Kaizen #132 - Manipulating Subforms from third-party Application using Functions
Hey folks! Welcome to a fresh week of Kaizen.
In this post, we will see how to work with subforms and external fields in a module through CRM functions.
Consider a scenario where a High School utilizes Zoho CRM to manage student records, academic performance, and offered courses. Additionally, the school employs an Exam portal for students to take examinations. After the examination, the portal sends the mark information back to Zoho CRM along with it's own course id, student id, marks & other details.
Problem Statement
When the exam portal initiates a webhook call to CRM, the high school management wants to capture that data and update the CRM subform records accordingly. This subform should act as a semester progress report for each student.
Solution Overview
To address this requirement, a custom function must be implemented. The webhook URL will be the API REST URL of the custom function in Zoho CRM. Upon receiving the notification, the function is triggered, and the details from the notification are used to manipulate the subform.
Let us walk through this process of triggering functions using a webhook to manipulate subforms.
Let us walk through this process of triggering functions using a webhook to manipulate subforms.
Prerequisites
From the Third-Party Application
- We assume that a webhook will be triggered from the third-party application when the exam is over and evaluated by the teacher. The webhook will carry the following information:
Field | Data Type | Description |
Exam Name | String | Name of the examination that the student attends. |
Student ID | Long String | Unique ID of the student within the Portal App. |
Course ID | Long String | Unique ID of the course within the Portal App. |
Marks | Integer | Total marks of the student in the particular course. |
Total Time | Integer | Time taken by the student to complete the exam. |
- The webhook URL should correspond to the API REST URL of the custom function in Zoho CRM.
From Zoho CRM
Here is a data model image of the CRM modules involved in this scenario for your ease of understanding.
The Courses, Students and Student Exams modules are assumed to be pre-loaded with records. Following are the module wise fields that are expected to be already configured in the school's CRM org.
Courses and Students Modules
External fields named Student Code in the Students module and Course Code in the Courses module are used to match the IDs deployed in the third-party application.
Note
External fields can be updated only using the Update Records API.
Student Exams Module
Following are the custom fields that we assume to be already available in the Student Exams module.
Field Name | Data Type | Description |
Student | Lookup | The field looks up to the Students module. |
Total Marks | Integer (Formula) | A subform aggregate field that sums up the values of the Marks field in the Student Performance subform. |
GPA | Integer (Formula) | Calculates the GPA of a student in that particular examination. |
Exam Name | String (Picklist) | List downs the examinations that are planned to be conducted for the academic year. |
Student Performance Subform
A subform named Student Performance within the Student Exams module, comprising the following fields.
Field Name | Data Type | Description |
Course | Lookup | Represents the course name and it looks up to one of the courses from the Courses module. |
Total Time | Integer | Time taken by the student to complete the exam. |
Marks | Integer | Marks of the student in the particular course. |
Grade | String (Formula) | Grading system is infused as formula and it works depending on the value in the Marks field. |
The subform is assumed to be empty and will be updated only on receiving a webhook notification from the Portal App.
Note
Make a Modules Metadata API call to get the API names of the modules and the subform. Next, fire the GET Fields API call to get the API names of the fields. We will need them in crafting the custom function.
Creating the Custom Function
Step 1: Navigate to the Setup > Developer Hub > Functions and click the New Function button.
Now, create a Standalone function by filling in the details.
Flow of the Function
Argument Setup
Define function arguments to receive details from the function as shown here:
Data Retrieval
Invoke the COQL API within the function to retrieve the necessary records from the Student Exams and Courses module.
student_examMap = Map(); student_examMap.put("select_query","select id from Student_Exams where Student.Student_Code =" + student_id + " and Exam_Name=" + exam_name + " limit 1"); exam_response = invokeurl [ type :POST parameters:student_examMap.toString() connection:"crm_oauth_connection" ]; exam_id = exam_response.getJSON("data").get(0).get("id"); |
Here, the query is structured to retrieve the ID of the Student Exam record where the Student lookup field corresponds to the record with the Student Code matching the student_id in the notification, and the Exam Name picklist field matches the value of exam_name from the notification.
Note: You can use only =, !=, in and not in operators for querying External fields in Zoho CRM.
courseMap = Map(); courseMap.put("select_query","select id from Courses where Course_Code =" + course_id + " limit 1"); course_response = invokeurl [ type :POST parameters:courseMap.toString() connection:"crm_oauth_connection" ]; course_id = course_response.getJSON("data").get(0).get("id"); |
In this COQL call, the query fetches the ID of the record from the Courses module whose Course Code field matches the course_id received in the notification.
Subform Update Handling
The custom function should address the following three cases inorder to effectively manipulate the subform data from the third-party application.
