Actions APIs - Field Updates
Hello all!!
Welcome back to a fresh Kaizen week.
In the previous weeks, we covered Workflow Rules APIs, Actions APIs - Email Notification APIs, and Tasks Update APIs.
This week, we will continue with another Actions API - the Field Update API in Zoho CRM.
Field Updates in Zoho CRM
The Field Update option helps you automatically update specific field values in records when the associated workflow rule is triggered.
Note: Field Updates can also be used in Blueprint and Approval Processes, but in this post, we will focus only on Field Updates used with Workflow Rules in Zoho CRM.
When multiple leads enter Zoho CRM each day, from small to large industries, the Sales team manages all these entries inside a module. Every single lead is important for a company, whether it comes from a small or large industry. High-profit leads should not be missed and must be treated with high priority, frequent follow-ups, and faster actions to convert them into won deals.
High-profit deals without Field Update
There are chances of missing or failing to prioritize high-profit deals when all entries are cluttered inside the same module. This leads to manual mistakes and confusion for the Sales team. It becomes manual work, which increases the possibility of missing high-profit Leads.
High-profit deals with Field Update
A Field Update + Workflow Rule can solve these issues by creating an automated process. This avoids manual intervention and reduces errors.
Use case
Zylker, an IT solutions provider, wants to give high-priority attention to leads coming from large industries or leads that have a high lead score, especially when the Lead Status is Not Contacted.
Whenever a lead has a Lead Score ≥ 80 and is Not Contacted, the system should automatically update a field called Profit Category and set it to High Profit.
Why Lead Score for our use case?
Lead Score shows how active and interested a lead is. A score of 80 or above means the lead is highly engaged and more likely to convert. This makes it a dependable way to identify important leads that need quick attention.
Scenario
Whenever a lead meets the following conditions:
- Lead Score ≥ 80
- Lead Status = Not Contacted
The system should automatically update the Profit Category field to High Profit, and add a Contact Immediately tag. This helps the Sales team quickly identify high-profit records even when many records are cluttered in the module.
This can be achieved using a Field Update combined with a Workflow Rule.
Why not just use a Custom View?
A custom view can filter and display leads that meet these conditions, but it still depends on the Sales team to open the view and take action. In a busy Leads module, important leads can be missed or delayed. Also, if you want to perform dependent actions, you will need to create and schedule a custom function manually.
With a Workflow and Field Update, the system emails and also trigger many other actions like Field Update, Webhooks, and so on to your executives about these leads automatically. In our case, the Profit Category and tag are updated the moment the lead meets the condition, making high-profit leads stand out everywhere in CRM - without relying on manual checks or someone remembering to look at a view.
Profit Category mapping based on Lead Score
Profit Category is a custom picklist field in the Leads module.
The following table shows how Zylker classifies profit categories based on Lead Score:
Lead Score | Profit Category |
20-40 | Minimal Profit |
40-60 | Average Profit |
60-80 | Good Profit |
80+ | High Profit |
In this use case, we focus only on the High Profit category.
Let us now see how to enable a Field Update in Zoho CRM through the UI.
Creating a Field Update via UI
To create a Field Update in Zoho CRM, follow the steps below:
- Go to Setup > Automation > Actions > Field Updates.
- Click Create Field Update.
- Enter the Name of the field update.
- Select the Module.
- Choose the Field that should be updated.
- Provide the value to be updated that must be applied.
- Save the Field Update.
Field Update Configuration
In this use case, a Field Update is created to modify the Profit Category field when the workflow rule is triggered.
Field Update Details:
- Name: Profit Category
- Module: Leads
- Field to Update: Profit Category
- New Value: High Profit
This Field Update will be used as an action inside the workflow rule.
How to create the workflow for this use case and associate this Field Update with the workflow has been covered in the following section of this post.
UI - Field Update Creation ViewCreating a Field Update via API
You can create a Field Update using the Create Field Update API available from Zoho CRM API version 8.
