Rodger's Helpful Deluge Scripts #3 - Automatically attach files to CRM records when a file is added to Workdrive

Rodger's Helpful Deluge Scripts #3 - Automatically attach files to CRM records when a file is added to Workdrive

Hi Everyone,

I'm hoping this one will be really helpful for a lot of people. One thing that's missing from Zoho is a tighter integration between Workdrive and CRM. Whilst an update is in the works as far as I'm aware, file management can still be a needlessly complicated problem. And while there are apps out there that help with this, they often don't work with custom modules, or in the way you want.

Wouldn't it be great if you could just drag and drop your files into a workdrive folder and they all get renamed and appear on your CRM record without any effort from you? In this post, I will show you how to automatically create folders in workdrive AND LINK THEM TO THE CRM RECORD so that when a new file is added to the folder, it's automatically attached to the CRM record.

This is the basic process:
  1. CRM record is created
  2. Workdrive folder is created
  3. A Data Bind is created between the CRM Record and the Workdrive Folder
  4. When a new file is added to the Workdrive Folder, a function is triggered that attaches the file to the CRm Record.
When the file is attached to the CRM Record, we can take this opportunity to do whatever we want to aid in file management. In one of our organisations we accomplish the following in one of our business processes:

If the new file is a csv, the data is parsed and added to a subform on the recocrd
If the new file is a PDF, it is renamed with a specific format
If the new file contains a specific string of text, we know it's a thumbnail image, so it's uploaded to the record image
...

You get the idea of what we can do, so let's get into it.

Step 1: Create a CRM Function to receive the Data
First we need to create a function in CRM to receive a webhook, essentially a packed of data sent from Workdrive to CRM.

Head over to your functions in CRM and create a new Standalone function. Give it a name and description if you want.



We're going to create an argument called crmAPIRequest (spelled exactly like that, this is case sensitive) and se tthe argument type as string



Now save that and save the function, we don't need anything in there yet. In your function menu, click on the elipses (the 3 dots) and select REST API

 

Turn on "API Key" and the system will generate a url for you. Copy and save that URL as we will need it for Step 2. This finishes Step 1.

Step 2: Create an app in Workdrive
Firstly, we need to create an "App" in Workdrive. This will monitor your folder for specific events and send a webhook when that event is triggered, i.e new file created.

In Workdrive, head to the Admin Console --> Apps --> + New Custom App



Give your app a name that's descriptive and informative and paste your client ID. (There's insructions in the opo-up window about how to get your client ID)

When you have created your Custom App, go into it and head over to "Webhooks" and click "+ Create New Webhook"




Give your webhook a name and description if you please. The endpoint URL will be the url of your function that you created in step 1. This tells the app where to send the packed of data.

Next we select the event that will trigger the webhook. In this case, we want it to trigger when a file is uploaded.



Finally we want to specify the folder to monitor. This will be the parent folder that all your new folders will sit under. When you're done, click "Create Webhook"

Step 3: Setup the Data bind

A data bind links 2 records together with their unique ids. To do this we need a field on your CRM Record to store the Wokdrive Folder ID. Make this a single line field. If you don't know how to do this, then this  guide is not for you.

So that stores the Workdrive folder ID, but what stores the CRM record ID? The answer is a Data Template. In you Workdrive Admin Console, head over to Data Templates and create a data template. Add a single line text field to your data template. This will store the CRM Record ID



Step 4: Create folders in Workdrive with Deluge function.

Now that we have set this up, we need to create folders and associate store the respective IDs. This will be done on record creation.

