zoho Projects?
I am on the last leg of my journey of finally automating time tracking, payments, and invoicing for my minutes based contact center company - I just have one final step to solve - I need time logged in zoho desk to add time a project which is associatedCannot access KB within Help Center
Im working with my boss to customize our knowledge base, but for some reason I can see the KB tab, and see the KB categories, but I cannot access the articles within the KB. We have been troubleshooting for weeks, and we have all permissions set up, customersExport to excel stored amounts as text instead of numbers or accounting
Good Afternoon, We have a quarterly billing report that we generate from our Requests. It exports to excel. However if we need to add a formula (something as simple as a sum of the column), it doesn't read the dollar amounts because the export storeswhy my account is private?
when i post on zohodesk see only agent onlyGetting ZOHO Invoice certified in Portugal?
Hello, We are ZOHO partners in Portugal and here, all the invoice software has to be certified by the government and ZOHO Invoice still isn´t certified. Any plans? Btw, we can help on this process, since we have a client that knows how to get the software certified. Thank you.500 Internal Server Error
I have been trying to create my first app in Creator, but have been getting the 500: Internal Server Error. When I used the Create New Application link, it gave me the error after naming the application. After logging out, and back in, the application that I created was in the list, but when I try to open it to start creating my app, it gives me the 500: Internal Server Error. Please help! Also, I tried making my named app public, but I even get the error when trying to do that.Client Script | Update - Client Script Support For Portals
Dear All! We are excited to announce the highly anticipated feature: Client Script support for Portals. We understand that many of you have been eagerly awaiting this enhancement, and we are pleased to inform you that this support is now live for allProfessional Plan not activated after payment
I purchased the Professional Plan for 11 users (Subscription ID: RPEU2000980748325) on 12 September 2025, and the payment has been successfully processed. However, even after more than 24 hours, my CRM account still shows “Upgrade” and behaves like aAuto Update Event Field Value on Create/Edit
Hi there, I know this question has been posted multiple times and I've been trying many of the proposed similar scripts for a while now but nothing seems to work... what might I do wrong? The error I receive is this: Value given for the variable 'meetingId'Pre-orders at Zoho Commerce
We plan to have regular producs that are avaliable for purchase now and we plan to have products that will be avaliable in 2-4 weeks. How we can take the pre-orders for these products? We need to take the money for the product now, but the delivery willPayroll and BAS ( Australian tax report format )
Hello , I am evaluating Zoho Books and I find the interface very intuitive and straight forward. My company is currently using Quickbooks Premier the Australian version. Before we can consider moving the service we would need to have the following addressed : 1.Payroll 2.BAS ( business activity statement ) for tax purposes 3.Some form of local backup and possible export of data to a widely accepted format. Regards Codrin MitinProblem with Email an invoice with multiple attachments using API
I have an invoice with 3 attachments. When I send an email manually using the UI, everything works correctly. I receive an email with three attachments. The problem occurs when I try to initiate sending an email using the API. The email comes with onlyPage Layouts for Standard Modules like CRM
For standard modules like quotes, invoices, purchase orders, etc, it would be a great feature to be able to create custom page layouts with custom fields in Zoho Books similar to how you can in Zoho CRM. For example, and my current use case, I have aNon-depreciating fixed asset
Hi! There are non-depreciable fixed assets (e.g. land). It would be very useful to be able to create a new type of fixed asset (within the fixed assets module) with a ‘No depreciation’ depreciation method. There is always the option of recording landFixed asset management
I want to know if there is any individual module for fixed assets managementOne time sale item in billing automatically detects as service
if i have some items which i don't want to add in my "item" list because its sold only for one time. but when i type item name in invoice, it (system) automatically takes it as a service and despite of HSN , it shows SAC code to be entered. if its selectable i.e. either item or service , it would be very helpful and a must have feature.Project template after project creation
How can I apply a project template AFTER the project has been created?convert the project to templet
i have some deployment ME product for different customer , i need to create a fixed template for use it rather then keeping creating this template every timeRelated Module in Sharing Rules
Zoho CRM team recently added the feature to filter records by Related Records It will be really beneficial if we can have this feature for Sharing Rules as wellAssignment Thresholds Resetting After Lead Conversion
Hello everyone, We're facing an issue with Zoho CRM's lead assignment thresholds that makes them unsuitable for our workflow. I'm hoping to find a potential workaround or solution from the community. Here’s our current process: A new lead is created automaticallyTerritory view for custom modules?
