Kaizen #18 - Ruby SDK

Kaizen #18 - Ruby SDK

Hello everyone!
Welcome back to another week of Kaizen!
This week, we will discuss the Ruby SDK.

What is the Ruby SDK for Zoho CRM?

Ruby SDK allows you to create client Ruby 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 Ruby Application.


What can you do with the Ruby SDK?
  • Exchange data between Zoho CRM and the client application where the CRM entities are modeled 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
The client app must have the Ruby version 2.3.7 or above installed. Refer to Ruby Installation for the steps to install Ruby.

How to Start using the Ruby SDK?
Follow the below steps:
  • Step-1: Register your application (Self Client or Web-based client)
  • Step-2: Install the SDK
  • Step-3: Initialize the SDK
    3.a. Choose the token persistence method
    3.b. Set up the configuration dictionary
    3.c. Generate the tokens
  • Step-4: 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
  1. Go to https://api-console.zoho.com.
  2. Click ADD CLIENT.
  3. Choose the Client Type as Self Client, and click CREATE.
  4. You will receive a client ID and a client secret upon successful registration.
1.b. Web-based Client
  1. Go to https://api-console.zoho.com.
  2. Click ADD CLIENT.
  3. Choose the client as Web based and click CREATE NOW.
  4. 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.
  5. Click CREATE.

  6. Your Client ID and Client Secret will be displayed.
Step-2: Install the SDK

The Ruby SDK is available as a gem. 
Run the below command to install the Ruby SDK for Zoho CRM.

gem install ZCRMSDK

Step-3: Initialize the SDK 

Initializing the SDK involves the following steps.

  • Step 3.a - Choosing the token persistence method
  • Step 3.b - Setting up the configuration dictionary
  • Step 3.c - Generating the tokens

3.a. Token Persistence
Your application should retain tokens (grant, access, and refresh tokens) to automate the process of data transfer between your Ruby application and Zoho CRM.

You can persist (store) the tokens in three ways.
a. MySQL Persistence (default)
b. File Persistence
c. Custom DB Persistence

a. MySQL Persistence
When you want to store the tokens in the MySQL DB, ensure that MySQL2 is installed.
Run the below command to install MySQL2.

gem install mysql2 -v 0.5.2

For this type of persistence, 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. (by default 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).

b. File Persistence
If you want to store the tokens in a file, you can create a file named zcrm_oauthtokens.txt and provide the absolute path of the folder containing this file in the below key of the configuration array.

"token_persistence_path":"path_to_the_folder_containing_the_txt_file"

If you do not create this file, the SDK itself creates this file in the path you have specified, and persists the token there.
Note: This method is recommended only for self client apps.

c. Custom DB Persistence
To use this method, you need to provide the following keys in the configuration dictionary.

"persistence_handler_class_path":"absolute path to the custom DB implementation"
"persistence_handler_class":"class name of the custom implementation".

You can use the inbuilt ZohoPersistenceHandler interface and include the following custom functions.

  • saveOAuthData(ZohoOAuthTokens tokens)
  • deleteOAuthTokens($userEmailId)
  • getOAuthTokens($userEmailId)
Note
The order of precedence for token persistence is custom, file, and DB persistence. That is, if you provide the details for custom persistence (in persistence_handler_class_path) and file persistence details (in token_persistence_path), then custom persistence is given priority over file.

3.b. Configuration dictionary
The below tables 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
db_username
persistence_handler_class
-
db_password
persistence_handler_class_path
-
db_port
-
current_user_email
current_user_email
current_user_email

Optional Keys

File Persistence
MySQL Persistence
Custom DB Persistence
application_log_file_path
application_log_file_path
application_log_file_path
log_in_console
log_in_console
log_in_console
sandbox
sandbox
sandbox
access_type
access_type
access_type
accounts_url
accounts_url
accounts_url
api_base_url
api_base_url
api_base_url
api_version
api_version
api_version

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 relative path to store the OAuth tokens in the zcrm_oauthtokens.txt file. This key is mandatory if you want to use file persistence.
  • db_username, db_password, db_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_class_path - The absolute path to the custom DB implementation (.rb file).
  • application_log_file_path - The absolute path to log the exceptions during the usage of the SDK.
  • log_in_console - To print the exceptions on the console screen, when set as "true".
  • 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 as offline as the SDK does not support online OAuth client, now.
  • accounts_url - The domain-specific accounts URL from which you generate the tokens.
    This key is mandatory when the user is not in the "com" domain.
    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
  • api_base_url - 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
  • api_version - Represents the version of the CRM APIs. The value is v2.
  • current_user_email - The email ID of the current user. You must set this either in the configuration array or ZCRMSDK::RestClient::ZCRMRestClient.current_user_email = "current user email id".

