Kaizen #202 - Answering Your Questions | Testing and Using REST APIs in Widgets
Hello Developers!
Welcome back to a fresh week of Kaizen!
Thank you for your active participation in sharing feedback and queries for the 200th milestone. This week, we will look at the following queries related to widget:
- Widget Testing
- Using REST API in Canvas Widgets: Make HTTP calls in widgets (e.g., to external tax or product APIs)
Here are the queries that we have already answered for you from this milestone:
- Kaizen #200 - Answering Your Questions | Token generation using the Python SDK
- Kaizen #201 - Answering Your Questions | Webhooks, Functions, and Schedules
Widget Testing
One of the queries we received was simply stated
Widget Testing
without any specific context. Since the user has not provided detailed input, we are assuming this is about how to test a widget during development.
You can test your Zoho CRM widget locally using the Zoho CLI. Run the following command from the root directory of your widget project:
zet run |
This launches the widget on a local server where you can validate the UI and functionality before pushing it live.
Since the localhost connection opens in a new tab and is not private, you will need to manually authorize it.
Click Advanced, then choose Proceed to 127.0.0.1 (unsafe) to continue.
Note
If your widget needs to access data from your Zoho CRM organization, such as fetching or updating records, it must be deployed within a Zoho CRM iframe. To do this, you should upload the widget through the Zoho CRM Widgets setup page.
We recommend using the sandbox environment in such cases before deploying the widget to your production environment.
Making HTTP Calls from Widget
Following is a query we received from a user:
Using REST API in Canvas Widgets: Make HTTP calls in widgets (e.g., to external tax or product APIs)
Yes. You can make HTTP requests to external services from any type of Zoho CRM widget using the ZOHO.CRM.HTTP object from the Widget JS SDK.
Canvas Widget - What's Supported?
Though full widget support within Canvas is on our roadmap, currently, you can invoke widgets from a Canvas view using Client Script. This lets you render widgets inside fly-outs or pop-ups. Here is a quick start guide on how you can achieve it:
Create a Widget
1. Create a widget project and code your logic using Zoho CLI as explained in our widget help page.
2. In Zoho CRM Developer Hub, create a new widget and set the type as Button.
Create a Client Script
3. Navigate to Client Scripts in Developer Hub and click New Script.
4. You can create your script either in the Modules or Commands category based on your use case.
In the Category Details section, ensure to select Canvas as the page type. Canvas views are supported in the following page contexts: List, Detail, Create, and Clone.
Choose the one that aligns with where your widget needs to appear.
5. Here is the sample script to render widget in a pop-up.
ZDK.Client.openPopup({ api_name: 'Canvas_Widget', type: 'widget', animation_type: 4, height: '450px', width: '450px', }, { data: 'sample data to be passed to "PageLoad" event of widget' }); |
Here is the sample script to render widget in a fly-out.
ZDK.Client.createFlyout('myFlyout', { animation_type: 4, height: '600px', width: '500px' } ); ZDK.Client.getFlyout('myFlyout').open({ api_name: 'Canvas_Widget', type: 'widget' }); |
You can also check out the Kaizen #99 on Rendering Widgets using Client Script for a detailed guide based on a real-time use case.
Using REST APIs from External Applications
The ZOHO.CRM.HTTP object enables you to make secure API calls directly from the Zoho CRM widget. It acts as a proxy, routing requests through Zoho servers, which eliminates the need for external applications to support CORS.
While this SDK is primarily used for integrating third-party services, it also supports Zoho CRM API calls. This provides you with greater flexibility to:
- Customize header and parameter structures
- Maintain a consistent calling pattern for both internal and external APIs within the widget.
Here is a basic syntax of the SDK:
ZOHO.CRM.HTTP.<method>({ url: "<request-url>", headers: { // Request headers as Key-value pairs "Authorization": "Bearer <token>" // example }, params: { // Request params as Key-value pairs "ids": "1234567890" // example }, body: "<stringified JSON>", // Required for POST, PUT and PATCH }) .then(function(response) { console.log("Response:", response); }); |
Supported Methods
- ZOHO.CRM.HTTP.get({ ... })
- ZOHO.CRM.HTTP.post({ ... })
- ZOHO.CRM.HTTP.put({ ... })
- ZOHO.CRM.HTTP.patch({ ... })
- ZOHO.CRM.HTTP.delete({ ... })
For more detail check out the HTTP method section of JS SDK help page.