Request URL: {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/automation/field_updates
Request Method: POST
Input JSON
{ "field_updates": [ { "name": "Profit Category ", "module": { "api_name": "Leads", "id": "5725767000000002175" }, "type": "static", "feature_type": "workflow", "field": { "api_name": "Profit_Category", "id": "5725767000008570298" }, "value": "High Profit" } ] } |
Keys explanation
Key | Explanation |
field_updates
| Holds all details to create a field update. |
name | Field Update name |
module | Specify the module details |
module.api_name | Represents the module API name. In our case, it is "Leads" module. |
module.id | Represents the System ID for the module |
type | Represents the Update type. Usually “static” for fixed-value updates. |
feature_type | Represents that this Field Update is for workflow Rules. |
field | Represents which field should be updated. |
field.api_name | Represents the field API name. |
field.id | Represents the unique ID of the field. |
value | The value to be updated |
Sample Response
{ "field_updates": [ { "code": "SUCCESS", "details": { "id": "5725767000008604002" }, "message": "field update deleted successfully", "status": "success" } ] } |
A note on the unique ID
You can add:
- You need this ID to retrieve, update, and delete the Field Update later.
Retrieve your Field Update
You can retrieve a Field Update by using the Get Field Update API. It lists all available Field Update actions available in your org.
Request URL: {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/automation/field_updates/5725767000008604002
Request Method: GET
Sample Response:
Below is the sample response returned by Zoho CRM.
{ "field_updates": [ { "created_time": "2025-11-15T07:57:39-08:00", "update_type": null, "lock_status": { "locked": false }, "apply_assignment_threshold": false, "editable": true, "module": { "api_name": "Leads", "id": "5725767000000002175" }, "related_module": null, "deletable": true, "source": "crm", "type": "static", "created_by": { "name": "Patricia Boyle", "id": "5725767000000411001" }, "notify": false, "feature_type": "workflow", "modified_time": "2025-11-15T07:57:39-08:00", "field": { "api_name": "Profit_Category", "id": "5725767000008570298" }, "dependent_fields": null, "associated": false, "related_records": null, "name": "Profit Category Leads", "modified_by": { "name": "Patricia Boyle", "id": "5725767000000411001" }, "id": "5725767000008604002", "value": "High Profit" } ] } |
Note: This API helps you fetch all the details of a specific Field Update using its unique ID. Also, you can create a workflow and associate the created Field Update action using its unique ID.
Workflow Rule Configuration
Trigger:
- When a Lead is created or edited.
Condition:
- Lead Score is greater than or equal to 80.
- Lead Status is currently Not Contacted.
Actions:
- Associate the created Field Update action: High Profit
- Add a Contact Immediately tag to the record.
Workflow Rule and Field Update action via UI
Configuring Workflow and associating the Field Update actionWorkflow Rule and Field Update action via API
Create a Workflow:
You can use the Configure Workflow Rule API to create a workflow.
Associate the Field Update:
You can associate the Field Update action with the workflow by using the unique ID of the Field Update.
Retrieve the Field Update ID using the Get Field Updates API.
Request URL: {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/automation/workflow_rules
Request Method: POST
Sample Input:
{ "workflow_rules": [ { . . . "execute_when": { "details": { "trigger_module": { "api_name": "Leads", "id": "5725767000000002175" }, }, "type": "create_or_edit" }, "module": { "api_name": "Leads", "id": "5725767000000002175" }, "conditions": [ { "instant_actions": { "actions": [ { "name": "Profit Category", "details": { "module": { "api_name": "Leads", "id": "5725767000000002175" } }, "id": "5725767000008604002", //associating the created Field Update with the Workflow. "type": "field_updates" }, { "name": "High Priority Deal", "details": { "module": { "api_name": "Leads", "id": "5725767000000002175" }, "over_write": false, "tags": [ { "name": "High Priority Deal", "id": "5725767000008570458", "color_code": "#63C57E" } ] }, "id": "5725767000008570470", "type": "add_tags" } ] }, "criteria": { "group_operator": "AND", "group": [ { "comparator": "greater_equal", "field": { "api_name": "Entity_Scores__s.Score", //Lead Score's API name "id": "5725767000002324045" }, "type": "value", "value": "80" }, { "comparator": "contains", "field": { "api_name": "Lead_Status", "id": "5725767000000002611" }, "type": "value", "value": "Not Contacted" } ] } } ] . . . } ] } |
For more details on Workflow Rules using APIs, refer to Kaizen #213 - Workflow APIs - Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
Edit your existing Field Update
You can update an existing Field Update using the Update Field Update API. To update it, use the unique ID of the Field Update in the request URL. Use Get Field Update API to get the required Field Update ID.
