Kaizen #21 - Functions in Zoho CRM

Kaizen #21 - Functions in Zoho CRM

Hello everyone!

Welcome back to another week in the Kaizen series!
This week, we will discuss Functions in detail.

What will you learn from this post?
  1. What are Functions in Zoho CRM?
  2. Creating a function
    1. Choosing a function category
    2. Function body
  3. Integration Tasks
  4. Triggering Functions
    1. From Zoho CRM functionalities
    2. From third-party applications
  5. Limits of Functions

1. What are Functions in Zoho CRM?
  • Functions help you accomplish the tasks that are not available by default in Zoho CRM. 
  • You must write custom functions using DELUGE [Data Enriched Language for the Universal Grid Environment]—An online scripting language.
  • Using custom functions, you can automate actions within Zoho CRM, across Zoho products, or between Zoho CRM and any other third-party application.
Note:
Functions are supported only in the enterprise and ultimate editions.

2. Creating a function

To create a function:

Step 1: Go to Setup > Developer Space > Functions


Step 2: Click +New Function


Step 3: Enter details like the Function Name, Display Name, Description, and choose the function category.


2a. Choosing a function category

Functions can fall under five categories:
  • Button: The function gets executed when the user clicks the custom button.
  • Automation: The function gets executed based on workflow rules.
  • Schedule: The function gets executed based on a schedule.
  • Related List: The function gets invoked from a related list.
  • Standalone: A stand-alone function that can be triggered externally.
  • Validation Rule: The function gets executed based on a validation rule.

Step 4: Write the function logic in the console. To know more about DELUGE, refer to Deluge.
Here is an example of a function that automatically generates a quote from a deal on just the click of a button. In DealToQuote() function, the input values are extracted from deals. You can also choose to get them from the users as arguments or JSON request body.


2b. Function Body
potDetails = zoho.crm.getRecordById("Deals",potId.toLong());//integration task
/*Extracting details from the deal*/
quotesubject = ifnull(potDetails.get("Deal_Name"),""); 
contact = ifnull(potDetails.get("Contact_Name").get("id"),""); 
account = ifnull(potDetails.get("Account_Name").get("id"),"");
description = ifnull(potDetails.get("Description"),"");
RelatedProducts = zoho.crm.getRelatedRecords("Products","Potentials",potId.toLong());
product_items = List();
sub = 0.0;
/*Extracting product details from the deal and adding it to quote*/
for each product in RelatedProducts
{
proid = product.get("id");
proname = product.get("Product_Name");
productDesc = ifnull(product.get("Description"),"Manque Description Produit !!!");
quantity = 1;
price = ifnull(product.get("Unit_Price"),"0.0").toDecimal();
listprice = price * quantity;
lineitem = Map();
lineitem.put("product",{"name":proname,"id":proid});
lineitem.put("product_description",productDesc);
lineitem.put("quantity",quantity);
lineitem.put("net_total",listprice);
lineitem.put("total",listprice);
lineitem.put("list_price",listprice);
sub = sub + listprice;
product_items.add(lineitem);
}
/*Storing quote details*/
paramap = Map();
paramap.put("Product_Details",product_items);
paramap.put("Subject",quotesubject);
paramap.put("Contact_Name",contact);
paramap.put("Account_Name",account);
paramap.put("Deal_Name",potId.toLong());
paramap.put("Sub_Total",sub);
paramap.put("Grand_Total",sub);
paramap.put("Description",description);
createResp = zoho.crm.createRecord("Quotes",paramap);
info paramap;
info createResp;
newid = createResp.get("id");
return "Success";

Step 5: Once you have written your logic, click save and execute.


Step 6: Enter the argument values, if any.


Step 7: If your function gets executed successfully, you will get a success message.

Step 7: Click Save.

3. Integration Tasks
Integration tasks are pre-defined functions that allow you to get, create, and update records in Zoho CRM. You can simply use these method names in your Deluge script along with the required data to make API calls. 
In the above example, we have used the getRecordById() integration task that retrieves the details of the deal. For instance, the Deal Name, Contact Name, Account Name, and so on.

