Kaizen #16 - Python SDK
Hello everyone!
Welcome back to another week of Kaizen!
This week, we will discuss the Python SDK.
What is the Python SDK for Zoho CRM?
Python SDK allows you to create client Python applications that you can integrate with Zoho CRM, effortlessly. It serves as a wrapper for the REST APIs, thus making it easier to use the services of Zoho CRM.
Here is a sample of how the SDK acts as a middle ware between Zoho CRM and a client Python Application.
What can you do with the Python SDK?
- Exchange data between Zoho CRM and the client application where the CRM entities are modelled as classes.
- Authenticate your application easily every time you sync data between Zoho CRM and your application, as the SDK takes care of generating the access/refresh tokens automatically.
Environment Setup
- Client app must use Python 2.7 or above. You can download Python through https://www.python.org/downloads/
- Client app must have python requests installed. Refer to Installation of Python Requests or use the command pip install requests to install them.
How to Start using the Python SDK?
Follow the below steps:
- Step-1: Register your application (Self Client or Web-based client)
- Step-2: Install the SDK
- Step-3: Import the SDK in your project
- Step-4: Initialize the SDK
4.a. Choose the token persistence method
4.b. Setup the configuration dictionary
4.c. Generate the tokens - Step-5: Connect to Zoho CRM through the available methods
Let us now discuss these steps in detail.
Step-1: Register your application
All the Zoho CRM APIs are authenticated by the OAuth2.0 standards. It is mandatory to authenticate your application with Zoho.
You can register your application either as a Self Client (single user app) or a web-based app (multiple users app).
1.a. Self Client
- Go to https://api-console.zoho.com.
- Click ADD CLIENT.
- Choose the Client Type as Self Client, and click CREATE.
- You will receive a client ID and a client secret upon successful registration.
1.b. Web-based Client
- Go to https://api-console.zoho.com.
- Click ADD CLIENT.
- Choose the client as Web based and click CREATE NOW.
- Specify the client name, homepage URL of your application's UI, and a redirect URI to which you want to redirect the users after they grant consent to your application.
- Click CREATE.
- Your client ID and client secret will be displayed.
Step-2: Install the SDK
You can install the Python SDK through pip. Pip is a tool for dependency management in Python.
Refer to https://pip.pypa.io/en/stable/installing/ to install pip.
To install the SDK, run the below command in your Python IDE.
pip install zcrmsdk |
This command installs the Python and creates a package named zcrmsdk in the installation directory of python (Example: '/Library/Python/2.7/site-packages').
Note
You must also have the Python requests installed. Run the command pip install requests to install them.
Step-3: Import the SDK in your project
Use the below statement in your IDE to import the downloaded SDK in your code.
import zcrmsdk |
You can also set an alias for the imported SDK module. Run the below command to import the SDK in a custom name.
import zcrmsdk as your_custom_name |
Note that you must use this name while referencing to any class in the SDK.
Example:
import zcrmsdk as my_zoho_sdk my_zoho_sdk.ZCRMRestClient.initialize(config) |
Step-4: Initialize the SDK
Initializing the SDK involves the following steps.
- Step 4.a - Choosing the token persistence method
- Step 4.b - Setting up the configuration dictionary
- Step 4.c - Generating the tokens
4.a. Token Persistence
Your application should retain tokens (grant, access, and refresh tokens) to automate the process of data sync between your python application and Zoho CRM.
You can persist (store) the tokens in three ways.
- MySQL Persistence (default)
- File Persistence
- Custom DB Persistence
4.a.1. MySQL Persistence
When you want to store the tokens in the MySQL DB, run the below command to install the necessary package.
pip install mysql-connector |
In this case, you must include the following keys in the configuration dictionary (discussed in the next section), along with other mandatory keys.
"mysql_username": "root",
"mysql_password": "*****",
"mysql_port":" port_number"
Note
When you use MySQL persistence, ensure that
- MySQL runs in the same machine serving at the mentioned port (The default port is 3306.)
- There is a database named zohooauth.
- There is a table name oauthtokens with the columns useridentifier (varchar(100)), accesstoken (varchar(100)), refreshtoken (varchar(100)) and expirytime (bigint).
