Kaizen #178 - Filters & Criteria in Zoho CRM APIs
Hey everyone, and welcome back to another week of Kaizen!
Ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of data in your Zoho CRM? Sifting through countless records to find exactly what you need, or to operate on specific records that meet a certain criteria, can indeed be a real time-sink. Fortunately, Zoho CRM provides powerful filtering capabilities through its APIs to streamline this process.
What is criteria or filter?
In Zoho CRM APIs, criteria refer to the conditions applied to filter records when making API requests. These conditions can be simple (single condition) or complex (multiple conditions) and are specified using various comparators.
Depending on the API type and request method, the filter can be provided either:
- As a query parameter (filters) – Used in GET requests.
- As an input key in the request body (criteria)– Used in POST and PUT requests
Where is "filters" used in Zoho CRM APIs?
The filters parameter is supported across multiple Zoho CRM API endpoints, including but not limited to:
- Get user groups API - GET /settings/user_groups
- List of Available APIs - GET /__apis
- Delete Recycle Bin Records API - DELETE /settings/recycle_bin?filters={filter_value}
Where is "criteria" used in Zoho CRM APIs?
The criteria key is supported across multiple Zoho CRM API endpoints, including but not limited to:
- Bulk Read API - POST /read
- Export Audit Log API - POST /settings/audit_log_export
- Record Locking Configuration API - POST /settings/record_locking_configurations?module={module_API_name}
The filters parameter and criteria key are supported across multiple Zoho CRM API endpoints. Refer to our API help documentation for individual APIs to check if these options are available. Check the Parameters section for filters and the Input JSON section for criteria
in the API's help documentation.
in the API's help documentation.
Constructing a criteria or a filter
Zoho CRM APIs use JSON-based criteria/filters expressions, which consist of:
- Field API Name – The field to filter (e.g., Email, Created_Time, Status).
- Comparator – The operator defining how the field should be compared (equals, greater_than, etc.).
- Value – The specific value to compare against.
Single Condition
A single condition is structured as follows:
{
"field": {
"api_name": "Post_Number"
},
"comparator": "greater_than",
"value": 1
}
Here,
- field specifies the API name of the field to be filtered.
- comparator indicates the type of comparison to be made (e.g., greater_than).
- value is the value against which the field is compared.
Multiple Conditions
When multiple conditions are required, they can be grouped using the logical operators "and" or "or". Here’s the syntax of how to structure multiple conditions:
{
"group_operator": "or",
"group": [
{
"field": {
"api_name": "Post_Number"
},
"comparator": "greater_than",
"value": 1
},
{
"field": {
"api_name": "Pre_Number"
},
"comparator": "greater_than",
"value": 1
}
]
}
Here,
- group_operator can be "and" or "or". It defines how the conditions within the group array are evaluated. "and" means all conditions must be true, while "or" means at least one condition must be true.
- group
contains an array of condition objects, each with its own field, comparator, and value.
Following is an example for a criteria with more than two conditions:
{
"criterion": {
"group_operator": "and",
"group": [
{
"field": {
"api_name": "Post_Number"
},
"comparator": "greater_than",
"value": 1
},
{
"group_operator": "or",
"group": [
{
"field": {
"api_name": "Pre_Number"
},
"comparator": "greater_than",
"value": 1
},
{
"field": {
"api_name": "Status"
},
"comparator": "equals",
"value": "Active"
}
]
}
]
}
}
Supported Comparators for Different Field Types
The available comparators depend on the field type. The following table outlines the supported comparators for different field types:
Field Type | Supported Comparators | Example |
text/ textarea | equal, not_equal, contains, not_contains , starts_with, ends_with | { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "text" }, "value": "zoho" } |
email | equal, not_equal, contains, not_contains, starts_with, ends_with | { "comparator": "contains", "field": { "api_name": "Email" }, "value": "patricia" } |
phone | equal, not_equal, contains, not_contains, starts_with, ends_with | { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "Phone" }, "value": "9999999999" } |
website | equal, not_equal, contains, not_contains, starts_with, ends_with | { "comparator": "contains", "field": { "api_name": "website" }, "value": "zoho" } |
picklist | equal, not_equal, contains, not_contains, starts_with, ends_with | { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "picklist" }, "value": [ "Cold Call", "Call" ] } |
multiselectpicklist | equal, not_equal, contains, not_contains, starts_with, ends_with | { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "Multi_Select_Picklist" }, "value": [ "Cold Call", "Call" ] } |