Below is a configuration dictionary with all the keys. 

config_details = { 'client_id' => 'xxxxx', #mandatory
'client_secret' => 'xxxxxx', #mandatory
'redirect_uri' => 'https://www.zoho.com', #mandatory
'api_base_url' => 'https://www.zohoapis.com', #optional, default is https://www.zohoapis.com
'accounts_url' => 'https://accounts.zoho.com', #optional, default is https://accounts.zoho.com
'current_user_email' => 'abc@xyz.com', #mandatory (should be either set in config array or ZCRMSDK::RestClient::ZCRMRestClient.current_user_email = "current user email id" )
'api_version' => 'v2', #optional,default is v2
'sandbox' => 'false', #optional default is sandbox
'application_log_file_path' => "/Users/xxxx/Desktop/log.log", #optional, absolute path of log file
'log_in_console' => 'true', #optional default is false, to log on the console
'persistence_handler_class_path' => 'absolute/path/to/customClass.ruby', #absolute path to the custom db implementation
'persistence_handler_class' =>'classname', #name of the class
'token_persistence_path'=>'relativepath/to/zcrm_oauthtokens.txt', #for file persistence
'db_username' => 'username', #optional, default root
'db_password' => 'password', #optional, default ''
'db_port' => 'port_number', #optional, default 3306
}

Now that you have created and registered your app with Zoho, you must authenticate it. 
Pass the configuration dictionary in the method ZCRMRestClient.init(config) and authenticate your app.

3.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.
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
  • 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.

client = ZCRMSDK::OAuthClient::ZohoOAuth.get_client_instance
grant_token = 'grant_token'
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-4: Connect to Zoho CRM through the available methods
Here is a sample to get a specific user's details. You can find the code for this sample in the attachment.


The isTokenGenerated Method

def self.is_token_generate(user)
    tokens = ZCRMSDK::OAuthClient::ZohoOauth.get_persistence_instance.get_oauth_tokens(user)
    unless tokens.nil?
        return true
    end
    rescue Exception => e
        return false 
  end
You need to add this method to check if the access token has already been generated or not. It returns a Boolean value.
  • true - The access token has already been generated. 
  • false - The access token has not been generated previously, thus, it shifts the control to the code snippet that leads to access token generation.
For more sample codes, refer to our SDK guide.
We hope you found this post useful. Stay tuned for more!

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

                                                                                                                • Can't upload attachments.

                                                                                                                  I can't upload attachment in Zoho Mail.
                                                                                                                • Need Guidance on SPF Flattening for Zoho Mail Configuration

                                                                                                                  Hi everyone, I'm hoping to get some advice on optimizing my SPF record for a Zoho Mail setup. I use Zoho Mail along with several other Zoho services, and as a result, my current SPF record has grown to include multiple include mechanisms. My Cloudflare
                                                                                                                • How use

                                                                                                                  Good morning sir I tried Zoho Mail
                                                                                                                • Zoho Mail Desktop App Not Loading + Can’t Manage Multiple Accounts

                                                                                                                  Hi everyone, I’ve been having ongoing issues with the Zoho Mail desktop app for the past few weeks. The app starts to load but gives up midway and never actually opens — there’s no error message, it just stops loading. The main reason I use the desktop
                                                                                                                • Error when sending emails from Zoho

                                                                                                                  Hello, When trying to send an email from Zoho CRM I keep getting the below error: javax.mail.AuthenticationFailedException: 535 5.7.139 Authentication unsuccessful, the user credentials were incorrect. Any support on this will be much appreciated. Thanks,
                                                                                                                • Not all emails from outlook365 migrated to my new zoho account

                                                                                                                  I recently setup a new email address hosted by zoho. I migrated all my folders and email from my Outlook365 account to my new zoho account, but not all my emails migrated. Looks like only the past 12 months, or so, made the move. How do I get the rest
                                                                                                                • Max numbr of IMAP Accounts in Zoho Mail?