Request URL: {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/automation/field_updates/5725767000008599001
Request Method: PUT
Input JSON
{ "field_updates": [ { "name": "Profit Category - Updated", //updated the response "field": { "api_name": "Profit_Category", "id": "5725767000008570298" }, "value": "Good Profit" //updated value } ] } |
Note:
- Only the configured modules cannot be updated using the PUT - Field Update API call. The rest of the fields can be updated.
- The updated value must be valid for the field type. For example, picklist fields accept only existing picklist options.
- After updating a Field Update, any workflow linked to it will automatically start using the updated configuration.
Delete Your Existing Field Update
You can delete an existing Field Update using the Delete Field Update API. To delete it, you must use the unique ID of the Field Update in the request URL.
If you do not know the ID, use the Get Field Update API to retrieve it.
Request URL: {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/automation/field_updates/5725767000008599001
Request Method: DELETE
Sample Response:
{ "field_updates": [ { "code": "SUCCESS", "details": { "id": "5725767000008604002" }, "message": "Field update deleted successfully", "status": "success" } ] } |
Note
- You cannot delete a Field Update if it is currently associated with any Workflow, Blueprint, or Approval Process. Remove the Field Update from the workflow first, and then try deleting it.
We hope this post helps you understand how to use Field Updates through the Zoho CRM Actions API - Field Update API.
Try it out, and let us know your experience in the comments section or reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com.
Stay tuned for more insights in our upcoming Kaizen posts!
Cheers!
Workflow Rules and Actions APIs on Kaizen series:
Workflow Rules:
- Kaizen #213 - Workflow APIs - Part 1
- Kaizen #214 - Workflow APIs - Part 2
- Kaizen #215 - Workflow APIs - Part 3 - Create and Update Workflow Rules
Actions APIs:
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
Subramanian K
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
Different form submission results for submitter and internal users
I'm looking for suggestions on how to show an external submitter a few results while sending internal users all the results from the answers provided by the external user. The final page of our form has a section with detailed results and a section withKanban view on Zoho CRM mobile app!
What is Kanban? The name doesn't sound English, right? Yes, Kanban is a Japanese word which means 'Card you can see'. As per the meaning, Kanban in CRM is a type of list view in which the records will be displayed in cards and categorized under the givenNot able to delete a QC nor able to revert or create a cycle of manufacturing for QC failed Jobs
Not able to delete a QC nor able to revert or create a cycle of manufacturing for QC failed JobsDheeraj Sudan and Meenu Hinduja-How do I customize Zoho apps to suit my needs?
Hi Everyone, I'm Meenu Hinduja and my husband Dheeraj Sudan, run a business. I’m looking to tweak a few things to fit my needs, and I’d love to hear what customizations others have done. Any tips or examples would be super helpful! Regards Dheeraj SudanZoho Desk blank screen
opened a ticket from my email, zoho desk comes up blank, nothing loads. our receptionist also gets the same thing under her login on her computer. our sales rep also gets same thing on zoho desk at his home on a different computer. I tried clearing cache/history/cookies,is there any way to change the "chat with us now" to custom message?
is there any way to change the "chat with us now" to custom message? I want to change this textDeprecation Notice: OpenAI Assistants API will be shut down on August 26, 2026
I recieved this email from openAI what does it means for us that are using the integration and what should we do? Earlier this year, we shared our plan to deprecate the Assistants API once the Responses API reached feature parity. With the launch of Conversations,Capture Last check-in date & days since
I have two custom fields on my Account form, these are "Date of Last Check-In" and "Days Since Last Contact" Using a custom function how can I pull the date from the last check-in and display it in the field "Date of Last Check-In"? and then also display the number of days since last check-in in the "Days SInce Last Contact" field? I tried following a couple of examples but got myself into a bit of a muddle!Why is the ability Customize Calls module so limited?
