Kaizen #181 - Mandating Subform Data for Blueprint Transitions using Widget

Kaizen #181 - Mandating Subform Data for Blueprint Transitions using Widget



Hello Developers!

Welcome back to another week of Kaizen! 

This time, we are tackling a common challenge on how to enforce subform data from a different module before allowing a blueprint transition in Zoho CRM Deals module.

Many CRM workflows require checking and collecting related records' data across modules before advancing a deal, case, or order to the next stage. Zoho CRM Blueprint natively support subforms from Quotes, Sales Orders, and Invoices for the Deals module with the help of Associated Items in the transition settings. 

Let us explore how to mandate custom subforms' data from a different module for a blueprint transition.

Why Mandate Subform Data from a Different Module?

In Zoho CRM, subforms manage multiple data entries under a single parent record. However, certain blueprint transitions may depend on subform data from related modules, such as:  
  • A Deal's transition may depend on the document data stored in the associated Contact’s subform.
  • A Service Request requiring validation against a subform in the related Account before processing.  
  • A Loan Application requiring income proof from the Customer’s subform before approval.  
Since blueprint transition rules only validate fields within the same module, you can use a custom widget to check and update subform data across modules before proceeding.

Business Scenario: Insurance Deals Qualification

Consider Zylker, an insurance company, using Zoho CRM to manage customers and streamline processes. Their sales process follows this blueprint when a deal reaches the Qualification stage:
Insurance Sales Blueprint

Steps to Build a Blueprint Widget

Step 1 - Review Basics

Refer to our earlier Kaizen on CLI Installation, Creating a Widget Project, and Internal hosting of the same.

Step 2 - Develop your Widget

After setting up the widget project using CLI, implement the logic based on your business case.

Here’s the logic for the sample use case we are discussing:

Widget Execution During Transition
  • When the user clicks the Collect Requirements transition, the widget loads.
  • Using the PageLoad event listener, retrieve the current record's ID and module name.
  • Use the GET Records API via its JS SDK to fetch the Contact ID linked to the Deal. 
ZOHO.embeddedApp.on("PageLoad", function(data) {
      // Fetch the current page's record details
      const recordId = data.EntityId;
      const moduleName = data.Entity;
      ZOHO.CRM.API.getRecord({Entity: moduleName, RecordID: recordId})
        .then(function(response) {
          const record = response.data[0];
          console.log("Current Record Details:", record);
          // Fetch the associated contact ID
 contactId = record.Contact_Name.id;

Check and Collect Required Document Details
  • Using the Contact ID, run a COQL query using Connection JS SDK to check if each Document Category has at least one entry in the Document Details subform.
Notes
Notes
In invoke connection JS SDK, use param type 2 for the API request payload inside the parameter key and param type 1 for regular parameters.

Explore the Working with Connections help page and create a connection with the necessary scopes to invoke the COQL API.
  • If all four categories (Address Proof, ID Proof, Income Proof, Medical Report) have at least one entry, the widget allows the transition immediately.
  • If any category is missing, the widget prompts the user to enter the details in a table that mirrors the Document Details subform in the Contacts module.
// Make a query API call 
          const query = {
            "select_query": `select Document_Category,COUNT(id) from Document_Details where id is not null and Parent_Id='${contactId}' group by Document_Category`
          };
          ZOHO.CRM.CONNECTION.invoke("crm_oauth_connection", {
            method: "POST",
            url: "https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v7/coql",
            parameters: query,
            param_type: 2,
            headers: {
              "Content-Type": "application/json"
            }
 }).then(function(response) {
     const data = response.details.statusMessage.data;
            if (response.details.statusMessage === "" || (data && data.length < 4)) {
              createSubformUI();
              document.getElementById('contentContainer').style.display = 'block';
            } else if (data && data.length === 4) {
              document.getElementById('messageContainer').style.display = 'block';
              // Enable the "Move to Next State" button if all files are already updated
              const nextStateButton = document.querySelector('.nextStateButton');
              nextStateButton.disabled = false;
              nextStateButton.style.backgroundColor = ''; 
            }
 })

