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
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
Sneha Sridharan
chaitanya2561
Praveen Sankar
Sticky Posts
Kaizen #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 achievedKaizen #142: How to Navigate to Another Page in Zoho CRM using Client Script
Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. In this post, let us see how you can you navigate to different Pages using Client Script. In this Kaizen post, Need to Navigate to different Pages Client Script ZDKs related to navigation A.Kaizen #210 - Answering your Questions | Event Management System using ZDK CLI
Hello Everyone, Welcome back to yet another post in the Kaizen Series! As you already may know, for the Kaizen #200 milestone, we asked for your feedback and many of you suggested topics for us to discuss. We have been writing on these topics over theKaizen #197: Frequently Asked Questions on GraphQL APIs
🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! 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 #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.
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
UI Improvement - Ability to Collapse Flow
The UI for Flow is generally pretty good. However, when multiple decision trees are used, the layout can get pretty convoluted and hard-to-follow (see one of my Flows below): In these cases, even the auto-arrange fails to make this something that a normalWindows agent 2025_M02 release notes
Agent Version: 111.0.3.300 Release date: 24 February, 2025 Various Major enhancements to improve overall performance and optimize the user experience. Squashed a few bugs to improve overall product quality.Windows agent 2025_M01 release notes
Agent Version: 111.0.3.299 Release date: 05 February, 2025 Major Enhancement: Live Monitor feature compatibility released. Major Enhancement: Updated Scaling for multi technician cases with Android and Web based viewers. Various other bug fixes and performancehow to record deferred revenue?
Dear Zoho Team, We issue invoices relating to 12-month web hosting service. When we issue the invoice, we should record the entire amount of the invoice as DEFERRED REVENUE (ie. $10 x 12 mths = $120, balance sheet item). After the particular month of the hosting service, $10 of revenue has been earned and deferred revenue amount will be $110. We must keep adjusting the balance sheet and income statement over the course of the service until the company has fulfilled its obligation of services andNarrative 13: Importing your data
Behind the scenes of a successful ticketing system: BTS Series Narrative 13: Importing your data When importing data into an application, it is crucial to prevent data loss or duplication. These types of errors can hinder the development of a clean andBlueprint Not Triggering When Lead Status Is Updated by Workflow (IndiaMART Integration)
I have set up a blueprint that triggers when a lead’s status is “New Lead.” Our CRM is integrated with IndiaMART, and when leads are created from IndiaMART, their Lead Status is initially set to None. To handle this, I created a workflow that automaticallyUpdate Subform in specific field(Status) without affecting other fields in Zoho CRM using Deluge?
Scenario: PRODUCT Module(change name Plot) in any product status change From Available to Booked then on PROJECT Custom Module have Subform So, Subform name is Property Details now in that Subform 1 field is STATUS that update according to product statusYouTube Live #2: Agreement Intelligence with Zoho Sign's eSign AI assistant
Hi there, We're back again with our YouTube live series and this time, we'll take you through our holistic agreement intelligence powered signature workflows. Struggling to draft an agreement? Need help double-checking clauses and going through complicatedCan I Build a POS using ZOHO creator and integrate it with ZOHO Books?
Hello, I have a Zoho Books account and I was wondering if I can have a POS system that integrates with it. Primarily with Inventory, Customers and Payment and ofcourse Create invoices and credit notes. So, would Zoho creator provide me with this solution? Thank you,An important update for Zoho Cliq desktop users
The latest version of the Zoho Cliq desktop app (v1.8.0) will no longer be supported on macOS 10.15 Catalina and earlier versions. This is because the framework we use (Electron) no longer supports some older macOS versions. If you’re using macOS 10.15Zoho Projects - Visual improvement to parent and sub-task relationship
Hi Projects Team, My feature request is to improve sub-task visibility. Please see screenshot below. I really think parent child relationships could be visually improved. Even if the first letter of the parent task was inline with other same level tasksItems Below Reorder Point Report?
Is there a way to run a report of Items that are below the Reorder Point? I don't see this as a specific report, nor can I figure out how to customize any of the other stock reports to give me this information. Please tell me I'm missing something sNew Toolbar in Zoho Sheet
We have revamped our toolbar design in this new version of Zoho Sheet. Below are some screenshots to help you get accustomed to this new interface. Click on the picture below to view the animated image in its original size. Scroll down this post to learn about the changes. Highlight of Changes: The previous format tab is now split into 2 tabs - Home and Format. The Home tab contains the commonly used functions and the Format tab holds formatting related options. Under the Home tab towards the farZoho inbuilt Telephony made a lot of issues!
Hi there, I am a user that I am working with zoho inbuilt telephony around 1 month. Non of my colleagues are happy with this app! most of the time customer cannot hear my customer service team, customers say our voice is breaking. whenever Telephony supportSending workflow notifications using popular chat services
Hello everyone, We have introduced instant and scheduled notifications on some of the most popular chat platforms to facilitate easy collaboration, quick action, and wider reach. Workflow notifications can be sent to the following chat platforms: ZohoWebhook not firing.
