Kaizen #22 - Connections in Zoho CRM
Hello everyone!
Welcome back to another post in the Kaizen series!
This week, we will discuss Connections in Zoho CRM.
In this post, we will discuss the following:
- What are connections?
- Authentication types
- Creating a connection
- Using a connection
1. What are Connections?
A Connection (or a connector) is a simple authentication mechanism to connect your Zoho CRM account with a third-party app.
Zoho provides default integration support to a wide range of apps like core Google services (Contacts, Calendar, and Google Ads) and Microsoft software (MS Office, MS Outlook, etc).
However, there is no default integration with third party services like PandaDoc, SignEasy etc,. In these cases, you can use a connector to expand Zoho's third-party support. Connectors use the OAuth 2.0 or other authentication types to facilitate this integration.
You can use connections to invoke any third-party apps' REST APIs and get access to the authenticated data through your functions or widgets.
Zoho provides more than 20 connections to the most popular third-party apps, out of the box. You can also create your own connection and integrate your app with Zoho CRM.
2. Authentication types
Since different services have different methods of authentication for their service, Connections are equipped with four different modes of authentication.
a. Basic Authentication
b. API Key
c. OAuth 1.0
d. OAuth 2.0
a. Basic Authentication
This is the authentication method where the user's username and password are sent in the header, form data, or the query string in the format username:password. This method uses the Base64 encoding standard to encode the username and password.
b. API Key
This is a token that the client provides that you can send in the query string or in the header. The API key is unique to every user and stays the same for that user as long as the user uses the service.
c. OAuth 1.0
This method uses a Request Token and an Access Token to get access to the resources on the resource server. The access token does not expire until the user revokes it.
d. OAuth 2.0
This method provides an app limited access by providing an access token only to specific resources. The access token is valid only for an hour.
3. Creating a Connection
To create a new connection,
- Go to Setup > Developer Space > Connections.
- Click Get Started. The Create Connection page opens.
- The Pick your Service tab lists all the connections that are already available. Choose the one that meets your needs.
- If any third-party app is not listed under this tab, you can add a new service under the Custom Service tab.
- For already existing services (under the Pick Your Service tab),
a. Select the service of your choice.
b. Enter the details of the connection such as the name and choose the scope you require from the list.
c. Click Create and Connect. The below image shows a sample connection created for the YouTube app, and you can use the code shown in the box to invoke the YouTube APIs.
- For a new service (services not listed under the Pick Your Service tab),
a. Click the Custom Service tab.
b. Enter the name of the service and choose the authentication type that the third-party service supports.
c. For services that use the OAuth1.0 or OAuth2.0 protocol, enter the following details:
Client ID and Secret you obtained from the third-party service.
The URLs to obtain the request token and the access token (OAuth1.0).
The URLs to obtain the access token and refresh token (OAuth 2.0).
You must obtain these details from the third-party service's documentation.
The below image shows a sample connection created for the third-party service "SignEasy".
- Enter the name of the connection and the required scope.
- Click Create and Connect.
- The connection will be created and the summary will be displayed.
The system also displays the code you must use in a function to invoke the connection.
The below image shows the sample connection created for the third-party service "SignEasy". You can use the code in the box to use the APIs of SignEasy.
- Where,
url: The URL that you can obtain from the third-party service.
type: The HTTP request method (GET, POST, PUT, or DELETE) that the request performs.
parameters: The parameters that the function uses to replace the dynamic values present in the API with user-specific values.
4. Using a Connection
After creating a connection, you can use them in functions to invoke them.
Let us consider a case where you want to send out newsletters through a MailChimp campaign to the contacts stored in Zoho CRM. Before you can send them the newsletters, you want to obtain their consent through a consent form stored in Google Drive.
Here, you must establish a connection between MailChimp and Google Drive and have the consent form as a button in the View page of the Contacts module in CRM.
You can choose to place this widget as a button in the View page of a contact. When the CRM user (an agent) clicks this button, the Consent form widget opens where the agent fills the details of the user.
This triggers the function where an email is sent to the customer. When the customer grants consent, the details of that contact are added to the MailChimp campaign list.
Simply put, you must
a. Establish a connection between Google Drive and MailChimp.
b. Write a function to call the APIs of both these apps.
c. Make the function available as an API.
d. Create a widget and invoke the function.