Samples using Zoho CRM Contact Roles API
Let us explore a complete CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) example using Zoho CRM’s Contact Roles API.
These structures have to be used within the JS function where you are executing your code logic.
POST Contact Roles
POST Contact Roles
// Prepare the API request var request = { url: "https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v8/Contacts/roles", headers: { Authorization: "Zoho-oauthtoken 1000.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX265bcf20e4" }, body: { "contact_roles": [ { "name": "Sales Lead", "sequence_number": 1 } ] } }; // Make API call ZOHO.CRM.HTTP.post(request).then(function(data) { console.log(data); }) |
GET Contact Roles
// Prepare the API request var request = { url: "https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v8/Contacts/roles", headers: { Authorization: "Zoho-oauthtoken 1000.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX265bcf20e4" } }; // Make API call ZOHO.CRM.HTTP.get(request) .then(function(response) { console.log(response); }) |
UPDATE Contact Roles
// Prepare the API request var request = { headers: { Authorization: "Zoho-oauthtoken 1000.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX265bcf20e4" }, body: { "contact_roles": [ { "name": "Evaluator", "id": "5545974000000006871" } ] } }; // Make API call ZOHO.CRM.HTTP.put(request).then(function(data) { console.log(data); }) |
DELETE Contact Roles
// Prepare the API request var request = { params: { ids: "5545974000002617002" }, headers: { Authorization: "Zoho-oauthtoken 1000.XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX265bcf20e4" } }; // Make API call ZOHO.CRM.HTTP.delete(request).then(function(data) { console.log(data); }) |
We hope you found this post useful.
Let us know if you have any questions in the comments or drop us an email at support@zohocrm.com.
Cheers!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related Reading
1. Widget - An Overview, CLI Installation, Working with Widgets, JS SDKs, Mobile Compatibility of Widgets and Kaizens
3. Canvas - Getting Started, Purpose and Benefits
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Previous Kaizen : Answering Your Questions | Webhooks, Functions, and Schedules | Kaizen Directory: Home
Access your files securely from anywhere
Centralize Knowledge. Transform Learning.
All-in-one knowledge management and training platform for your employees and customers.
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
Kiruthiga G
Haiku Technical Support
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 thisKaizen #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 howKaizen #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
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
Removing To or CC Addresses from Desk Ticket
I was hoping i could find a way to remove unnecessary email addresses from tickets submitted via email. For example, a customer may email the support address AND others who are in the helpdesk notification group, in either the TO or CC address. This resultsFrom 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 withAnnouncing Kiosk 1.1 - Customize screen titles, configure new fields & actions, use values from your Kiosk to update fields, and more.
Hello all We are back again with more enhancements to Kiosk. So what's new? Enhancements made to the Components Add titles for your Kiosk screens and adjust its width to suit your viewing preferences. Three new fields can be added to your screen: Percentage,CRM Percent custom fields: When will it show the % symbol and behave like %?
1. Actually Percent custom fields fail to show the % symbol. 2. When in formulas Percent fields work like number: 100 x 5% = 5 ideal world 100 x 5% = 500 what happens actually 3. When importing Percent fields the % symbol has to be removed and the dataIntroducing Color Coding of Picklist Values
Dear Everyone, Greetings!! Zoho CRM is uplifting the user experience. Recently, we had some notable aesthetic improvements in CRM like Kanban View UI enhancement, New List view UI enhancement, color coding of tags, and color coding of picklists in meetings.Where can I find the best mail backup tool for Windows?
Later this evening I found Mail Backup Tool in google. Actually I was looking for a solution to download/save emails to my local drive. As I had plenty of important data stored in my email account. So i was not in a mood to take this thing lightly. This made me curious to found any software which can help me to backup my data to hard drive. Then I found the above application which was like a gem. A complete email backup solution for Zoho Mail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Office 365 and more than 40+ emailMailbox storage showing incorrect usage
My mailbox shows 4.99 GB used out of 5 GB. However, actual mailbox usage is only around 394 MB. Trash and Spam are already empty. IMAP/POP is not enabled. WorkDrive is not in use. This appears to be a storage calculation issue. Please help to recalculateSuper Admin Logging in as another User
How can a Super Admin login as another user. For example, I have a sales rep that is having issues with their Accounts and I want to view their Zoho Account with out having to do a GTM and sharing screens. Moderation Update (8th Aug 2025): We are workingEs posible cambiar el lenguaje de los modulos del ASAP?