Update the Contact's Subform
  • The user enters the document details and clicks the Save button in the widget. 
  • Since subform updates act like a PATCH request, any existing record IDs must be included in the update payload to retain them. To get the existing subform record IDs make a  GET Records API call via its JS SDK. 
async function getExisitingSubFormRecords(contactId) {
let exisitingRecords = [];
awaitasync function getExisitingSubFormRecords(contactId) {
let exisitingRecords = [];
await ZOHO.CRM.API.getRecord({ Entity: "Contacts", RecordID: contactId })
.then(function (response) {
const record = response.data[0];
console.log("Current Record Details:", record);

if (record.Document_Details)
{
record.Document_Details.forEach(function (document) {
exisitingRecords.push({id: document.id});
});
}
})
.catch(function (error) {
console.error("Error fetching records:", error);
});
return exisitingRecords;
} ZOHO.CRM.API.getRecord({ Entity: "Contacts", RecordID: contactId })
.then(function (response) {
const record = response.data[0];
console.log("Current Record Details:", record);
record.Document_Details.forEach(function (document) {
exisitingRecords.push({id: document.id});
});
})
.catch(function (error) {
console.error("Error fetching records:", error);
});
return exisitingRecords;
}
  • Clicking the Save button executes the following actions:
    -> Uploads the selected file to Zoho File System (ZFS) using the Upload File API through its JS SDK.
    -> Updates the Document Details subform in the associated Contact record by adding the file ID from the upload response and each row's entry using the Update Records API (via the Update Record JS SDK).
  • Once the subform is successfully updated, the widget allows the transition to next Blueprint state.
async function updateRecord(event) {
event.preventDefault();
// Collect user entries from each row
const rows = document.querySelectorAll('#documentsTable tbody tr');
const documentDetails = await Promise.all(Array.from(rows).map(async (row, index) => {
const documentCategory = row.querySelector('select[name="documentCategory"]').value;
const documentNumber = row.querySelector('input[name="documentNumber"]').value;
const documentName = row.querySelector('input[name="documentName"]').value;
const documentFile = row.querySelector('input[name="upload"]').files[0];
const fileId = await uploadFile(documentFile);
return {
Document_Category: documentCategory,
Document_Number: documentNumber,
Document_Name: documentName,
Upload: [
{
file_id: fileId
}
]
};
}));
// Get the existing subform records
const existingRecords = await getExisitingSubFormRecords(contactId);
// Merge the existing records with the new records
existingRecords.forEach(record => documentDetails.push(record));
// Prepare the payload for the update API call
const payload = {
id: contactId,
Document_Details: documentDetails
};
// Make the update API call
ZOHO.CRM.API.updateRecord({
Entity: "Contacts",
APIData: payload
}).then(function (updateResponse) {
console.log("Update response:", updateResponse);
const saveButton = document.querySelector('.saveButton');
saveButton.textContent = "Saved";
saveButton.disabled = false;
saveButton.style.backgroundColor = 'grey';
// Enable the "Move to Next State" button after saving
const nextStateButton = document.querySelector('.nextStateButton');
nextStateButton.disabled = false;
nextStateButton.style.backgroundColor = ''; 
})

Step 3 - Validate and Pack the Widget

  • Follow the steps given in the Widget help page to validate and package the widget.
  • Go to Zoho CRM > Setup > Developer Hub > Widgets and click Create New Widget.
  • Fill in the required details as shown in this image and ensure to select Blueprint as the widget type.
    Creating a Blueprint Widget

Step 4 - Associate the Widget with the Blueprint

  • Navigate to Setup > Process Management > Blueprint and open the Deals Blueprint created for this use case.
  • Click on the Collect Requirements transition.
    Associate Widget to a Blueprint Transition
  • In the During tab on the left pane, select Widgets and associate the newly created widget.
  • Publish the Blueprint to activate the changes.

Try it Out! 

A complete working code sample of this widget is attached at the bottom of this post for reference. 
 
Now, let us see how this Blueprint works from the Deals page:  
  1. All required document details are available: The widget validates the Contact’s subform and allows the transition.  



  2. Missing or incomplete document details: The widget prompts the user to enter the missing details, updates the Contact’s subform, and then enables the transition.  



This approach ensures that required subform data from another module is validated and captured before proceeding with a Blueprint transition.  