Let us now see these steps in detail.
a. Establish a connection between Google Drive and MailChimp
Follow the steps in the "Create a Connection" section, and create connections for Google Drive and MailChimp.
b. Write the function code
- Go to Setup > Developer Space > Functions > +New Function.
- Enter details like the function name, display name, description, and choose the function category (Standalone, in our case).
- Write the code in the console as shown below. You can find the code as an attachment to this post.
What does this sample function do?
a. Invokes the MailChimp API.
b. Checks for the Campaign ID.
c. Checks for the email address. If the email already exists on the campaign list, throws the message "The member has already subscribed to the newsletter." Otherwise, adds the email to the campaign list.
d. Invokes the Google Drive API to get the link of the Consent form.
e. If the consent form exists on Google Drive, sends the form to the email address.
e. If the form does not exist, throws the error "No document found".
- This function takes the following parameters
listId (string) - The Campaign ID from MailChimp,
emailAddress (string) - The email ID of the contact you want to send the newsletter to,
extraDetails (string) - To capture any extra information about the contact after they grant consent such as the mobile number, address etc. - Click Save and Execute. Provide the listId, emailAddress, and extraDetails to check if the function works as expected.
- Click Close.
c. Make the function available as an API
- Go to Setup > Developer Space > Functions.
- Choose the required function and click the Settings icon. Select REST API.
- Enable the OAuth2.0 and API key sliders and click Save.
- The function is now available as an API. You can use the URL as a webhook to trigger the function or use the API name of the function in your code to trigger it.
For more details about functions, refer to this post.
d. Create a widget and invoke the function
Since the function is now available as an API, you can use it in any widget and trigger the function based on your needs.
The HTML and the script for the below consent form is attached to this post.
You can also write your own implementation of the widget. Refer to this page to know how.
What does the sample widget code do?
a. The HTML renders the widget.
b. When the user hits the "Subscribe" button, the script invokes the connection and calls the above function (4.b.3) via JavaScript.
We hope you found this post useful. Stay tuned for more!
Cheers!
Access your files securely from anywhere
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
Shylaja S
Matt Beck
Praveen Sankar
Sticky Posts
Client Script | Update - Introducing Commands in Client Script!
Have you ever wished you could trigger Client Script from contexts other than just the supported pages and events? Have you ever wanted to leverage the advantage of Client Script at your finger tip? Discover the power of Client Script - Commands! CommandsKaizen #165 : How to call Zoho CRM APIs using Client Script
Welcome back to another exciting Client Script post! In this post, we will discuss one of the most frequently asked questions: How do you call Zoho CRM APIs from Client Scripts? In this kaizen post, 1. Ways to make calls to Zoho CRM APIs using ClientKaizen#162 : Add Tags and Open Pre-filled Email Drafts via Client Scripts
Hello everyone! Welcome to another informative Kaizen post. In this post, let us see how to accomplish the following using Client Script. 1. How to auto-tag a record based on field update? 2. How to Open a pre-filled email draft This post will provideExtension Pointers - JS SDK series #4: Managing data from a widget using ZOHO.CRM.HTTP
Handling and managing the data between two applications is a major factor for an efficient business. There are a variety of ways to handle data between Zoho CRM and other third-party applications. You can use deluge CRM tasks, create connectors, use APIKaizen #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
New to Zoho TeamInbox?
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 Campaigns 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
Ticket Response Email Template
Is there a way to have an email template automatically selected when I click on Reply for a ticket?Unpublishing Job Post for LinkedIn
Hi, We have experienced issue with the above. We did unpublish a job in Recruit but it still appear under Job section in our LinkedIn page. It did not remove from LinkedIn as it should be. Please check and advise. Regards, SnyderPower of Automation :: Automatically start / pause / stop timer on task status update.