- Every webhook call from the Exam portal should be added as a new entry to the subform.
- If entries already exist in the subform, the function should perform PATCH operation.
- Before executing the PATCH operation, it is crucial to check whether the webhook call is for a new course or an update to the existing course. In such cases, the function should refrain from adding the course; instead, it should update the corresponding entry.
To append new entries to the subform, you can use the UPDATE Records API. Refer to this kaizen to learn more about manipulating subforms using Zoho CRM APIs.
Student Performance is a module created for the subform configured in the Student Exams module. In order to perform the PATCH operation with an Update API, make a COQL API call to the Student Performance module and fetch the existing data, if any.
subform_examMap = Map(); subform_examMap.put("select_query","select Course, Total_Time, Marks from Student_Performance where Parent_Id.id =" + exam_id); subform_response = invokeurl [ type :POST parameters:subform_examMap.toString() connection:"crm_oauth_connection" ]; |
This query retrieves the exam records of the student for that particular exam in Student Exams module, from the Student Performance subform. The subform should correspond to the parent record that matches the notification data. Since we already have the ID of that parent record from one of the previous COQL call, we have directly used the response in this query.
Now that we have the existing subform data, the function has to verify whether the data from webhook call matches any of the Course in the subform data. If it matches, the new entry replaces the existing one; otherwise, the new entry is added to the existing entries and forms a request payload called examinfo. This payload will be used in the later part of the functions to update the record in Student Exams module.
Following is how you should achieve this using for-each loop.
final_subform = List(); flag = true; if(!isBlank(subform_response)) { subform_data = subform_response.getJSON("data").toList(); if(subform_data.len() > 0) { for each data in subform_data { if(data.get("Course").get("id") == course_id) { final_subform.add({"Course":{"id":course_id},"Total_Time":time_taken,"Marks":marks}); flag = false; } else { final_subform.add(data); } } } } if(flag || isBlank(subform_response)) { final_subform.add({"Course":{"id":course_id},"Total_Time":time_taken,"Marks":marks}); } examinfo = {"Student_Performance":final_subform}; |
Next, let us update the Student Performance subform in the Student Exams module using the pre-defined integration task called Update Record in Zoho CRM functions. This task makes an Update Records API call to replace all entries within the subform. It updates the entries with the same course_id provided in the notification, inserts new entries and removes old entries accordingly.
response = zoho.crm.updateRecord("Student_Exams",exam_id,examinfo); return "nothing"; |
Save the function and click the more icon of the function you have created and choose REST API.
Enable the OAuth2 and API Key for the function.
Next copy the API key and provide it in the webhook URL of the Portal App.
On receiving notifications to this URL the function will be triggered and the records will be updated.
We believe you found this post both beneficial and informative!
Your thoughts and perspectives matter to us. If there is a topic you would like us to delve into or if you have any questions, please feel free to drop a comment below or send us an email at support@zohocrm.com.
Stay tuned until we circle back to you on next Friday!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recommended Reads
- External IDs - An Overview
- Formula Fields - An Overview
- Subforms - Overview and guide to build a subform, Kaizen #31, Kaizen #124
- Metadata APIs - GET Modules, GET Fields
- REST APIs - Update Records API
- Query API - An Overview, Records through COQL Query, Kaizen #80 , Kaizen #81 , Limitations
- Functions - An Overview
- Deluge - An Introduction
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Previous Post : Kaizen #131 - Bulk Write for parent-child records using Scala SDK | Kaizen Collection: Home
Access your files securely from anywhere
Centralize Knowledge. Transform Learning.
All-in-one knowledge management and training platform for your employees and customers.
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
Kiruthiga G
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 thisKaizen #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 howKaizen #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
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
Crossbeam
Does anyone use Crossbeam with their Zoho CRM? I'm looking for a way to import Crossbeam partner leads into Zoho CRM. If so: - What's your experience been like? - Are you able to automatically import Crossbeam leads > Zoho CRM? How? - What doesn't workAccess forms within a form
I have multiple forms that I would like to create access to for users within one form. Example: I have forms A, B, C, D. I would like to create a form with the links to forms A, B, C, & D. That way we can send one link and then the user can select theIssues with Actions By Zoho Flow
Hi, I have a workflow that fires when a deal reaches a stage. This then sends out a contract for the client to sign. I have connected this up through Actions by Zoho Flow. Unfortunately this fails to send out. I have tracked it down to the date fields.Fill Mail Merge document up with subform fields of an Inventory module record being in the Related List
Hi, I try to insert subform fields from an inventory module record being on the Related List of another inventory module record into a Mail Merge template without success. For example: we use ratecards in licensing and this ratecard items are availableHow can we add products using a Wizard?