date | equal, not_equal, less_than, greater_than, between, not_between, less_equal, greater_equal | Example 1: { "comparator": "less_than", "field": { "api_name": "date" }, "value": "01-01-2025" } Example 2: { "comparator": "between", "field": { "api_name": "date" }, "value": [ "01-01-2025", "02-01-2025", } |
datetime | equal, not_equal, less_than, greater_than, between, not_between, less_equal, greater_equal | { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "date" }, "value": "2025-01-01T12:12:06+05:30" } |
autonumber | equal, not_equal, contains, not_contains, starts_with, ends_with | { "comparator": "starts_with", "field": { "api_name": "Auto_Number" }, "value": "A01" } |
integer | equal, not_equal, less_than, less_equal, greater_than, greater_equal, between, not_between | { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "integer" }, "value": 4 } |
currency | equal, not_equal, contains, not_contains, starts_with, ends_with | { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "Currency" }, "value": "INR" } |
double | equal, not_equal, less_than, less_equal, greater_than, greater_equal, between, not_between | { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "Double" }, "value": "123" } |
Boolean | equal | { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "Boolean" }, "value": true } |
big int | equal, not_equal, less_than, less_equal, greater_than, greater_equal, between, not_between | { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "id" }, "value": "1234800023843923" } |
lookup | equal, not_equal, less_than, less_equal, greater_than, greater_equal, between, not_between | { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "Lookup.name" }, "value": "Name1" } |
ownerlookup/userlookup | in, not_in | { "comparator": "equal", "field": { "api_name": "Modified_By", "id": "400029000000000479" }, "value": [ { "id": "400029000003984001", "name": "User1" }, { "id": 400029000003984002, "name": "User2" } ] } |
formula | Comparator will depend on the return type | - |
Note:
- Use quotes for strings and picklists; do not use quotes for numbers and boolean values.
- While Zoho CRM’s filtering capabilities are extensive, certain field types — including subforms, multi-select lookup fields, multi-user lookup fields, and multi-module lookup fields — are not supported in filters and criteria. The above table lists all the supported field types.
Filtering in COQL Queries
COQL (CRM Object Query Language) provides a structured way to retrieve records from Zoho CRM using SQL-like queries. Unlike the standard API filters discussed above, COQL uses the WHERE clause to define conditions.
Here is a sample COQL query:
{
"select_query": "SELECT Full_Name, Email FROM Leads WHERE Lead_Status = 'Qualified'"
}
Here, Lead_Status = 'Qualified' acts as the filtering criteria.
{
"select_query": "SELECT Full_Name, Email FROM Leads WHERE (Lead_Status = 'Qualified' AND City = 'New York') OR (Industry = 'Software')"
}
The AND and OR operators allow for multiple conditions in the WHERE clause. We have covered COQL API, and all the supported field types and operators in detail in our Kaizen posts. Kindly refer to them for more details.
Criteria in Search API
In Search API, filtering records is done using the criteria (string) input key in the request body. Unlike filters in GET requests or criteria in other APIs, criteria here is a text-based filter expression that follows a specific syntax.
(({api_name}:{operator}:{value})and/or({api_name}:{operator}:{value}))
- You can combine up to 10 conditions using and or or.
- Only the equals operator is supported for encrypted fields.
- When using "equals" in Search API, it behaves like "contains", meaning it fetches records that include the specified value, not just exact matches.
- If you use parentheses (), commas, or backslashes \ in values, you must escape them properly and encode the value before making the request.
Field Type | Supported Operators |
Date, DateTime | equals, not_equal, greater_equal, greater_than, less_equal, less_than, between, in |
Integer, Currency, Decimal | equals, not_equal, greater_equal, greater_than, less_equal, less_than, between, in |
Boolean | equals, not_equal |
textarea | equals, not_equal, starts_with |
Lookup (user/owner) | equals, not_equal, in |
Picklist, Autonumber | equals, not_equal, in |
Text, Email, Phone, Website | equals, not_equal, starts_with, in |
multiselectpicklist | equals, not_equal, in, starts_with. |
bigint | equals, not_equal, greater_than, greater_equal, less_than, less_equal, between, in |
percent | equals, not_equal, greater_than, greater_equal, less_than, less_equal, between, in |
formula | The supported operators of the formula datatype will depend on the return type of the formula |
Have questions or use cases to share? Feel free to share them in the comments below or reach out to our support team directly at support@zohocrm.com.
