Kaizen #33 - Triggering Workflow Rules, Approvals, and Blueprints via Zoho CRM API
Hello everyone!
Welcome back to yet another post in the Kaizen series.
This week, we will discuss Triggering Workflow rules, Approvals, and Blueprints via Zoho CRM API, while inserting, updating, or upserting records.
First things first—What are Workflows, Approvals, and Blueprints?
- Workflow Rules: Using workflow rules, you can automate a set of routine actions and communication like sending email notifications, assigning tasks, field updates, and so on.
- Approvals: Using the approval process, you can automate the process of submitting records for approval based on certain conditions, and define the set of actions to be performed upon approval or rejection of the record.
- Blueprints: Blueprints are a replica of your business process. They facilitate automation, validation, and collaboration of teams, thus making your business process more efficient and free from loopholes.
The default flow:
- While creating/updating/deleting records via API, you need not explicitly specify any input to trigger workflow rules, approvals, or blueprints. When the records match the criteria, the automation rules will be triggered automatically.
- When you specify an empty "trigger" array in the input, the system prevents the execution of all automation rules (workflow rules, approvals, and blueprints)."trigger":[]
- To trigger a specific set of automation (workflow rule, approval or blueprint), you must specify the value in the "trigger" key of the input. For instance, to trigger all the workflow rules and approvals, but not blueprints associated with the request:"trigger": ["workflow","approval"]
Example:
Zylker Inc. is a sales organization that provides multiple B2B solutions. Let us see how Zylker Inc. manages various business scenarios using workflow rules, approvals, and blueprints.
1. Triggering workflow rules
Assume that to avoid delayed closings, Zylker Inc., has decided to close deals with value 2000 or more, within a week of their initiation.
To manage this, they have a workflow that automatically assigns a task to the deal owner to close the deal within a week, when a new deal with amount greater than or equal to 2000 is created.
Here is a screenshot of a sample deal that meets the above mentioned condition, created via API.
You can see that a new task is automatically assigned to the deal owner to close the deal within a week.
1a. To prevent the system from triggering workflow
Now, assume that a deal is already closed and won, and you are creating it in Zoho CRM for record purposes. In this case, there is no need to assign a task to the deal owner to close the deal within a week.
Hence, to prevent the system from triggering the workflow, you must specify the "trigger" key in the input with no values. The sample input would be:
{ "data": [ { "Deal_Name": "Sample Deal3", "Pipeline": "Standard", "Stage": "Qualification", "Amount": "6000" } ], "trigger": [] } |
1b. To trigger all the workflow rules (but not approvals or blueprints)
To trigger all the workflow rules associated with creating a deal, and prevent the system from triggering any other automation rule (approvals or blueprints), the input would be:
{ "data": [ { "Deal_Name": "Sample Deal3", "Pipeline": "Standard", "Stage": "Qualification", "Amount": "6000" } ], "trigger": [ "workflow" ] } |
The "wf_trigger" parameter for Delete Records API
You can use "wf_trigger" parameter to trigger the workflows/prevent the system from triggering workflows while deleting records. The parameter accepts boolean values, with default value false.
Sample request to trigger workflow while deleting records:
curl "https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v2/Leads?ids=410405000002264040,410405000002264025&wf_trigger=true" -X DELETE -H "Authorization: Zoho-oauthtoken 1000.8cb99dxxxxxxxxxxxxx9be93.9b8xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxf" |
2. Triggering approvals
Assume that as per Zylker Inc's policies, the sales representatives are allowed to give a discount of up to only 10% during the negotiation stage of a deal. If they have to give a discount beyond 10%, they must get approval from their manager and their sales director. Based on the deal size and purchase history, the approvers would choose to approve or reject the discount requested by the customer.
To manage this, they have configured an approval process that automatically submits the deals for approval, if the discount is more than 10%.
Here is a screenshot of a sample deal that meets the above mentioned condition, created via API.
You can see that the record has been automatically created in the approval mode.
2a. To prevent the system from triggering the approval process (while allowing it to trigger workflows)
While the above mentioned flow is default, there is a catch—when the deal amount is more than a specific limit, the restrictions on discount can be relaxed by sales representatives themselves.
In this case, there is no need to submit the records for approval. However, the workflow rule must be triggered to create a task for the deal owner to close it within a week.
The sample input to trigger all the associated workflow but not approval processes would be:
{ "data": [ { "Deal_Name": "Sample Deal3", "Pipeline": "Standard", "Stage": "Qualification", "Amount": "6000" } ], "trigger": [ "workflow" ] } |
2b. To trigger all the approval process (but not workflows and blueprints)
To trigger all the approvals associated with creating a deal, and prevent the system from triggering any other automation rule (workflows or blueprints), the input would be:
{ "data": [ { "Deal_Name": "Sample Deal3", "Pipeline": "Standard", "Stage": "Qualification", "Amount": "6000" } ], "trigger": [ "approval" ] } |
If you specify "approval" and "workflow" in the "trigger" array, the system triggers all the approval processes and workflow rules associated with the request.