                                                                                                                  In Zoho mail, you can manage the inboxes of other accounts using IMAP (and POP, actually) https://www.zoho.com/mail/help/external-imap-accounts.html Is there a max to the number of inboxes we can add?
                                                                                                                • Formula Fields Trouble

                                                                                                                  Hi,  I can't get even a simple formula field to work and must be doing something dumb. This formula: If(Len(Trim(${Quotes.Subject}))=0,1,2) Gives the error: You used the wrong type of data in an argument. Check what you entered between the parentheses of your functions to make sure you put the right kind of data in the right place. This formula: Len(Trim(${Quotes.Subject}))=0 Gives the error: Syntax Error. Check the examples for any functions you're using to see if you formatted them correctly. Make
                                                                                                                • OPTED FOR STORAGE BY DESCRIPTIVE MISGUIDANCE

                                                                                                                  We've opened a domain with three mail ids and payment has also been processed now the bill raised is for single use ID with additional storage capacity. Kindly request you to modify the purchase.
                                                                                                                • How can I add a new organization on Zoho Campaign

                                                                                                                  I want to create a new organization with my Zoho Campaign
                                                                                                                • www.abc.com is working but abc.com is not

                                                                                                                  I have my domain in godaddy. I have created a website using zoho sites and now I want to publish it and I tried doing it. Mapped the domain www.abc.com, abc.com. In godaddy changed the CNAME values. A, @ was parked and updated with zoho's IP address.
                                                                                                                • Split my account

                                                                                                                  Hello, I recently bought an email service for a friend. But, looks like I used my personal account to buy the plan. Please split the account so that the email service stays in a different account than my personal account.
                                                                                                                • Have Mail Lite, wish to add/purchase 2nd domain and use email

                                                                                                                  Hello, I have recently created two new businesses. I have successfully used Zoho to create a domain for one business and have set up two email addresses / users on that domain. I am trying to figure out how to create a second domain, just like I did the
                                                                                                                • Need support in setting up the company email and few other setups

                                                                                                                  Need support in setting up the company email and few other setups
                                                                                                                • This mobile number has been marked spam.

                                                                                                                  Dear zoho team, I am very happy to use zoho,because it india 🇮🇳 own app, but when we login into zoho account we facing some issue, please solve below issue ASAP. Add your mobile number As an added security measure for Accounts, you need to verify and
                                                                                                                • Add an external email to the allowed list

                                                                                                                  I need to allow an external email to raise a ticket on Manage Engine ServiceDesk Plus. The external email is a outside of our domain and is not a domain user. The email address that needs to be allowed to raise a ticket request is noreply@formsatack.com.
                                                                                                                • Display name & account type change

                                                                                                                  I made a mistake and subscribed with an individual account instead of business, how can I change the account type and enter the details of the business. The other question, if I can't, then I want the display name of our email to be 'Business name' instead
                                                                                                                • Request to change display name in Zoho mail

                                                                                                                  Hello Zoho Mail Support, I am experiencing an issue with changing the display name on my Zoho Mail account. My email address is: info@witchcraftproduction.rs . I have already updated the display name in Settings > Mail Accounts, where it now shows as
                                                                                                                • Outbound IP address SPAM problem.

                                                                                                                  Hello Zoho Support, We noticed that one of your outbound IP addresses (136.143.188.12), which delivers our domain’s mail, is currently listed on the UCEProtect blacklist. Because of this, our messages are sometimes flagged as spam by recipient servers.
                                                                                                                • Answer Bot and Personalized Questions

                                                                                                                  Hi there, I have the same problem using the SalesIQ Answer Bot and the Zoho Desk Answer Bot (which really need different names, to be honest, in order to avoid confusion...) Customers that visit our website ask questions in the form of "What do you do?"
                                                                                                                • Forwarding

                                                                                                                  How can I forward my Zoho account to my gmail account? Noël
                                                                                                                • Add a Way to Duplicate Cards in the Same Canvas (Retain All Settings)

                                                                                                                  Dear Zoho SalesIQ Team, We would like to request a new feature in Zoho SalesIQ: the ability to duplicate an existing card within the same canvas while retaining all of its information and settings, including conditions, configurations, and display preferences.
                                                                                                                • Zoho Mail CC and BCC not working

                                                                                                                  Zoho Mail CC and BCC not working. I have tried multiple combinations amongst my domain aliases but emails sent as CC or BCC never arrive, not even to Spam. I have checked that the DNS is set up correctly in Cloudflare and have even received a DMARC report
                                                                                                                • Zoho Autoplay Issue

                                                                                                                  Currently, we run our graphics on a playlist with youtube videos interspersed in our office -- however, when we go to update the playlist (since last Thursday at around 8-9am EST) it no longer saves the autoplay function.  We have tried making a new account, manually saving with cntrl+s, making a new show, etc but nothing seems to work.  Even with our old program, we can't change it off of autoplay for ones that were created in the past. Another issue is that if we change a slide transition to anything
                                                                                                                • Adding hyperlinks in CRM emails time automatically