Syntax:
<response>=zoho.crm.getRecordById(<module_name>, <record_ID>, <connections>);

Parameters:
Parameter
Description
response
The response with the list of records matching the criteria.
module_name
string, mandatory
The API name of the module you want to fetch the records from.
record_ID
string, mandatory
The unique ID of the record.
connections
string, optional
The connectors that are associated with the function.

Example:
potDetails = zoho.crm.getRecordById("Deals",potId.toLong());

Some of the other available integration tasks are:
To know more about integration tasks, click here.

4. Triggering functions

A function needs a trigger to get executed. You can trigger a function in two ways:
      4a. From Zoho CRM functionality
      4b. From third-party applications

Scenario:
Functions are primarily used to write custom business logic in Zoho CRM. Consider a scenario, where you want your sales representatives to create a quote after reviewing the deal. Instead of letting them create each quote manually, you can add a custom button in the Edit Deal page, which when clicked upon, triggers a function that creates a quote. 

Also, you can configure a third-party system to automatically create a quote in Zoho CRM when the deal amount is less than 1000 OR the deal stage is closed-won. Thus, avoiding manual intervention and enabling them to emphasise on substantial deals. 

Let us discuss how to trigger the DealToQuote() function via a custom button and a third-party application. You can also trigger the same function from a third-party application as a REST API webhook

4a. From Zoho CRM functionality (Custom Button)
  1. Go to Setup > Customization > Modules and Fields.
  2. From the List of Modules, select the required module.
  3. In the Links & Buttons tab, click Create New Button.
  4. In the Create Your Button page, do the following:
    1. Enter the name of the button. The button name should not exceed 30 characters.
    2. Click the Add Description link and specify the details of your custom button. The description should not exceed 250 characters.
    3. Choose the location of your custom button from the drop-down list.
    4. Custom buttons can be placed in 6 different places in your CRM account - Create/Clone page, Edit page, View page, List View page, a button to each record in the list view and Related Lists Page. Note that you can create up to 50 buttons for each module.
  5. Choose an action to be executed when a user clicks the custom button. You can either choose a predefined action from the gallery or the existing functions that were already created by the users in your organization. Also, define your own action by writing a custom function, open a new web tab or invoke a URL based on your needs. It is mandatory to choose the button action. In our case, From Existing Actions in Functions. Choose the function and click Configure.


6. Map the input values to the fields in that module and click Save.


Once the custom button is associated with an action, CRM Administrators can manage permissions by assigning only specific profiles to view and access the custom button.

Similarly, you can associate functions with SchedulesWorkflowsValidation Rules, and Related Lists.

To know more, click here.

4b. From third-party applications

Here, we are going to configure a third-party system to automatically create a quote in Zoho CRM when the deal amount is less than 1000 OR the deal stage is closed-won, thus avoiding manual intervention. 

To achieve this, we are going to trigger the DealToQuote() function from a third-party application (automate.io), whenever the above conditions are met. 



If you want to trigger a function from a third-party application, you must make it available as REST API. 

1. Go to SetupDeveloper SpaceFunctions
2. Choose the function > Click more options > Click REST API


3.Enter the API name for the function. 
4. Enable OAuth 2.0 to share the function as an API within your organization and enable API key to share the function as a webhook with any third-party user.
Click Save.


You must make the API call from the third-party application using the request URL received here.

The DealToQuote() function is triggered from a third-party application (automate.io). You can achieve the same using:
  • Zoho Flow
  • Zoho CRM workflow rule that is triggered whenever a deal is updated
Sample bot configuration in automate.io:


We have triggered the DealToQuote() function using custom button as well as a third-party application. 



