1. Notification actions for form workflows

Notification actions in form workflows enable real time communication with users based on specific record and form events, ensuring timely responses to user actions within the form. They allow you to send alerts automatically, display messages, or redirect users based on the defined workflow conditions.

The notification actions that can be configured in form workflows are listed below,

1. Send email - Sends an email to specified recipients.
   
2. Send SMS - Sends a text message to a mobile number.
   
3. Send push notification - Triggers a push notification to the user.
   
4. Show success message - Displays a toast message after form submission.
   
5. Redirect to a URL - Redirects the user to a specific webpage after submission.
   

You can also include dynamic values in the notification messages using Zoho variables, system fields, and form fields. These placeholders will be automatically replaced with the corresponding values from the current record when the notification is sent. The table below lists the Zoho variables and system fields available for assigning dynamic values in your notifications.

Apart from the above fields, you can also include values from your form fields to customize your message using the format '${<fieldLinkName>}'. For example, if you have a field name as 'Employee Name' in your form, you can include the variable '${Employee_name}' in the body, and it automatically replaces the actual data entered by the user.

1.1. Send email

Note: To improve email deliverability, we've updated our email handling policy. Public or unauthenticated custom domain email addresses can no longer be used as sender addresses in send-mail actions and tasks. Any existing emails using these addresses will be automatically replaced with our verified domain and re-routed until the respective domains are authenticated.

The send email action allows you to send customized email messages without writing any code. This provides an UI-driven way to configure send mail action, serving as the equivalent alternative to the Deluge send mail task. You can use it to trigger emails when a new record is submitted or when an existing record is modified or deleted.

An email notification comprises of fields such as From, To, and Message. You can include supported system fields, Zoho variables, and form field values dynamically in these fields. The message field contains text and HTML editor, and therefore, you can use any HTML tags to format the text. For instance, if you enclose the text inside <strong>tag</strong>, it will turn bold in the email while <em>tag</em> will italicize the text.

1.1.1. Configure send email action

1. Create a form workflow by selecting the supported record event and form event for configuring the Send email action.
   
2. Click Add New Action in the workflow builder to create a new action block in the workflow. The Add New Action window will slide in from the right.
   
   
   1. To create new action in the existing action block, hover over the action inside an action block and click the + icon that appears.
      
3. Select when to run this action. By default, it is set to Always, which means the action will execute for all records. To run the action only for specific records, choose on condition and define the necessary condition or criteria. Learn more about configuring conditions in a workflow.
   
   
4. Choose the action type as Notification.
   
5. Select Send email action.
   
6. Configure the send email action in a workflow by specifying the following fields on the Send email page:
   
   1. From: Select the email address from which the message will be sent. You can choose from:
      1. Zoho variables such as the admin's email address or the logged-in user's email address.
         
      2. An email field from the form where the workflow is being configured
         
      3. Verified email addresses from your Zoho Creator account's Email Management section
         
      4. You can also add and verify a new email address by selecting + Add new email, entering the email address in the popup, and then entering the verification code sent to that address. Once verified, the email will appear in your account's verified email list.
         

Note: If the selected From address is not verified, emails will be sent through Zoho Creator's default domain. Learn more

1. To: Select the email address to which the message will be sent. You can also enter one or more email addresses directly, or use dynamic values such as Zoho variables, system fields, or form fields (for example, the admin's or logged-in user's email address).
   
   1. You can also specify CC, BCC, and Reply-To addresses by clicking the respective links to reveal the fields.
      
2. Subject: Enter the subject line of the email. You can include supported Zoho variables, system fields, and form fields in the subject by selecting Insert fields.
   
3. Message: Enter the message content. Like the subject, you can include supported Zoho variables, system fields, and form fields to personalize the email.
   
4. Include user-submitted data: Select this checkbox to include the user-submitted form record as an inline or PDF attachment. The record will be sent in the detailed view template or any custom record template in the email. When enabled, additional options will appear:
   1. Choose a record template. Any custom record templates you've created for the form will be listed. If none are available, the default templates can be selected to display the data.
   2. Select how you want to send the form data in the email, either as inline content within the message or as a PDF attachment.
      
