Kaizen #95 How is a Widget used in a Blueprint?

Kaizen #95 How is a Widget used in a Blueprint?

Hey folks!!
Let's continue the discussion from Kaizen #23 and focus on exploring the concept of Widgets in Blueprints.

What are Widgets?

Zoho CRM's widgets are custom components that you can add to your Zoho CRM system to extend its functionality, provide additional data, or integrate with external services. These widgets can be built using Zoho's widget SDK (Software Development Kit), which allows developers to build and integrate custom applications directly into Zoho CRM.

What are Blueprints?

Blueprints in CRM help you design processes with pre-defined conditions and enable the system to follow a specific flow. A record can only move to the next state if it satisfies the given condition; otherwise, it remains in the same state. Blueprints help in converting leads into customers and developing your business. A transition button acts as an intermediary between two states, holding the condition and facilitating the flow within the system.

For instance, when a person approaches a bank for a loan, the bank needs to check the person's previous loan's status. They need to verify whether he has any existing loans or any defaults from other banks or from the same bank. The bank will provide loans based on the person's current and past borrowing behaviours. This can be achieved using widgets in blueprints.

The Flow Representation

                                              
Let's consider that a person named Shane has applied for a loan. His details will be in the "Loans" Module in the CRM. The bank employee responsible for processing the loan applications will review Shane's credibility and decide whether to approve or reject the loan.
  • If Shane has not settled any of his previous loans and has a bad repayment history, the bank will decline his new loan request, and the record will be marked as 'Rejected' state.
  • If there are few current active loans with a good repayment history, the bank will approve the loan, and the status of the newly sanctioned loan will be 'Active.'
In this use case, we cannot use any inbuilt CRM's blueprint options to show a popup of Shane's previous loan details and make a decision. Therefore, we will associate a custom widget to assist the banker in making the decision during the Blueprint transition.

How do I create a widget in the Blueprint?

  1. Go to Setup > Developer Space > Widgets.
  2. Click Create New Widget.


Note : The widget is hosted internally (Zoho) in the post. Please refer to this page to view the source code.

Sample Codes

index.html

  1. <!DOCTYPE html>
  2. <html>
  3. <head>
  4.   <title>User Details</title>
  5.   <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
  6.   <script src="https://live.zwidgets.com/js-sdk/1.2/ZohoEmbededAppSDK.min.js"></script> 
  7. //Import this JS SDK to use SDK methods
  8.   <script src="index.js"></script>
  9. </head>
  10. <body>
  11.   <div class="container">
  12.     <h1>User Details</h1>
  13.     <div class="details">
  14.       <h2>Basic Details</h2>
  15.       <p><strong>Name:</strong> <span id="name"></span></p>
  16.       <p><strong>Email:</strong> <span id="email"></span></p>
  17.       <p><strong>PAN ID</strong> <span id="panId"></span></p>
  18.       <p><strong>Address</strong> <span id="address"></span></p>
  19.       <!-- Add more fields as needed -->
  20.     </div>
  21.     <div class="details">
  22.       <h2>Current Loan Requests</h2>
  23.       <p><strong>Loan ID:</strong> <span id="loanId"></span></p>
  24.       <p><strong>Loan Type:</strong> <span id="loanType"></span></p>
  25.       <p><strong>Amount:</strong> <span id="amount"></span></p>
  26.       <!-- Add more fields as needed -->
  27.     </div>
  28.     <div class="loan-history">
  29.       <h2>Loan History</h2>
  30.       <div class="loan-history-table">
  31.         <table>
  32.           <thead>
  33.             <tr>
  34.               <th>S. No</th>
  35.               <th>Bank Name</th>
  36.              .
  37.              .
  38.             .
  39.           </tr>
  40.           </thead>
  41.           <tbody id="loanHistoryTableBody">
  42.             <!-- Loan data will be dynamically populated here -->
  43.           </tbody> 
  44.         </table>
  45.       </div>
  46.     </div>
  47.   </div>
  48.   <div class="buttons">
  49.     <button id="button1" onclick="closePopup()">Decline</button>  //When the decline button is clicked, a method is called to close the widget pop-up
  50.     <button id="button2" onclick="moveToNextState()">Approve</button> //When the Approve button is clicked, a method is called to move the record to the next state.
  51.   </div>
  52. </body>
  53. </html>
To use the Zoho CRM APIs in the widget, you can use the API helpers provided in the JS SDK.