Hello Everyone, A Custom function is a user-written set of code to achieve a specific requirement. Set the required conditions needed as when to trigger using the Workflow rules (be it Tasks / Project) and associate the custom function to it. Requirement:-Editor limitations to define screen types
Guys I have noticed that even in version 2.0 of the editor (which is this new one we use) we still have a lot to improve... When I compare to some more global solutions like Wix, Zyro, Go Daddy, Squarespace and Weebly feel that we have some limitationsDúvidas do Zoho Creator
Pessoal, Estou colocando um tópico para dúvidas do Zoho Creator. Um abraço, LeandroTropicalize Books
Books is an incredibly powerful tool that works well in many countries. But I feel that it is a product that is not yet "tropicalized" for Brazil as we speak (this would be like adapting the local reality). We have many strong competitors who do moreAutomatic Sitemap Generation
Guys are all right? Doesn't make sense for me to have to generate a map site and upload it... because it's not automatically generated just as it is done in WIX? where the customer doesn’t have to worry about this.SEO improvements with ZIA
Are you okay? I would like to bring an idea that would be amazing to improve the product that is the possibility of being able to improve the SEO of the pages (this of each page or each article on the blog) through ZIA so that it could create page SummaryAutomatically updating field(s) of lookup module
I have a lookup field, which also pulls through the Status field from the linked record. When the lookup is first done, the Status is pulled through - this works perfectly. If that Status is later updated, the lookup field does not update as well. AsInitiating a SalesIQ Zobot from a custom button on Zoho Sites
I have created a Zobot set to initiate on a custom action called "Fast_Answers". On Zoho Sites, I created a code snippet button and set it to on-click run the event called "Fast_Answers". I installed the SalesIQ integration code into the Zoho Sites PageZoho Desk -> Zoho Analytics : Where is the field for "Layout" ?
I have many different layouts on my helpdesks and I want to be able to identify the stats for each one, however I can not file the field in the raw data from the Zoho Desk datasource. I thought it might be under "Tickets" but there is nothing. There isSet resolution mandatory field
Hi, i have 2 questions:) : - i want to set the resolution field mandatory before close the ticket. Because for now, i can close the ticket without writing how i solve it - how can i setup zoho desk to receive ticket by email(e.g. clients sent email to support@mydomain.com) and it create a ticket in zoho deskImpuesto automatico en cotizaciones
Buen dia Mi pregunta es como se puede poner alguna operacion para que las cotizaciones me salgan automaticamente con impuestos ya que uno al cargarla al final tienen que añadir el porcentaje de impuesto SaludosZoho Assist "Agree and Download" Button "Greyed Out" ("Light Blued" Out)
Anyone else having issue where support clients are unable to click "Agree and Download" to access the client so that we can provide remote support? This is for "on demand" support via accessing the support page and entering the support key and name. ThisProject Billing with the Staff Hours Method in Zoho Projects
The Staff Hours Billing Method in Zoho Projects allows you to bill your clients based on the actual time spent by each team member on a project, at the rate set for each user. This is useful for projects where different skill sets are needed and serviceCreator Subform to CRM Subform
Hello all, Has anyone successfully written data from a Creator Subform into CRM subform? I have been able to get the rows to populate but none of the data will come through. I'll add my code and the result in CRM. Creator Subform is 'Delivery_Receiving_Hours'.custom fields not populating from deluge script into invoice
Hello, I've created some Deluge script that is meant to take a few inputted invoice custom fields and calculate a few others. I can see when I execute the function that my inputted custom fields are being passed, yet im still ending up with all "null"tax summation function - getting error
Hello, I'm trying to create a function that adds all of individual tax rates from a few jurisdictions. I'm getting an error on line 9 - Value is empty and 'get' function cannot be applied. I've checked that I have data in each of the required fields,Backstage / Zoho Books integration
Hello. We have Zoho One and have slowly started using Backstage. Loving it. Problem is, we have ZERO accounting control over what is sold through this product. When will we be able to connect it to our existing Zoho Books tenant? Thank you very much!Getting list of calendar events over api for zoho mail calendar
Hi, I am using just Zoho mail without using Zoho CRM. I wanted to get all events booked in my zoho mail calendar through an api at regular intervals. I could find such API support for Zoho CRM calendar but not for zoho mail calendar. Can you kindly letAllocate emails to user in a shared mailbox
Hi, This might be obvious, but I cannot find the answer. I have 3 shared mailboxes so any team member can see the emails. Is there a way of allocating a specific email to a user so that it is their responsibility to deal with it? Thanks in advance.Introducing Zoho Campaigns' own gateway for SMS campaigns
