Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - October 2024

Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - October 2024



Hello everyone,

This edition highlights October's product updates, upcoming community events, engaging discussions that sparked inspiration, and celebrates the top contributors who drove progress. Grab your favorite beverage and dive in!

Upcoming Events

Alert
We're super excited to announce our first-ever Zoho Developer Community Hackathon, coming your way this November. Get ready to innovate and compete on a global scale! Registration opens soon, so stay tuned for more details!

Zoho Apptics 101 

Date: November 12, 2024
Time: 12:30 pm IST & 9:30 PM IST
Title: Sessions, Screens, and APIs

In this series, we’ll dive deep into every aspect of application analytics to help you understand how Zoho Apptics aids in measuring important KPIs that reflect your app's performance, growth, and engagement. The last session of the series this year, focuses on Sessions, Screens, and API tracking. Registration and more details here.

Creator Tech Connect:

Title: Directory stores and device management in Zoho Creator using Zoho Directory.
Date: November 14, 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

Creator'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. The previous session focused on managing domains, controls, and security policies in Zoho Creator using Zoho Directory and in the upcoming session, we will explore directory stores and device management in Zoho Creator using Zoho Directory.

Catalyst Webinar

Title: Boost eCommerce Efficiency by Automating PDF and Invoice Generation at Scale
Date: November 21, 2024
Time: 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm IST or 8 AM - 9AM PT
 
Are manual processes slowing down your ecommerce business? Join this webinar to discover how automation can revolutionize your operations. Learn how to generate invoices and PDFs seamlessly, reduce errors, and scale your business effortlessly.

Agenda:
  • The Power of Automation: Understand how automating invoices and PDFs can drive efficiency and enhance your ecommerce operations.
  • Seamless Integration: Learn how to implement automated PDF generation into your existing systems with ease.
  • Scaling for Growth: Explore strategies to optimize your processes and scale your ecommerce business effortlessly.

Learning Table Series:

Title: Creator for the Finance Industry
Date: December 5, 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

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 previous webinar on Creator for the NGO Industry was a success, and in the upcoming session, we'll be exploring Creator for the finance industry.

Feature Spotlight

Zoho Creator

We're thrilled to announce the launch of the revamped Zoho Creator Developer Console—a dedicated platform designed specifically for Creator developers and partners to build, test, and distribute apps to your clients. The revamped Zoho Creator Developer Console introduces a more streamlined, intuitive experience designed to empower developers at every stage of their app-building journey. Key updates include testing environments, seamless update deployment, the ability to publish apps for monetization in the Marketplace or distribute them privately with specific clients, and much more. Overall, the Zoho Creator Developer Console is an indispensable toolkit, enabling developers to innovate faster and deliver tailored, robust solutions to their clients.

Read more about this new launch in this community post or the partner network post.

Zoho Finance Platform: External Lookup Data Type in Custom Fields

We've added the External Lookup data to custom fields. Using this data type, you can select one of the available Zoho apps and look up data from one of its fields. Currently, you can look up data from Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk. After selecting the Zoho app, you need to select the organization, module, and field to lookup. For example, if you want to view the meetings you've had with your customers, you can create an external lookup for Zoho CRM, choose the CRM organization, select the Meetings module, and select the field to lookup (say Title). Learn More.

Products supported: Zoho Books, Zoho Inventory, and Zoho Billing.

Keep an eye out for our ongoing Custom Function Series!
 
For any queries related to the Zoho Finance development platform, reach out to our tech team at devsupport@zohofinance.com

