Kaizen #175 - Leverage Settings Widget for Zoho CRM Extensions

Kaizen #175 - Leverage Settings Widget for Zoho CRM Extensions



Howdy, innovators!

Welcome back to a fresh week of Kaizen.

This week, we will delve into configuring a Settings widget in Zoho CRM for the effective functioning of extensions. It centralizes around key configurations that will be carried out to various integrations in an extension. A user-friendly settings widget enhances the usability and flexibility of your extensions. 

Why use a Settings Widget?

A Settings Widget plays a crucial role in making extensions user-friendly and adaptable to specific business needs. Following are a few key advantages of using the settings widget:
  • Seamless Setup Post-Installation: Users can configure critical parameters right after installing the extension.
  • Dynamic Customization: Users can revisit and modify configurations at any time, ensuring that the extension adapts to changing needs without re-installation or development
  • Improved User Experience: Allows the end-users to control how the extension interacts with their workflows and data.
  • Enhanced Control: Provides an overview and centralized control, making maintenance, troubleshooting, and updates simpler and faster.

Business Scenario: Notification Settings for Lead Import Extension

Let’s take a real-world use case to understand the value of this settings widget.

Imagine an organization named Zylker, using Zoho CRM along with a lead import extension. This extension pulls in leads from multiple sources like web forms, social media, or third-party marketing tools.

Requirement

Whenever a new lead enters a Zoho CRM organization through this extension, the sales team wants to receive an instant notification on a specific Zoho Cliq channel for that organization. This ensures they never miss a lead. 

Solution

By adding a Settings Widget to the extension, users can:

> Select a Preferred Zoho Cliq Channel: From the settings page, users can choose the channel where notifications should be sent.

> Modify the Channel Anytime: Based on team restructuring or communication preferences, users can revisit the settings and update the channel as needed.

With this setup, the settings widget becomes the control center, ensuring the efficient functioning of both the extension and the sales process. 

Building a Settings Extension Widget

Let us create a sample settings widget for the above business scenario. 

Create a Private Extension Widget

       1. Log into Zoho CRM, navigate to Setup > Marketplace > Extension Builder, and create a new extension by selecting Zoho CRM as the service.  

            

      2. The private extension that you have created will be listed in the Extensions page. Choose your extension and click the edit icon. 

            You will then be redirected to the Zoho Developer Console.
 
Dependency Configuration

Now, let us configure a couple of dependencies required for this use case in the developer console.  

Connectors 

To notify a Zoho Cliq channel, Connectors authorize the end user's Zoho Cliq account with the extension and grant access to the necessary data. Follow these steps to create a connector with the required APIs for the widget.

      3. In the console, navigate to Utilities > Connectors on the left-side menu.

      4. Click Create Connector and provide the required details using the guidance available on the Server-based Application help page.

           

      5. Use the generated Redirect URL to register your application in Zoho's API Console. After registration, enter the Client ID and Client Secret in the developer console.  

           

      6. Create Connector APIs for the following: 
  •  GET List of all Channels to fetch all the available channels from your Zoho Cliq Account.  



    The Authorization header is automatically added to all the Connector APIs. 
  • POST Message in Channel to notify the incoming leads in the channel. 



    You can include dynamic place holders in the URL, header, or request body using this format ${place_holder}.
      7. Once the APIs are configured, publish and associate the connector with the extension. 

            
          
           Refer to the Connectors help document to learn more. 

Variable 

Variables are required to store the admin's preferred channel details and retrieve them when a lead enters Zoho CRM through the extension. Upon installing the extension, this variable is automatically created in your Zoho CRM org. 

      8. Go to Build > Custom Properties and create a variable. 

         

Set the variable's permission to Hidden to prevent the CRM users from accessing/modifying the variable data from the Zoho CRM Variables page. This ensures that variables can only be configured through the extension.

For more information, refer to the Custom Variables help document. 

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Tip

In your Zoho CRM, go to Setup > Security Control > Profiles and restrict permissions for your extension to prevent unauthorized access to the settings page.

Building a Connected App 

      9. In the console, go to Utilities > Connected Apps on the left-side menu.

      10. Follow the steps provided in this kaizen to create a new Zoho CRM widget for this use case. 

Code Logic for the Settings Panel
  • Create a drop-down field called Select Cliq Channel to the settings panel. This dropdown should dynamically list the channels from your Zoho Cliq account by invoking the GET Cliq Channels API. Follow the given Invoke Connector method to execute Connector APIs.           
 // Initialize Zoho Embed SDK
        ZOHO.embeddedApp.on("PageLoad", function () {
            fetchCliqChannels();
        });

        ZOHO.embeddedApp.init();

        // Fetch Cliq channels
        async function fetchCliqChannels() {
            const channelDropdown = document.getElementById("cliqChannel");
            try {
                console.log("Fetching channels from Zoho Cliq...");
                const req_data = {
                    "parameters": {}
                };
                const response = await ZOHO.CRM.CONNECTOR.invokeAPI("leadgeneration.zohocliq.listofallchannels", req_data);
                console.log("Response from Zoho Cliq:", response);
                const parsedResponse = JSON.parse(response.response);
                const channels = parsedResponse.channels;
                if (channels && Array.isArray(channels)) {
                    channelDropdown.innerHTML = channels.map(channel => `<option value="${channel.unique_name}">${channel.name}</option>`).join('');
                } else {
                    throw new Error("Invalid response structure");
                }
            } catch (error) {
                console.error("Error fetching channels:", error);
                if (error.code === '403') {
                    console.error("Authorization Exception: Please check your API permissions and authentication.");
                }
                channelDropdown.innerHTML = '<option value="">Failed to load channels</option>';
            }
        }

