Kaizen #139: Using Functions in Client Script and Handling Timeouts

Kaizen #139: Using Functions in Client Script and Handling Timeouts



Hello everyone!

Welcome back to another interesting Kaizen post. In this post, we can discuss how to invoke Functions using Client Script and how to handle Timeouts in Client Script. This post will answer the question raised in the post, Why Client Script is not running after function execution?

In this Kaizen post,
1. What are Functions in Zoho CRM?
2. How to Invoke a function from a Client Script?
3. Use Case to use existing function in Client Script
4. Solution
5. Timeouts in Client Script
6. How to handle timeouts in a Client Script?
7. Timeout Scenario
8. Solution
9. Summary
1. What are Functions in Zoho CRM?

      Functions in Zoho CRM follows the Serverless Computing architecture. It follows cloud computing execution model in which the cloud provider dynamically manages the allocation of machine resources. Zoho CRM provides options for the customer to write their own functions using Deluge script and run their code ( proprietary within Zoho CRM ) without worrying about deploying their code in servers. Click here to know more about Functions.

2. How to Invoke a Function from Client Script?

      You can invoke a function from a Client Script using the  execute() method. Here is the syntax of execute() method. The Client Script execution will only proceed after the Function has completed, demonstrating synchronous behavior.



3. Use Case to use existing function in Client Script

      Zylker, a manufacturing organization, utilizes Zoho CRM. Within their CRM, there is an existing function sendmailToContactRoles that allows meeting invites to be sent to all contact roles associated with a Deal at the click of a button. Deals often require inputs and approval from various stakeholders. By inviting all contact roles, Zylker ensures that all necessary parties are involved in the decision-making process, reducing delays and improving the chances of closing the deal successfully. To avoid accidental clicks, 
  • The admin wants a confirmation message to appear when the Mail icon is clicked, asking for approval and trigger the Function based on user selection. 
  • Additionally, the admin would like to display a success notification , if the emails are sent successfully.
  • Also, once the email is dispatched, a tooltip saying "Invite Sent" should be added should be added to the Mail icon.

4. Solution

  • Create a Client Script to accomplish the above requirements. Click here to know how to create a Client Script.
  • Create a Client Script for "Deals" module with onClick Event and Icon Event Type for the Detail Page(Canvas).

  • Enter the following code and click Save.
  1. var isProceed = ZDK.Client.showConfirmation('Do you want to invite the Contacts of the Deals', 'Proceed', 'Cancel');
  2. var elem = ZDK.UI.getElementByID('icon');
  3. //If user clicks Proceed button
  4. var deal_rec = $Page.record_id;
  5. if (isProceed) {
  6.  ZDK.Apps.CRM.Functions.execute("sendmailToContactRoles", deal_rec);
  7.  ZDK.Client.showMessage(" All the Contacts have been invited successfully");

  9.  elem.addToolTip({ text: 'Invite Sent' });
  10. }
  11. else {
  12.  elem.addToolTip({ text: 'Click to send invite' });
  13. }

  • After getting user's confirmation with showConfirmation() , the execute() method triggers the function. 
  • The parameters of execute() are function name and parameters. 
  • The name of the existing function is "sendmailToContactRoles". 
  • The parameters of the function are record ID of the Deal and subject of the email.
  • $Page is a constant supported by Client Script, using which you can get information about the current record. 
  • $Page.record_id will give the id of the current record.
  • Once the function gets executed successfully, you can display the success message using showMessage() . To know more about displaying messages using Client Script , check our Kaizen post Creating Alerts and messages using Client Script.
  • Here is how the Client Script works.