Resource Spotlight

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

Community Discussions

Zoho Developer Forum

  • Sometimes, choosing the right data structure can make a big difference. @Ilja wanted to know the best way to compare a list of countries with their corresponding ISO codes. While a long chain of if-else statements might seem like a simple solution, it gets slow and hard to manage with a large number of countries. @Anonymous User, @Abhishek , and @Anonymous User jumped in and explained that a Map approach is superior. Go through this conversation to know why!
  • @Anonymous User encountered a roadblock in their client script where changes to a specific field weren't triggering updates in other fields. Find out how they resolved the issue as this thread underscores the importance of understanding the appropriate methods for field updates in different contexts.
  • @Anonymous User sought a way to send emails to each contact listed in a Zoho CRM subform. @Anonymous User suggested using Zoho Flow to automate this process, while @Anonymous User offered a more direct approach with a custom Deluge code snippet. This conversation underscores the flexibility of Zoho CRM, with both low-code and custom coding options available to fulfill specific needs.
  • @Anonymous User wanted to automate a field update based on user data. @Anonymous User, a dedicated Zoho MVP, went above and beyond, providing a detailed client script solution and even offering a personalized debugging session. This thread showcases the power of community support and the importance of clear communication in resolving technical hurdles.

Developers ZUG Cliq Channel

InfoThese conversations are confined to the Developers ZUG Cliq channel members. If you're keen on becoming a part of this space, visit our website, click JOIN NOW, and complete the form to get an invite to the channel.
  • Redundant work can get pretty tiresome. Our top contributor, @Anonymous User, tried to overcome such a task through auto-populating fields in Zoho Desk. Check out this conversation where the community members bring together different pieces of the puzzle to get the complete picture. @Carter shares the logical flow, and @Anonymous User shares the coding solution with @Venessa and @Dr. Joe Sweeney backing it up with their thoughts.
  • Almost always, someone from the Community has the answer to another's question. Sometimes, a member ventures into something unventured. @Anonymous User found himself in such a situation. Needing to convert a byte array to PDF, he turned to the community for help. While the community offered various suggestions, the perfect solution remained elusive. Check out the conversation to see if you might have a solution to his problem. Who knows, you might even find any of the offered solutions beneficial to your business!
  • Each integration between products gives any business an additional dimension of functionality. It's even more pivotal when that integration deals with the final step of the sales cycle—creating and delivering the invoice for a completed deal. @Buddy Quaid faced an issue while creating an invoice with Zoho Writer and storing & sending it from Zoho Workdrive. This month's top Cliq contributor, Vivek Rai, joins Buddy on quite a journey of issues and stumbling blocks, before reaching the solution. Check it out here!

Community Spotlight

ZDH Speakers

As a continuation of featuring a ZDH presenter each month, this time, we are delighted to introduce the 16th episode presenter 
@Vigneshwaran K
. Explore this post to discover the knowledge and insights he shared with the community.

Cliq Contributors

Here are our top contributors who have gone the extra mile to support and assist the 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 and the Cliq channel to be featured in the upcoming month's digest. Wishing you an amazing month ahead!



SEE ALSO

    Access your files securely from anywhere

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






                              Zoho Developer Community



                                  Bootcamp
                                  Community
                                  Pricing
                                  Webinars
                                  What's New
                                  Integrations
                                  Contact Support
                                  Contact Sales
                                    Zoho Survey Resources
                                      Features
                                      Survey Templates
                                      Integrations
                                      Community
                                      iOS Mobile Surveys
                                      Pricing
                                      Android Mobile Surveys
                                      Insurvey Blogs
                                      Insight Blogs
                                      Tips & Tricks





                                                  Latest Feature Updates

                                                    • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                    • Digest


                                                    • Functions


                                                    • Meetups


                                                    • Kbase


                                                    • Resources


                                                    • Glossary


                                                    • Desk Marketplace


                                                    • MVP Corner


                                                    • Word of the Day


                                                    • Ask the Experts




                                                        Zoho SalesIQ Resources


                                                              Manage your brands on social media
                                                              Access Zoho Social

                                                                Zoho Pagesense Resources


                                                                    Zoho TeamInbox Resources

                                                                      Zoho DataPrep 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

                                                                                                                • Zoho NOTEBOOK: What are file size restrictions?