Use the following code snipped to create your folder

  1. // Create folder
  2. header = Map();
  3. header.put("Accept","application/vnd.api+json");
  4. data = Map();
  5. data_param1 = Map();
  6. att_param1 = Map();
  7. att_param1.put("name",<Folder Name>);
  8. att_param1.put("parent_id",<Parent Folder ID>);
  9. data_param1.put("attributes",att_param1);
  10. data_param1.put("type","files");
  11. data.put("data",data_param1);
  12. createFolder = invokeurl
  13. [
  14. url :"https://www.zohoapis.com.au/workdrive/api/v1/files"
  15. type :POST
  16. parameters:toString(data)
  17. headers:header
  18. connection: <Your Workdrive Connection>
  19. ];
  20. info createFolder;
  21. // m_record.put("Folder_Id",createFolder.get("data").get("id")); - Put the created folder ID into the map for your CRM record
  22. // Associate Data Template
  23. header = Map();
  24. header.put("Accept","application/vnd.api+json");
  25. data = Map();
  26. data_param1 = Map();
  27. att_param1 = Map();
  28. att_param1.put("resource_id",createFolder.get("data").get("id"));
  29. att_param1.put("data_template_id","s1a2u5f693092015d4edc876d9043efcf9bcd-73963000001705001"); // 
  30. innerattr_param = List();
  31. innerattr_param_map1 = Map();
  32. innerattr_param_map1.put("custom_field_id",<Custom Field ID>);
  33. innerattr_param_map1.put("value",<CRM Record ID>));
  34. innerattr_param.add(innerattr_param_map1);
  35. att_param1.put("custom_data",innerattr_param);
  36. data_param1.put("attributes",att_param1);
  37. data_param1.put("type","custommetadata");
  38. data.put("data",data_param1);
  39. associateDataTemplate = invokeurl
  40. [
  41. url :"https://www.zohoapis.com.au/workdrive/api/v1/custommetadata"
  42. type :POST
  43. parameters:data.toString()
  44. headers:header
  45. connection: <Your Workdrive Connection>
  46. ];
  47. info associateDataTemplate;

Note: Use the following documentation to get the ID of your Data Template Field needed for line 33 above Zoho WorkDrive API Documentation

Then update your CRM record with the ID of the workdrive folder you created.

Generally, we don't attach this folder to the CRM Record, all we want to see in the CRM record are the files within the folder, not the folder itself.

Step 5: Set-up CRM Function to receive Webhook and attach file to CRM Record

Now we need to go back to your CRM Function which you setup in Step 1 and we're going to add some code:

  1. crmAPIRequest = crmAPIRequest.get("body");
  2. getFolderMetadata = invokeurl
  3. [
  4. url :"https://www.zohoapis.com.au/workdrive/api/v1/files/" + crmAPIRequest.get("data").get(0).get("resource_info").get("parent_id") + "/custommetadata"
  5. type :GET
  6. headers:{"Accept":"application/vnd.api+json"}
  7. connection: <Your Workdrive Connection>
  8. ];
  9. info getFolderMetadata.get("data").get(0).get("attributes").get("custom_data").get(0).get("value");
  10. recordId = getFolderMetadata.get("data").get(0).get("attributes").get("custom_data").get(0).get("value"); // Gets the Data out of the Data Template - This is the CRM Record ID
  11. r_record = zoho.crm.getRecordById(<Module>,recordId); //Get your CRm Record
  12. fileID = crmAPIRequest.get("data").get(0).get("resource_info").get("resource_id");
  13. m_map = Map();
  14. // Attach new file to CRM Record
  15. //
  16. l_attachments = list();
  17. data = Map();
  18. data.put("$link_url","https://workdrive.zoho.com.au/file/" + fileID);
  19. data.put("File_Name",<Your File Name>);
  20. if(!data.isEmpty())
  21. {
  22. data.put("$resource_id",recordId);
  23. data.put("$type","teamdrive");
  24. l_attachments.add(data);
  25. payload = "attachments=" + zoho.encryption.urlEncode({"data":l_attachments});
  26. attachFile = invokeurl
  27. [
  28. url :"https://www.zohoapis.com.au/crm/v2/<Module>/" + recordId + "/Attachments"
  29. type :POST
  30. parameters:payload
  31. connection: <Your CRM Connection>
  32. content-type:"application/x-www-form-urlencoded"
  33. ];
  34. info attachFile;
  35. // Rename File in Work Drive
  36. data = Map();
  37. data_param1 = Map();
  38. att_param1 = Map();
  39. att_param1.put("name",<Your File Name>);
  40. data_param1.put("attributes",att_param1);
  41. data_param1.put("type","files");
  42. data.put("data",data_param1);
  43. renameFile = invokeurl
  44. [
  45. url :"https://www.zohoapis.com.au/workdrive/api/v1/files/" + fileID
  46. type :PATCH
  47. parameters:data.toString()
  48. headers:{"Accept":"application/vnd.api+json"}
  49. connection: <Your Workdrive Connection>
  50. ];
  51. info renameFile;
  52. }
  53. if(!m_map.isempty())
  54. {
  55. info zoho.crm.updateRecord(<Module>,recordId,m_proof);
  56. }
  57. return "";

So how does the above code work?