Thank you for joining us this week. Stay tuned for more insights in our upcoming Kaizen posts! Happy Coding!!
- 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. ✨
- OAuth Scopes page for Zoho CRM APIs. ✨
Previous Kaizen: Kaizen #177: Duplicate Check Preferences API vs. Upsert API | Kaizen Directory
Access your files securely from anywhere
New to Zoho Recruit?
Zoho Developer Community
New to Zoho LandingPage?
Zoho LandingPage Resources
New to Zoho Survey?
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho CRM Plus?
Deliver unforgettable customer experiences
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Zoho Marketing Plus?
Everything you need to run your marketing
New to Bigin?
Topic Participants
Anu Abraham
Sticky Posts
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 areKaizen #152 - Client Script Support for the new Canvas Record Forms
Hello everyone! Have you ever wanted to trigger actions on click of a canvas button, icon, or text mandatory forms in Create/Edit and Clone Pages? Have you ever wanted to control how elements behave on the new Canvas Record Forms? This can be achievedKaizen #142: How to Navigate to Another Page in Zoho CRM using Client Script
Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. In this post, let us see how you can you navigate to different Pages using Client Script. In this Kaizen post, Need to Navigate to different Pages Client Script ZDKs related to navigation A.Kaizen #210 - Answering your Questions | Event Management System using ZDK CLI
Hello Everyone, Welcome back to yet another post in the Kaizen Series! As you already may know, for the Kaizen #200 milestone, we asked for your feedback and many of you suggested topics for us to discuss. We have been writing on these topics over the
New to Zoho TeamInbox?
Zoho TeamInbox Resources
Zoho CRM Plus Resources
Zoho Books Resources
Zoho Subscriptions Resources
Zoho Projects Resources
Zoho Sprints Resources
Qntrl Resources
Zoho Creator Resources
Zoho CRM Resources
Design. Discuss. Deliver.
Zoho Show Resources
Get Started. Write Away!
Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.
Zoho CRM コンテンツ
-
オンラインヘルプ
-
Webセミナー
-
機能活用動画
-
よくある質問
-
Ebook
-
-
Zoho Campaigns
- Zoho サービスのWebセミナー
その他のサービス コンテンツ
Nederlandse Hulpbronnen
ご検討中の方
Recent Topics
Tips for Organizing Workflows and Improving Team Coordination in Zoho
Hi everyone, I’m looking for some general advice on how different teams are organizing their daily work within Zoho’s apps. Our team recently expanded, and we’re trying to streamline how tasks, discussions, and documents are shared so everything staysPrevent user from viewing all records?
I have a report that is meant to be used by vendors to view only the records that are assigned to them. All the vendor information is stored in a separate application, so I need to call a function to get the current user's ID (not the zoho user ID). The report settings criteria doesn't support using function calls, so instead I'm embedding the report in an html page like this: if (thisapp.Global.CurrentUserIs("Vendor")) { personID = common.getLoggedInPersonID(); query = "Assigned_Vendor.ID="How do I copy an email message to one or more other folders?
I can move a message to another folder using the "move to" option but I can't figure out how to copy a message.Zoho Site pages not displaying in iframes
I simply want to show a Zoho Site page inside an iframe on another non Zoho website. When testing this across many browsers, the iframe content simply does not appear. IE reports that the host does not allow their content to be displayed in iframes. Very disappointing. Is there a way around this please? Here is the URL of the page I would like to appear in an iframe. http://ips-properties-to-rent.zohosites.comZoho Inventory as connector in Zoho Creator
Hello, It doesn't appear that Zoho Inventory is one of the many built in connectors in Zoho Creator? I see that there are non-Zoho inventory applications that have built in connectors such as Cin7, which leads me to believe that I'm missing somethingSend Zoho Forms Link using Zoho CRM Email Templates
I have set up Zoho Forms and CRM integration to pre-populate data from Zoho CRM to Zoho Forms. The setup is working fine. I have also created an email template in the Zoho CRM deals module to send Zoho forms links. So when I send an email using that templateMy go to On Load Client Script - Fast, efficient, and works for ALL profiles; Hides everything except initial fields
This is my on Load client script that I use for Create pages. I use a modified version for Edit and Display pages which you can create yourself using the same basic structure that I will give you below. First up, the script. Below that will be an explanationCustom Search using HTM+CSS Snippet
Suppose I wanted to create my own list view using HTML and CSS snippets inside a Page with a custom search input at the top of the list (not the Search snippet). Without Javascript, is there a way to retrieve a user's entry from that search input andMass Update of Lookup Fields not possible
Hello List I've created a custom field for Leads and Contacts 'Current Campaign'. This is very Handy as I can filter leads and then related them to a campaign. Everything ready, but then I realized that mass update doesn't work for lookup fields... aZoho CRM Kiosk Upload Files
Hello all, We are trying out Kiosks at the moment to see where it can fit best in our business. We are still a bit off in the application but lets say we will sort this out. My question is the following - when I create a Kiosk I can add "File Upload"Double 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 submitHas Anyone successfully integrated Zoho and Sage Intact?