                                                                                                                  I understand that Zoho NOTEBOOK is a free product, and what it offers is great. But I'm wondering what the file size restrictions are. When I record an audio note in Zoho Notebook, what is the maximum length of recording time/audio file size? When I wish to upload MP4 video, what is the maximum video size I can upload per Zoho Notebook restriction? Moreover, does Zoho Notebook use its own storage structure, or can I upgrade my storage for Zoho Notebook to add larger file attachments, videos and audio

                                                                                                                • Automation Series #2: SLA vs Supervisor Rule in Zoho Desk

                                                                                                                  SLA vs Supervisor Rule: Keeping tickets on track in Zoho Desk This post is part of the "Desk Automation Series," Chapter 1. Through this series, we will help you choose the right automation type in Zoho Desk by comparing commonly confused automations

                                                                                                                • Zoho Recruit - Email Relay

                                                                                                                  Good day, Has anyone succeeded in setting up an email relay for Office 365? If I add the details from https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/pop-imap-and-smtp-settings-8361e398-8af4-4e97-b147-6c6c4ac95353, I get the connection error. Regards, Eka

                                                                                                                • Better use of contacts

                                                                                                                  Zoho inventory has the ability to add multiple contacts to customers. However Zoho inventory doesn't currently provide a way to link a contact to objects like sales orders. This means that while you can tell what company has placed a sales order you can't

                                                                                                                • Notebook AI limits

                                                                                                                  Hi folks, Working with the AI transcription tools in Notebook, on the Mac App, which I find quite handy, but the one thing I am struggling with is the inability to either edit or copy the results of the transcript: I can't click in any of the boxes, and

                                                                                                                • Disappointment with Zoho Payments

                                                                                                                  Dear Gowdhaman, I am writing to inform you that I am removing Zoho Payments from my website. I cannot continue to disappoint my customers due to the lack of UPI support, as has been the case with my experience so far. Please note that the 0.5% transaction

                                                                                                                • Zoho Commerce B2B

                                                                                                                  Hello, I have signed up for a Zoho Commerce B2B product demo but it's not clear to me how the B2B experience would look for my customers, in a couple of ways. 1) Some of my customers are on terms and some pay upfront with credit card. How do I hide/show

                                                                                                                • Facturation électronique 2026 - obligation dès le 1er septembre 2026

                                                                                                                  Bonjour, Je me permets de réagir à divers posts publiés ici et là concernant le projet de E-Invoicing, dans le cadre de la facturation électronique prévue très prochainement. Dans le cadre du passage à la facturation électronique pour les entreprises,

                                                                                                                • Exporting All Custom Functions in ZohoCRM

                                                                                                                  Hello, All I've been looking for a way to keep about 30 functions that I have written in Zoho CRM updated in my own repository to use elsewhere in other instances. A github integration would be great, but a way to export all custom functions or any way

                                                                                                                • Rename system-defined labels in Zoho CRM

                                                                                                                  Renaming system-defined labels is now available across all DCs. Hello everyone, Zoho CRM includes predefined system fields across modules to support essential CRM operations. Until now, the labels of these fields were fixed and could not be edited from

                                                                                                                • Introducing parent-child ticketing in Zoho Desk [Early access]

                                                                                                                  Hello Zoho Desk users! We have introduced the parent-child ticketing system to help customer service teams ensure efficient resolution of issues involving multiple, related tickets. You can now combine repetitive and interconnected tickets into parent-child

                                                                                                                • Separate Items & Services

                                                                                                                  Hi, please separate items and services into different categories. Thank you

                                                                                                                • Concern Regarding Stock Validation in Inventory Management

                                                                                                                  Hi Zoho Team, We would like to highlight a concern regarding stock validation in the inventory system. As per standard inventory management practices, if the stock level is zero, the system should not allow users to create a shipment, packing slip, or

                                                                                                                • Log a call: Call Duration for Inbound is mandatory but inbound is optional

                                                                                                                  Hi Team Can you advise on why the call duration for the inbound call type is a mandatory field? We have a use case where we are manually logging a call but do not use the call duration field. The field does not have the option to make it non mandatory

                                                                                                                • CRM x WorkDrive: File storage for new CRM signups is now powered by WorkDrive

                                                                                                                  Availability Editions: All DCs: All Release plan: Released for new signups in all DCs. It will be enabled for existing users in a phased manner in the upcoming months. Help documentation: Documents in Zoho CRM Manage folders in Documents tab Manage files

                                                                                                                • Zoho Sign 2025–2026: What's new and what's next

                                                                                                                  Hello! Every year at Zoho Sign, we work hard to make document signing and agreement execution easy for all users. This year we sat down with our head of product, Mr. Subramanian Thayumanasamy, to discuss what we delivered in 2025 and our goals for 2026.

