Kaizen #7 - URL Encoding while making API Calls
Welcome to another week of Kaizen. In this post, we will discuss things you need to handle in your code before you start making API calls to Zoho CRM.
If you have an application that is integrated with Zoho CRM, it will contain the code for making API calls with different request methods—GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. We will explain the things you need to handle for each of these methods, before you use it to make API calls to Zoho CRM.
a. GET method
A GET method is used to retrieve data/resource from the resource server. For example, Search Records.
For the GET method, you need to pass data as a parameter in the request URL, and that parameter value has to be URL encoded.
URL encoding is a way to encode or escape reserved, unprintable, or non-ASCII characters in URLs, and convert them into a secure format.
Consider the following example, when you try to search a lead record with an email ID(p.daly+demo1@zylker.com).
When this request URL is decoded in our end, it gets converted into:
The '+' character got decoded as 'space'. Because, the '+' character is valid in URL as a substitute for space. Therefore, they have to be encoded or escaped. If not, the URL might be misinterpreted while decoding it.
Unsafe characters that you need to encode are the following.
- ASCII Control characters:
ISO-8859-1 (ISO-Latin) character ranges 00-1F hex (0-31 decimal) and 7F (127 decimal.) - Non-ASCII characters:
Entire “top half” of the ISO-Latin set 80-FF hex (128-255 decimal.) - Unsafe characters
Blank/empty space and " < > # % { } | \ ^ ~ [ ] ` - Reserved characters when NOT USED for their reserved or defined purposes such as / ? : = &.
Based on your language, you can use the following methods to encode the reserved characters.
Language | Script |
Java | URLEncoder.encode("(p.daly+demo1@zylker.com)", "UTF-8"); |
Ruby | URI::encode("(p.daly+demo1@zylker.com)") |
PHP | urlencode("(p.daly+demo1@zylker.com)") |
Python | urllib.parse.quote("(p.daly+demo1@zylker.com)".encode("UTF-8")) |
After encoding, the resultant search query will have the following email ID—p.daly%2Bdemo1%40zylker.com
The corresponding cURL code for this operation is:
curl -X GET \
-H 'Authorization: Bearer 1000.b481413bedf852e81bf591e7ca769de8.85f9671a36047d740216b656c8b3ad4d'
You can see that the data in the URL is encoded.
b. POST/PUT method
POST method is used to insert or upload any new resources to the server. For example, Insert Records.
PUT method is used to update an existing resource. This replaces the target resource with the updated content. For example, Update Records.
You can pass the input data for an API call in different ways, based on API requirements.
- Sending data as parameter in the request URL
- Sending data wrapped in a request body
Let us look into each of these methods.
a. Sending data as a parameter in the request URL
As mentioned in the earlier section, when you send data as a parameter in the request URL, it has to be encoded.
b. Sending data wrapped in a request body
When data is sent in request body, it is secure. There are two different methods in which you can send data wrapped in a request body, for an API call. Based on the API requirement, you can choose the appropriate method.
- Sending data as raw JSON in the request body
In this type, the data is sent as JSON in the request body. Here, you need to add the header 'Content-Type' as 'application/json'. When data is sent as raw JSON, it need not be encoded. - Sending data as a key-value pair
Here, the data is given as key-value pairs. For instance, while you upload an attachment, you need to send the file data, for which you need to make the request with 'Content-Type' as 'multipart/form-data'. Here the data is wrapped in request body. Therefore, it need not be encoded. If the data you have is already encoded, you must use the 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded' content-type and you cannot send file data with this content-type.
Consider the following example of inserting leads.
The corresponding cURL code is:
-H 'Authorization: Bearer 1000.b481413bedf852e81bf591e7ca769de8.85f9671a36047d740216b656c8b3ad4d' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{
"data": [
{
"Company": "Zylker",
"Last_Name": "Daly",
"First_Name": "Paul",
"Email": "p.daly+demo1@zylker.com",
"State": "Texas"
},
{
"Company": "Villa Margarita",
"Last_Name": "Bran",
"First_Name": "Hofstadter",
"Email": "bran.h+demo2@villa.com",
"State": "Texas"
}
],
"trigger": [
"approval",
"workflow",
"blueprint"
]
}'
You can see that the data is not encoded.
c. DELETE method
DELETE method is used to delete a resource at a particular location. For example, Delete Records.
URL encoding for the DELETE method is the same as the GET method. Consider the following example of deleting leads.
Encoded request URL:
https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v2/Leads?ids=4150868000000843062%2C4150868000000843044
We hope you found this post useful. Keep a tab on this series for more exciting topics!
Reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com if you have any questions, or let us know in the comment section.
Cheers!
Previous 'Kaizen' - Environments and Domains in Zoho CRM [Part2/2]
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
Sticky Posts
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 areKaizen #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.