We want to create a Wizard to add products. Why is there no possibility to use the products module when creating a wizard?Orphan email alias blocking user creation – backend cleanup required
Hello Zoho Mail Support, I´m unable to assign or create the address xx@iezzimatica.ar in my organization. Current situation: Alias cannot be assigned to any user (system says it is already in use) New user with this address cannot be created Address doesEnsure Consistent Service Delivery with Comprehensive Job Sheets
We are elated to announce that one of the most requested features is now live: Job Sheets. They are customizable, reusable forms that serve as a checklist for the services that technicians need to carry out and as a tool for data collection. While onSomething wrong with client script??
Someone have the same feeling? Client script behavior become very strange..API 500 Error
Hello amazing ZOHO Projects Community, I get this message. How can we solve this? { "error": { "status_code": "500", "method": "GET", "instance": "/api/v3/portal/2010147XXXX/projects/2679160000003XXXX/timesheet", "title": "INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR", "error_type":Polish signer experience to compete with docusign
I would like to suggest that someone spend the little bit of time to polish the signer experience, and the email templates to more of a modern professional feel. They are currently very early 2000s and with some simple changes could vastly improve thehow to change the page signers see after signing a document in zoho sign
Hello, How can I please change the page a signer sees after signing a document in Zoho Sign? I cannot seem to find it. As it is now, it shows a default landing page "return to Zoho Sign Home". Thanks!Digest Janvier - Un résumé de ce qui s'est passé le mois dernier sur Community
Bonjour chers utilisateurs, Le premier mois de l’année est déjà derrière nous ! Découvrons ensemble comment s'est passé janvier pour Zoho Community France. Nous avons démarré le mois avec une nouvelle intégration entre Zoho Desk et Zoho Contracts. Cettecontact support
I have 2 request for a phone call and not received one call as promise!Can we fetch Deal owner and Deal owner email with COQL?
While fetching deal deatils with coql api and while fetching deal owner name and email it is just giving owner id not ginving name and email https://www.zohoapis.in/crm/v2/coqlZoho Social - Cliq Integration / Bot
Dear community / zoho, I am looking for a way to create a bot within Zoho Cliq to update my colleagues about our Zoho Social activities. For example, if a new post is published, it would be great if this post automatically would be shared in our socialComment to DM Automation
Comment to DM automation feature in Zoho Marketing Automation, similar to what tools like ManyChat offer. Use case: When a user comments on a social media post (Instagram / Facebook), the system should automatically: Send a private DM to the user CaptureSend / Send & Close keyboard shortcuts
Hello! My team is so close to using Zoho Desk with just the keyboard. Keyboard shortcuts really help us to be more efficient -- saving a second or two over thousands of tickets adds up quickly. It seems like the keyboard shortcuts in Desk are only forHandling Agent Transfer from Marketing Automation Journey to SalesIQ WhatsApp
We are currently using Marketing Automation for WhatsApp marketing, and the features are great so far We have a scenario where, during a campaign or journey, we give customers an option to chat with our sales team. For this, we are using SalesIQ WhatsAppTransfer Amount from One Vendor to Another Vendor
One of the vendors, who has a balance with us, has closed the business and has started a new business; Now he wants me to transfer the outstanding from the old account to the new Vendor Account. I am trying to do this using Payment Settlement a/c, ButWebinar - Getting Started with Zoho LandingPage
Want to launch landing pages that support real marketing goals? This webinar is designed to help you understand the role landing pages play in your overall campaigns and how they contribute to lead generation and conversions. During this session, you’llMarketing Tip #19: Upsell on product page to increase order value
Upselling doesn’t have to feel pushy. It can actually feel helpful when done right. Think "people also bought", upgrades, add-ons, or complementary items. A smart upsell increases your average order value and improves the customer experience by makingCRM limit reached: only 2 subforms can be created
we recently stumbled upon a limit of 2 subforms per module. while we found a workaround on this occasion, only 2 subforms can be quite limiting in an enterprise setting. @Anonymous User I've read about imminent increase of other components (e.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.Removing Tables from HTML Inventory Templates - headers, footers and page number tags only?
I'm a bit confused by the update that is coming to HTML Inventory Templates https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/crm-nextgen/customize-crm-account/customizing-templates/articles/nextgen-update-your-html-inventory-templates-for-pdf-generator-upgrade It saysAbility to Link Reported Issues from Zoho Desk to Specific Tasks or Subtasks in Zoho Projects
Hi Zoho Desk Team, Hope you're doing well. When reporting a bug from Zoho Desk to Zoho Projects, we’ve noticed that it’s currently not possible to select an existing task or subtask to associate the issue with. However, when working directly inside ZohoHow do i move multiple tickets to a different department?