                                                                                                                • New Account, Setting up Domain Question

                                                                                                                  Hello, I recently set up a new account with a custom domain. But after paying and setting up my account, it says OpenSRS actually owns the domain, and I have to sign up with them to host my site. But OpenSRS wants to charge me $95, which is ridiculous.

                                                                                                                • 【開催報告】東京 Zoho ユーザー交流会 NEXUS vol.1 ～ データドリブン経営・少人数組織のCRM活用・AIエージェントの最前線 ～

                                                                                                                  ユーザーの皆さん、こんにちは。 コミュニティグループの中野です。 2026年3月27日（金）、東京・新橋にて「東京 Zoho ユーザー交流会 NEXUS vol.1」が開催されました。 今回は「マーケティング領域のZoho 活用法 × AI」をテーマに、ユーザーさん2名による事例セッション、Zoho 社員によるAIセッションなどを実施しました。 ご参加くださったユーザーの皆さま、ありがとうございました！ この投稿では、当日のセッションの様子や使用した資料を紹介しています。残念ながら当日お越しいただけなかった方も、ぜひチェックしてみてください。

                                                                                                                • Monthly Webinar : Getting Started with Zoho LandingPage

                                                                                                                  Our monthly Getting Started with Zoho LandingPage webinar is back! If you're building your first page and want a little guidance, this is where to start. Learn how landing pages fit into your strategy, generate leads, and improve conversions. Here’s what

                                                                                                                • All new Address Field in Zoho CRM: maintain structured and accurate address inputs

                                                                                                                  Availability Update: 29 September 2025: It's currently available for all new sign-ups and for existing Zoho CRM orgs which are in the Professional edition exclusively for IN DC users. 2 March 2026: Available to users in all DCs except US and EU DC. 24

                                                                                                                • What matters more in Zoho implementations: tools or system architecture?

                                                                                                                  I recently worked on a full-stack migration for a catering equipment business using Zoho One with Shopify, and it raised a few interesting observations. The setup included migrating a large product catalog (around 9,700+ SKUs), integrating multiple supplier

                                                                                                                • ZOHO CRM Quote Export / Quote Report

                                                                                                                  How can I either Export my quote list, or create a Report that shows all quotes AND includes the NOTES field in a column. I attempted to Run a Report which includes ALL FIELDS, however it does not include the Notes Field (but oddly does include the fields

                                                                                                                • Mass emails - Allow preview of which emails will receive the email based on the criteria

                                                                                                                  Feature request. Please allow us to view and confirm the exact recipients of the mass emails based on the criteria we've chosen before sending. It can be quite sensitive if you send the mass email to some wrong accounts accidently, so it would be great

                                                                                                                • Limitation in Dynamic Constant Sum Based on Previous Question Selections in Zoho Survey

                                                                                                                  Zoho Survey supports the Constant Sum question type, allowing respondents to distribute a fixed total (such as 100) across a set of options. However, it does not support dynamically populating these options based on selections made in a previous question.

                                                                                                                • SAP Business One(B1) integration is now live in Zoho Flow

                                                                                                                  We’re excited to share that SAP Business One (B1) is now available in Zoho Flow! This means you can now build workflows that connect SAP B1 with other apps and automate routine processes without relying on custom code. Note: SAP Business One integration

                                                                                                                • sync two zoho crm

                                                                                                                  Hello everyone. Is it possible to sync 2 zoho crm? what would be the easiest way? I am thinking of Flow. I have a Custom Module that I would like to share with my client. We both use zoho crm. Regards.