  • Here is the Function code where emailSubject and deal ID are the arguments of this function.
  1. relatedcontrole = zoho.crm.getRelatedRecords("Contact_Roles","Deals",input.dealId.toLong());
  2. emailSubject="Meeting Invite";
  3. emailContent = " Click the following link to join the meeting this evening at 5.00 pm" + " https://meeting.zoho.com/meeting/presenter.do?key=1069852805&cid=5668066&x-meeting-org=53296550";
  4. salutation = "<p>Hello!!<br /><br /></p>";
  5. signature = "<br /><br /><p>Best Regards,<br />Patricia Boyle</p>";
  6. sub = input.emailSubject.toString();
  7. str = input.emailContent.toString();
  8. str = concat(salutation,str);
  9. str = concat(str,signature);
  10. for each role in relatedcontroles
  11. {
  12. emailAddress = role.get("Email");
  13. info emailAddress;
  14. sendmail
  15. [
  16. from :zoho.adminuserid
  17. to :emailAddress
  18. subject :sub
  19. message :str
  20. content type :HTML
  21. ]
  22. }

  • You can achieve the functionality of sending emails in Functions using Client Script itself using fetchRelatedRecords() and  openMailer(). Here, we have made use of the existing Function. 
You can use Functions in Client Script,

To leverage existing Functions for similar functionality, thereby enhancing reusability and to trigger Functions based on UI events such as Icon Event, onType Field Event, Canvas Text Event, and others, beyond the buttons and workflows already supported by Functions.

5. Timeouts in Client Script 

In Client Script, executions are bounded by a 10-second time out. During execution of API calls or during the execution of a function which involves API calls , it might take more than 10 seconds to provide response. Consequently, when they are used in Client Script, execution will get halted. To overcome such scenarios you need to use Loaders.

6. How to handle timeouts in a Client Script?

Client Script allows you to manage the timeout by using a loader. The execution of Client Script will be on hold, as long as the loader is active, and so the timeout will not occur.

a. showLoader()

Use showLoader() to display the loader.



b. hideLoader()

Use hideLoader() to make the loader inactive.



7. Timeout Scenario :

At Zylker, which uses Zoho CRM, there is an existing function named "Books_send_quote" in their Zoho CRM account. The admin wants this function to execute via a Client Script whenever the status is updated to delivered and display a message saying, "Quote has been sent successfully." The admin added the script to show a success message after the function execution. 

Problem :

During execution of the following code, the admin noticed that the code following the function invocation is not running. Similar problem is described in this post.

The current code is 

  1. if (value == Delivered) {
  2. ZDK.Apps.CRM.Functions.execute("Send_Quote");
  3. ZDK.Client.showMessage('Quotation sent successfully', { type: 'success' });
  4. }

In such scenarios, the Messages Pane of Client Script IDE will show Timeout as shown below.



Solution:

 Since the timeout limit of 10 seconds has reached, further execution did not occur. So you need to add ZDK.Client.showLoader() before the execution of the Function and ZDK.Client.hideLoader() after the function execution.

  1. if (value == 'Delivered') {
  2. ZDK.Client.showLoader({type:'page', template:'spinner', message:'Sending Quotation...' });
  3. ZDK.Apps.CRM.Functions.execute("Send_Quote");
  4. ZDK.Client.hideLoader();
  5. ZDK.Client.showMessage('Quotation sent successfully', { type: 'success' });
  6. }
Here is how the Client Script works.



The presence of loader on the screen will inform the user about the ongoing processes in the background.


6. Summary :

This post includes the following,
  • When and how to use Functions in Client Script?
  • How to trigger Client Script using icons?
  • How to add tooltip to an icon using Client Script?
  • How to execute Client Script based on Confirmation box?
  • How to display messages and confirmation box using Client Script?
  • How to add loaders on UI using Client Script?
Previous Post: Kaizen #138 - How are Widgets used inZoho CRM Settings?       |     Kaizen Collection: Home
Join us for our upcoming Zoho CRM Developer Series: Zoho CRM APIs, where you can explore more about Zoho CRM APIs. Register Now!  