Hello, i have several tickets that have been assigned to the wrong department. I am talking about hundreds of automatically generated ones that come from a separate system. How can i select them all at once to move them to another department in one go? I can select them in "unsassigned open tickets view" but i can't find a "move to another department" option. I also can't seem to assign multiple tickets to the same agent in that same view. Could somebody advice?Capture Bank Charges for Invoice Payments
We've added the Bank Charges field in the "Add Payments" page both in Zoho Invoice & Zoho Books. So all you need to do is to enter the bank charges when you record a payment for the invoices. This bank charge will be included to the amount paid for that invoice. Steps to add the bank charges while you record the payment: 1. Click the "Invoices" sub-tab under the "Money-In" tab. 2. Click the 'add payment' link for the invoice that you wish to record the payment for. 3. On the addHow to apply customized Zoho Crm Home Page to all users?
I have tried to study manuals and play with Zoho CRM but haven't found a way how to apply customized Zoho CRM Home Page as a (default) home page for other CRM users.. How that can be done, if possible? - kipi Moderation Update: Currently, each user hasEnrich your contact and company details automatically using the Data Enrichment topping
Greetings, I hope you're all doing well. We're happy to announce the latest topping we've added to Bigin: The Data Enrichment topping, powered by WebAmigo. This topping helps you automatically enhance your contact and company records in Bigin. By leveragingZoho Billing Partial Proration...
Hi, In Zoho billing, we offer upgrades, downgrades, suspends, and resumes. We use online payment for most subscriptions, but have only a few that are offline, but we treat them the same either way.. We prorate only parts of these changes.. Right now zohoGetting Subform Fields to Display Top to Bottom
I have a form where the fields are all in one column. I want to insert a subform where the fields are stacked in one column as well. I have built both the form and subform but the subform displays the fields from left to right instead of a stacked column. This will cause a problem displaying the subform correctly on mobile apps. How can I do this please?' Here is my form with subform now. As you can see the subform "Follow Up Activity" is displaying the fields left to right. I need them to go top[Feature Deprecated] Gamescope in Zoho Projects
This feature is no longer available. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Well, yes. That's true! Tiring work, buzzing coffee makers, busy turnstiles , occupied meeting rooms, back-to-back status updates and what not. Your everyday routine need not have to be this hectic. It can be more rewarding. It can be more fun. Zoho Projects believes in this fact and hence has launched Gamescope - A module that turns every project into an exciting game and boosts the spirit of your team by leaps andCreating a task, i can not work out how to get ID for What_Id
hi From Module A function I map Module B record reference membershipid (ours). I need Module B Zoho ID to create the related to on task. All examples i've seen start with the Zoho ID. void automation.LTM_Assign_Dispute_Task(String membershipid) { tryHow to Convert NSF to PST Format Effortlessly? - SYSessential
It is highly recommended to obtain the error-free solution of the SYSessential NSF to PST converter to convert NSF files from Lotus Notes. Using this professional software, it becomes easier to convert all NSF database items, including emails, journals,Can't connect to POP and SMTP over VPN
I use Thunderbird to access Zoho Mail via POP and SMTP. I have configured an app-specific password for Thunderbird to use. Everything is properly configured and works correctly — until I enable my VPN. I'm using a paid commercial VPN service (Mullvad).my zoho mail is hacked
my email is sending my username and password to people i dont knowSuministrar accesos
Asunto: Enable UPLOAD_RULE for API Attachments Mensaje: Hola, Necesito habilitar la capacidad de subir attachments vía API en Zoho Mail. Actualmente recibo el error: "UPLOAD_RULE_NOT_CONFIGURED" al usar el endpoint: POST /api/accounts/{accountId}/messages/attachmentsIntroducing real-time document commenting and collaboration in Zoho Sign
Hi, there! We are delighted to introduce Document commenting, a feature that helps you communicate with your recipients more efficiently for a streamlined document signing process. Some key benefits include: Collaborate with your recipients easily withoutTicket Loop from Auto Responce
We’re seeing an issue where a client’s help desk triggers a ticket loop. When they email us, our system creates a ticket and sends the acknowledgement. Their system then creates a ticket from that acknowledgement and sends one back to us, which createsHow to make rule to filter out some emails from receiving the notification "Receiving a new ticket"?
Good Morning, We are currently using the "Receiving a new ticket" notification rule to provide that auto reply template to a customer that emails us for support. However, there are some emails we don't want to receive this auto-reply. Where can I setNext Page