                                                                                                                • Showing the map along with mileage expense

                                                                                                                  When you use the GPS to track mileage, it shows you the map of the actual path travelled. It would be very useful and practical to save that map with the mileage expense, so that when the report is created, it provides a map of each mileage expense associated

                                                                                                                • Import MSG to Yandex Mail Account | Fast & Reliable Solution

                                                                                                                  If you are facing problem to import MSG files to Yandex Mail account can be challenging if done manually, especially when handling multiple files. A reliable solution is using the MacGater Mac MSG Converter, which simplifies the entire process with accuracy

                                                                                                                • Copy all reports in a folder

                                                                                                                  I currently have a database that I need to create multiple charts filtered by market. All of the charts are identical, I just change to of the filters and then I have the next market's set of charts. The only way I've been able to copy charts (reports)

                                                                                                                • OpenURL working Intermittently

                                                                                                                  Never had this issue before, everything was working fine up to a few days ago. We have a buttons on reports to open forms with pre-filled fields. Now, there are instances where it will throw and error and gives no feedback. What is really strange is not

                                                                                                                • Trigger workflows from SLA escalations in Zoho Desk?

                                                                                                                  Hey everyone, I’m currently working with SLA escalation rules in Zoho Desk and ran into a limitation that I’m hoping someone here has solved more elegantly. As far as I can tell, SLA escalations only support fairly limited actions (like changing the ticket

                                                                                                                • Zoho Recruit mailserver get blocked by Microsoft!

                                                                                                                  Hi, We have experienced this issue twice now, where Zoho Recruit outbound IP addresses are being blocked by Microsoft. We are confident that Microsoft is the blocking party, as all outbound emails to candidates with @hotmail.com, @live.com, and @outlook.com

                                                                                                                • Create formula calculations in Assemblies for scaling quantities

                                                                                                                  Something we have been encountering with our composite items is dealing with scaling of quantity of one or more items within the composite assembly relative to the number of complete units being sold. I.e. running the equation 2(n-1) on one of the assembly

                                                                                                                • Calculate Hours Minutes Sec in Zoho Creator Using Deluge

                                                                                                                  check_In = "8-Aug-2023 10:00:00".toDateTime().toLong(); checkout = "8-Aug-2023 18:00:00".toDateTime().toLong(); //difference = start.timeBetween(end); check_In = "8-Aug-2023 17:56:50".toDateTime().toLong(); checkout = "8-Aug-2023 18:00:00".toDateTime().toLong();

                                                                                                                • Build Smarter Apps with AI in Zoho Creator

                                                                                                                  Build Smarter Apps with AI in Zoho Creator This is truly the era of AI, and businesses that adapt now will lead tomorrow. Zoho is already moving ahead in this direction, continuously evolving its platform with powerful AI capabilities. With Zoho Creator,

                                                                                                                • Zia Dashboard Insights : turn your dashboard into decisions

                                                                                                                  When you look at a chart or KPI in a dashboard, you would possibly see something like: Revenue: $2.4M ↓ 18% vs last month. It can be a positive growth or a negative one, or a dip in revenue, a spike in deals, a slowdown in renewals—all you usually see

                                                                                                                • Tickets without registration

                                                                                                                  Hi, would it be possible to give customers the opportunity to be able to read their tickets without registration?

                                                                                                                • Zoho Desk Answer Bot vs. Zia Agents – Knowledge Base & Ticket Access

                                                                                                                  Hi everyone, I’m currently evaluating AI options in Zoho Desk and ran into some limitations with the Answer Bot: Answer Bot limitations Only uses Knowledge Base articles No access to tickets Limited control over sources: Either one Help Center or all

                                                                                                                • Como estruturar automações eficientes no Zoho Creator

                                                                                                                  Como estruturar automações eficientes no Zoho Creator Introdução No contexto de aplicações empresariais, automação não é apenas uma conveniência, é um fator crítico para ganho de produtividade, redução de erros e escalabilidade operacional. O Zoho Creator

                                                                                                                • Changing the status of a work-order

                                                                                                                  Is there a way to change the status of a work-order?

                                                                                                                • Next Page