Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - March 2024

Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - March 2024



Hello everyone,

In this digest, we've brought you a roundup of the highlights, community discussions, resources, and updates from March to keep you in the loop. Let's get right to it!

March Highlights

Zoho Developer Hangout 13

Zoho CRM offers flexibility for businesses to tailor it precisely according to their unique requirements. However, even the best suits may need a few extra accessories. That's where Zoho Creator steps in. When integrated with Zoho CRM, it extends the platform's capabilities, allowing you to build custom applications, forms, and views, transforming them into custom tabs within the CRM interface. Think of it as the stylish pocket square that completes the look. In this session, our MVP @Damien Cregan provided an introduction to Deluge scripting and its role in creating integrations between Zoho Creator and Zoho CRM. He also delved into the intricacies of fetching records from Creator within CRM and vice versa, as well as creating and updating records in both platforms. Watch the recording here.

Zoho Developer Hangout 14

By serving as gateways for accessing and sharing functionalities and data across applications, APIs empower developers to tap into external resources and services that enrich their applications with enhanced features and solutions. Eric, a consistent top contributor in the Zoho Developer Community, says, "Zoho APIs can be fun to use. For core applications like CRM, Desk, and Books, there is an abundance of API endpoints to use and play with. Whether you are developing in or out of Zoho, there is a lot of commonality." In this episode, he discussed the API documentation, limitations, and gotchas, using the API in Deluge, and then demonstrated a use case outside of Zoho with a Ruby application. Watch the recording here.

Upcoming Events

Note: To stay on top of the upcoming developer community events, keep an eye on this page.
  1. Zoho Developer Community Bootcamps - India: We're excited to announce a line-up of Zoho Developer Community Bootcamps in India. These bootcamps focus on empowering developers of all skill levels to learn and build extensions for Zoho products and potentially monetize them by listing them on Zoho Marketplace. This is a great opportunity to network with fellow developers and Zoho users, interact with Zoho experts, share ideas and experiences, and grow together as a community. Read through the details here and register for the meetup in your city.

  2. Zoho QEngine 101: We are happy to announce Zoho QEngine 101 series for the developer community consisting of five sessions in total. This series aims to enable attendees to create test cases from scratch, manage them under modules, and execute them for three different platforms—web, mobile, and API—using Zoho QEngine. Registration and more details here. We also have the Get to know Zoho QEngine webinar series to enhance your understanding of how to leverage QEngine for efficient application testing, particularly through automation. 

  3. Zoho CRM APIs: In this series, you will learn about OAuth2.0 authorization used by Zoho CRM APIs, CRUD operations for retrieving, creating, updating, and deleting records, efficient search/query methods, data synchronization techniques for consistency across platforms, and working with SDKs for seamless integration of Zoho CRM functionality into applications. Register for this multi-part series and start using developer-centric CRM features like a pro!

  4. Zoho Extensions 101 – Extensions for Zoho Finance Suite: This series offers a comprehensive exploration of developing extensions and widgets for the Zoho Finance suite. Starting with an introduction to Sigma and the Zoho Books platform, subsequent sessions cover creating extensions, testing, publishing, and listing apps in the Zoho Marketplace. Click here for the detailed agenda and registration.

  5. eSignatures with Zoho Sign: Discover how to create legally binding documents and seamlessly integrate Zoho Sign into your website or mobile application using Zoho Sign APIs and SDKs. Join us to learn the importance of integrating a digital signature solution into your website, get a product walkthrough of Zoho Sign, and gain insights into utilizing Zoho Sign's APIs effectively. Register here.

  6. Catalyst Masterclass – Build next-gen bots with NLP capabilities using ConvoKraft: Join us for an exclusive webinar on Catalyst ConvoKraft with industry experts to learn how to build next-gen bots with advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) capabilities. Catalyst ConvoKraft is an open platform on which third-party, non-AI developers can build chatbots. Developers can easily embed bots built on ConvoKraft into their application's front end for end-users to interact with.