    Access your files securely from anywhere






                    Zoho Campaigns Resources




                          Zoho Developer Community



                              Bootcamp
                              Community
                              Pricing
                              Webinars
                              What's New
                              Integrations
                              Contact Support
                              Contact Sales
                                Zoho Survey Resources
                                  Features
                                  Survey Templates
                                  Integrations
                                  Community
                                  iOS Mobile Surveys
                                  Pricing
                                  Android Mobile Surveys
                                  Insurvey Blogs
                                  Insight Blogs
                                  Tips & Tricks





                                              Latest Feature Updates

                                                • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                • Digest


                                                • Functions


                                                • Meetups


                                                • Kbase


                                                • Resources


                                                • Glossary


                                                • Desk Marketplace


                                                • MVP Corner


                                                • Word of the Day


                                                • Ask the Experts




                                                    Zoho SalesIQ Resources


                                                          Manage your brands on social media
                                                          Access Zoho Social

                                                            Zoho Pagesense Resources


                                                                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

                                                                                            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

                                                                                                          • Subforms in stateless forms

                                                                                                            I think the title says it all. We need to be able to add subforms to stateless forms. Currently the only workaround is to create a Form and delete each record upon submission of the form. I need to build an interface to update our inventory. Basically

                                                                                                          • Calling Function via REST API with API Key gives 401 using Zoho Developer

                                                                                                            Hi, I created a couple of functions using the one month trial of Enterprise edition, which I was able to call using the API Key method from Postman and from an external site. Now that my trial has expired, I have created the same functions in the Developer

                                                                                                          • How do I move a section or element from one page to another in the NEW Zoho Sites UI

                                                                                                            I have a section on my home page with numerous elements within it and I'd like to move the entire section to a different page on my site so I don't have to recreate it from scratch.  Is there a way for me to do that easily? I could use a quick answer on this please.

                                                                                                          • Zoho Projects app update: Global Web Tabs support

                                                                                                            Hello everyone! In the latest version(v3.10.10) of the Zoho Projects app update, we have brought in support for Global Web Tabs. You can now access the web tabs across all the projects from the Home module of the app. Please update the app to the latest

                                                                                                          • Export as MP4 or GIF

                                                                                                            Hi, Just wondering if there's a way to export/convert a presentation to an MP4 video file or even a GIF. One use case would be to use the animation functionality to create social media graphics/charts/gifs/videos. Thanks for a great tool... Rgds Jon

                                                                                                          • Page Layout- Horizontal Rule

                                                                                                            When editing the layout of, for instance, the Potentials page, is there a way to insert a horizontal rule or white space in between fields?  I'd like to keep a group of fields in the same Section, but would like to create some seperation in order to further group together certain fields within the Section.  If this is not possible, does anybody have any other suggestions on how to create this same effect?   Thank you!

                                                                                                          • Zoho Books will discontinue support for older browser versions soon

                                                                                                            Hello users, Starting from May 15, 2024, Zoho Books will no longer support the following browser versions: Browsers Version Restrictions Firefox Browser Versions older than 100 Google Chrome Versions older than 100 Microsoft Edge Versions older than 100

                                                                                                          • Zoho Projects - Q3 Updates | 2025

                                                                                                            Hello Users, The final quarter of the year 2025 has begun, and we at Zoho Projects are all set with a plan. New targets to achieve and new milestones to reach, influenced by the lasting imprint of the past quarter. 2025's Q3 saw some new features and

                                                                                                          • Zoho Sheet - Printing - Page Breaks and Printing Customization

                                                                                                            I think the title is descriptive enough in that I cannot find help documentation on a simple task of adding in page brakes for separating pages on print. Thanks

                                                                                                          • Issue with Trident exe file

                                                                                                            Hello Team, Exe Setup file It's showing harmful for user pc please check and do needful. this message for developer team. Thanks Bhargav Purohit

                                                                                                          • Different languages for users

                                                                                                            Hello, Do you plan to enable individual users to select their languages for interface? Currently language can be changed for everyone - it looks like a settings for a whole portal, which is not good when you are working internationally. Best regards,

                                                                                                          • Transaction Locking with the dynamic date

                                                                                                            Is it possible to dynamically update dates on transaction locking. We want to lock transaction x days from today

                                                                                                          • Unable to change sales_order status form "not_invoiced" to "invoiced"

                                                                                                            I am automating process of creating of invoice from sales_orders by consolidated sales_orders of each customer and creating a single invoice per customer every month. I am doing this in workflow schedule custom function where i create invoice by getting

                                                                                                          • Apply Vendor Credits Automatically

                                                                                                            We are bulk importing Vendor credits in Zoho Books!!! Is there a way to apply vendor credits automatically to the first UNPAID bill of the Vendor?