Es posible cambiar el lenguaje de estos textos? Tengo Zoho configurado en español pero aun así me muestra estos textos en ingles:Option to Automatically Publish Job Openings to the Career Website via API or Workflow
Currently, when creating Job Openings using the Zoho Recruit API, the records are successfully inserted into the system. However, there is no way to automatically publish these Job Openings to the Career Website. In the Job Opening field data, there areEvaluate applicants faster: Profile Summary and Skill Sets now in Applications
Evaluating applicants often requires switching between modules to understand their skills and background. With this update, we’ve extended two capabilities directly to the Applications module: Skill Sets and Profile Summary. You can now review applicantsFree webinar: How to use passkeys with Zoho Vault
Hi everyone! Passkeys are transforming the way we sign in—making authentication safer, faster, and completely passwordless. No more memorizing complex passwords or worrying about credential theft. With Zoho Vault, you can securely manage both passwordsAdding Markdown text using Zoho Desk API into the Knowledge Base
Hi Zoho Community members, We currently maintain the documentation of out company in its website. This documentation is written in markdown text format and we would like to add it in Zoho Knowledge Base. Do you know if there is REST API functionalityIs it possible to embed Zoho Bookmarks in the Cliq sidebar?
Is there any way that each Zoho user can access their bookmarks (that live in https://bookmarks.zoho.eu/ which is technically a part of Zoho Mail) directly within Cliq? As a widget, or an item in the sidebar? My team does not use Mail, it uses Cliq allEnhancing Zia's service with better contextual responses and article generation
Hello everyone, We are enhancing Zia's Generative AI service to make your support experience smarter. Here's how: Increased accuracy with Qwen One of the key challenges in AI is delivering responses that are both contextually accurate and empathetic whileLet us add Lookup fields in the Blueprint Transitions
We are unable to add Lookup Fields in the blueprint transitions in Zoho Desk, we wanted to make it a requirement for our workflow but since it's not available in the transition we cannot. The lookup field exists in the Layout: But it cannot be added/selectedHow can we clear a signature field with deluge?
I would like to clear a signature field in the Edit -> On Load. I have tried input.signature = ""; input.signature = null; clear input.signature; None of the above is working. is there any other way I am missing?Online PDF Editor
Hello Team, There is a small glitch i found when i was using your online software called "PDF Editor", There is a menu bar on right side comes when we click on 3 dots for any pdf, but that entire menu has no options to choose, that is totally blank, pleaseHow do I disconnect my Salesforce integration?
I need to integrate a different Salesforce sandbox with my Zoho form.Zoho Recruit - Email Relay
Good day, Has anyone succeeded in setting up an email relay for Office 365? If I add the details from https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/pop-imap-and-smtp-settings-8361e398-8af4-4e97-b147-6c6c4ac95353, I get the connection error. Regards, EkaZoho Recruit -> Exchange Online Relay
HI! I have tried to connect Recruit to our MS 365 Exchange Online without any luck. I use this guide https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/recruit/outreach/email-relay/articles/email-relay-zoho-recruit#Configuring_Email_Relay_Settings Do anyone have theError AS101 when adding new email alias
Hi, I am trying to add apple@(mydomain).com The error AS101 is shown while I try to add the alias.an issue in Zoho CRM where the workflow rule is not triggering
H I’m currently facing an issue in Zoho CRM where the workflow rule is not triggering when a new lead is created through a webform. I’ve double-checked the criteria and field updates, everything seems fine but it still doesn’t fire. Has anyone faced this401 Unauthenticated Error – Zoho CRM to Google Sheets Integration
Hi I'm building an Automation Function in Zoho CRM using Deluge that appends contact data from Zoho CRM into a Google Sheet whenever a new contact is created. WHAT I'VE DONE: I created a connection in Zoho CRM (Developer Hub → Connections) with the followingPower up your Kiosk Studio with Real-Time Data Capture, Client Scripts & More!