  7. Learning Table Series: We designed this series to provide users with valuable insights and knowledge about Creator's capabilities in various business use cases and applications. This year, we have adopted the 12 Months 12 Industries concept. Every month, we will focus on a specific industry, illustrating its unique processes with real-time business scenarios and how to make best use of Creator for that industry. Our recent webinar on Creator for the Logistics Industry was a success, and during the upcoming session, we'll be exploring Creator for the Education Industry.

    Title: Creator For the Education Industry
    Date: May 2, 2024
    APAC & ANZ: 11 AM to 12 PM IST - Registration Link
    EMEA: 4 PM to 5 PM IST - Registration Link
    Americas: 9 PM to 10 PM IST - Registration Link


  8. Creator Tech Connect SeriesCreator's tech connect series would comprise of technical sessions that provide immersive training on the key essentials and technical nuances of building a solution in Zoho Creator. This is a great opportunity for our developer community to stay informed about Creator's new feature releases, product roadmap, best practices to follow while scripting in deluge, new deluge concepts, and cloud functions. We are conducting a three-month series on mobile applications in Zoho Creator. The recently concluded session focused on customizing mobile applications in Zoho Creator, while the upcoming session in the series will be about Rebranding mobile applications in Zoho Creator.

    Title: Rebranding Mobile Applications in Zoho Creator
    Date: May 9, 2024
    APAC & ANZ: 11 AM to 12 PM IST - Registration Link
    EMEA: 4 PM to 5 PM IST - Registration Link
    Americas: 9 PM to 10 PM IST - Registration Link

Resource Spotlight

We've consolidated all the resources from the developer community learning series into a centralized hub for your convenient access. Consider bookmarking the Zoho Developer Community website to stay informed about the latest updates in the developer community.

Community Discussions

Zoho Developer Forum

  • At times, even the tiniest syntax slip-up can be vexing. That's where community support comes through, as members have likely encountered similar challenges. In this instance, @Philip sought assistance on our forum for a WHERE clause issue in a COQL query, and as usual, @Haiku Technical Support swiftly offered helpful tips to guide @Philip and @DataWarehouse.
  • More often than not, minor script glitches can escalate into significant time drains for developers. @Jason's struggle with transferring subform records highlights the frustration such issues can bring. Our MVP @Hugh Marshall's timely intervention not only resolved the problem but also underscored the invaluable support network within the community.
  • @Emmanuel struggled to update a multi-select field in Zoho CRM, prompting other community members to jump into the discussion with similar challenges. @Sunderjan and @Pheranda pitched in with code snippets to help them through their predicaments.
  • Identifying the cause of a problem is key to resolving it, which is precisely what @Hugh Marshall aided in with @Jorge's situation. While attempting to parse an XML file in Zoho CRM, @Jorge Andrés faced challenges in isolating and processing details from the XML, despite exploring different solutions. Go through this conversation to understand how community can be your go-to when you’re stuck in coding conundrums.

Developers ZUG Cliq Channel

Note: These conversations are confined to the Developers ZUG Cliq channel members. If you're keen on becoming a part of this space, please fill in this onboarding form to receive your invitation to join the channel.
  • Does it spark your interest when I say that it's possible to search email ID in Leads and Contacts modules at the same time? Go through this discussion where @Venessa West shares how.
  • @Nhivethasre comes to @Piyush's rescue with the steps involved in publishing his Zoho Creator app on Google Play Store and Apple's App Store. Make sure to bookmark this thread for future reference when you're ready to publish your own app!
  • Our champions Tasha and Puneeth offered step-by-step solution to Fatih in this discussion to fetch data from a website (specifically, YouTube) using Deluge and funnel it into Zoho Desk via an app developed with Zoho Catalyst.
  • Check out this lovely conversation that shows the pros coming together to help each other out with great camaraderie!
  • @Haiku Technical Support helped @Danny save some time by suggesting a more straighforward solution to his requirement, avoiding the need to integrate more products than needed.