4.a.2. File Persistence
If you want to store the tokens in a file, you can create a file named zcrm_oauthtokens.pkl and provide the absolute path of the directory containing this file in the below key of the configuration array.
"token_persistence_path": "path_to_the_folder_containing_the pkl_file"
If you do not create this file, the SDK itself creates this file in the path you have specified, and persists the tokens there.
Note: This method is recommended only for self client apps.
4.a.3. Custom DB Persistence
To use custom DB persistence, you must
- Implement AbstractBaseClass (AbstractZohoOAuthPersistence from OAuthClient.py), and write a custom implementation of the following functions:
get_oauthtokens(user_email)
save_oauthtokens(oauthtokens)
delete_oauthtokens(user_email)
Include the following keys in the configuration dictionary, along with other mandatory keys.
"persistence_handler_class": "ClassName of the custom implementation",
"persistence_handler_path": "Absolute path of the module (.py file)"
4.b. Configuration dictionary
The below table contains the list of keys you must include in the configuration dictionary based on the type of persistence.
Mandatory keys
File Persistence | MySQL Persistence | Custom DB Persistence |
client_id | client_id | client_id |
client_secret | client_secret | client_secret |
redirect_uri | redirect_uri | redirect_uri |
token_persistence_path | mysql_username | persistence_handler_class |
-- | mysql_password | persistence_handler_path |
-- | mysql_port | -- |
currentUserEmail | currentUserEmail | currentUserEmail |
Optional keys
File Persistence | MySQL Persistence | Custom DB Persistence |
applicationLogFilePath | applicationLogFilePath | applicationLogFilePath |
sandbox | sandbox | sandbox |
access_type | access_type | access_type |
accounts_url | accounts_url | accounts_url |
apiBaseUrl | apiBaseUrl | apiBaseUrl |
apiVersion | apiVersion | apiVersion |
Where,
- client_id, client_secret, and redirect_uri - Client details you received after registering your application. For self client apps, you can pass a dummy value for the redirect uri.
- token_persistence_path - The path to store the OAuth tokens in the file. This key is mandatory if you want to use file persistence. If you include this key, this method takes precedence over other persistence methods.
- mysql_username, mysql_password, mysql_port - The MySQL username, password, and the port, respectively.
- persistence_handler_class - Name of the class of the custom implementation for persistence. This key is mandatory if you want to use custom persistence.
- persistence_handler_path - Absolute path of the module (.py file). This key is mandatory if you want to use custom persistence.
- applicationLogFilePath - The absolute path to log the exceptions during the usage of the SDK.
- sandbox - Boolean key to make API calls to the sandbox environment. The value true makes API calls to the sandbox. Default value is false.
- access_type - Must be set to offline as the SDK does not support online OAuth client, now.
- accounts_url - The domain-specific accounts URL from which you generate the tokens.For US: https://accounts.zoho.com
For EU: https://accounts.zoho.eu
For CN: https://accounts.zoho.com.cn
For IN: https://accounts.zoho.in - apiBaseUrl - The domain-specific API URL from which you make API calls. For users from domains other than the US, this key is mandatory.For US: https://www.zohoapis.com
For EU: https://www.zohoapis.eu
For CN: https://www.zohoapis.com.cn
For IN: https://www.zohoapis.in - apiVersion - Represents the version of the CRM APIs. The value is v2.
- currentUserEmail - The email ID of the current user. When you do not specify this value, the SDK throws an exception. This key is mandatory in the configuration dictionary for self-client apps.
For web-based apps, set the user Email ID in the current thread as an attribute.
threading.current_thread().setattr('current_user_email','user@email.com') |
Below is a configuration dictionary with all the keys.
config = { "apiBaseUrl":"https://www.zohoapis.com", "apiVersion":"v2", "currentUserEmail":"email@gmail.com" "sandbox":"False" "applicationLogFilePath":"", "client_id":"1000.3xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX0YW", "client_secret":"29xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx7e32", "redirect_uri":"https://www.abc.com", "accounts_url":"https://accounts.zoho.com", "token_persistence_path":"/Users/Zoho/Desktop/PycharmProjects",//For File Persistence "access_type":"offline", //Use the below keys for MySQL DB persistence "mysql_username":"", "mysql_password":"", "mysql_port":"3306", //Use the below keys for custom DB persistence "persistence_handler_class" : "Custom", "persistence_handler_path": "/Users/Zoho/Desktop/PythonSDK/CustomPersistance.py" } |
Now that you have created and registered your app with Zoho, you must authenticate it.