Why can't I add additional sections? why can't I add other field types than the very limited subset that zoho allows? Why can I only add fields to the outbound/inbound call sections and not to the Call Information section?Zoho Desk - Upsert Ticket
Hi Desk Team, It is common to request more information from end-users. Using forms is a great way to ensure all the required information is collected. It would be great if there were an "upsert" option on the Zoho Form -> Zoho Desk integration which wouldCRM 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),Enhance Appointment Buffers in Zoho Bookings
There was previously a long-standing feature request related to enhancing the way appointment buffers work in Zoho Bookings, but it looks like the original post has been deleted. I am therefore adding a new request that Zoho Bookings adjust how appointmentSubscriptions for service call
So we install products and we want to offer a service contract for the customers yearly service calls to be billed monthly. So ideally at some point we want to email them a quote for their needs. WE will choice it our end based on the equipment. It wouldBlocklist candidates in Zoho Recruit
We’re introducing Block Candidate, which helps recruiters to permanently restrict a candidate from applying to current/future job openings. Once the candidate is blocked, they will no longer be able to participate in the recruitment process. This willAdd RTL and Hebrew Support for Candidate Portal (and Other Zoho Recruit Portals)
Dear Zoho Recruit Team, I hope you're doing well. We would like to request the ability to set the Candidate Portal to be Right-to-Left (RTL) and in Hebrew, similar to the existing functionality for the Career Site. Currently, when we set the Career SiteZoho recruit's blueprint configuration is not functioning as mapped
Current Status: Zoho Blueprint is not functioning as configured. Issue: We are moving a Candidate status in Zoho Recruit "for active file" but we encountered: "Status cannot be changed for records involved in Blueprint." This happens to various clientDelay in rendering Zoho Recruit - Careers in the ZappyWorks
I click on the Careers link (https://zappyworks.zohorecruit.com/jobs/Careers) on the ZappyWorks website expecting to see the job openings. The site redirects me to Zoho Recruit, but after the redirect, the page just stays blank for several seconds. I'mHow to add interviews through API
I'm trying to add an interview without much luck. The documentation gives examples of adding just about everything except an interview. However, the issue might be the way I'm formatting it, because the documentation is unclear to me. It seems as if the xml should be passed in the url, which seems unusual. I've tried the data as both plain and character escaped, but nothing seems to work, nor do I even get an error response. https://recruit.zoho.com/recruit/private/xml/Interviews/addRecords?authtoken=***&scope=recruitapi&version=2&xmlData=<Interviews> <rowConnection to other user
Zoho Cliq handles sharing of Custom OAuth Connections that require individual user logins.How to invite friends on other social media platforms to one of my group chats in arattai?
Hello, I have formed chat groups in arattai. I want to invite my friends on other social media platforms like WhatsApp/ FB to one of my groups. Different friends would be invited to different groups. How to share an invite link of one of my groups toCliq does not sync messages after Sleep on Mac
I'm using the mac app of Cliq. When I open my mac after it was in sleep mode, Cliq does not sync the messages that I received. I always have to reload using cmd + R, which is not what I want when using a chat application.Creator Offline
We had online access setup and working on our iphones. We have just set it up on an 'Android Tablet' and it is not downloading all the images? We use it to show customers our catalogue. Any ideas. Offline components all setup on both devicesOptimum CRM setup for new B2B business
Can some advise the most common way to setup Zoho CRM to handle sales for a B2B company? Specifically in how to handle inbound/outbound emails. I have spent hours researching online and can't seem to find an accepted approach, or even a tutorial. I haveFacing Issues with Sites Mobile font sizes
my page renediaz.com is facing issues mobile view, when i try to lower font sizes in home page, instead of changing the size, it changes the line spaceDoes the Customer “Company Name” field appear anywhere in the Zoho Books UI outside of PDFs?