Would you like us to address any of your pain-points or have a topic to discuss? Let us know in the comments or reach out to us via support@zohocrm.com.

Until next time, Happy Coding! 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional Reading

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Info
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.

    Access your files securely from anywhere








                            Zoho Developer Community



                                Bootcamp
                                Community
                                Pricing
                                Webinars
                                What's New
                                Integrations
                                Contact Support
                                Contact Sales
                                  Zoho Survey Resources
                                    Features
                                    Survey Templates
                                    Integrations
                                    Community
                                    iOS Mobile Surveys
                                    Pricing
                                    Android Mobile Surveys
                                    Insurvey Blogs
                                    Insight Blogs
                                    Tips & Tricks





                                                Latest Feature Updates

                                                  • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                  • Digest


                                                  • Functions


                                                  • Meetups


                                                  • Kbase


                                                  • Resources


                                                  • Glossary


                                                  • Desk Marketplace


                                                  • MVP Corner


                                                  • Word of the Day


                                                  • Ask the Experts




                                                      Zoho SalesIQ Resources

                                                            • Sticky Posts

                                                            • 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

                                                            • Kaizen #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


                                                            Manage your brands on social media
                                                            Access Zoho Social

                                                              Zoho Pagesense Resources


                                                                  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 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

                                                                                                              • Feature Request - Ability to Customise Contact Info Card on Ticket Details View

                                                                                                                Hi Desk Team, I've added a "Contact Priority" and "Account Prioirty" field and it would be very useful to agents if they could see that information in the Contact Info card on the Ticket Details view. It would be great if we could choose some fields to

                                                                                                              • Tax in Quote

                                                                                                                Each row item in a quote has a tax value. At the total numbers at the bottom, there is also a Tax entry. If you select tax in both of the (line item, and the total), the tax doubles. My assumption is that the Tax total should be totalling the tax from

                                                                                                              • Zoho Flow integration with Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp

                                                                                                                Hi there,  any plans of adding integrations with Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp into Zoho Flow? Seems that more and more business are delivering automated updates such as "your order is received",  "your order has been shipped" and so on via these two platforms. Not sure if Whatsapp has the API access needed i am pretty sure that Facebook Messenger has... Kind regards Bo Thygesen 

                                                                                                              • Notes badge as a quick action in the list view

                                                                                                                Hello all, We are introducing the Notes badge in the list view of all modules as a quick action you can perform for each record, in addition to the existing Activity badge. With this enhancement, users will have quick visibility into the notes associated

                                                                                                              • Really want the field "Company" in the activities module!

                                                                                                                Hi team! Something we are really missing is able to see the field Company when working in the activities module. We have a lot of tasks and need to see what company it's related to. It's really annoying to not be able to see it.🙈 Thx!

                                                                                                              • Feature Requests - Contact Coloured Picklist Visibility & Field Visibility During Ticket Creation

                                                                                                                Hi Desk Team, I have 2 feature requests for you. Since Coloured Picklists are now available in Desk, It would be great if the colours were visible on the Related Details (Contact Information) when creating a ticket. In the screenshot below, I have 2 fields

                                                                                                              • Multi-currency and Products

                                                                                                                One of the main reasons I have gone down the Zoho route is because I need multi-currency support.  However, I find that products can only be priced in the home currency, We sell to the US and UK.  However, we maintain different price lists for each. 

                                                                                                              • Campaigns unsubscribe/manage preferences links

                                                                                                                Hi, Where can I edit the unscubscribe and manage preferences link in the footer of the email. I would like it so that when you click 'manage preferences' an form opens up that allows the person to choose what type of emails they do and don't wish to

                                                                                                              • email address somehow still not verified (?!)

                                                                                                                L.S. After creating a new email template in CRM I was about to send a group email to my clients, then Zoho CRM announced that they would change the sender address to some kind of Zoho-e-ddress because my email address "has not been verified". Not only

                                                                                                              • Marketing Tip #17: Add credibility to your online store with Review Widgets

                                                                                                                One of the fastest ways to build trust in an online store is to show real customer feedback right where people are deciding to buy. Third-party widgets let you embed things like Google Reviews, Instagram feeds, or even a WhatsApp chat button. These add

                                                                                                              • adding several team members to an Opportunity

                                                                                                                How can we add several team members to one opportunity for collaboration? I have researched and only found something called Deal Team which I cannot find in my CRM to configure.