Pass the configuration dictionary in the method ZCRMRestClient.initialize(config) and authenticate your app.
4.c. Generating the tokens
As the V2 Zoho CRM APIs follow the OAuth2.0 protocol, it is mandatory to authorize the OAuth2.0 app before using the SDK functions with an access token.
You can generate an access token from a grant token.
You can generate the grant token in two ways based on the type of client.
For Self Client Applications
- Log in to Zoho and go to Zoho Developer Console.
- Select your Self Client.
- Provide the necessary scopes separated by commas, along with the scope aaaserver.profile.READ.
- Select the Time Duration from the drop-down. This is the time the grant token is valid for.
- Provide a description for the scopes. Click GENERATE.
- Copy the grant token.
For Web-based Applications
It is the responsibility of your client app to generate the grant token for the users trying to login.
Your Application's UI must have the Login with Zoho option to open the grant token URL of Zoho, which would prompt for the user's OAuth2.0 authorization.
Upon the successful login of the user, the grant token will be sent as a parameter to your registered redirect URL.
Generating an access token from the grant token
Use the below code snippet in your main class.
zcrmsdk.ZCRMRestClient.initialize(config) oauth_client = zcrmsdk.ZohoOAuth.get_client_instance() grant_token = "paste_grant_token_here" oauth_tokens = oauth_client.generate_access_token(grant_token) |
Note
- The code snippet to generate the access token from the grant token is valid only once per grant token. If the grant token expires before you generate the access token, you must generate a new grant token only.
- Generating access and refresh tokens is a one-time process. After the tokens are generated the first time, the SDK persists them based on the keys defined in the configuration dictionary, and refreshes the access token as and when required.
Step-5: Connect to Zoho CRM through the available methods
The below image shows the sample code to get the current user details. You can find the code for this sample in the attachment.
The below image contains the response to the above code.
We hope you found this post useful. Stay tuned for more!
Cheers!
Access your files securely from anywhere
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
Shylaja S
Sticky Posts
Client Script | Update - Introducing Commands in Client Script!
Have you ever wished you could trigger Client Script from contexts other than just the supported pages and events? Have you ever wanted to leverage the advantage of Client Script at your finger tip? Discover the power of Client Script - Commands! CommandsKaizen #165 : How to call Zoho CRM APIs using Client Script
Welcome back to another exciting Client Script post! In this post, we will discuss one of the most frequently asked questions: How do you call Zoho CRM APIs from Client Scripts? In this kaizen post, 1. Ways to make calls to Zoho CRM APIs using ClientKaizen#162 : Add Tags and Open Pre-filled Email Drafts via Client Scripts
Hello everyone! Welcome to another informative Kaizen post. In this post, let us see how to accomplish the following using Client Script. 1. How to auto-tag a record based on field update? 2. How to Open a pre-filled email draft This post will provideExtension Pointers - JS SDK series #4: Managing data from a widget using ZOHO.CRM.HTTP
Handling and managing the data between two applications is a major factor for an efficient business. There are a variety of ways to handle data between Zoho CRM and other third-party applications. You can use deluge CRM tasks, create connectors, use APIKaizen #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 achieved
New to Zoho TeamInbox?
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 Campaigns 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
Unable to load your extension. Please check your plugin-manifest or Resources.json.