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
Finding missing records
I have a challenge and I am not really sure where to start with it. I can't find any similar threads on here, can anyone help: I have two forms, FormA and FormB. Both forms have records that contain a field called Job_Number. What I am trying to achieveNew Series Announcement - Ecommerce Marketing Tips
Running an online business is more than just having a website. It’s about getting the right customers to discover you, trust you, and keep coming back. To support your growth journey, we’re launching a weekly Marketing Tips series right here on Zoho CommerceMarketing Tip #7: Add a blog to your online store
A blog is more than content. It’s a magnet for new customers. Sharing product guides, styling tips, or industry insights through blog posts builds trust and helps you rank higher on search engines. Try this today: Write one blog post answering a commonKanban 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 givenAllow Regular Users to Directly Transfer Ownership of Files & Folders
Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, Hope you are doing well. We would like to request an important enhancement related to file and folder ownership management in Zoho WorkDrive. At the moment, a regular user cannot directly transfer ownership of their files or foldersSTOCK history in zohosheets
is it possible to get historical stock value using stock function in zoho sheets? i could not see from and to period in the helper document.Scheduled Reports - Do not send empty report
Hello, We are intensively using reports in the CRM, especially for sales managers. When data is empty, they still receive an email. Can you add an option to avoid sending the report when data is empty?Customised Funnel
We are running the standard plan for our ZOHO CRM. I have been asked if there is a way to combine data from the Calls module, Deals module and Contact Module into 1 funnel, similar to the view you can get when viewing Deals By Stages, you can see theTrigger Zapier on Deluge Insert Into Function?
Hello, To get around the limitation of not being able to trigger a Zapier Zap on Record Update(this would be extremely useful to be able to do btw), I have created a Deluge script to copy the data from Form A to a Trigger Form B using the Insert Into expression from a Custom Action button on a Report from Form A. This action does not trigger the Zapier Zap whereas manually adding a record or duplicating an existing record does trigger the Zap. Is Insert Into not the same as a manual Add in the contextCan you inject JS in an HML+CSS+Deluge Page?
I have an HTML + CSS + Deluge page and need just a little vanilla JS functionality. However, it seems like Zoho Creator does not allow that. I'm required to create a JS widget. Is this correct? If so: 1. Won't this quickly consume my API limit if thereDisplay Client Name in Zoho Creator Client Portal Dashboard
Hello Zoho Creator Team, We hope you are doing well. Zoho Creator recently introduced the option to set a client’s display name in the Client Portal settings, which is very helpful for providing a personalized portal experience. However, there is currentlyCreator HTML page refresh
Hi, I have added around 5 different html snippets in single creator page. I understand, I can refresh the entire page from page script using Navigational URLs https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/creator/developer-guide/others/url-patterns/articles/navigational-urlsCustom Related List Inside Zoho Books
Hello, We can create the Related list inside the zoho books by the deluge code, I am sharing the reference code Please have a look may be it will help you. //..........Get Org Details organizationID = organization.get("organization_id"); Recordid = cm_g_a_data.get("module_record_id");Zoho Vault API: Create new Secrets
Hello, I attempt to Post Secrets to the vault, since the encrypted entries are almost impossible to decrypt, since there is no documentation on how to decrypt them. Like with the lack of documentation on how to descrypt, there are missing information regarding on how to create new secrets/post secrets. Source: https://www.zoho.com/vault/api/#create-a-new-secret When I try to send JSON Informationen as a POST-Request I only receive the error message: { "operation": { "result": { "error_code": "",Introducing the all-new email parser!
Greetings, We are pleased to introduce to you, a brand-new, upgraded version of the Zoho CRM Email Parser, which is packed with fresh features and has been completely redesigned to meet latest customers needs and their business requirements. On that note,Marketer’s Space - Multi-Channel Campaigns for the Biggest Shopping Week with Zoho Marketing Automation
Hello marketers, Welcome back to another post in Marketers Space! The biggest shopping week of the year is almost here, and it’s your moment to shine without the stress. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just around the corner, being present across email,Is there a problem with sharing workdrive files with links since last night?