Firstly, we get the body of the Webhook, this has all the data we really want.
Next we get the file metadata, this will contain the data in teh Data Template, which of course is the CRM Record ID.
Now that we have the CRM Record ID from the file Metadata, we can fetch the CRM Record. Contained within the Webhook is also the File ID in Workdrive, so this gives us all the information we need to attach the file to your CRM Record and rename the file in Workdrive.

Within this function you can now do whatever you want with the file or anything else. Let's say you want to send an email when a specific file is  uploaded, you can do that here. Or if you want to send a notification via Cliq to someone when a file is uploaded, do that here. You can code specific filename syntaxes so that all your files are perfectly name all the time, the limits are endless.

This is far more advanced than most deluge functions posted on here, so see how you go, play around and have fun. If you have any questions, I'll try to respond as soon as possible.

    Access your files securely from anywhere







                            Zoho Developer Community




                                                  • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                  • Digest


                                                  • Functions


                                                  • Meetups


                                                  • Kbase


                                                  • Resources


                                                  • Glossary


                                                  • Desk Marketplace


                                                  • MVP Corner


                                                  • Word of the Day


                                                  • Ask the Experts





                                                            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

                                                                                                              • Add specific field value to URL

                                                                                                                Hi Everyone. I have the following code which is set to run from a subform when the user selects a value from a lookup field "Plant_Key" the URL opens a report but i want the report to be filtered on the matching field/value. so in the report there is
                                                                                                              • CRM gets location smart with the all new Map View: visualize records, locate records within any radius, and more

                                                                                                                Hello all, We've introduced a new way to work with location data in Zoho CRM: the Map View. Instead of scrolling through endless lists, your records now appear as pins on a map. Built on top of the all-new address field and powered by Mappls (MapMyIndia),
                                                                                                              • Zoho Inventory - Composite Items - Assembly - Single Line Item Quantity of One

                                                                                                                Hi Zoho Inventory Team, Please consider relaxing the system rules which prevent an assembly items from consisting of a single line item and outputting a quantity of 1. A client I'm currently working with sells cosmetics and offers testers of their products
                                                                                                              • 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 this
                                                                                                              • Cliq iOS can't see shared screen

                                                                                                                Hello, I had this morning a video call with a colleague. She is using Cliq Desktop MacOS and wanted to share her screen with me. I'm on iPad. I noticed, while she shared her screen, I could only see her video, but not the shared screen... Does Cliq iOS is able to display shared screen, or is it somewhere else to be found ? Regards
                                                                                                              • What's New in Zoho Inventory | Q2 2025

                                                                                                                Hello Customers, The second quarter have been exciting months for Zoho Inventory! We’ve introduced impactful new features and enhancements to help you manage inventory operations with even greater precision and control. While we have many more exciting
                                                                                                              • Zoho POS App Hanging Issue – Sales Becoming Difficult

                                                                                                                The Zoho POS app frequently hangs and becomes unresponsive during billing, making it very difficult to complete sales smoothly. This commonly happens while adding items, during checkout, or at payment time, especially during peak hours. These issues cause
                                                                                                              • Please, make writer into a content creation tool

                                                                                                                I'm tired of relying on Google Docs. I'm actually considering moving to ClickUp, but if Writer were a good content creation tool instead of just a word processor, I would finally be able to move all my development within the Zoho ecosystem, rather than
                                                                                                              • Make Camera Overlay & Recording Controls Visible in All Screen-Sharing Options

                                                                                                                Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, Hope you are doing well. We would like to request an improvement to the screen-recording experience in Zoho WorkDrive. Current Limitation: At the moment the recording controls are visible only inside the Zoho WorkDrive tab. When
                                                                                                              • Allow Attaching Quartz Recordings to Existing Zoho Support Tickets

                                                                                                                Hi Zoho Team, We would like to request an enhancement to how Zoho Quartz recordings integrate with Zoho Support tickets. Current Behavior: At the moment, each Quartz recording automatically creates a new support ticket. However, in many real-world scenarios:
                                                                                                              • Add Israel & Jewish Holidays to Zoho People Holidays Gallery