I created a webhook using the Web UI, it looks very nice and the testing worked without an issue, but when i save/ update a ticket, the webhook is not firing. Here are the details of the web-hook i get from using the API "modifiedTime": "2019-10-22T09:23:37.380Z",Adding Images to a Quote in Zoho CRM
We are currently preparing to use Quotes in Zoho CRM and we are building out our Quote templates. We came across an issue of not being to add Images of the products to the Quote - specifically in the body of the Quote templates. This is a problem,Applications built with Zoho Creator
Hi, I’m really interested in seeing how others have built their application using Zoho Creator, especially those designed for external users (clients, vendors, or the public). If you’ve developed something along those lines and don’t mind sharing, I’dIs it posssible to add Asap Widget on Wordpress?
I have tried to add the ASAP widget so users could iniciate chats and see the KB information but nothings seems to work. I have tried to add the script using a php snippet that adds the to the footers and also tried one for the header in the functioRequire ticket resolution
Hi Zoho team, Is there a way to require resolution even if an agent did not use a blueprint? for example, our blueprint has a "resolve" transition but what if agent revoked blueprint and manually set the status of ticket to closed? Is there a way whereTables from ZohoSheets remove images when updated from source
I have a few tables from a ZohoSheet in a ZohoWriter document that will remove the images in the cells when I refresh from the source. The source still has the images in the table when I go to refresh. After updating from the source, as you can see theAPI Pagination Error: 'from' Parameter Limit
Hello, I am encountering an error while paging through the Zoho Desk API results: Status code: 422 - {"errorCode":"UNPROCESSABLE_ENTITY","message":"The value passed for field 'from' exceeds the range of '0-4999'."} Is 5000 the maximum number of recordsHow to go to the next open ticket in the queue when agents closes ticket
Zoho Desk When agent closes a ticket - eg when they choose 'Send and Close" - where is the setting that automatically redirects them to the next open ticket in the queue?External download link limit
Can You please help us to understand this For Zoho WorkDrive external users, the download limit is a maximum of 5 GB total download size and a maximum of 50 first-level files and folders What is the meaning of first level? We are using these files inCRM verify details pop-up
Was there a UI change recently that involves the Verify Details pop-up when changing the Stage of a Deal to certain things? I can't for the life of me find a workflow or function, blueprint, validation rule, layout rule ect that would randomly make itCustom templates for calendar report
What about being able to design custom templates for the calendar report, as well as for other types of reports? I think more users are waiting for this.Print a price list or price book
Hi Community. Am I right in concluding that Zoho has no functionality to print a price list from either Zoho CRM, Zoho Inventory or Zoho Books? I won't get stuck on the fact that Zoho doesn't sync price books between Zoho CRM and Books/Inventory (moreDisable payment thank-you emails
Hello, can someone please tell me how to disable sending of the "Payment Thank-You" emails?Maximum tags possible in Contacts Records
I read in some documentation that Zoho allows a total of 200 tags across all records. Is this correct? So is it not possible to have one tag per record for 500 records?Any way to "Pay with Check" or "Refund with Check" for Credit Notes?
When we have a Bill in Zoho Books, we can select the "Pay with Check" option which then allows us to print/cut the check directly out of Zoho Books. When we created a Credit Note and want to refund the customer, is there any way to Refund with Check,CRM Mobile reports
When our engineers finish a job they like to email the customer a job report. This is best done todate as an email template but we can find no way to include an image field from that module. Is there any other options?When Zoho Tables Beta will be open to EU data center
Hello all, We in EU are looking at you all using and testing and are getting jealous :) When we will be able to get into the beta also? We don't mind testing and playing with beta software. Thank you!Start Form on a different page (i.e., hide form pages)?
I have a Zoho form that uses the `Field Alias - Prefill URL` feature. My goal is to have a pre-filled field that directs the user to a specific starting page in the form. For example: The URL will have a field alias that will auto-populate a field withHow can we disable "My Requests"?
We are not using this functionality in our system at all and our users get confused.PayPal payment received recording problem
Hi, A little while back one of our customers used the PayPal payment option to pay an invoice For some reason though the payment is showing up twice within the Payments section of the invoice! Instead of setting the invoice value to ZERO, it now shows a negative value Anyone else face this problem? I've checked PayPal and there is only 1 payment in reality... A bug? Actonia ps: for anyone from Zoho Customer Service or tech team, its Invoice 785 in our accountstring(87) "{"code":"INVALID_TOKEN","details":{},"message":"invalid oauth token","status":"error"} " grtting this error
Using access token i am trying to add sales orders through api but it is throwing errors like the above i have mentioned. Please help me for thatHow to mute chat notification sound by default in Zoho SalesIQ?
We’ve recently embedded the Zoho SalesIQ chatbot on our website, and we’ve noticed that notification sounds sometimes play even when the visitor hasn’t interacted with the chat widget yet. We’re trying to understand two things: Why do these sounds occurKanban View for Projects.
At our organization, we describe active projects with various statuses like "In Proofing" or "Printing" or "Mailing". In the Projects view, one can set these project statuses by selecting from the appropriate drop-down. While this works, it's difficult to view and comprehend the progress of all of your projects relative to each other in a table. Creating a Kanban view for projects where I can move them from one status to another allows me to see where each project is in the order of our workflow.How to Hide Article Links in SalesIQ Answer Bot Responses
I have published an article in SalesIQ, and the Answer Bot is fetching the data and responding correctly. However, it is also displaying the article link, which I don’t want. How can I remove the link so that only the message is shown?Add RECURRING option when adding email to calendar events
When you add an email to a calendar event, there is no option to make that new calendar event into a recurring event. It is counterproductive to make an event from your email to then have to go to your calendar, find the event, and make it recurring.Next Page