Hi Team, I am using the config module with multiple fields of different types, such as checkboxes and picklists. However, I am encountering the following issues: Error Message: When loading the extension, I get the error: "Unable to load your extension.Layout Rules / Quick create
Hello, is there a way to create a layout rule for quick create option? Regards, KatarzynaIssue with Create Note Button and Popup Form in Leads Module
Hello Zoho Community, I am trying to implement a "Create Note" button in the Leads module with the following functionality: 1. When the button is clicked, a form should pop up with fields to add notes. 2. After filling out the form and clicking Send,Finding draft ticket replies
Is there a way to see all tickets which have draft replies?Guidance on Making Zoho Desk Connections Available for All Data Centers
Hi Team, I’m currently developing an application using Zoho Desk connections to manage OAuth for my third-party products. Could you please advise on the steps required to make it available across all data centers? Looking forward to your thoughts onAble to change project on timelog entries
Ability to move the timesheet entry from one project to another. When a user adds a wrong entry a manager can change/update the timesheet entry to the correct project.Caso de Uso | Menos trámites, más salud: Clínicum optimiza sus recursos con Zoho One
"La automatización del proceso de solicitud de bajas y su trazabilidad a través de Zoho nos ha supuesto una mejora en el ROI." - Carol Rodríguez, Responsable de Experiencia del Cliente interno y externo en Clínicum ¡Hola a todos! Estamos emocionados deHow do I stop getting notified about upgrading to Upgrade now and save big!
How do I stop getting notified about upgrading to Upgrade now and save big! There is no way to clear this notification, and EVERY Day I get alerted to upgrade, but there is no permanent way to dismiss this alert! How can I permanently dismiss this aDouble opt-in notifications and customizable confirmation messages for your webforms
Dear CRM Community, We are excited to announce a major upgrade to our Webforms feature. You can now customize the confirmation message shown to your users who double opt-in from your webform and also customize your confirmation emails when they submitBulk create tasks - Zoho Projects API
Hi Zoho/Community, I am trying to create multiple tasks in a single API call, is there a way we can combine multiple request bodies into one single payload? The issue I am facing is the rate limiting on the API, I wanted to create certain amount of tasksTask Due dates and Reminder Date & Time
I like to have a reminder on many tasks in Zoho Recruit. I find the process cumbersome in that each task requires the following: 1. click and select due date 2. Click the reminder box 3. Click on (Reminder) Start Date 4. Click on (Reminder )Time If oneUnable to Access Admin Console and Email Sending Issues
Hello Zoho Support Team and Community, I hope this post finds you well. I am currently facing two significant issues with Zoho services: Admin Console Access Issue: Every time I try to access the Zoho Admin Console, it gets stuck on the loading screenTracking new lead response time
Hi, I have a team of Sales Development Reps, who have a KPI of responding to a lead within 20 mins or less once it hits the system. I seem to recall that Zoho CRM had the capability to track this in a previous version, but don't see it anywhere. It'sGetting The Following Error.. 550 5.4.6 Unusual sending activity detected
I just launched a marketing campaign and I got this error. Everything was working fine previously. This is a big launch so need to fix it asap. Can anyone help?Printing on 80mm bluetooth Pos Printer
Hello. I am trying to print receipts and invoices using my 80mm bluetooth connectivity Pos printer. I have configured the Templates to Retail so that it matches the paper width of the Pos printer. However, when I click Print in zoho, first it opens theTrying to integrate gmail but google keeps blocking Zoho access for integration??
hi i am trying to integrate a gmail account so can track/access business emails this way. I have followed the instructions but after selecting my email account it gets re-routed to this message (screengrab below) Can anyone advise a way around this orWhich attribute in Zoho books invoice api represent branch attached to the invoice?
Hi Zoho Team, We have done the integration with Zoho Books API. While fetching data from Invoice API we want to get branch value attached to the invoice. We could not figure out which field in "Get an Invoice" api represents branch value attribute. ThanksHow to Billed from two different GST Numbers
How to Billed from two different GST Numbers. Suppose ABC & Co had GST registration in Delhi and Haryana and Zoho account is created with Delhi GST Registration number. Now i also want to issue invoice from Haryana GST Registration number. How can i proceed ?How to hide Predefined views
Hi, I would like to know how to hide: Predefined views and Recent views or some records from this list. If I'm using it form iPad I have to scroll to see User created views. Or maybe it's possibility to move User created views on the top. All the best,Deleting Views
How do you delete views? Please sydFixed Assets
Where would I manage my fixed assetsReport on Assets
Hi, Is it possible to report purchased assets on a specific year? The Balance Sheet shows everything up to the current date, and the expense reports will not show purchased assets because they are assets not expenses. If it is not possible, then is it possible to setup an API connection with Books to extract data from to another Reporting application?Purchase of Fixed Assets
How can I record the purchase of assets using zoho books? For example, I purchased 4 laptop for 100000 $ each and paid it through my bank account. How can I record this transaction and maintain track of how much of the assets I bought?Where is the Fixed Asset Register?