                                                                                                              • CRM gets location smart with the all new Map View: visualize records, locate records within any radius, and more

                                                                                                                Hello all, We've introduced a new way to work with location data in Zoho CRM: the Map View. Instead of scrolling through endless lists, your records now appear as pins on a map. Built on top of the all-new address field and powered by Mappls (MapMyIndia),

                                                                                                              • PDF Annotation is here - Mark Up PDFs Your Way!

                                                                                                                Reviewing PDFs just got a whole lot easier. You can now annotate PDFs directly in Zoho Notebook. Highlight important sections, add text, insert images, apply watermarks, and mark up documents in detail without leaving your notes. No app switching. No

                                                                                                              • Bulk update Profile Permissions

                                                                                                                Dears, What should we do if we add new forms or reports and need to update more than 20 permissions? Updating them one by one feels pretty harsh, doesn’t it?

                                                                                                              • From Zoho CRM to Paper : Design & Print Data Directly using Canvas Print View

                                                                                                                Hello Everyone, We are excited to announce a new addition to your Canvas in Zoho CRM - Print View. Canvas print view helps you transform your custom CRM layouts into print-ready documents, so you can bring your digital data to the physical world with

                                                                                                              • Customizable UI components in pages | Theme builder

                                                                                                                Anyone know when these roadmap items are scheduled for release? They were originally scheduled for Q4 2025. https://www.zoho.com/creator/product-roadmap.html

                                                                                                              • Unify Overlapping Functionalities Across Zoho Products

                                                                                                                Hi Zoho One Team, We would like to raise a concern about the current overlap of core functionalities across various Zoho applications. While Zoho offers a rich suite of tools, many applications include similar or identical features—such as shift management,

                                                                                                              • Filter in fields from Jira extension

                                                                                                                We have installed the Jira extension so we can maken Jira issues from Zoho desk. In Zoho desk I can also see the Jira issue status for example but I can not filter on this field. I would like to setup an filter showing me the closed Jira issues. How can

                                                                                                              • text length in list report mobile/tablet

                                                                                                                Is there a way to make the full text of a text field appear in the list report on mobile and tablet? With custom layouts, the text is always truncated after a certain number of characters.

                                                                                                              • Zoho Creator customer portal limitation | Zoho One

                                                                                                                I'm asking you all for any feedback as to the logic or reasoning behind drastically limiting portal users when Zoho already meters based on number of records. I'm a single-seat, Zoho One Enterprise license holder. If my portal users are going to add records, wouldn't that increase revenue for Zoho as that is how Creator is monetized? Why limit my customer portal to only THREE external users when more users would equate to more records being entered into the database?!? (See help ticket reply below.)

                                                                                                              • Link Contacts to Billed Accounts

                                                                                                                Hello, I want to do a survey on all my customers of 2025. For that I want to select all contacts linked to accounts who where billed in 2025. How to I create this link to I can then use Zoho Survey with this database of contacts?

                                                                                                              • Export all of our manuals from Zoho Learn in one go

                                                                                                                Hi, I know there's a way to export manuals in Zoho Learn, but I want to export everything in one go so it won't take so long. I can't see a way to do this, can I get some assistance or is this a feature in the pipeline? Thanks, Hannah

                                                                                                              • Bring Zoho Shifts Capabilities into Zoho People Shift Module

                                                                                                                Hello Zoho People Product Team, After a deep review of the Zoho People Shift module and a direct comparison with Zoho Shifts, we would like to raise a feature request and serious concern regarding the current state of shift management in Zoho People.

                                                                                                              • Historical Sales Info - Blend with Finance Invoice Line Items, Access in CRM and Desk

                                                                                                                My company has been using Zoho One since 2021, with sales data going back through 2020. However, we have been in business much longer, and we have historical sales information that we want to have at our fingertips when talking with customers (usually

                                                                                                              • Is there API Doc for Zoho Survey?

