Kaizen #148 - 'trigger' in Records APIs

Kaizen #148 - 'trigger' in Records APIs



Hello everyone!
Welcome to another week of Kaizen!
In today's post, we will discuss the "trigger" key in the Insert, Update, and Upsert records APIs.

What is "trigger"?

"trigger" is a key of the JSON type array. You can use this key in insert, update, or upsert records APIs to:
  • trigger workflows
  • make the records enter a blueprint
  • send records for approval
  • start the path finder journey of the record

JSON format

{
"data": [
],
"trigger": ["workflow", "blueprint", "approval", "pathfinder", "orchestration"]
}

Key Points

  • If you do not include the "trigger" key, all automation actions like workflow, blueprint, approval, etc, will be triggered if the conditions are met.
  • If you include the "trigger" key and specify the automation actions, the specified actions will only be triggered.
  • If you include an empty array for the "trigger" key, no automation actions will be executed.

Let us consider a sample use case where Zylker Inc. wants to close the deals when the amount is greater than $50,000, within a week after they were created or edited.
Zylker Inc has set up a workflow "Notify Record Owner". this workflow is triggered whenever the Deal Amount is greater than $50,000, and creates a ask to the record owner to close the deal within a week. The workflow also includes reminders.
Here is a glimpse of the workflow.



1. The default flow

Automation rules have a set of conditions that allow the records to fall into that process when these conditions are met.
So, when you create/update/upsert a record, and that record matches the criteria in any of the automation rules, those rules are triggered automatically. Hence, you need not specify the 'trigger' key in the input body.
In the below example, the insert records API does not have the "trigger" key, but the workflow is triggered.



2. An empty 'trigger' array

Sometimes, you do not want any of the automation actions to trigger when you create, update, or upsert a record. In that case, you can pass an empty array to the trigger key. An empty trigger array prevents the execution of automation rules.

Request URL: {{api-domain}}/crm/v6/Leads
Input:
{
"data": [
{
"Deal_Name": "Kaizen deal 1",
"Amount": 65000,
"Stage": "Negotiation/Review",
"Pipeline": "Standard (Standard)",
"layout_id": {
"id": "3652397000000091023"
},
"Lead_Source": "Employee Referral"
}
],
"trigger": []
}

In the following GIF, you can see that the workflow is not triggered.



3. Trigger specific automation action

Many times, when a record is created or edited, the criteria in more than one automation action may match. For example, a record creation can trigger both workflow and blueprint, but you want to trigger only the workflow.
In this case, you must pass only the value "workflow" to the trigger key.
Here is the input JSON.

{
"data": [
{
"Deal_Name": "Kaizen deal 2",
"Amount": 65000,
"Stage": "Negotiation/Review",
"Pipeline": "Standard (Standard)",
"layout_id": {
"id": "3652397000000091023"
},
"Lead_Source": "Employee Referral"
}
],
"trigger": ["workflow"]
}

This triggers only the workflow and prevents the execution of other automation actions such as blueprint, approvals, orchestration etc. Similarly, if you want to trigger only the blueprint, pass the value "blueprint" to the trigger array.

Equivalent Deluge Script using v2 Integration Task

mp=map();
mp.put("Deal_Name","Kaizen Deal 3");
mp.put("Amount",90000);
mp.put("Account_Name","ABC");
mp.put("Stage","Negotiation/Review");
mp.put("Pipeline","Standard (Standard)");
mp.put("Layout", "3652397000000091023");
mp.put("Lead_Source","Employee Referral");
mp.put("Closing_Date","2024-07-30");

resp= zoho.crm.createRecord("Deals",mp,{"trigger":{"workflow"}});
info resp;

Here is the task created through the workflow after executing this function.


Similarly, you can pass the required values to the trigger key to execute the required automation actions.

We hope you found this post useful. Let us know your thoughts in the comments or write to us at support@zohocrm.com.
We'll see you next week with another interesting topic.


Cheers!

    Access your files securely from anywhere

        All-in-one knowledge management and training platform for your employees and customers.