                                                                                                          • Apply Vendor Credit Automatically

                                                                                                            Hello!!! Is there a way where in we can apply vendor credits automatically on the FIRST OUTSTANDING BILL of the vendor?? We have lots of VENDOR CREDITS ISSUES mostly!!! Applying it manually is a pain for us. Would be great if we have a way to apply the

                                                                                                          • Need Easy Way to Update Item Prices in Bulk

                                                                                                            Hello Everyone, In Zoho Books, updating selling prices is taking too much time. Right now we have to either edit items one by one or do Excel export/import. It will be very useful if Zoho gives a simple option to: Select multiple items and update prices

                                                                                                          • Creator problem: Edit form View not displaying whole form

                                                                                                            I'm having problems with the form in my database. The edit view is not showing the whole form: This is how it looks in the normal view: As you can see, there is a whole section in the bottom right of the form which is not displaying in the Edit View. This means that I can't change or delete any of these fields... Anybody had a similar problem or know a solution? Any help would be appreciated.   Cheers,

                                                                                                          • Vendor Master Enhancements for Faster Purchase Entry

                                                                                                            I’d like to suggest a few features that will improve accuracy and speed during purchase voucher entry: Automated Item Tax Preference in Vendor Master Add an option to define item tax preference in the vendor master. Once set, this preference should automatically

                                                                                                          • Quick Item Search & Auto-suggestion for Invoices

                                                                                                            Hi Team, I am facing an issue while creating invoices in Zoho Books. Currently, I have to type the full item name in the correct sequence and spelling for it to appear. For example, my item name is: "Distemper Acri Silk Special White 10kg" If I type something

                                                                                                          • Function #53: Transaction Level Profitability for Invoices

                                                                                                            Hello everyone, and welcome back to our series! We have previously provided custom functions for calculating the profitability of a quote and a sales order. There may be instances where the invoice may differ from its corresponding quote or sales order.

                                                                                                          • Integrating Chatbot with Zoho Creator Application

                                                                                                            Is it possible to integrate a chatbot with a Zoho Creator application?

                                                                                                          • Average Costing / Weighted Average Costing

                                                                                                            Hello fellow maadirs. I understand Zoho Books uses FIFO method of dealing with inventory costing, but do you guys have any plans to introduce average costing? We indians need average costing. It's part of our culture. Please. I beg thee. Thanks.

                                                                                                          • 'Add Tax To Amount' not reflected in Invoice

                                                                                                            Hi Zoho Support, I'm experiencing an issue with tax calculation display in my invoice template. Despite having "Add tax to amount" box checked in the template settings, the Amount column is not showing the tax-inclusive total for line items. Current behaviour:

                                                                                                          • "Subject" or "Narration"in Customer Statement

                                                                                                            Dear Sir, While creating invoice, we are giving in "Subject" the purpose of invoice. For Example - "GST for the month of Aug 23", IT return FY 22-23", "Consultancy", Internal Audit for May 23". But this subject is not coming in Customer Statement. Only

                                                                                                          • A real WYSIWYG field instead of the limited rich text

                                                                                                            Hi to everyone A "real" WYSIWYG or HTML field that outputs good HTML code when accessed through the API would be excellent. I tried to use the rich text field, but the styling options are limited. For example, there are no heading tags (h1 to h6), and

                                                                                                          • Delete my store of Zoho commerce

                                                                                                            Hi Team, I want to delete my stores of commerce. Please help me asap. Looking for the positive response soon. Thanks Shubham Chauhan Mob: +91-9761872650