As per title, we can't access folders/files through share links since last night. I created ticket but we need quick solution and didn't hear back from the support yet. The files are still accessible by the main account but all zoho files that we areManaging functions
Can someone let me know if there are any plans to improve the features for managing functions in CRM? I have lots of functions and finding them is hard. The search only works on the function name and the filter only works on function type. I have created a naming convention based on tags to filter the list which helps a bit and for some projects I keep lists in a spreadsheet. I'd like a spreadsheet-style list in CRM with a few custom fields and a way to construct views (like in modules). Maybe evenEnable Screen Recording in Zoho WorkDrive Mobile Apps (Android & iOS)
Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, How are you? We are enthusiastic Zoho One users and rely heavily on Zoho WorkDrive for internal collaboration and content sharing. The screen-recording feature in the WorkDrive web app (similar to Loom) is extremely useful- however,Issue in Annual Leave
We created a policy to credit 21 days at the Start of the Year An employee has taken 16 days of leaves thought the year, so we expect to see 5 Leaves remaining right? But Zoho People is Showing 12 Days of Leave Balance Available If we check the LeaveFlow - Fetch info from drop down in another module
I am running into a road block which I thought would be a simple task. My goal - The account is assigned to a "route" which can be selected from a drop down menu and adds a tag to the account accordingly (easy enough). Now when I create a task for thisTags get removed from notes on mobile
I don't know why this keeps happening even after all these app updates but if you log out and log back into the app or you reinstall it, all the tags you assigned to your notes get taken off, but if you go on the desktop version the tags are still there.Production Management Tool (MRP / BOM)
Hi Guys, is there any recommended App available that works with zoho and covers the needed applications for a production? What we need is a system that covers the BOM (bill of materials), MRP (material ressources planning), MRP II (manufacturing ressourcesFunction #53: Transaction Level Profitability for Invoices
Hello everyone, and welcome back to our series! We have previously provided custom functions for calculating the profitability of a quote and a sales order. There may be instances where the invoice may differ from its corresponding quote or sales order.Prevent Unapproved Quotes from Exporting to Zoho CRM Finance Module
Is it possible to prevent unapproved quotes in Zoho Books from being exported from Zoho Finance module inside Zoho CRM?Bug in Zoho Cliq Signup Flow – "%s" Placeholder Visible Instead of Product Name
Hi Zoho Team, I would like to report a UI bug in the Zoho Cliq signup/enable flow. During the step where Cliq asks to enable the product for the company, the following text appears: Great! Your company is already available in Zoho, so you just have toAccount name not populating when importing contacts
When importing a csv file to add contacts the account name is blank? Every other filed gets mapped and imported correctly, i.e contact name, phone number. However not the account name which I have mapped to "company" field in my csv fileZoho Invoice Customer Login Portal
Are there any plans for a customer portal to Zoho Invoice, ala Freshbooks? I would like customers that I invoice to be able to login to review invoices and invoice history. I have not switched from Freshbooks for this very reason.Exporting tickets
I went to Setup -> Organization -> Import/Export in order to export tickets but found 2 issues: 1. The email body never gets exported. 2. There are some large numbers (like 5.57E+16) under certain columns of the exported CSV file. I could not find any export options. Please can you help with this?Editing the Ticket Properties column
This is going to sound like a dumb question, but I cannot figure out how to configure/edit the sections (and their fields) in this column: For example, we have a custom "Resolution" field, which parked itself in the "Ticket Information" section of thisCopy field information to clipboard
I need to be able to transfer some field information in to the clipboard, so that I can then paste it in to our helpdesk system. Is there a way I could add a button to a detail report that does this?Issuing reconciling a bank statement
HELP! I'm trying to reconcile a bank statement. The prior month reconciled perfectly. Beginning balance is correct yet I'm off by the same amount each time. Both myself and my office manager, separately and together, have tried to complete this reconciliationUse the searchBy parameter to find user by email address
I'm trying to find a user is Zoho Desk via the Api. In the documentation I see that there is the possibility to add a searchBy parameter in the request. But I can't find how the search values should be formatted. I've tried multiple things and get eitherCorrelated subqueries not supported in Zoho Analytics. This creates huge limitations
Running into a major limitation in Zoho Analytics: correlated subqueries simply don’t work, even in completely standard SQL patterns inside a JOIN. Example: LEFT JOIN "Bills" b ON d."Id" = b."Deal ID" AND EXISTS ( SELECT 1 FROM "BillUnknown table or alias 'A1'
I would like to create a subquery but i am getting the following error: Unknown table or alias 'A1' used in select query. This is the sql statement: SELECT A1.active_paying_customers, A1.active_trial_customers, A1.new_paying_signup, date(A1.date_active_customers),Detect and ignore bots in visitors
The SalesIQ visitor numbers are basically useless to us because there is no bot detection. We get the same bots coming in from the same countries looking at the same pages every day. It can't be that difficult to tell the difference between an actualZoho CRM - Rename "Estimates" in CRM Finance Suite Integration to "Quotes"
I'm not sure if it's been 2 or 3 years now since Zoho Books renamed Estimates to Quotes. I still see "Estimates" in the Zoho CRM integration. Could this be added to Translation settings so that some customisation could be made on an account by accountAdd Real-Time Microphone Audio-Level Indicator During Screen Recording
Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, Hope you are doing well. We would like to request an important enhancement to the Zoho WorkDrive screen-recording experience. Current Limitation: During a recording session, there is no visual indication that the microphone isProperly Capture Dropdowns & Hover Elements When Recording a Window/Tab
Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, Hope you are doing great. We encountered a limitation when recording a selected window or browser tab: Certain UI elements, such as dropdown lists, hover menus, and overlays, are not captured unless we record the entire screen.Allow Recording Only a Selected Portion of the Screen
Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, Hope you are doing well. We would like to request a more flexible recording option in Zoho WorkDrive. At the moment, we can record either the entire screen or a specific window/tab — but not a custom selected portion of the screenNext Page