                              Zoho Developer Community




                                                    • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                    • Digest


                                                    • Functions


                                                    • Meetups


                                                    • Kbase


                                                    • Resources


                                                    • Glossary


                                                    • Desk Marketplace


                                                    • MVP Corner


                                                    • Word of the Day


                                                    • Ask the Experts



                                                              • Sticky Posts

                                                              • 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.
                                                              • Kaizen #226: Using ZRC in Client Script

                                                                Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. In today's post, lets see what is ZRC (Zoho Request Client) and how we can use ZRC methods in Client Script to get inputs from a Salesperson and update the Lead status with a single button click. In this
                                                              • Kaizen #222 - Client Script Support for Notes Related List

                                                                Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. The final Kaizen post of the year 2025 is here! With the new Client Script support for the Notes Related List, you can validate, enrich, and manage notes across modules. In this post, we’ll explore how
                                                              • Kaizen #217 - Actions APIs : Tasks

                                                                Welcome to another week of Kaizen! In last week's post we discussed Email Notifications APIs which act as the link between your Workflow automations and you. We have discussed how Zylker Cloud Services uses Email Notifications API in their custom dashboard.
                                                              • Kaizen #216 - Actions APIs : Email Notifications

                                                                Welcome to another week of Kaizen! For the last three weeks, we have been discussing Zylker's workflows. We successfully updated a dormant workflow, built a new one from the ground up and more. But our work is not finished—these automated processes are


                                                              Manage your brands on social media



                                                                    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

                                                                                        • 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

                                                                                                                • Getting Subform Fields to Display Top to Bottom

                                                                                                                  I have a form where the fields are all in one column. I want to insert a subform where the fields are stacked in one column as well. I have built both the form and subform but the subform displays the fields from left to right instead of a stacked column. This will cause a problem displaying the subform correctly on mobile apps. How can I do this please?' Here is my form with subform now. As you can see the subform "Follow Up Activity" is displaying the fields left to right. I need them to go top
                                                                                                                • [Feature Deprecated] Gamescope in Zoho Projects

                                                                                                                  This feature is no longer available. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Well, yes. That's true! Tiring work, buzzing coffee makers, busy turnstiles , occupied meeting rooms, back-to-back status updates and what not. Your everyday routine need not have to be this hectic. It can be more rewarding. It can be more fun. Zoho Projects believes in this fact and hence has launched Gamescope - A module that turns every project into an exciting game and boosts the spirit of your team by leaps and
                                                                                                                • Creating a task, i can not work out how to get ID for What_Id

                                                                                                                  hi From Module A function I map Module B record reference membershipid (ours). I need Module B Zoho ID to create the related to on task. All examples i've seen start with the Zoho ID. void automation.LTM_Assign_Dispute_Task(String membershipid) { try
                                                                                                                • Can't connect to POP and SMTP over VPN

                                                                                                                  I use Thunderbird to access Zoho Mail via POP and SMTP. I have configured an app-specific password for Thunderbird to use. Everything is properly configured and works correctly — until I enable my VPN. I'm using a paid commercial VPN service (Mullvad).
                                                                                                                • my zoho mail is hacked

                                                                                                                  my email is sending my username and password to people i dont know
                                                                                                                • Suministrar accesos

                                                                                                                  Asunto: Enable UPLOAD_RULE for API Attachments Mensaje: Hola, Necesito habilitar la capacidad de subir attachments vía API en Zoho Mail. Actualmente recibo el error: "UPLOAD_RULE_NOT_CONFIGURED" al usar el endpoint: POST /api/accounts/{accountId}/messages/attachments
                                                                                                                • Introducing real-time document commenting and collaboration in Zoho Sign

                                                                                                                  Hi, there! We are delighted to introduce Document commenting, a feature that helps you communicate with your recipients more efficiently for a streamlined document signing process. Some key benefits include: Collaborate with your recipients easily without
                                                                                                                • Ticket Loop from Auto Responce

                                                                                                                  We’re seeing an issue where a client’s help desk triggers a ticket loop. When they email us, our system creates a ticket and sends the acknowledgement. Their system then creates a ticket from that acknowledgement and sends one back to us, which creates
                                                                                                                • How to make rule to filter out some emails from receiving the notification "Receiving a new ticket"?