index.js

  1. ZOHO.embeddedApp.on("PageLoad", async function (data)
  2. //This event is used to get the page load data
  3.  {
  4.     console.log(data);
  5.     const loanRec = await ZOHO.CRM.API.getRecord({
  6.         Entity: data.Entity, // Here, 'Entity' is 'Loans Module'
  7.         RecordID: data.EntityId //The 'ID' of the record
  8.     });
  9.     console.log(loanRec.data[0].Recipient.id);
  10.     const contactRec = await ZOHO.CRM.API.getRecord
  11. //gettind contact details
  12. ({
  13.         Entity: "Contacts",
  14.         RecordID: loanRec.data[0].Recipient.id
  15.     });
  16.     const loanHistory = await ZOHO.CRM.API.getRelatedRecords
  17. //getting related records of the contact
  18. ({
  19.         Entity: "Contacts",
  20.         RecordID: loanRec.data[0].Recipient.id,
  21.         RelatedList: "Loan_History",
  22.         page: 1,
  23.         per_page: 200
  24.     })

  25. ZOHO.embeddedApp.init(); 
  26. //used to initialize widget
  27. function moveToNextState()
  28. {
  29.     ZOHO.CRM.BLUEPRINT.proceed(); 
  30. //ZOHO.CRM.BLUEPRINT.proceed() function from JS SDK, which helps in making the blueprint transition
  31. }
  32. //method used to move a record to the next state

  33. function closePopup(){
  34.     ZOHO.CRM.UI.Popup.close();
  35. }
  36. //method used to close the widget
  37. function displayBasicDetails(data) {
  38.     console.log(data);
  39.     document.getElementById('name').textContent = data.Full_Name;
  40.     .
  41.     .
  42. }
  43. }

Associating a Widget to the Blueprint

Add the hosted 'Check Profile' widget in the 'During' transition in the blueprint.
                  
Click Add > Widgets - The list of available widgets in your CRM will be displayed. 
States in this Blueprint:
  • Approval Pending : It is the default status of a newly created record in the loan module.
  • Active: If a person has a good loan repayment history, then the loan application will be sanctioned as per the banker's decision, and the status for the newly created loan will be 'Active'.
  • Closed : When a current loan is closed by the bank, the record's status will be 'Closed.'
  • Default : When any previous loans remain unsettled and the person is unavailable when a bank approaches for repayment on or after the payment due date, it is considered a fraudulent act. Such loans will be marked as "default". In such cases, the bank will decline the current loan request, and mark it as 'Rejected'.
  • Rejected : If a person has a bad repayment loan history or defaults, the bank will decline the loan, and the record's status will be 'Rejected'.
The below GIF represents a set of records waiting for approval from the bank under the Approval Pending custom view.

When the banker accesses the individual loan request, he/she will see the 'Check Profile' transition button. Using this transition, the banker can view the custom widget that displays the loan history and other details required to make a decision.
Here, the banking personnel can approve the loan by verifying the details. If the user has a goo   score and repayment history, the record will move to the Active state (newly requested loan).

If the applicant possesses any existing outstanding loans, lacks sufficient collateral, fails to provide verifiable income proof, or exhibits a history of defaults, the bank will decline the request, and the record will be moved to 'Rejected' state. This will help a bank to avoid fraudulent acts.


How will the CRM fetch a person's loan history from a third-party website?
To retrieve a person's current and previous loan status from a third-party website, banks employ different processes in different countries. 
The credit score will be tracked based on different Unique IDs issued by each country to their citizens. These details can be fetched from their respective websites using widgets.
For example :
  • USA - Social Security Number.
  • UK - The National Insurance Number.
  • Ireland - The Personal Public Service Number.
  • India - Permanent Account Number, etc.
We hope you found this post useful. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section or reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com
Cheers!!!
Further Reading

    Access your files securely from anywhere

        All-in-one knowledge management and training platform for your employees and customers.