  • Add a Save Configuration button that stores the selected channel name and channel ID in the variable created earlier. To save the selected data into the variable, use the invokeAPI() function, with the namespace as crm.set. 
 // Save configuration
        async function saveConfiguration(event) {
            event.preventDefault();
            const channelDropdown = document.getElementById("cliqChannel");
            const selectedChannelUniqueName = channelDropdown.value;
            const selectedChannelName = channelDropdown.options[channelDropdown.selectedIndex].text;

            if (!selectedChannelUniqueName) {
                alert("Please select a channel.");
                return;
            }

            const settings = {
                unique_name: selectedChannelUniqueName,
                name: selectedChannelName
            };

            const data = {
                "apiname": "leadgeneration__Cliq_Channel",
                "value": JSON.stringify(settings)
            };

            try {
                const response = await ZOHO.CRM.CONNECTOR.invokeAPI("crm.set", data);
                console.log("Updated settings:", response);
                document.getElementById("setupStatus").innerText = "Configuration saved successfully!";
            } catch (error) {
                console.error("Error saving configuration:", error);
                document.getElementById("setupStatus").innerText = "Failed to save configuration.";
            }
        }

  • When a lead enters Zoho CRM through the extension, it should trigger a function that:Retrieves the saved channel details:  
                  > Retrieves the saved channel details: Uses the Get Organization Variable JS SDK to call the Zoho CRM GET Variable API to fetch the saved channel details.
                        
                     

                  > Notifies the channel: Sends a message to the retrieved channel using the Post Message API. 

Info
Info

-> A complete working code sample for the use case is attached at the end of this post for your reference.  

-> The test function for triggering notifications is also included in the attachment. You can use the same snippet in your extension to initiate the notification process.

-> Ensure to replace the unique names of your Connector APIs and Variable.

      11. Fill in the details of the application as shown in this image and upload the widget ZIP file packed using the Zoho CLI command. 

             

      12. Click Save.  

Configure the Settings Widget

      13. Navigate to Build > Settings Widget in the left menu.  

      14. Provide a Name and the Resource Path of your widget.   

      15. Click Save.

             
Info
The Settings Widget for Extension is available upon request. Contact support@zohocrmplatform.com to enable it for your account. 

Packaging, Publishing and Deploying 

      16. Go to Package > Publish on the left-side menu and publish the extension.   

      17. The review process for listing an extension in the Marketplace will take from three weeks to one month. 

            For the demo, we will proceed with deploying the extension using the private plugin deployment link.

            

      18. Now, replace the URL of your Zoho CRM page with the deployment link from the Developer Console and approve the extension installation.  

Try it Out! 

Once installed: 

> A pop-up will appear, prompting you to authorize Zoho Cliq for the required configurations. 

If you do not already have a Zoho Cliq account, you can sign up directly from the pop-up and proceed with the authorization.


> After authorization, you will be redirected to the Settings widget page, where you can select and save your preferred Cliq channel.

> If you need to update the settings later, you can find them on the Installed Extensions page under the respective extension.

 

Notes
Note

The demo videos above use a testing function to notify the channel. You can deploy it anywhere in your extension to trigger a notification whenever a lead enters a Zoho CRM organization through the extension.

Find the function in the attachments at the end of this post.

Similar Scenarios

  • Sales Territory Management: An extension that auto-assigns incoming leads to sales reps can use a settings widget to allow managers to define territories and sales rep mappings dynamically.
  • Custom Field Mapping: For extensions that sync data between Zoho CRM and external systems, a settings widget can let users map CRM fields to external system fields.
  • Automated Email Preferences: In email automation extensions, the settings widget can allow users to specify email templates, recipients, or trigger conditions for follow-ups and campaigns.
Adding a Settings Widget to your Zoho CRM Extensions not only enhances user experience but also boosts the flexibility and efficiency of your extension. Whether it is notifying sales teams or customizing field mappings, a well-designed settings page is a game-changer for your extensions. 

Explore the Widget section in our Kaizen collection to try out various widget types and discover their unique use cases. 

If you have any queries or a topic to be discussed reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com or drop your comment below. 

Until next time, keep innovating!

Cheers! 

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Related Reading

  1. Zoho CRM Widget - An Overview, Installation and Creation, Mobile Compatibility, Telephony Widget Extension, and other Kaizens.
  2. Widget SDKs - An Overview, Invoke Connector and Get Organization Variable.
  3. Zoho Developer Console - An Overview, Creating Extensions, Building Connected Apps, and A Quick Start Guide.
  4. Zoho Extensions - Custom Variables and Connectors
  5. Zoho Cliq - GET List of Channels and POST Message in Channel.
  6. Zoho Marketplace - An Overview
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More enhancements in the COQL API are now live in Zoho CRM API Version 7. Check out the V7 Changelog for detailed information on these updates.