3. Triggering a blueprint
Assume that Zylker Inc follows a simple deal follow-up process. Whenever a new deal is created, it goes through a few stages like Qualification, Negotiation, Discount Approval, Contract, and Deal Closure. To manage the same, they have configured a blueprint.
In any case, if you do not want the record action to trigger the blueprint, the sample input would be:
{ "data": [ { "Deal_Name": "Sample Deal3", "Pipeline": "Standard", "Stage": "Qualification", "Amount": "6000" } ], "trigger": [] } |
If you specify an empty "trigger" array the system prevents the execution of any automation rule associated with the request. Instead, if you specify "blueprint" in the "trigger" array, all the blueprints associated with the request will be triggered by the system.
We hope you found this post useful. Reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com if you have any questions, or let us know in the comment section.
We will meet you next week with another useful topic.
Cheers!
Next 'Kaizen' - API Credits
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
Sneha Sridharan
chaitanya2561
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 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
Custom Status for Purchase Orders
Currently Zoho books has functionality to create custom statuses for Sales Orders. Can this be extended to include custom status for purchase orders as well? It was a great decision to add this functionality to sales orders. Our use case is for trackingMy workflows not working
Hi I have created my first workflow I want it so when a customer responds to a ticket that the status is changed to "reopened" We want this so its clear there is a ticket to deal with again. We only have 2 agents responding to tickets and do not haveWaiting Room
Is there any plans to implement a Virtual Waiting Room for Attendees on Meetings and or Webinars?Error 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.Global Sets for Multi-Select pick lists
When is this feature coming to Zoho CRM? It would be very useful now we have got used to having it for the normal pick lists.What's New - January 2025 | Zoho Backstage
Hi there! As we step into a brand-new year, we’re thrilled to bring you some exciting updates to make event management more enjoyable and efficient. Here’s what we rolled out in January to kick off 2025: Backstage 2.0 now enforced for all users We'veHow do you do ticket add ons in Backstage?
Hi Everyone, If you wanted to have general admin tickets and allow for add ons, like camping, or car or Carbon offset. What would you do? Peace RobinRe-create auth token
I need to re-create a self-client auth token, with the same scopes (and additional ones) as the current token. Is there a way to view the scopes assigned to the current token to ensure that no scopes are missing when creating the new one?Writing on sketch cards is bugged when zoomed in
When zoomed in, it writes a noticeable distance above or to the side of where you're actually trying to write. The further you're zoomed in, the more noticeable it is. Zooming is also entirely absent on the desktop version.Doesn't let me test my newsletter.
Hello, I click "Preview and Test". I select the email address to send the test (usually my own email). I send the test email, appears the message "Your test email has been sent", but nothing happens. I mean, there is nothing in my inbox. I also triedCustom Related List anchor tag with tel protocol
The following code worked great for about a year to create clickable tel and mailto links in a related list in the Deals module. Just this morning, it started displaying the HTML as text. For example: <a href='tel:8882490100'>8882490100</a> Zoho supportreset of user password
User forgot her password, so she requests a password rest, but never gets the email. How do I reset her password, since that function is not an option, even for an administrator?In what case it's better to use Developer Console? Only for marketplace?
As I can see from the documentation, the limitations are challenging. No Custom API No Page Variables No Custom Connections.commision tracker
I am after a zoho developer to finish my commission tracker as I hired someone on oDesk that started but now will respond to my emails.I really need to get It finished as it is holding up my plans Thanks Budget : $500 | Duration : a.s.a.p To leave a private message, please click the link for private response in post Action section.Generate a Zoho Sign link
From time to time I get a response "I never received your you e-document for electronic signature" is there a way to generate a Zoho Sign link to share.Error 403: Forbidden When Updating Email Signature via API
Hi Zoho Desk team, First, congratulations again on the excellent Zoho API. But, I’m encountering an issue while attempting to update an email signature via the API. Whenever I make a request to update the signature, the response returns an HTTP 403 ForbiddenQueues Management ?
I need to assign the new requirements equally between my support agents. How I can configure this feature in Zoho? ThanksClient Can't View Ticket
Hi, I created a ticket for my Client since he had an issue. I added him as a Contact as well. My client got a notification in his email that the ticket has been created. When he went to view the ticket on his desktop, the screen was blank. He then viewedAutomating Custom Web Link Messages to Customers via Instant Messaging in Zoho Desk
Hello, I am looking for assistance with Zoho Desk's Instant Messaging feature. Is there a way to automate the sending of a custom web link to customers every day at 6:30 PM? Any guidance or suggestions on how to achieve this would be greatly appreciated.How do you apply field validation to a date field?