                                                                                                                  Good Morning, We are currently using the "Receiving a new ticket" notification rule to provide that auto reply template to a customer that emails us for support. However, there are some emails we don't want to receive this auto-reply. Where can I set
                                                                                                                • Zoho Signatures Missing

                                                                                                                  In the past after collecting signatures from two different PDFs I would merge them by calling an api and the signatures would appear in the combined PDF. Recently the signatures have disappeared whenever I combine the PDFs together. Why did this randomly
                                                                                                                • Filter button in the Zoho Sheet Android App doesn't toggle on

                                                                                                                  I am a new Zoho Sheets user and experiencing a specific issue with the filter functionality in the Android mobile application. Detailed Issue Description: The filter icon appears correctly in the toolbar. Upon tapping the filter icon/button, the toggle
                                                                                                                • Automate pushing Zoho CRM backups into Zoho WorkDrive

                                                                                                                  Through our Zoho One subscription we have both Zoho CRM and Zoho WorkDrive. We have regular backups setup in Zoho CRM. Once the backup is created, we are notified. Since we want to keep these backups for more than 7 days, we manually download them. They
                                                                                                                • Exciting Updates to the Kiosk Studio Feature in Zoho CRM!

                                                                                                                  Hello Everyone, We are here again with a series of new enhancements to Kiosk Studio, designed to elevate your experience and bring even greater efficiency to your business processes. These updates build upon our ongoing commitment to making Kiosk a powerful
                                                                                                                • New activity options for workflows

                                                                                                                  Greetings, We are excited to announce the addition of two new dynamic actions to our workflow functionality: Create Event and Schedule Call. These actions have been thoughtfully designed to enhance your workflow processes and bring more efficiency to
                                                                                                                • Remove the “One Migration Per User” Limitation in Zoho WorkDrive

                                                                                                                  Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, Hope you are doing well. We would like to raise a critical feature request regarding the Google Drive → Zoho WorkDrive migration process. Current Limitation: Zoho WorkDrive currently enforces a hard limitation: A Zoho WorkDrive
                                                                                                                • Kaizen #228 - Process Large-Scale Migrated Data Using Catalyst Solutions

                                                                                                                  Howdy, tech wizards! This week’s Kaizen explores how Catalyst Solutions in the Zoho CRM Developer Hub help import large volumes of data into Zoho CRM while improving data quality and simplifying the migration process. Why Catalyst Solutions? Catalyst
                                                                                                                • Zoho Expense Import Reports Won't Work Because Default Accounts Already Exist

                                                                                                                  Im trying to import reports from another Zoho expense account to mine and im getting errors that won't allow the import to happen The account name that you've entered 'Ground Transportation' already exists. Enter another name for the account and try again.z
                                                                                                                • Inactive License for free account.

                                                                                                                  I recently upgraded my Cliq subscription not my team (on the free version), are unable to login to their accounts. The error message received is Inactive License Looks like you have not been covered under the current free plan of users. Please contact
                                                                                                                • Syncing zoho books into zoho crm

                                                                                                                  I was wondering how I can use zoho books in crm as I have been using them separately and would like to sync the two. Is this possible and if so, how? Thanks
                                                                                                                • Announcing new features in Trident for Mac (1.34.0)

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone! We’re excited to introduce the latest updates to Trident, which are designed to take workplace communication to the next level. Let’s take a quick look at what’s new. Connect with customers using Zoho Voice integration. You can now easily
                                                                                                                • The Social Wall: January 2026

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone, We’re back with the first edition of The Social Wall of 2026. There’s a lot planned for the year ahead, and we’re starting with a few useful features and improvements released in January to help you get started. Create a GBP in Social
                                                                                                                • How to block whole domain?

                                                                                                                  I am getting at least 50-75sometimes over 100 spams emails a day. I see a lot of the spam is coming from .eu domains. I would like to block /reject all email coming for the .eu domain. I do not have any need for email from .EU domains. Why won't the BlackList
                                                                                                                • How Zoho Contracts Makes Negotiations Clear, Secure, and Transparent

                                                                                                                  Negotiation is one of the most critical—and often most chaotic—stages of the contract lifecycle. Multiple stakeholders review the same document, propose changes, debate terms, and exchange feedback. Without the right tools, this collaborative process
                                                                                                                • Error: Invalid Element tax_override_preference