5. Limits of Functions
Function calls in Zoho CRM are associated with credits. Each function call results in reduction of one credit from your account. 
Maximum credit limit based on your edition
Edition
Allowed Credits
Maximum credits that can be availed in a 24 hour window
Starter
5,000 credits + (Number of User licenses x 200)
10,000 credits
Standard
5,000 credits + (Number of User licenses x 200)
15,000 credits
Professional
5,000 credits + (Number of User licenses x 200)
20,000 credits
Enterprise/Zoho One/CRM Plus
20,000 credits + (Number of User licenses x 500)
1,00,000 credits
Ultimate
20,000 credits + (Number of User licenses X 1000)
2,00,000 credits

Limits based on properties of a function
Functionality
Description
Limits
Execution Time
Function should be executed within the specified time.
1 minute
Response Limit
Function should return the response within a particular size.
10 MB
Lines of execution
The number of lines in a function code has a limit.
200,000
Send Mail
The number of emails that you can using the send mail syntax has a limit.
1000 per day
Webhooks
GET and POST URLs
50,000 requests per day

For more tips, refer to function tips.

We hope you found this post useful. Stay tuned for more!

Cheers!

Previous 'Kaizen' - Node JS SDK
Next 'Kaizen' - Connections in Zoho CRM

    Access your files securely from anywhere











                            Zoho Developer Community





                                                  • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                  • Digest


                                                  • Functions


                                                  • Meetups


                                                  • Kbase


                                                  • Resources


                                                  • Glossary


                                                  • Desk Marketplace


                                                  • MVP Corner


                                                  • Word of the Day


                                                  • Ask the Experts





                                                            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 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

                                                                                                            • Market cap

                                                                                                              Market cap formula?? Kaise nikale
                                                                                                            • Zoho Sheet for Desktop

                                                                                                              Does Zoho plans to develop a Desktop version of Sheet that installs on the computer like was done with Writer?
                                                                                                            • Option to Customize Career Site URL Without “/jobs/Careers”

                                                                                                              Dear Zoho Recruit Team, I hope you are doing well. We would like to request an enhancement to the Career Site URL structure in Zoho Recruit. In the old version of the career site, our URL was simply: 👉 https://jobs.domain.com However, after moving to
                                                                                                            • SOME FEATURES ARE NOT IN THE ZOHO SHEET IN COMPARISION TO ZOHO SHEET

                                                                                                              TO ZOHO sir/maam with due to respect i want to say that i am using ZOHO tool which is spreadsheet i want to say that some features are not there in zoho sheet as comparison to MS EXCEL like advance filter and other Features which should be there in ZOHO
                                                                                                            • Auto-upload Creator Files to WorkDrive

                                                                                                              Hi everyone, I’m working on a workflow that uploads files from Zoho Creator to specific subfolders in Zoho WorkDrive, as illustrated in the attached diagram. My Creator application form has two multi-file upload fields, and I want—on successful form submission—to
                                                                                                            • Google enhanced conversions not working

                                                                                                              Hi guys, I've connected Zoho CRM through Google Ads interface with the goal to setup the enhanced conversion tracking in Google Ads. I have to Zoho related conversion goals which you can see in the images below: For the conversion goal above I've setup
                                                                                                            • Need Help to setup plugs along with codeless bot buidler. To send sms OTPs to users via Zoho Voice and to verify it

                                                                                                              Need Help to setup plugs along with codeless bot buidler. To send sms OTPs to users via Zoho Voice and to verify it. I get leads from our website and we need to make sure those are not junk. So we are using proactive chat bot and we need mobile OTPs to
                                                                                                            • Direct Integration Between Zoho Cliq Meetings and Google Calendar

                                                                                                              Dear Zoho Team, We’d like to submit the following feature request based on our current use case and the challenges we’re facing: 🎯 Feature Request: Enable meetings scheduled in Zoho Cliq to be automatically added to the host's Google Calendar, not just
                                                                                                            • Cliq iOS can't see shared screen

                                                                                                              Hello, I had this morning a video call with a colleague. She is using Cliq Desktop MacOS and wanted to share her screen with me. I'm on iPad. I noticed, while she shared her screen, I could only see her video, but not the shared screen... Does Cliq iOS is able to display shared screen, or is it somewhere else to be found ? Regards
                                                                                                            • Zoho Desk - Cannot Invite or Register New User