                                                                                                                Hi everyone, Is there API doc for Zoho Survey? Currently evaluating a solution - use case to automate survey administration especially for internal use. But after a brief search, I couldn't find API doc for this. So I thought I should ask here. Than

                                                                                                              • Pre-Zoho Sales Info - Best Way to Add to Desk / CRM

                                                                                                                My company has been using Zoho One since 2021, with sales data going back through 2020. However, we have been in business much longer, and we have historical sales information that we want to have at our fingertips when talking with customers (usually

                                                                                                              • Shift-Centric View for Assigning and Managing Shifts in Zoho People

                                                                                                                Hello Zoho People Product Team, Greetings and hope you are doing well. This feature request is related to Zoho People - please don't move it to zoho one! We would like to submit a feature request regarding the shift assignment and management view in Zoho

                                                                                                              • CRM function REST API response format

                                                                                                                Is there a way to control the JSON response returned by the CRM function REST API? If I call a function using either OAuth or an API key it returns a 200 OK response with a string in the format shown below. I am using a particular feature of an external

                                                                                                              • Add Employee Availability Functionality to Zoho People Shift Module

                                                                                                                Hello Zoho People Product Team, Greetings and hope you are doing well. We would like to submit a feature request to enhance the Zoho People Shift module by adding employee availability management, similar to the functionality available in Zoho Shifts.

                                                                                                              • Using MPN across multiple SKUs and inventory tracking

                                                                                                                I have several different SKU's that share a common MPN and would like to track inventory by MPN. SKU1 has MPN1 assigned SKU2 has MPN1 assigned Here is an example If I start with 5 of MPN 1 in stock I want each SKU1 and SKU2 to show as 5 in stock, If I

                                                                                                              • Unable to Access Application:

                                                                                                                Whenever I try to access my application from the desktop, say I am editing it and want to test something in the desktop environment I get: An error has occurred. An internal error has occurred. Please check the URL , or try refreshing the page I can edit

                                                                                                              • Adding custom "lookup" fields in Zoho Customization

                                                                                                                How can I add a second “lookup” field in Zoho? I’m trying to create another lookup that pulls from my Contacts, but the option doesn’t appear in the module customization sidebar. In many cases, a single work order involves multiple contacts. Ideally,

                                                                                                              • Cannot see Application from Lookup field

                                                                                                                Hi all, I am trying to access data for an application on our account via a lookup field; however, the application doesn't appear in the dropdown at all. Can anyone shed any light on this, please? I have asked Zoho support; however, they're just as confused,

                                                                                                              • Cannot see correct DNS config for mail after moving domain to another provider

                                                                                                                I have moved my domain from one provider to another and after that zoho mail stopped working (expected). Problem is, zoho mail admin panel still shows (10 hours after move) that all records are correct while I haven't changed anything in my domain DNS

                                                                                                              • Zoho CRM Meetings Module Issues

                                                                                                                We have a use-case that is very common in today's world, but won't work in Zoho CRM. We have an SDR (Sales Development Rep) who makes many calls per day to Leads and Contacts, and schedules meetings for our primary Sales Reps. He does this by logging

                                                                                                              • Zoho Books integration sync from Zoho CRM does not work

                                                                                                                Hi Zoho Community & Zoho Support We just tried to get a sync some products into Zoho Books from CRM using the native sync and we're getting an error: "It looks like some mandatory fields you're trying to map are empty. Please provide valid field names

                                                                                                              • P & L Sub-categorized accounts

                                                                                                                How can I show sub-categorized Income and Expense accounts on the P & L report?

                                                                                                              • Report showing Bill Details with Project and Sales Invoice Number

                                                                                                                Hi There, I am hoping that someone can help, I am looking for report that can show the bill and expense details along with project its as assigned to and the invoice number that the sales has been raised in. The goal is I can filter a customer/project

                                                                                                              • Advanced Payment for Inventory Items with serial numbers

                                                                                                                Hello, We sell equipment that we track the unique serial numbers on using Sales Orders. We can charge the customers an advanced payment, then the balance on delivery. We cannot figure out a way to do this in Books/Inventory: - Cannot part invoice a SO

                                                                                                              • Is it possible to restrict ZCRM user to see only custom views created by administrator

                                                                                                                I have segmented data in my CRM and I want to allow different users to be able to see only parts of it based on some criteria. I've tried to create and share a custom view, but then there is always an option for user to see all open lead for example.

                                                                                                              • Next Page