Hi everyone, I’m trying to understand how the Company Name field is actually used in Zoho Books. There is a Company Name field on the customer record, but when viewing transactions like a Sales Order in the normal UI (non-PDF view), that field doesn’tSet expiration date on document and send reminder
We have many company documents( for example business registration), work VISA documents. It will be nice if we can set a expiry date and set reminders ( for example 90 days, 60 days, 30 days etc.,) Does Zoho workdrive provide that option?Analytics : How to share to an external client ?
We have a use case where a client wants a portal so that several of his users can view dashboards that we have created for them in Zoho Analytics. They are not part of our company or Zoho One account. The clients want the ability to have user specific,Deluge function to copy parent record file upload field to child record file upload field
I'm stuck trying to write a deluge function that is triggered via automation in child record "Appointments," confirms if a file is in file upload "Report" field of parent "Contacts" record via Contacts lookup field "Contact_Name". If no file is in parentAutomatically Update Form Attachment Service with Newly added Fields
Hi, When I have a Form Setup and connected to a 3rd Party Service such as OneDrive for Form Attachments, when I later add a new Upload Field I have to remove and redo the entire 3rd Party Setup from scratch. This needs to be improved, such as when newZoho Sheet for Desktop
Does Zoho plans to develop a Desktop version of Sheet that installs on the computer like was done with Writer?Payroll and BAS ( Australian tax report format )
Hello , I am evaluating Zoho Books and I find the interface very intuitive and straight forward. My company is currently using Quickbooks Premier the Australian version. Before we can consider moving the service we would need to have the following addressed : 1.Payroll 2.BAS ( business activity statement ) for tax purposes 3.Some form of local backup and possible export of data to a widely accepted format. Regards Codrin MitinZoho Desk API - Send Reply to CUSTOMERPORTAL
Hello! I'll try to send a reply to Customer Portal, But the response is 500 (INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR in service response). {"Error":"{\"errorCode\":\"INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR\",\"message\":\"An internal server error occurred while performing this operation.\"}"}Python - code studio
Hi, I see the code studio is "coming soon". We have some files that will require some more complex transformation, is this feature far off? It appears to have been released in Zoho Analytics alreadyFrom 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 withZoho Books Payroll
How am I supposed to do payroll and pay my employees with Zoho Books? I think it's pretty strange that an accounting software doesn't have the ability to perform one of the most common functions in business; paying your employees. Am I missing something,Layout Rules Don't Apply To Blueprints
Hi Zoho the conditional layout rules for fields and making fields required don't work well with with Blueprints if those same fields are called DURING a Blueprint. Example. I have field A that is used in layout rule. If value of field A is "1" it is supposed to show and make required field B. If the value to field A is "2" it is supposed to show and make required field C. Now I have a Blueprint that says when last stage moves to "Closed," during the transition, the agent must fill out field A. Nowvalidation rules doesn't work in Blueprint when it is validated using function?
I have tried to create a validation rule in the deal module. it works if I try to create a deal manually or if I try to update the empty field inside a deal. but when I try to update the field via the blueprint mandatory field, it seems the validationSort Legend & stacked bar chart by value
I'd love to see an option added to sort the legend of graphs by the value that is being represented. This way the items with the largest value in the graph are displayed top down in the legend. For example, let's say I have a large sales team and I createIs It Possible to Convert a Custom Module to a Quote?
I recently created a custom module in our CRM environment for RFQs so that our sales team can submit quote requests directly in Zoho rather than by email/phone. This allows for a cleaner overall process, minimizing potential errors and potentially encouragingAll new Address Field in Zoho CRM: maintain structured and accurate address inputs
The address field will be available exclusively for IN DC users. We'll keep you updated on the DC-specific rollout soon. It's currently available for all new sign-ups and for existing Zoho CRM orgs which are in the Professional edition. Latest updateNext Page