                                                                                                              Hi who may concern, we encountered a problem that we cannot invite user or the visitor cannot register for a user at all through our help center portal, with the snapshot shown as below and the attachement. It always pops up that "Sorry, Unable to process
                                                                                                            • Zoho sheet

                                                                                                              Unable to share zoho sheet with anyone on internet with editer option only view option is show
                                                                                                            • Allocating inventory to specific SO's

                                                                                                              Is there a way that allocate inventory to a specific sales order? For example, let's say we have 90 items in stock. Customer 1 orders 100 items. This allocates all 90 items to their order, and they have a back order for the remaining 10 items which could
                                                                                                            • Mail and OS

                                                                                                              Jai Hind! Zoho is doing good by creating good software (made in india) on par with other tech giants. 🥰 Suggestion: 1. Whenever we sign up on zoho mail its asking for other mail id. It shouldn't be like that. You should ask general details of a user
                                                                                                            • Personal account created under org account

                                                                                                              Hi there, I am Jayesh. We are using ME Central, and we have an account by the email ID soc@kissht.com.. Now I have created a personal account., jayesh.auti@zohomail.in, accidentally. Can you help me to remove this jayesh.auti@zohomail.in from my organization
                                                                                                            • Add another account

                                                                                                              How to add another mail account to my zoho mail.
                                                                                                            • Recover deleted user

                                                                                                              Hi by mistake i have deleted an added user and his email associated. Please help me recover it thank you.
                                                                                                            • No connection to the server

                                                                                                              Hello! I can't add a new email address to my mailbox because your server is rejecting me. Please help. I took and added a screenshot of this problem Marek Olbrys
                                                                                                            • URGENT: Business Email Disruption – SMTP Authentication Failed

                                                                                                              Dear Zoho Support, I am writing to escalate a critical issue with my business email account: 📧 marek@olbrys.de My domain olbrys.de is fully verified in Zoho (MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC all valid – green status). I am using the correct configuration: smtp.zoho.eu
                                                                                                            • Emails missing from desktop but visible on phone

                                                                                                              Subject says it all. Windows 11 laptop. Apple phone. all systems up to date.
                                                                                                            • Website Hosting

                                                                                                              Hello, I want to host my domain on Hostinger, and I want my emails to run through Zoho Mail. Please provide me with the SPF record, MX record (Type: TXT), and A record, so that I don’t face any issues with my emails. My website is on Hostinger hosting,
                                                                                                            • Can not search zoho mail after update V.1.7.0

                                                                                                              i can not search mail on to and cc box from attached picture and then search contacts box can't click or use anything. include replay mail too.
                                                                                                            • Urgent Security Feature Request – Add MFA to Zoho Projects Client Portal Hello Zoho Projects Team,

                                                                                                              Hello Zoho Projects Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to submit an urgent security enhancement request regarding the Zoho Projects Client Portal. At this time, as far as we are aware, there is no Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) available
                                                                                                            • How to retreive the "To be received" value of an Item displayed in Zoho inventory.

                                                                                                              Hi everyone, We have our own Deluge code to generate a PO according to taget quantity and box quantity, pretty usefull and powerful! However, we want to reduce our quantity to order according to "To be received" variable. Seems like this might not even
                                                                                                            • Add Support for Authenticator App MFA in Zoho Desk Help Center

                                                                                                              Hello Zoho Desk Team, We hope you are doing well. We would like to request an enhancement related to security for the Zoho Desk Help Center (customer portal). Currently, the Help Center supports MFA for portal users via SAML, JWT, SMS authentication,
                                                                                                            • Payment on a past due balance

                                                                                                              Scenario: Customer is past due on their account for 4 months. We suspend their billing in Zoho books. Customer finally logs into the portal and enters a new credit card. We associate that cardwith their subscription, which will permit the card to be used
                                                                                                            • Instant Sync of Zoho CRM Data?