                              Zoho Developer Community




                                                    • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                    • Digest


                                                    • Functions


                                                    • Meetups


                                                    • Kbase


                                                    • Resources


                                                    • Glossary


                                                    • Desk Marketplace


                                                    • MVP Corner


                                                    • Word of the Day


                                                    • Ask the Experts



                                                              • 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 this
                                                              • Kaizen #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 how
                                                              • Kaizen #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


                                                              Manage your brands on social media



                                                                    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

                                                                                        • CRM Community Learning Series

                                                                                          CRM Community Learning Series


                                                                                        • Kaizen

                                                                                          Kaizen

                                                                                        • Functions

                                                                                          Functions

                                                                                        • Meetups

                                                                                          Meetups

                                                                                        • Kbase

                                                                                          Kbase

                                                                                        • Resources

                                                                                          Resources

                                                                                        • Digest

                                                                                          Digest

                                                                                        • CRM Marketplace

                                                                                          CRM Marketplace

                                                                                        • MVP Corner

                                                                                          MVP Corner







                                                                                            Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                            Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                            Get Started Now


                                                                                              Zoho Show Resources

                                                                                                Zoho Writer

                                                                                                Get Started. Write Away!

                                                                                                Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                                                                                                  Zoho CRM コンテンツ




                                                                                                    Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


                                                                                                        ご検討中の方




                                                                                                                • Recent Topics

                                                                                                                • Custom 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 Meeting - Feature Request - Introduce an option to use local date and time formating

                                                                                                                  Hi Zoho Meeting Team, My feature request is to add an option for dates to be displayed in the users local format. This is common practice across Zoho applications and particularly relevant to an application like Zoho Meeting which revolves around date
                                                                                                                • Cannot give public access to Html Snippet in Zoho Creator Page

                                                                                                                  Hi, I created a form in Zoho Creator and published it. The permalink works but I want to override the css of the form. (style based URL parameters is not good enough) So I created a page and added an Html snippet. I can now override the css, which is
                                                                                                                • How can Outlook 365 link back into Zoho Projects so meetings and events in Outlook calendar show in Zoho?

                                                                                                                  We use Outlook 365 for our emails and diaries and have integrated Zoho Projects with Office 365. One challenge we face is getting Zoho Projects to recognise when we have meetings and events in Outlook and not allow project managers to assign tasks over that period. Is there a way to resolve this? Thanks
                                                                                                                • On Edit Validation Blueprint

                                                                                                                  Hello, I have a notes field and a signature field. When the Approve button is clicked, the Signature field will appear and must be filled in. When the Reject button is clicked, the Notes field will appear and must be filled in. Question: Blueprint will
                                                                                                                • Zoho Invoice en Navarra (Spain)

                                                                                                                  Hola, ¿Alguien usa Zoho Invoice en la Comunidad Foral de Navarra? En Navarra tenemos un sistema tributario diferente y no aplica Verifactu (la Hacienda Foral de Navarra ha anunciado su alternativa, NaTicket, pero no ha informado cuándo entrará en vigor).
                                                                                                                • Emails from Zoho are getting blocked due to Zoho IP address being blacklisted

                                                                                                                  This is the info I got from my hosting provider – please address this issue immediately. I don’t expect this from such a big household name. Every single invoice I have sernt it not being received by my clients, all being blocked. All of a sudden. As
                                                                                                                • agentid : Where to find?

                                                                                                                  I've been looking around for this agenId to check for the total ticket assigned on a specific agent url :"https://desk.zoho.com/api/v1/ticketsCountByFieldValues?departmentId=351081000000155331&agentId=35108xxxxxx132009&field=statusType,status" type :GET
                                                                                                                • Zoho DataPrep integration with OpenAI (beta)

                                                                                                                  We are thrilled to announce Zoho DataPrep's integration with OpenAI. The public beta roll-out opens up three features. Users who configure their OpenAI Organizational ID and ChatGPT API key (Find out how) will be able access the features. The features
                                                                                                                • AI Bot and Advanced Automation for WhatsApp

                                                                                                                  Most small businesses "live" on WhatsApp, and while Bigin’s current integration is helpful, users need more automation to keep up with volume. We are requesting features based on our customer Feedbacks AI Bot: For auto-replying to FAQs. Keyword Triggers:
                                                                                                                • Setting total budget hours for a specific project