                                                                                                                Greetings, We hope you are doing well. This feature request is related to Zoho People - please don't move it to zoho one! We are writing to request an enhancement to the Holidays Gallery in Zoho People. Currently, there are several holidays available,
                                                                                                              • Add Israel & Jewish Holidays to Zoho People Holidays Gallery

                                                                                                                Greetings, We hope you are doing well. We are writing to request an enhancement to the Holidays Gallery in Zoho People. Currently, there are several holidays available, but none for Israel and none for Jewish holidays (which are not necessarily the same
                                                                                                              • Sync Issue

                                                                                                                My Current plan only allows me with 10,000 rows and it is getting sync failure how to control it without upgrading my plan
                                                                                                              • Notification to customers when I use a Zoho function

                                                                                                                Hi all, I tried searching the community but couldn't find anything about it. I noticed that the customer receives the notification of reopening the old ticket but does not receive the notification of opening a new ticket when I use the function: "separate
                                                                                                              • Desk DMARC forwarding failure for some senders

                                                                                                                I am not receiving important emails into Desk, because of DMARC errors. Here's what's happening: 1. email is sent from customer e.g. john@doe.com, to my email address, e.g info@acme.com 2. email is delivered successfully to info@acme.com (a shared inbox
                                                                                                              • "Spreadsheet Mode" for Fast Bulk Edits

                                                                                                                One of the challenges with using Zoho Inventory is when bulk edits need to be done via the UI, and each value that needs to be changed is different. A very common use case here is price changes. Often, a price increase will need to be implemented, and
                                                                                                              • Email Notifications not pushing through

                                                                                                                Hi, Notifications from CRM are not reaching my users as they trigger.  We have several workflow triggers set up that send emails to staff as well as the notifications users get when a task is created for them or a user is tagged in the notes.  For the past 6 days these haven't been coming through in real time, instead users are receiving 30-40 notifications in one push several hours later.  This is beginning to impact our daily usage of CRM and is having a negative effect on our productivity because
                                                                                                              • Ticket layout based on field or contact

                                                                                                                Hi! I want to support the following use-case: we are delivering custom IT solutions to different accounts we have, thus our ticket layouts, fields and languages (priority, status field values should be Hungarian) will be different. How should I setup
                                                                                                              • Syncing Bills in Zoho Books to Zoho CRM

                                                                                                                Is there any way to sync the Bills in Zoho Books in Zoho CRM
                                                                                                              • SAML in Zoho One vs Zoho Accounts

                                                                                                                What is the difference between setting up SAML in Zoho Accounts: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/accounts/manage-your-organization/saml/articles/configure-saml-in-zoho-accounts ... vs SAML in Zoho One?: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/one/admin-guide/custom-authentication/setting-up-custom-authentication-with-popular-idps/articles/zohoone-customauthentication-azure
                                                                                                              • How do I change the order of fields in the new Task screen?

                                                                                                                I have gone into the Task module layout, and moving the fields around does not seem to move them in the Create Task screen. Screenshot below. I have a field (Description) that we want to use frequently, but it is inconveniently placed within the More
                                                                                                              • Zoho Inventory. Preventing Negative Stock in Sales Orders – Best Practices?

                                                                                                                Dear Zoho Inventory Community, We’re a small business using Zoho Inventory with a team of sales managers. Unfortunately, some employees occasionally overlook stock levels during order processing, leading to negative inventory issues. Is there a way to
                                                                                                              • Deactivated Zoho One account can sign in

                                                                                                                I am concerned by the fact that deactivated users in Zoho One have the ability to sign in even after their account has been deactivated (not deleted). these inactive identities have no access to individual Zoho apps or data. based on my experience they
                                                                                                              • How can I reset the password for a user in Zoho Projects

                                                                                                                We need to reset the password for a user in Zoho Projects. I am the admin portal owner and there was nothing to be found to do this. very confusing.
                                                                                                              • No funcionan correctamente el calculo de las horas laborales para informe de tickets

                                                                                                                Hola, estoy intentando sacar estadísticas de tiempo de primera respuesta y resolución en horario laboral de mis tickets, pero el calculo de horas en horario laboral no funciona correctamente cree los horarios con los feriados : Ajusté los acuerdos de
                                                                                                              • How can I add a comment to an existing ticket via API?