I am a Zoho One user for 18 months, using invoicing and CRM and now ready to migrate my books to Zoho Books. Where do I keep the fixed asset register for the equipment that I use in my business? I have a service based business with a lot of gear and businessKaizen #168 - Incremental Authorization
Welcome to this week's post in the Kaizen series. In this post, we will discuss Incremental Authorization. What is Incremental Authorization? Incremental Authorization is an OAuth strategy that allows a client to request specific authorization scopesConfigure Notes Title for Blueprint Transition
It'd be very helpful to be able to configure note titles on blueprint transitions when requiring notes. This would help tie back the history of notes to the blueprint actions. We have some approval processes in our blueprint and require notes for theAn update to improve email delivery | Email Authentication & Relay
Dear Zoho Recruit Community, We hope this message finds you well. This post is to inform you about an important update regarding the authentication of all email domains in your Zoho Recruit account. Effective 31st December, 2024, emails sent using emailStop adding Default ID column to xls exports
When anything is exported to xls, Zoho adds a column with an ID. WE DO NOT WANT THIS COLUMN. We use an automated report to a team. We have our own tracking number. 1. This makes the report messy, it just pushes OUR data off to the right. 2. We haveZoho cases and remote work api
How to use zoho cases listing api? When i try to hit the endpoint specified in the docs , i get the error : the page you are looking for does not exist with a 401.Calendly does not show scheduled Meetings
I use Calendly as my standard booking tool, but no matter what I am doing, Calendly shows any appointment as free (when in fact there already is an appointment in CRM Calendar or Zoho Calendar). Drives me nuts - cannot go away from Calendly due to variousI want the currency in my account to be Mexican pesos.
Hello, I am a Mexican citizen and live in Ukraine. When I registered to your system, it was seen that I was from Ukraine, so the default currency is Euro. This is causing me a problem. Please change the standard currency in my account to Mexican PesYear-End Wrap: Don't rewrite - Switch to Email Templates
As we're half-way through December, now is the perfect time to start sending out festive greetings. Whether it is to your clients or your team, it is important that every mail is tailored to the recipient and feels genuine, which allows you to make betterElevating Email Security on Zoho Desk: DKIM Now Mandatory
Hello Zoho Desk Users! It has been a wonderful journey with you on Zoho Desk. As we prepare to welcome 2025, we are strengthening our efforts to ensure a secure and seamless experience for you. To enhance email security, DKIM configuration will be mandatoryHow to view shared mailbox in Outlook
How to view shared mailbox in Outlook or in another softwareNecesito el código ZB para mi cuenta
Hice cambio de servidor y no encuentro el codigo unico de cname.Privacy error
Privacy error on Chrome for all embedded forms and reports, this is a huge issue: "Your connection is not private Attackers might be trying to steal your information from creator.zohopublic.com (for example, passwords, messages, or credit cards). NET::ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID"Automate Backups
This is a feature request. Consider adding an auto backup feature. Where when you turn it on, it will auto backup on the 15-day schedule. For additional consideration, allow for the export of module data via API calls. Thank you for your consideration.Customise Search Bar in CRM
Is there a way to customise this search bar in the CRM to add fields?Counting downloads of a file
Hello Could anyone help me, I would like to use a custom script to count how many times a file contained in a record has been downloaded. Is that something that is possible in Creator? Thanks EstelleIs there any way to prevent emails from being sent from zoho crm without pressing email opt out?
When I left my desk yesterday I excitedly thought I had fixed my problem, by making use of the "Inactive" field ... However after contacting the support chat, they have advised to stop emails being sent I need to update the "Email Opt Out" field - whichNext Page