I have recently activated territories however I can't seem to find how to use territories for custom modules? These modules have territories: Contacts / Accounts / Opportunities These modules don't have territories: Buildings (custom module) andApproval Process Comments
Is it possible to view the comments entered during the approval or rejection of a record in the approval process? If not, is there a way to require a field to be completed upon approval or rejection?Login for test case
Had a few questions regarding authentication test cases and couldn't find an answer in the the docs. 1. If an app like Zoho Creator requires authentication before providing access, do I need to create a login function and add it to each test case? 2.Zoho / Outlook Calendar sync
The current Marketplace -> Microsoft -> Meetings integration needs 2 changes. 1. The current language for the Two-Way sync option should be changed. It currently states, "Sync both your Zoho CRM Calendar and Office 365 Calendar meetings with each other."Customer members area
Does FSM support a customer members area? If not what do you propose we use if we want the data used in FSM for customers to give them an area / login to see past orders, create new orders and general announcements.Notes created in mobile can no longer be accessed in desktop
Working with a 2013 Mac running OS 10.14.6; Desktop Notebook version 4.5.3. Using Motorola Moto G Power 5G - 2024; Android app version 6.7 I have been using Notebook for some years. Starting several weeks ago, the notes newly created ion the phone canFunction #49: Manage varying installment payments using Zoho Books
. Hello everyone, and welcome back to our series! Last week, we discussed automating the collection of fixed installment payments in Zoho Books. But what if your payment structure involves charging varying percentages of the invoice total as installments?Zoho Writer - Option to Export as .zdoc format
I've noticed that it's not possible to export a Zoho Writer Document in the .zdoc format. Isn't zdoc, Zoho Writer's own format? My use case is that I sometimes need to create quite complex documents with floating elements, which sometimes need to becomeIs it possible for contacts to "Re-enter" a workflow in Zoho Campaign?
We are currently working on a way to automatically add users to from one list to other lists based on specific criteria, but can't seem to find a native way of doing this so we are trying to use Workflows to do this. So, for example, if a user's status is set to "Active," then they should be added to the list "Active Users." If the same user's status is then set to "Paused," they should be added to the list "Paused Users" and removed from the list "Active Users." This works fine for the first goBulk upload images and specifications to products
Hi, Many users have asked this over the years and I am also asking the same. Is there any way in which we can bulk upload product (variant) images and product specifications. The current way to upload/select image for every variant is too cumbersome.Out of Office for Just One of My Alias Email
Can I set up the Out of Office Reply for Just One of my Alias Email Addresses?Can I map multiple Surveys into the CRM using the same fields?
Hello, We are a healthcare practice that offers two distinct services (Nutrition and Primary Care). We use Zoho Survey for our lead generation form (Get Started Survey), which allows people to express interest in one of the two services and even allowsDealing with API responses where integers have more than 16 digits
Hi there How do I deal with an api response contaning an int or float with more than 16 digits (before any decimal places for a float). I constantly receive the response "Unable to cast the 'BigInteger' value into a 'BIGINT' value because the input isunblock e-mail
please unblock my e-mails info@meatnews.gr and myrtokaterini@meatnews.grAdd Zoho Mail for users who do not need Zoho One
We have licenses for ZOho One for teams that need to use the suite of products that Zoho One offers. We have 8 more people who only need email access and we would like to add just a Zoho Mail. They do not need the Zoho One license. We are currentlyNext Page