                                                                                                                  Hi there, I work on a lot of projects that have fixed budget hours. Is there a way to enter the total budgeted hours so i can track progress and identify when hours have been exceeded. I see in the projects dashboard there is a greyed out text saying
                                                                                                                • Clone entire dashboards

                                                                                                                  If users want to customize a dashboard that is used by other team members, they can't clone it in order to customize the copy. Instead they have to create the same dashboard again manually from scratch. Suggestion: Let users copy the entire dashboard
                                                                                                                • Introducing Formula Fields for performing dynamic calculations

                                                                                                                  Greetings, With the Formula Field, you can generate numerical calculations using provided functions and available fields, enabling you to derive dynamic data. You can utilize mathematical formulas to populate results based on the provided inputs. This
                                                                                                                • Getting started with Zoho PDF Editor

                                                                                                                  Hello users, If you are new to Zoho PDF Editor or aren't sure of its full potential, then this article is for you. Zoho PDF Editor is a free online PDF editing tool, that allows you to upload and edit PDFs, insert text and images, add fillable and e-signature
                                                                                                                • Zoho Projects - Cloning a task does not trigger task workflow when created

                                                                                                                  Hello! I have a Project where my team uses a set of tasks from a tasklist as templates, so we could simply clone it and drag it to another list in kanban view to avoid creating a new one from scratch. The process works well, but after cloning it the new
                                                                                                                • Purchase Orders not in sequence

                                                                                                                  I am unable to sort by Purchase Order Numbers. I can only sort by date; however, the PO numbers aren't in the order they were entered. This was not the case prior to today.
                                                                                                                • Internal Fillable Contract with Zoho Writer (Before Sending to Client)

                                                                                                                  Hi everyone, I’m trying to automate the following process in Zoho CRM and would appreciate some guidance. Process: When a Deal moves to a specific stage, CRM triggers an automation. CRM sends a contract template to an internal team member so they can
                                                                                                                • Date/time displayed in ZohoCRM does not match date/time of entries in ZohoForm

                                                                                                                  Hello there, we use a ZohoForm as a worksheet, i.e. users use it to track start time, break and stop time for every working day. The ZohoCRM org time zone is set on GM -4, so is the Time Zone in the Date&Time section in ZohoForm (see attachment). Despite
                                                                                                                • Update Existing Records greyed out in Free Version

                                                                                                                  Trying to update records from an Excel sheet, and not getting the option to update. Only option is to add as new accounts. All documentation I can see says update should be an option! Accounts, Leads, Contacts, all the same.
                                                                                                                • Dynamically Populate Picklist Values from Another Module Using Client Script

                                                                                                                  I am working in Zoho CRM and trying to dynamically populate a picklist field in the Partners module using values stored in another custom module. I have two modules: 1. Partners Module Field: Partner_Type_Pick Field Type: Picklist 2. Partners_Type Module
                                                                                                                • Add zoho calendar to google calendar

                                                                                                                  Hi I keep seeing instructions on how to sync Zoho CRM calendar with google calendar but no instructions on how to view Zoho calendar in my google calendar.
                                                                                                                • Zoho Community Digest : Jan 2026 | Part 1

                                                                                                                  Hello Everyone! Staying in the loop with Zoho's latest product updates and features across the vast Zoho Community Forums can be a real challenge. We get it. With over 50+ applications, each with its dedicated forum, it's easy to miss out on important
                                                                                                                • World date & time format

                                                                                                                  Hello, Is there a timeline to get the worldwide used date and time format ? I mean not the american one... I mean day month year, and 24 hours clock. Regards
                                                                                                                • Nimble enhancements to WhatsApp for Business integration in Zoho CRM: Enjoy context and clarity in business messaging

                                                                                                                  Dear Customers, We hope you're well! WhatsApp for business is a renowned business messaging platform that takes your business closer to your customers; it gives your business the power of personalized outreach. Using the WhatsApp for Business integration
                                                                                                                • Conditional layouts - support for multi-select picklists

                                                                                                                  Hi, The documentation for conditional layouts says the following: "Layout Rules cannot be used on the following field types: Auto Number Lookup Multi Select Lookup User Lookup Formula File Upload Multi Line" I have a custom module with a multi-pick list
                                                                                                                • Dont want to list inactive items.