                                                                                                                I need to add comments/notes to the history of an existing ticket using the API without overwriting the original ticket description. Thanks!
                                                                                                              • Internal Error When Accessing Team Inbox.

                                                                                                                All our users are seeing this error in teaminbox. Because its a critical tool kindly resolve this issue ASAP.
                                                                                                              • Marketer's Space: Proven tips to improve open rates – Part III

                                                                                                                Hello Marketers! Welcome back to another post in Marketer's Space! This is the final post in the "open rate series". In the first and second parts, we discussed topics ranging from sender domains to pre-headers—but we're not done yet. A few more important
                                                                                                              • MCP no longer works with Claude

                                                                                                                Anyone else notice Zoho MCP no longer works with Claude? I'm unable to turn this on in the claude chat. When I try to toggle it on, it just does nothing at all. I've tried in incognito, new browsers, etc. - nothing seems to work.
                                                                                                              • Change Number Field to Decimal Field

                                                                                                                Hi, It would be nice to be able to change the field type without having to delete it and create a new one, messing up the database and history. Thanks Dan
                                                                                                              • Allow Text within a Formula

                                                                                                                Hi, I would like to be able to use this for others things like taking an existing Date Field and copying its value, so by entering getDay(Date)&"-"&getMonth(Date)&"-"&getYear(Date) it results in 01-02-2026. And then when the Date is changed so is this
                                                                                                              • Zoho Social - Feature Request - Reviewer Role

                                                                                                                Hi Social Team, I've come across this with a couple of clients, where they need a role which can review and comment on posts but who has no access to create content. This is a kind of reviewer role. They just need to be able to see what content is scheduled
                                                                                                              • Zoho Books/Inventory - Update Marketplace Sales Order via API

                                                                                                                Hi everyone, Does anyone know if there is a way to update Sales Orders created from a marketplace intigration (Shopify in this case) via API? I'm trying to cover a scenario where an order is changed on the Shopify end and the changes must be reflected
                                                                                                              • Zoho Inventory / Finance Suite - Add feature to prevent duplicate values in Item Unit field

                                                                                                                I've noticed that a client has 2 values the same in the Unit field on edit/create Items. This surprised me as why would you have 2 units with the same name. Please consider adding a feature which prevents this as it seems to serve no purpose.
                                                                                                              • Zoho CRM for Everyone's NextGen UI Gets an Upgrade

                                                                                                                Hello Everyone We've made improvements to Zoho CRM for Everyone's Nextgen UI. These changes are the result of valuable feedback from you where we’ve focused on improving usability, providing wider screen space, and making navigation smoother so everything
                                                                                                              • Kaizen #224 - Quote-driven Deal Reconciliation Using Zoho CRM Functions and Automation

                                                                                                                Hello everyone! Welcome back to another instalment in the Kaizen series. This post covers quote-driven deal reconciliation, emphasizing Functions and Automation to address practical sales challenges. Business Challenge Sales organizations often mark deals
                                                                                                              • Dependent / Dynamic DropDown in ZohoSheets

                                                                                                                Has anyone figured out a way to create a Dropdown, the values of which is dependent on Values entered in the other cell ?
                                                                                                              • Directly Edit, Filter, and Sort Subforms on the Details Page

                                                                                                                Hello everyone, As you know, subforms allow you to associate multiple line items with a single record, greatly enhancing your data organization. For example, a sales order subform neatly lists all products, their quantities, amounts, and other relevant
                                                                                                              • BARCODE PICKLIST

                                                                                                                Hello! Does anyone know how the Picklist module works? I tried scanning the barcode using the UPC and EAN codes I added to the item, but it doesn’t work. Which barcode format does this module use for scanning?
                                                                                                              • Zoho Inventory - Allow Update of Marketplace Generated Sales Orders via API

                                                                                                                Hi Inventory Team, I was recently asked by a client to create an automation which updated a Zoho Inventory Sales Order if a Shopify Order was updated. I have created the script but I found that the request is blocked as the Sales Order was generated by
                                                                                                              • Next Page