Hey all, We’re evaluating Zoho One + Sage Intacct and I’m trying to connect with anyone who has actually implemented the two together.Specifically, I’d love to know: -- Which functions you kept in Zoho vs. Intacct (e.g., Product Catalog, AR/AP, invoicing,Introducing Image Upload Field
Hello everyone, In this post we will discuss about the benefits and usage of the Image upload field. The field is available for standard and custom modules. Usage: This field can be used to upload a gallery of images to a record and share the record with peers or customers. The record can be made accessible to users outside of Zoho CRM via Portals, where they can upload the necessary images. Preview, editing, and deleting images: The uploaded images can be directly edited and saved from the recordTrigger a Workflow Function if an Attachment (Related List) has been added
Hello, I have a Case Module with a related list which is Attachment. I want to trigger a workflow if I added an attachment. I've seen some topics about this in zoho community that was posted few months ago and based on the answers, there is no triggerFree webinar alert on November 19 - Email driven strategies - Master personality based styles
Hello Zoho Community! Want to make email management easier, smarter, and more you? We’ve got just the session for you! Join our interactive, game-based webinar to discover how Zoho Mail adapts to your personality and work style. Learn practical hacks,AI generated meeting notes associated to Account or Deal
As our organization works to improve efficiency we are looking for a solution to leverage AI to generate meeting notes and then add those notes to a CRM record such as an Account or Deal. I see Zoho has a Notebook AI offering that talks about the abilitydue date on cheue
how to handle cheque in zoho books for customers and vendors including due dateZoho CRM Portal Field Level Permission Issue
Hi Support Team, I am using the Zoho CRM Portal and configuring field-level editing permissions. However, we are unable to restrict portal users from editing certain fields. We have created a portal and provided View and Edit (Shared Only) access for'Statement of Accounts does not exist' error received, when creating PO using api in Zoho Inventory
Here is request json -- JSONString = { "date": "2019-09-24", "purchaseorder_number": "PO-6-1", "delivery_date": null, "delivery_org_address_id": 36221200000056XXX, "vendor_id": 362212000000564XXX, "attention": "Testing", "line_items": [{ "unit": "Pieces", "account_id": 36221200000003XXX, "quantity": 1, "item_id": 362212000000049XXX, "tax_type": "", "tax_name": "", "name": "One HD", "purchase_rate": 85, "tax_percentage": 0, "item_total": 85.00, "tax_id": "", "warehouse_id": 362212000000564XXX }] }Zoho Projects API 100 requests/2 min. Limit
Hi Requesting clarification on the API documentation. "You can invoke or call an API for 100 times in a span of two minutes. If you invoke more than 100 times, the particular API request will be locked for the next 30 minutes. " Does this limit applyIntegrate your Outlook/ Office 365 inbox with Zoho CRM via Graph API
Hello folks, In addition to the existing IMAP and POP options, you can now integrate your Outlook/Office 365 inbox with Zoho CRM via Graph API. Why did we add this option? Microsoft Graph API offers a single endpoint to access data from across Microsoft’sZoho Projects - Attachments added to Task and Bug emails are not saved
Hi Projects team, I have been experimenting with emails into projects to create tasks and bugs. I have noticed that attachments added to the emails are not saved to the task or bug. Is this normal behaviour? Thanks, AshleyZoho Inventory's latest shipping integration updates at a glance.
Hello Users, We would like to share some important news about our latest improvements in the Shipping integration capabilities of Zoho Inventory that we achieved in 2024 with some of our major integration partners in key editions across APAC, North America,Sorting a list of record acquired from the zoho.crm.searchRecords function.