                                                                                                                  If an item is made inactive, there is no point in showing it in the item list. Please provide an option to hide all inactive items in 'Preferences'. 
                                                                                                                • Actual vs Minimum

                                                                                                                  Hi all, I am sure I am not the only one having this need. We are implementing billing on a 30-minute increment, with a minimum of 30 minutes per ticket. My question is, is there a way to create a formula or function to track both the minimum bill vs the
                                                                                                                • Client Script Not Working When Field is Set by Workflow

                                                                                                                  Problem Context: I have implemented a client script in the Cases module that automatically assigns commands based on the value of the Priority field. The script functions correctly when the Priority field is manually set by a user through the form. Observed
                                                                                                                • Integration of CRM and Recruit

                                                                                                                  hi team, Is it possible to sync deals <> job openings from only 1 pipeline? My configuration of CRM has pipeline for each business unit, so I will have all data in the CRM system. body leasing and recruitment is one BU (hence 1 pipeline) - can I sync
                                                                                                                • {Action Required} Re-authenticate your Google Accounts to Continue Data Sync

                                                                                                                  Hello Users! To align with Google’s latest updates on how apps access files in Google Drive, we’ve enhanced our integration to comply with the updated security and privacy standards, ensuring safer and more reliable access to your data. With this update,
                                                                                                                • integrating Zoho CRM vendors with Zoho projects

                                                                                                                  In most of our projects we collaborate with our Vendors. Being able to integrate only Accounts and not Vendors from CRM, is a huge limitation for our perspective and needs. We would really love to see this feature in the CRM-Projects integration.
                                                                                                                • Zoho Creator Workshops 2026—Europe & UK | Coming to a city near you!

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone! We're excited to announce the Zoho Creator Workshop Series 2026, coming to cities across Europe and the United Kingdom this year! Whether you're looking to explore the intermediate-to-advanced capabilities of Creator or you're a seasoned
                                                                                                                • Validation rule for Date field

                                                                                                                  The condition settings for a Date field are are absolutlly usless. Conditions can only be set for a specific date, which is logically ineffective in most cases. When setting a condition for a Date field, users usually need to compare the value relative
                                                                                                                • Number 9 envelopes for invoice printing

                                                                                                                  I email and print invoices. Being new to Zoho and coming from QB, we did both as we have a more traditional So in Zoho i want to do the same using Number 9 envelopes. These have both a return window and mail to windoow see attached image. Im just looking for best suggestions on how to get a ZOHO invoice to work, so I can mail my invoices...
                                                                                                                • Zoho Books/Square integration, using 2 Square 'locations' with new Books 'locations'?

                                                                                                                  Hello! I saw some old threads about this but wasn't sure if there were any updates. Is there a way to integrate the Square locations feature with the Books locations feature? As in, transactions from separate Books locations go to separate Square locations
                                                                                                                • Open Sans Font in Zoho Books is not Open Sans.

                                                                                                                  Font choice in customising PDF Templates is very limited, we cannot upload custom fonts, and to make things worse, the font names are not accurate. I selected Open Sans, and thought the system was bugging, but no, Open Sans is not Open Sans. The real
                                                                                                                • Super Admin Logging in as another User

                                                                                                                  How can a Super Admin login as another user. For example, I have a sales rep that is having issues with their Accounts and I want to view their Zoho Account with out having to do a GTM and sharing screens. Moderation Update (8th Aug 2025): We are working
                                                                                                                • Add Reporting feature to display variance/change columns when comparing periods

                                                                                                                  When running reports to compare periods (for example, Profit and Loss comparing current year to previous), I would like to be able to display variance columns in both (a) amount or (b) percentage.
                                                                                                                • 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 Mitin
                                                                                                                • Invalid scope choice: Workdrive integration in CRM

                                                                                                                  Bug: There is an invalid option in the permission choices for Workdrive integration in CRM. If the entry "WorkDrive.teamfolder.CREATE" is selected, it will return a message indicating invalid OAuth scope scope does not exist.
                                                                                                                • Next Page