                                                                                                                  It may just be me, but when I am writing an email to a lead, I find inserting a hyperlink very time consuming. Granted, I can use templates but there are a ton of scenarios where I might want to put a link in to an website that wouldnt require me to go though the effort of creating a template.  Ideally, the crm would identify that I that a string of text is a URL and insert the hyperlink automatically, just like microsoft outlook or gmail. Has anyone else had this same experience and found a way
                                                                                                                • Enhance "Applications Usage" with Date Filters, Historical Analytics & App-Level Breakdown

                                                                                                                  Hello Zoho Creator Team, We are writing to request a critical enhancement to the Applications Usage section to improve our ability to monitor, analyze, and manage our platform consumption over time. While the current view of today’s usage is helpful for
                                                                                                                • External File Share - Allow delete

                                                                                                                  Hi Team, when I share an external link and give it edit rights the external user can add but not delete files and folders. what am i doing wrong?
                                                                                                                • How to notify all members on any updates to zoho crm?

                                                                                                                  Hi, I am using the free version of zoho CRM and currently seeing this will work for our company. We are a small company and wanted to be more informed about all the changes in zoho. 1. How do I s et notifications that go to the team for any and all changes
                                                                                                                • How to change the format for phone numbers?

                                                                                                                  Mobile phone numbers are currently formatted (###) ###-####.  How can I change this to a more appropriate forms for Australia being either #### ### ### or (#)### ### ###?
                                                                                                                • Unattended Access on Android without Play Store

                                                                                                                  I'm testing Zoho Assist for remote config and maintenance of our IoT devices. The devices are running Android 8.1 and do NOT have Google Play Store installed, nor can it be installed. I've been able to install Zoho Assist on the devices and load the enrollment
                                                                                                                • Show Attachments in the customer portal

                                                                                                                  Hi, is it possible to show the Attachments list in the portal for the particular module? Bests.
                                                                                                                • Kaizen #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.
                                                                                                                • Navigate with Ease: Announcing Improvements to Your Zoho CRM for Everyone's Setup Experience

                                                                                                                  Hello Everyone, We’re thrilled to announce new enhancements to the Setup Menu in our Zoho CRM for Everyone system, designed to simplify your workday and streamline your overall experience. What's New? Addition of a Setup Homepage Faster Search in Setup
                                                                                                                • Zoho Projects Webhook fails with HTTP Error 0

                                                                                                                  Hello Zoho Community, I am pulling my hair out over this one. I have setup a very basic http(s) server that always responds "ok" and code 200 to incoming GET requests. It will accept any parameters, and any path. Really, all it does is say "ok," and log
                                                                                                                • ZOHO Campaignで表のカラムの幅を調整したい。

                                                                                                                  表を作成した際、個々のカラムの幅を調整したいのですが、方法が分かりません。 どなたかご存じの方ご教示ください。
                                                                                                                • Kaizen #129 : Client Script Support for Blueprints

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. Today, let us discuss about how you can use Client Script during a Blueprint transtion to meet your requirements. This Kaizen post will provide solution for the post - Need non-mandatory fields in blueprint
                                                                                                                • Search Bar Improvement for Zoho Commerce

                                                                                                                  Hey everyone, I've been using Zoho Commerce for a bit now, and I think the search bar could really use an upgrade. Right now, it doesn't show products in a dropdown as you type, which would make finding items a lot faster. On Shopify, for example, you
                                                                                                                • Making digital signatures accessible to all: Introducing accessibility controls in Zoho Sign

                                                                                                                  Hi there! At Zoho Sign, we are committed to building an inclusive digital experience for all our users. As part of our ongoing efforts to align with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), we’re updating the application with support that will go
                                                                                                                • Account Owner Field From Accounts Module to be Displayed in Contacts module

                                                                                                                  I have a field in the Accounts Module in the CRM called "Account Owner" i want that field to be also mapped into the Contacts Module custom single line field called "Account Manager".
                                                                                                                • Update a field in the ZOHO Form, basis numeric value in another field in the same form

                                                                                                                  I am trying to create a questionnaire in ZOHO, where clients need to answer 10 questions, and basis response, values are assigned. I have created a total score field where the sum of the values is stored. But i am unable to create a rule whereby another
                                                                                                                • Next Page