This is something for which I'm trying to figure out a straightforward way to do. The searchRecords does a great job fetching me the records that I want. However, in some cases, where it returns multiple records, I want it to sort the returned list by date of creation of that record, so that when I do records.get(0), I get the most recent record. As an example, here's my sample pseudo code: records = zoho.crm.searchRecords("Clients", "Office_Number:equals:123456"); Now the "records" list above containsZoho Inventory Custom Field Update
Hello All, In this post I am describing how can we Update the Custom Field Value in Zoho Inventory. // Get Org ID orgid = organization.get("organization_id"); // Field Value resvp = ifnull(item.get("purchase_rate"),null); // Record ID iid = item.get("item_id");Deprecation of the Zoho OAuth connector
Hello everyone, At Zoho, we continuously evaluate our integrations to ensure they meet the highest standards of security, reliability, and compliance. As part of these ongoing efforts, we've made the decision to deprecate the Zoho OAuth default connectorAlphabetically
How can i arrange alphabetically - (Manage Manufacturer) Field in Item MasterSpotlight series #6: The Show app for Android TV has a new look!
Hello everyone! We are delighted to introduce our revamped and redesigned Show app for Android TV. Smart TVs are exploding in popularity. Android TV alone has over 110 million active monthly devices. Zoho Show, as part of a constant effort to improveCan i set a default value for country and state in address field in zoho creator?
Can i set a default value for country and state in address field in zoho creator?Convert HTML to PDF & Send as Email Attachments in Zoho Creator (Deluge)
This approach is useful for sending welcome letters, instructions, or promotional offers after order creation. // 1. Define the variables using the submitted input customerName = input.Customer_Name1; orderID = input.ID; customerEmail = input.Email_Address; //Redirect after submission is not working after a few submission
I have setup redirect url correctly and everything works as expected. However, it seems that there's a limit to the number of submissions before the redirect stops working. After the "limit" is reached, the page redirects to a seemingly zoho hosted page,Enhancement Request for Multi-Asset Work Order Feature
Hello Latha, Thank you for your continued support. The multi-asset Work Order feature is extremely helpful. I did some testing based on our requirements, and during the process, I noticed a few areas where we need your team’s support to improve the featureMarketing Tip #8: Run limited-time offers
Exclusive offers that don't last long make shoppers purchase right away instead of waiting. Run a flash sale or limited-time discount to convert interest into sales. Try this today: Set up a "Buy X Get Y" coupon in Zoho Commerce valid for a limited timeAdd Option to Mass Dispatch by User
Hello! We are using the dispatch console to dispatch service appointments to our service ressources. Right now, the process is our dispatcher verifies each ressource's route for the day and dispatches it after validation. Sadly, there doesn't seem toFree webinar: Zoho Sign unwrapped – 2025 in review
Hey there! 2025 is coming to an end, and this year has been all about AI. Join our exclusive year-end webinar, where we'll walk you through the features that went live in 2025, provide answers to your questions, and give you a sneak peek on what to expectZoho Projects - Email notification relabelling of modules not present on default templates
Hi Projects Team, I noticed that in the default email template notification, the word "bug" was not renamed to the lable I am using in my system. As many users may used the Bugs modules for various purposes including Changes, Revisions, Issues, etc...Publish to LinkedIn via API
Hi, Is it possible to publish a job opening to LinkedIn (paid job slots) if creating a job opening via api / deluge function? Or is the user required to manually publish via the job boards process? Many Thanks AdrianInclude the "Added Email ID" to the Filters of a Report
Hi, With a Report and lots of entries, a normal thing is to filter entries by the submitter, but that is not included in the Auto Filter of Reports and you can't add a custom filter to a Report without specifying the actual value. I would like to be ableLoops in Deluge
Hi, Can someone tell me how I do a simple loop in deluge? For example, if i have a variable "X" containing a number of loops to perform, i would like to perform an action X amount of times. X = 10; do while (Y < X){ // ... do something } to further explain, the equivalent in PHP of what i am trying to acheive would be: $X = 20; for($Y = 1; $Y < $X; $Y++ ){ // ... do something } ThanksI am facing a problem with an if-else condition
If I use if, else if, and else conditions in Deluge with the same variable name, sometimes the variable causes an error because the same variable name is present in every blockNext Page