                                                                                                          • Delete Inactive Zoho Accounts - Access Cleanup_User Id: 60001640923

                                                                                                            As part of our Zoho access hygiene, we’ve reviewed and deactivated several inactive user accounts. These accounts have not been used in the past year and are no longer tied to active operations. All access rights have been revoked, and records retained

                                                                                                          • No feedback from Zoho Books regarding Yodlee feeds for Investec

                                                                                                            I reported on 6 Feb 2025 that the Bank Feeds for Investec bank via Yodlee are not working. To date there has been no resolution. You are charging us for a suite of products where the functionality does not work. Please advise how you will refund me for

                                                                                                          • Inappropriate Removal of Features

                                                                                                            It's the first with any software where I am experiencing that an existing customer has some of his exiting features removed. Moreover, new Zoho One users are paying less than us. Is this going to be Zoho's "normal behaviour". If so, it is going to be

                                                                                                          • Filtering report embeded in page

                                                                                                            Right now we are using a page variable to filter a report on a page. However, it being a page variable makes it reset if you go to another report/form, we want the filter to be kept the same. I tried using an application variable according to zoho you

                                                                                                          • Export Invoices to XML file

                                                                                                            Namaste! ZOHO suite of Apps is awesome and we as Partner, would like to use and implement the app´s from the Financial suite like ZOHO Invoice, but, in Portugal, we can only use certified Invoice Software and for this reason, we need to develop/customize on top of ZOHO Invoice to create an XML file with specific information and after this, go to the government and certified the software. As soon as we have for example, ZOHO CRM integrated with ZOHO Invoice up and running, our business opportunities

                                                                                                          • Zia summarizes your IM bot chats in real time

                                                                                                            Hello everyone! Let's say you’re an agent taking over a chat where a customer was booking a flight through a bot on WhatsApp. They've already shared key details, like their destination, travel date, and number of passengers. You need to understand the

                                                                                                          • Megamenu

                                                                                                            Finally! Megamenu's are now available in Zoho-Sites, after waiting for it and requesting it for years! BUT ... why am I asked to upgrade in order to use a megamenu? First: Zoho promised to always provide premium versions and options for all included Zoho-applications

                                                                                                          • Cancel and refund

                                                                                                            Hi, Yesterday I paid for the Zoho email subscription. Within a few minutes, I realized that the subscription counts one email ID as one user. To make another email ID for the same domain name, I'd have to pay for another user. I emailed right away to

                                                                                                          • One Contact with Multiple Accounts with Portal enabled

                                                                                                            I have a contact that manages different accounts, so he needs to see the invoices of all the companies he manage in Portal but I found it not possible.. any idea? I tried to set different customers with the same email contact with the portal enabled and

                                                                                                          • Kaizen# 209 - Answering Your Questions | All About Client Script

                                                                                                            Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post! Thanks for all your feedback and questions. In this post, let's see the answers to your questions related to Client Script. We took the time to discuss with our development team, carefully

                                                                                                          • To Do: shareable task links without login

                                                                                                            Hi! I’m using Zoho Mail and ToDo in my daily work, and I’ve run into one limitation that’s a real blocker for me. Right now, to share tasks with managers or directors, they need to have a Zoho account and be added to a group. In practice, many of them

                                                                                                          • Ability to turn off "Would you like this amount to be reflected in the Payment field?" message

                                                                                                            Team, Is there any way to turn off the message" Would you like this amount to be reflected in the Payment field?" when I make a payment? This is so annoying. This happens EVERY TIME I put an amount in the Payment Made field.

                                                                                                          • Unlock agreement intelligence with Zoho Sign's latest AI updates

                                                                                                            Hello! If you've been struggling with long, complex agreements and spending way too much time on them, here's exactly what you'll want to hear: Zoho Sign now integrates with OpenAI's ChatGPT to make agreement management smarter and simpler. Acting like

                                                                                                          • Currency abbreviations

                                                                                                            Hello, Im stuck, and need help. I need the currency fields for example, opportunity value, or total revenue, to be abbreviated, lets say for 1,000 - 1K, 1,000,000 - 1M, and so on, how should I do this?

                                                                                                          • Next Page