We are using Sign for remote e-signature of liability waivers. The signer must enter a date of birth, and if they are a minor their legal guardian must sign for them. However we have had numerous problems with signers returning an invalid date of birthImplement Regex in Layout and Validation rules
Hello all, We are excited to announce that users can now implement Regular Expressions (Regex) in our layout and validation rules. This new functionality allows for more flexible rules to be created when designing and validating forms. What is Regex?Zoho Desk Validation Rule Using Custom Function
Hi all, I tried to find the way to validate fields using custom function just like in Zoho CRM but to no avail. Is there a way to do this?Editing landing page after signup for a webinar
Hi, how can I edit the landing page after signing up for a webinar. I personalized the email "registration confirmation", which is working fine. Nevertheless after submitting the form, the participant gets redirected to a page, which looks like the standardKiosk GetRecords can't compare formulas
(submitted as a help request by accident - should have been a topic) Scenario: I have an "email domain" formula whose value is "@xyz.com" if the e-mail address is brent@xyz.com . I have the same field in Leads and Contacts. So, theoretically, I shouldKiosk can't merge picklist or multiselect
There is no ability to load a multiselect or picklikst field into a kiosk with the values that have been previously selected. So, I essentially have 3 unacceptable options: 1.)Load the value into a text string and include instructions like this: "PicklistFillable template with dynamic tables?
Is there a way to build a fillable template so that users can add rows to a table? To describe what I'm trying to accomplish the table has 3 sections; a header row, some number of rows with custom information, and a summary row with totals. I can't figureTip of the Week - Timeline User Filter for Dashboard
Does the Date User Filter in your Dashboard leave out a few reports from filtering? This happens when the reports are not created over the same table and the (time) column over which the user filter is created. To solve this, Zoho Reports has a Timeline User Filter. This filter applies the criteria on all reports, matching it with the best possible date column associated with a report. i.e., if your reports are based on a date column, then it will filter it for that data column. To know more onZoho Forms Webhooks - Only sends on submission not on edit.
Hi There, We have a slightly unique use case for Zoho Forms. We used Zoho Forms for the collection of Guest Lists. When a customer submits their guest list they get an email confirmation. Within this is a link for them to update their guest list beforeAdd Knowledge Base KB Articles to multiple categories
Greetings, Love you help center system. One item that would be incredibly helpful to many of us would be able to add a single Knowledge Base KB article to multiple categories in our system. It seems it could be quite easy to use a checkbox form, insteadWhat does "Tickets for Review" do?
What is the purpose of the va nilla view " Tickets for Review?"Report of Leads/Accounts/Deals with no open activities
How can we replicate the option in filter to only show Leads/Accounts/Deals with no open activities ? The option is present in the filters (please find screenshot) but I am unable to find them in the report. ThanksCannot set Subform Multiline field to read-only using Client Script
I am using client script to set different subform fields as read-only It works for Single Line Fields, but when I try to set a Multiline field as Read-only it doesn't work var subform = ZDK.Page.getSubform("Subform_1"); var item_Code_old = subform.getField('Item_Code_Old').setReadOnly(true);Changing Color Theme of Guided Conversations
Hello, We have recently added Guided Conversations to one of our websites, but I am wondering if there is a way to customize the color scheme so it matches the appearance of the website? Thank you in advance!Lost the ability to sort by ticket owner
Hi all, in the last week or so, we have lost the ability to sort tickets by Ticket Owner. Unlike the other columns which we can hover over and click on to sort, Ticket Owner is no longer clickable. Is it just us, or are other customers seeing this too?Can't login to Zoho mail
I'm logged into Zoho but when I try to go in zoho mail I get: Invalid request! The input passed is invalid or the URL is invoked without valid parameters. Please check your input and try again. I just set up my mx records and stuff with namecheap a fewSocial Media Simplified with Zoho Social: Bridge sales and social media marketing
Social media marketing has become the go-to strategy for most businesses who are trying to boost awareness of their product/service, create a brand image in the minds of their audience, increase website traffic and engagement, and generate leads. PostingThis domain is not allowed to add. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details
I am trying to setup the free version of Zoho Mail. When I tried to add my domain, theselfreunion.com I got the error message that is the subject of this Topic. I've read your other community forum topics, and this is NOT a free domain. So what is theWork Orders / Bundle Requests
Zoho Inventory needs a work order / bundle request system. This record would be analogous to a purchase order in the purchasing workflow or a sales order in the sales cycle. It would be non-journaling, but it would reserve the appropriate inventory ofCreate Quote does not show the "Product Description" entered as part of the Product setup.
The product description created as part of the product setup page, does not show in the Create Quote module; The module allows for an additional description to be added but without access to the original stored description. By selecting the product from the "Product Name Lookup" pop-up, the "Product Description" part should be populated from the product record where the user is allowed to further modify it.Allow Itemization for Recurring Expenses
For whatever reason, one cannot itemize a Recurring Expense. This capability should be added. The use cases to support this is largely the same as what they were to allow for itemization in Expenses. Anything that would need to be itemized for a regularNext Page