                                                                                                              With how valuable Zoho Analytics is to actually creating data driven dashboards/reports, we are surprised that there is no instant or near instant sync between Zoho CRM and Zoho Analytics. Waiting 3 hours is okay for most of our reports, but there are
                                                                                                            • Kaizen #211 - Answering your Questions | Using Canvas and Widgets to Tailor CRM for Mobile

                                                                                                              Howdy, tech wizards! We are back with the final post in addressing the queries you shared for our 200th milestone. This week, we are focusing on a couple of queries on Zoho CRM mobile configurations and custom payment gateway integration. 1. Mobile SDK
                                                                                                            • Remove "Invalid entries found. Rectify and submit again" modal

                                                                                                              Following up on a post from a few years back, but can the Zoho team consider either removing the 'Invalid entries found. Rectify and submit again' modal that displays for empty mandatory fields OR allow an admin to change it? I've built a custom error
                                                                                                            • Validation function not preventing candidates under 18 or over 30 from submitting the web form

                                                                                                              Hello everyone, I’m trying to create a validation rule for the Candidate Webform in Zoho Recruit. I added a custom field called “Date of Birth”, and I want to make sure that candidates cannot submit the form unless their age is between 18 and 30 years.
                                                                                                            • Remember all the ways we've posted?

                                                                                                              The world celebrates World Postal Day in 2025 with the theme “#PostForPeople: Local Service. Global Reach". The story of the “post” is a story of human connection itself, evolving from simple handwritten notes carried over long distances to instant digital
                                                                                                            • Custom domain issue

                                                                                                              I recently changed records for my support area custom domain for a few months, I then wanted to come back to Zoho, but now I can't connect it and I can't login as it's having an SSL issue. I cannot get a good response from support, as I've been notified
                                                                                                            • Cadence reports as front-end reports

                                                                                                              Hello everyone, We have built a cadence which is connected to the Leads module. There are 11 steps in total, 7 are automatic emails and 4 are tasks for the Lead owners. As admins, we have access to this (very nicely made) 'View Reports' tab where we can
                                                                                                            • Zoho Commerce in multiple languages

                                                                                                              When will you be able to offer Zoho Commerce in more languages? We sell in multiple markets and want to be able to offer a local version of our webshop. What does the roadmap look like?
                                                                                                            • Show elapsed time on the thank-you page?

                                                                                                              Is it possible to display the total time a user spent filling out a Zoho Form on the thank-you? I’d like to show the difference between the `form submission timestamp` and the `start time` (currently have a hidden Date-Time field set to autofill the date
                                                                                                            • The present is a "present"

                                                                                                              The conversation around mental health has been gaining attention in recent years. Even with this awareness, we often feel stuck; the relentless pace of modern life makes us too busy to pause, reflect, and recharge. In the world of customer support, this
                                                                                                            • Kaizen# 209 - Answering Your Questions | All About Client Script

                                                                                                              Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post! Thanks for all your feedback and questions. In this post, let's see the answers to your questions related to Client Script. We took the time to discuss with our development team, carefully
                                                                                                            • Email Integration - Zoho CRM - OAuth and IMAP

                                                                                                              Hello, We are attempting to integrate our Microsoft 365 email with Zoho CRM. We are using the documentation at Email Configuration for IMAP and POP3 (zoho.com) We use Microsoft 365 and per their recommendations (and requirements) for secure email we have
                                                                                                            • Search in Zoho Community Not Working

                                                                                                              I realize this is a bit of a meta topic, but the search for the various Zoho Communities appears to not be working. I'm under the impression that they run on some version of the Zoho Desk platform, so I'm posting this here.
                                                                                                            • I need to do crud with snippet html

                                                                                                              I need to implement a form with an improved user interface. I would like to use snippets to build a CRUD that allows me to create and update records. How could I achieve this using snippets?
                                                                                                            • Allow Stripe Credit Card and Stripe ACH payment methods to be enabled separately on an invoice.

                                                                                                              I need to be able to pick at the invoice level whether Stripe Credit Card and/or Stripe ACH payment methods are available. Currently, I'm not able to select from the two Stripe payment methods individually on an invoice. However, there are some larger
                                                                                                            • Next Page