Hello Everyone, We’re thrilled to announce a powerful set of enhancements to Kiosk Studio in Zoho CRM. These new updates give you more flexibility, faster record handling, and real-time data capture, making your Kiosk flows smarter and more efficientIncome not showing in direct bank feed
Hi, I am trying to enter income without knowing or mentioning customer, as i am told, my client wants single or cash basis accounting but i seriously struggling......................I am not able to check in and checkout in zoho people even location access allowed
This issue i am facing in mackbook air m1, I allowed location in chrome browser and i also tried in safari but getting similar issue. Please have a look ASAP.Preview future shift rotation in Shift Schedule
Hi, What if, instead of the current behavior, the Shift Rotation feature in Zoho People allowed users to preview future shift schedules before the scheduler execution? Currently, when a shift rotation is configured (for example, monthly rotation), theAutomatically Update Ticket Status in Zoho Desk Based on Actions in Zoho Projects
Hi Zoho Desk Team, Hope you’re doing well. We’re using the Zoho Desk–Zoho Projects integration to manage tasks related to customer tickets, and it works well for linking and tracking progress. However, there are a few important automation capabilitiesSign Out
Hello, I have a doubt with Permalink. I have a view created with critera to show only the records belonging to the user who has sign in. The problem is that the different users use the same computer and some times the user login keep signed, and when I send the permalink (by email) of the view, the users enter with other login signed. Moreover the permalink view doesn�t allow to do a log out. May I add something in the permalink to request always sign in? Sorry for my English. Many thanks! RegardsAnnouncing new features in Trident for Windows (v.1.39.4.0)
Hello Community! Trident for Windows just received a major update, with a range of capabilities that focuses on strengthening communication and simplifying workflows. Let’s dive into what’s new! Upload email attachments to WorkDrive. Until now, you couldIntroducing Automatic Field Addition (Text Tags) in Zoho Sign
Hello, Today we are excited to announce the general availability of automatic field addition (text tags) feature in Zoho Sign. Now, you can now add text tags in the content of your documents and Zoho Sign will automatically add the corresponding fields when they are uploaded for the signing process. For example: when you add text tags to your sales orders, new employee contracts, and NDAs, Zoho Sign will add the corresponding fields when these documents are uploaded for the signing process. If youIntroducing Built-in Telephony in Zoho Recruit
We’re excited to introduce Built-in Telephony in Zoho Recruit, designed to make recruiter–candidate communication faster, simpler, and fully traceable. These capabilities help you reduce app switching, handle inbound calls efficiently, and keep everyWrite-Off multiple invoices and tax calculation
Good evening, I have many invoices which are long overdue and I do not expect them to be paid. I believe I should write them off. I did some tests and I have some questions: - I cannot find a way to write off several invoices together. How can I do that,Splitting Transactions in Zoho Books
I have read in past forum posts that the ability to split bank transactions would likely be implemented - it's definitely a typical accounting program feature. I'm new to Zoho and thought I'd found nirvana until I realized this feature doesn't seem toStatement Aging On Cutomer Statement
Hello, Is it possible to put aging on customer statements? Current 1-30days 31-60days 61-90days 91-120days Over 120 days. See attached image from another accounting package. Many customers pay off a statement and clear older invoices.Unveiling the next iteration of Ask Zia in Zoho CRM: An all-new chat interface, conversation history, actions, and much more
Your CRM assistant just leveled up. Zoho CRM's Ask Zia functionality now offers a more conversational and context-aware experience to help you not just understand your data, but act on it—all from one chat window. With its redesigned interface and expandedResponse rate and time on social media
Hello, I just want to know if it's possible to manage the response rate and response time from my social media on zoho social ? I don't see any statistical reports on the online scoreboard ? Thank you in advance for your response and sorry if the question has already been postedWhatsapp BOT with CRM
Hello, how do you use Whatsapp integrations in zoho CRM?Ability to translate Zoho CRM Kiosks
Hi team, Is support for translating kiosk text and screen names in the Zoho CRM translation tool planned on the roadmap? Thanks,Next Page