Community Spotlight

ZDH Speakers

The contributions of our ZDH presenters have been instrumental in the success of the this segment. We extend our heartfelt appreciation for their efforts.

As a continuation of featuring a ZDH presenter each month, this time, we would like to introduce our ninth presenter Christopher Mowers. Explore this post to discover the knowledge and insights he shared with the community.

Cliq Contributors

The Developers ZUG Cliq channel has consistently served as the primary hub for community members seeking technical assistance and engaging in savvy discussions. Here are our top contributors who have gone the extra mile to support and assist the Zoho Developer Community:



We want to express our sincere appreciation to all our community contributors. Your commitment, expertise, and the time you invest are invaluable to the community. 

For those who are new to the Zoho Developer Community, check out this post to get started

We appreciate you dedicating your time to peruse this month's digest. Make sure to follow the digest each month for the most recent updates and conversations. Stay connected and participate in the forums to be featured in the upcoming month's digest. Wishing you an amazing month ahead!

SEE ALSO


    Access your files securely from anywhere







                            Zoho Developer Community





                                                  Use cases

                                                  Make the most of Zoho Desk with the use cases.

                                                   
                                                    

                                                  eBooks

                                                  Download free eBooks and access a range of topics to get deeper insight on successfully using Zoho Desk.

                                                   
                                                    

                                                  Videos

                                                  Watch comprehensive videos on features and other important topics that will help you master Zoho Desk.

                                                   
                                                    

                                                  Webinar

                                                  Sign up for our webinars and learn the Zoho Desk basics, from customization to automation and more

                                                   
                                                    
                                                  • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                  • Meetups


                                                  • Ask the Experts


                                                  • Kbase


                                                  • Resources


                                                  • Glossary


                                                  • Desk Marketplace


                                                  • MVP Corner






                                                            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 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

                                                                                                            • Zoho Social - Post Footer Templates

                                                                                                              As a content creator I often want to include some information at the end of most posts. It would be great if there was an option to add pre-written footers, similar to the Hashtag Groups at the end of posts. For example, if there is an offer I'm running
                                                                                                            • Zoho Expense - The ability to add detail to a Trip during booking

                                                                                                              As an admin, I would like the ability to add more detail to the approved Trips. At present a requestor can add flights, accommodation details and suggest their preferences. It would be great if the exact details of the trip could be added either by the
                                                                                                            • Simplified Call Logging

                                                                                                              Our organization would like to start logging calls in our CRM; however, with 13 fields that can't be removed, our team is finding it extremely cumbersome. For our use case, we only need to record that a call happened theirfor would only need the following
                                                                                                            • Help Center IFrame Issue

                                                                                                              I have had a working Help Center on my website using an iframe for a while. But now for some reason the sign in page gets a refused to connect error. Can someone please help. If I go to the url manually it works correclty
                                                                                                            • Staff rules

                                                                                                              Hi! Do you people know what are the default staff rules when a new booking is created? We have two staff members in my team (me as the admin, and my employee). As we share the same services, I'm wondering how Zoho will pick the staff for new apointments.
                                                                                                            • Comment Templates

                                                                                                              Is it possible to add a template option for comments? We have some agents in the process who's responses require a pre-formatted layout. It would be incredibly handy to have a template for them where they can insert the template and then add their responses
                                                                                                            • [ZohoDesk] Improve Status View with a new editeble kanban view

                                                                                                              A kanban view with more information about the ticket and the contact who created the ticket would be valueble. I would like to edit the fields with the ones i like to see at one glance. Like in CRM where you can edit the canvas view, i would like to edit
                                                                                                            • Adding Markdown text using Zoho Desk API into the Knowledge Base

                                                                                                              Hi Zoho Community members, We currently maintain the documentation of out company in its website. This documentation is written in markdown text format and we would like to add it in Zoho Knowledge Base. Do you know if there is REST API functionality
                                                                                                            • An Exclusive Session for Zoho Desk Users: AI in Zoho Desk

