Hello Everyone,

A custom function is a software code that can be used to automate a process and this allows you to automate a notification, call a webhook, or perform logic immediately after a workflow rule is triggered. This feature helps to automate complex tasks and calculations.

We have recently launched a new feature - Schedule functions which allows you to execute custom functions based on a specified schedule such as hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly. 

This feature can be used for recurring actions, like generating monthly reports or sending automated emails to portal users about upcoming public milestones or deadlines without relying on specific events.  

Lets take the below User Requirement from a customer 

When the start date of the task is today, status of that task should be automatically updated to ‘Open’. 

This requirement can be accomplished via Schedule function. Below is a sample custom function code. 

startDates = List();

taskIds = List();

endPoint = "https://projects.zoho.com/restapi/portal/";

indexValue = 0;

// index starts 0

rangeValue = 100;

// range starts 1

// Get All Tasks

taskParameter = Map();

for each  loop in loop50

{

taskParameter.put("index",indexValue);

taskParameter.put("range",rangeValue);

taskResponse = zoho.projects.getRecords(portalId,projectId,"tasks",taskParameter,0,"***********");

if(taskResponse.containKey("tasks"))

{

tasks = taskResponse.get("tasks");

for each  task in tasks

{

if(task.containKey("start_date_format"))

{

days=daysBetween(toDate(task.get("start_date_format"),"MM-dd-yyyy"),toDate(zoho.currentdate.toString("MM-dd-YYYY","Asia/Calcutta"),"MM-dd-yyyy"));

if(days == -1)

{

taskIds.add(task.get("id"));

}

}

}

}

else

{

break;

}

indexValue = indexValue + 100;

}

// Get task layout details

taskLayoutDetailsResponse = invokeurl

[

url :endPoint + portalId + "/projects/" + projectId + "/tasklayouts"

type :GET

connection:”***************”

];

statusDetails = taskLayoutDetailsResponse.get("status_details");

for each  status in statusDetails

{

if(status.get("name").containsIgnoreCase("Open"))

{

openTaskStatusId = status.get("id");

}

}

// update task

updateTaskParameter = Map();

for each  taskId in taskIds

{

updateTaskParameter.put("custom_status",openTaskStatusId);

updateTaskResponse = zoho.projects.update(portalId,projectId,"tasks",taskId,updateTaskParameter,”****************”);

}

Likewise, you can update the tasks to any other custom status based on your requirement.

Creating custom functions in Zoho Projects is straightforward and well-documented. Zoho provides a range of built-in functions that you can use as a starting point, and you can also easily define your own functions using Zoho's scripting language, Deluge. Give it a try and see how it can save your time and boost your productivity!

Watch this space for more such custom function codes.