                                                                                                                  In both Books and Inventory, we're getting the following error whenever we try to enter any Bill: I think this is a bug. Even cloning an old bill (that obviously was entered just fine), this error occurs.
                                                                                                                • Assign Income to Project Without Invoice

                                                                                                                  Hello, Fairly new user here so apologies if there is a really obvious solution here that I am just missing... I have hundreds of small deposits into a bank account that I want to assign to a project but do not want to have to create an invoice every time
                                                                                                                • How to Print the Data Model Zoho CRM

                                                                                                                  I have created the data model in Zoho CRM and I want the ability to Print this. How do we do this please? I want the diagram exported to a PDF. There doesnt appear to be an option to do this. Thanks Andrew
                                                                                                                • our customers have difficult to understand the Statements

                                                                                                                  our costumers have big problems to understand Zohos Statements. we need a text box after the payment number to explain what the payments are for. Is it possible to develop a version of the Statement with that kind of box and if so whu can do it
                                                                                                                • How to track a list of ALL the items that ONE customer bought?

                                                                                                                  Hello, I am interested in getting a list of all the items that only ONE of my customers bought, and the invoices are what show up instead. It's very tedious to go through every single invoice when we sell a lot of items to this customer. Surely there
                                                                                                                • Exchange Rate Updates

                                                                                                                  Hi, It would be great that when you work with multiple currencies, the exchange rate updates automagically every day (as seen on Zoho Books) or at least that when you create/update an opportunity the exchange rate could be manually updated, or maybe both!
                                                                                                                • Locked Out of Super Admin Account

                                                                                                                  I'm locked out of my Super Admin account and the external e-mail is no longer associated with it. There seems to be a problem during set up, the system ought to ask to assign a new password instead of using Google accounts. Please help me get back access.
                                                                                                                • Emails are going to notification folder and not in inbox

                                                                                                                  emails are going to notification folder and not into inbox
                                                                                                                • 550 5.4.6 Unusual sending activity detected. Please try after sometime

                                                                                                                  Hi, I am receiving this error message when trying to send my emails. The only reason I can think why this is happening is my previous two emails were bounced back to me due to a non working mailbox error. I have followed the online links for unblocking
                                                                                                                • Projects Home Customization

                                                                                                                  Hello! We've been in Zoho One since July of last year, and my team has started providing feedback on what they'd like to do. Their latest wish is that they could have more control over the Projects Home content. For example, they want a card that shows
                                                                                                                • IMAP search support

                                                                                                                  Does Zoho Mail support IMAP search? https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9051.html#name-search-command TEXT <string> Messages that contain the specified string in the header (including MIME header fields) or body of the message. Servers are allowed to implement
                                                                                                                • Performance is degrading

                                                                                                                  We have used Mail and Cliq for about three years now. I used to use both on the browser. Both have, over the past 6 months, had a severe degradation in performance. I switched to desktop email, which appeared to improve things somewhat, although initial
                                                                                                                • Cannot reorder fields in Page Layout in Expenses and Purchase Requests

                                                                                                                  It is very inconvenient that the custom fields in Page Layout cannot be re-ordered. The only way is to remove the fields and re-create them; however, it is impractical. This would affect the reports and dashboards we are having. Not able to re-order the
                                                                                                                • bouncing emails

                                                                                                                  My recurring invoices have bounced back
                                                                                                                • Probable Scam / Phising attempt from email pretending to be Zoho

                                                                                                                  I think this is a scam email right? It says "zohCworkplace.com". I'm on the Mail Free plan The link in the CTA button seems to go to a redirect. Just wanted to bring it up to the security team.
                                                                                                                • Feature Request: Ability to set Default Custom Filters and apply them via URL/Deluge

                                                                                                                  I've discovered a significant gap in how Zoho Creator handles Custom Filters for reports, and I'm hoping the Zoho team can address this in a future update. This limitation has been raised before and continues to be requested, but remains unresolved. The
                                                                                                                • Email Address Search in "To" Field Search is broken, Zoho refuses to fix it

                                                                                                                  Typing a part of the email address string other than the beginning of the string does NOT work, I kindly urge Zoho to fix this. Let's say you remember writing an email so someone called "smith" from company "corp.com", but can't remember their first name,
                                                                                                                • Next Page