                                                                                                              A Zoho Community Learning Initiative Hello everyone! This is an announcement for Zoho Desk users and anyone exploring Zoho Desk. With every nook and corner buzzing, "AI's here, AI's there," it's the right time for us to take a closer look at how the AI
                                                                                                            • Shared values: From classroom lessons to teaching moments in customer service

                                                                                                              While the world observes Teachers’ Day on October 5, in India, we celebrate a month earlier, on September 5, to mark the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, a great teacher, renowned scholar, educationist, and advocate for empowerment.
                                                                                                            • Export to excel stored amounts as text instead of numbers or accounting

                                                                                                              Good Afternoon, We have a quarterly billing report that we generate from our Requests. It exports to excel. However if we need to add a formula (something as simple as a sum of the column), it doesn't read the dollar amounts because the export stores
                                                                                                            • Auto Capitalize First Letter of Words

                                                                                                              Hi I am completely new to ZOHO and am trying to build a database. How can i make it when a address is entered into a form field like this: main st it automatically changes is to show: Main St Thank You
                                                                                                            • Follow-up emails via Workflow Automation not staying in the same thread

                                                                                                              Dear Zoho Support Team, I am currently using Workflow Automation in Zoho Campaigns to send follow-up emails. In my test case, I noticed the following behavior: All emails in the automation have the same subject line. If the follow-up email is sent within
                                                                                                            • Update application by uploading an updated DS file

                                                                                                              Is it possible? I have been working with AI on my desktop improving my application, and I have to keep copy pasting stuff... Would it be possible to import the DS file on top of an existing application to update the app accordingly?
                                                                                                            • Send / 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 for
                                                                                                            • Image Upload Field | Zoho Canvas

                                                                                                              I'm working on making a custom view for one of our team's modules. It's an image upload field (Placement Photo) that would allow our sales reps to upload a picture of the house their working on. However, I don't see that field as a opinion when building
                                                                                                            • Create a list of customers who participated in specific Zoho Backstage events and send them an email via Zoho CRM

                                                                                                              How to create a list of customers who participated in specific Zoho Backstage events and send them an email via Zoho CRM? I was able to do a view in CRM based on customer that registered to an event, but I don't seems to be able to include the filter
                                                                                                            • Custom Button Disappearing in mobile view | Zoho CRM Canvas

                                                                                                              I'm working in Zoho CRM Canvas to create a custom view for our sales team. One of the features I'm adding is a custom button that opens the leads address in another tab. I've had no issue with this in the desktop view, but in the mobile view the button
                                                                                                            • Zoho Desk blank page

                                                                                                              1. Click Access zoho desk on https://www.zoho.com/desk/ 2. It redirects to https://desk.zoho.com/agent?action=CreatePortal and the page is blank. Edge browser Version 131.0.2903.112 (Official build) (arm64) on MacOS
                                                                                                            • Clearing Fields using MACROS?

                                                                                                              How would I go about clearing a follow-up field date from my deals? Currently I cannot set the new value as an empty box.
                                                                                                            • I hate the new user UI with the bar on the left

                                                                                                              How can I reverse this?
                                                                                                            • Office 365 and CRM mail integration: permission required

                                                                                                              Has anyone run into this weird problem? My email server is Office 365. When I try to configure Zoho CRM to use this server, a Microsoft popup window opens requesting user and password. After entering that, I get a message in the Microsoft window saying
                                                                                                            • Field Not Updating in FSM Script - Service and Parts module.

                                                                                                              Dear Team, I am reaching out regarding a script I have implemented in Zoho FSM to automate the calculation of the End of Service date based on the End of Sale date in the Service and Parts module. Overview of the script: Fetches the End_of_Sale__C and
                                                                                                            • Question regarding import of previous deals...

                                                                                                              Good afternoon, I'm working on importing some older deal records from an external sheet into the CRM; however, when I manually click "Add New Deal" and enter the pertinent information, the deal isn't appearing when I look at the "Deals" bar on the account's
                                                                                                            • Client Script also planned for Zoho Desk?