We are excited to announce the launch of our SMS Gateway to send SMS through Zoho Campaigns. We have also made a few other changes in our current SMS Campaign model to improve your over all user experience. These updates are planned with an aim to expandUpdate a lookup field in CRM from Creator using deluge
I have a Creator form that creates a new account. When it creates the new account in the Accounts Module, I need it to also populate the Parent Account, which is a lookup field coming from the Module Parent Accounts, field Parent Account Name. I haveSMS Keyword Tracking in Zoho CRM From Zoho Campaigns
Is there a way to track SMS leads in campaigns by associating them with specific keywords or codes? Additionally, can these leads be pushed to the CRM while retaining the keyword for tracking and reporting purposes?Projects Multiselect API
Having troubles setting a mutli select field via API. updateMap = map(); updateMap.put("UDF_MULTI1","picklist_id1,picklist_id2"); updateProjectRes = invokeurl [ url :"https://projects.zoho.com/restapi/portal/XXXX/projects/" + projectID + "/" type :POSTBill quantity received / PO quantity
PO's are raised & often the quantity received is greater than the PO quantity, so when we receive the bill & adjust the quantity on the bill we get.... Quantity recorded cannot be more than quantity ordered. This necessitates the adjustment of the POZOHO BOOKS - RECEIVING MORE ITEMS THAN ORDERED
Hello, When trying to enter a vendor's bill that contains items with bigger quantity than ordered in the PO (it happens quite often) - The system would not let us save the bill and show this error: "Quantity recorded cannot be more than quantity ordered."Adding Bluesky channel
Hello, Is Bluesky (AT protocol) soon added on Social ? Bluesky is being developped and is now open to anyone (no more invitation) Thank youUsing Queries with dynamic parameters in Kiosk Studio
Hi, I'm pretty new when it comes to developing within Zoho (I'm really a .NET developer), as it was just added to my responsibilities. For a new feature in the CRM, I'm trying to develop a Kiosk function to show a list of records (retrieved by the newUnused items should not count into the available number of custom fields
Hey, I realized that unused Items reduce the number of available custom fields. I can't see a case where that makes sense. Especially in our case where we have two different layouts in Deals with a lot of different fields, this causes problems.Introducing Bot Filtering for Accurate Email Campaign Analytics
Dear Marketers, We're excited to announce a new feature designed to enhance the accuracy of your email campaign analytics: bot filtering. This feature helps you filter out bot-generated opens and clicks, ensuring your campaign reports reflect genuineTip 37: Time Log Restriction in Zoho Projects
Timesheet in Zoho Projects helps you big time in entering log hours for the tasks and issues and approving them. Now, with the new Time Log Restriction option, you can set daily and weekly log hour limits. You can restrict users from entering extra log hours than the permissible limit. The limits are restricted to 24 hours per day and 168 hours per week by default based on business hours. To customize, navigate to Task & Timesheet settings under Portal Configuration in Zoho Projects setup and enableChart showing schedule
I want to be able to create a chart for everyday to check and which of which driver is available on the timeframe. Here's my table Name City Day Start Time End Time Driver1 Medicine Hat Monday 11:45 AM 4:45 PM Driver 2 Medicine Hat Tuesday 11:00 AM 7:00Multiple Vendor SKUs
One of the big concerns we have with ZOHO Inventory is lack of Vendor Skus like many other inventory software packages offer. Being able to have multiple vendor skus for the same product would be HUGE! It would populate the appropriate vendor Sku forIn Zoho Projects, is there a way to create a folders template under documents that can be used once a project is created?
We have a specific folder structure that we would like to use that is standard across every project. Instead of having to create this structure every time a project is created, is there a way to create a template for the folders that can be added?Zoho Payroll in France
When will Zoho Payroll be available in France ?Blueprint - 'On hold' state with an automatic transition?
I think I'm missing something here so I'm hoping if I explain what I'm trying to achieve someone might be able to give me a way around it. We sometimes get request far in advance but we don't want to action them unless it is 7 days from when they areHOW TO VIEW INDIVIDUAL COST OF NEWLY PURCHASED GOODS AFTER ALLOCATING LANDED COSTS
Hello, I have been able to allocate landed costs to the purchase cost of the new products. however, what i need to see now is the actual cost price (original cost plus landed cost), of only my newly purchased products to enable me set a selling priceClient Script: $Client.refresh({ triggerOnLoad: true }); not triggering onLoad Client Scripts
Hey friends! I'm trying to store a temporary var, refresh the page for the user, then check that temporary var and do some actions. Theoretically using the title's code: $Client.refresh({ triggerOnLoad: true }); should refresh the page and trigger onCalculate months and years between 2 dates on subform
I am looking for a function syntax for an employment candidate to calculate the number of years and months (decimal format. eg 1.2 years) they are employed. I have their start date entered, but if the end date is blank, that tells me they are still employedNext Page