                                                                                                              Hello there, I modified something in Zoho CRM the other day and was amazed at the possibilities offered by the "Client Script" feature in conjunction with the ZDK. You can lock any fields on the screen, edit them, you can react to various events (field
                                                                                                            • One person/cell phone to manage multiple accounts

                                                                                                              Hi. I have a personal Free account to keep my own domain/emails. Now I need to create a Business account to my company's own domain, but I have only one mobile phone number I use to everything. How do I do to manage this? Can I manage a Free domain and
                                                                                                            • Tracking KPIs, Goals etc in People

                                                                                                              How are Zoho People users tracking employee targets in People? For example, my marketing assistant has a target of "Collect 10 new customer testimonials every month". I want to record attainment for this target on a monthly basis, then add it to their
                                                                                                            • Zoho Desk: Ticket Owner Agents vs Teams

                                                                                                              Hi Zoho, We would like to explore the possibility of hiding the ‘Agents’ section within the Ticket Owner dropdown, so that we can fully utilise the ‘Teams’ dropdown when assigning tickets. This request comes from the fact that only certain agents and
                                                                                                            • CRM 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. @Ishwarya SG I've read about imminent increase of other components (e.
                                                                                                            • Can not Use Attachment Button on Android Widget

                                                                                                              this always pops up when I touch the attach button on android widget. going to settings, there is no storage permission to be enabled. if I open the app, and access the attach feature there, I can access my storage and upload normally.
                                                                                                            • How do I filter contacts by account parameters?

                                                                                                              Need to filter a contact view according to account parameter, eg account type. Without this filter users are overwhelmed with irrelevant contacts. Workaround is to create a custom 'Contact Type' field but this unbearable duplicity as the information already
                                                                                                            • Can I add Conditional merge tags on my Templates?

                                                                                                              Hi I was wondering if I can use Conditional Mail Merge tags inside my Email templates/Quotes etc within the CRM? In spanish and in our business we use gender and academic degree salutations , ie: Dr., Dra., Sr., Srta., so the beginning of an email / letter
                                                                                                            • Zoho Notebook Sync problem

                                                                                                              I'm facing a problem with syncing of notebook on android app. It's not syncing. Sometimes it syncs after a day or two.  I created some notes on web notebook but it's not syncing on mobile app. Please help!!!!
                                                                                                            • Kaizen #190 - Queries in Custom Related Lists

                                                                                                              Hello everyone! Welcome back to another week of Kaizen! This week, we will discuss yet another interesting enhancement to Queries. As you all know, Queries allow you to dynamically retrieve data from CRM as well as third-party services directly within
                                                                                                            • Custom Fonts in Zoho CRM Template Builder

                                                                                                              Hi, I am currently creating a new template for our quotes using the Zoho CRM template builder. However, I noticed that there is no option to add custom fonts to the template builder. It would greatly enhance the flexibility and branding capabilities if
                                                                                                            • Announcing new features in Trident for Mac (1.24.0)

                                                                                                              Hello everyone! Trident for macOS (v.1.24.0) is here with interesting features and thoughtful enhancements to redefine the way you plan and manage your calendar events. Here's a quick look at what's new. Create calendar events from emails. In addition
                                                                                                            • Need Easy Way to Update Item Prices in Bulk

                                                                                                              Hello Everyone, In Zoho Books, updating selling prices is taking too much time. Right now we have to either edit items one by one or do Excel export/import. It will be very useful if Zoho gives a simple option to: Select multiple items and update prices
                                                                                                            • Vendor Master Enhancements for Faster Purchase Entry

                                                                                                              I’d like to suggest a few features that will improve accuracy and speed during purchase voucher entry: Automated Item Tax Preference in Vendor Master Add an option to define item tax preference in the vendor master. Once set, this preference should automatically
                                                                                                            • Mass Mail Statistics - Number of unsent emails

                                                                                                              How do I find out which emails were not sent?
                                                                                                            • Button to add product to cart

                                                                                                              Is there a way to have a button on a page, that when clicked, will add Qty 1 of a product to the cart?
                                                                                                            • Next Page