5. Content type: Choose the preferred content type:
   1. HTML (default) – Displays the message content to the receiver as entered without rendering HTML tags. The tags are shown in the output.
      Example: If you have the message as <p>Hello world</p>, it will be sent as <p>Hello world</p>.
   2. Plain Text – Renders the message content to the receiver without showing HTML tags. The tags are hidden, and only the text content appears.

Note: If your message contains HTML tags and you want them to be rendered, set the content type to Plain Text.

Example: If you have the message as <p>Hello world</p>, it will be sent as Hello world.

7. Click Save.
   
8. Click Done in the top right corner of your screen.
   

1.2. Send SMS

The send SMS action allows you to send customized text messages to the phone number stored in your form's phone number or number fields. The SMS is sent by integrating with external SMS service providers without writing any code. This provides an UI-driven way to configure the send SMS action, serving as the equivalent alternative to the Deluge send SMS task.

This action ensures that users receive instant SMS on their mobile phones, helping improve responsiveness and communication. You can include supported system fields, Zoho variables, and form field values in the SMS, making each message personalized and context-aware.

To use this action, you must have an account with one of the supported SMS service providers. The supported providers are:

1. Twilio
2. Clickatell
3. Screen Magic
4. ClockWorkSMS
5. Hoiio

1.2.1. Configure send SMS action

1. Create a form workflow by selecting the supported record event and form event for configuring the Send SMS action.
   
2. Click Add New Action in the workflow builder. The Add New Action window will slide in from the right.
   
   
   1. To create new action in the existing action block, hover over the action inside an action block and click the + icon that appears.
      
3. Select when to run this action. By default, it is set to Always, which means the action will execute for all records. To run the action only for specific records, choose on condition and define the necessary condition or criteria. Learn more about configuring conditions in a workflow.
   
4. Choose the action type as Notification.
   
5. Select Send SMS action.
   
6. Select the preferred connection to connect with the SMS services if you have already created a connection with the supported services.
   
7. Click add icon () to create and authorize a new connection for the SMS service.
   
8. Select the preferred SMS service from the add connection pop-up.
   
9. Create and authorize the connection.
   

Note: If the selected connection is not authorized, click the Authorize button that appears below the connection field to authorize it.
 

10. Select a preferred number or phone number field present in the form from the 'To' field dropdown to send the SMS.
    
11. Enter the message that needs to be sent in the Message field.
    
12. Click Insert Fields option to add supported form fields, system fields and Zoho variables to the message content.
    
13. Click Save.
    
14. Click Done in the top right corner of your screen.
    

1.3. Send push notification

Notifications help deliver timely updates to users. In Zoho Creator, notifications are triggered by default for certain actions, such as record comments, blueprint actions, and more. Additionally, you can configure form workflows to trigger notifications directly through the UI, without writing any scripting, serving as the equivalent alternative to the Deluge send push notification task. When configuring a notification, you must specify the recipient, title, message, and the report that the user will be directed to when they click on the notification. You can also include supported system fields, Zoho variables, and form field values dynamically in the title and message fields. These notifications are delivered across both web and mobile platforms,

1. Web users can view notifications from the Notifications pane, accessible via the bell icon ().
2. Mobile users receive push notifications even if the app is not opened, or running in the background, or when the device is locked.

Access Requirements for Receiving Notifications

To ensure recipients receive notifications triggered by workflows, they must have access to the target record. The following conditions must be met:

1. No access to the report: The user must have access to the report associated with the notification. This can be configured via User Permissions in the Application Settings tab in your application.
2. Target record not shown in filtered report: If a report has filters applied, only records that meet the criteria will be visible. The target record must appear in the report for the user to receive related notifications.
3. No access to the target record: Users added to the application will only have access to the records added by default and receive its related notifications.
   1. If role hierarchy is enabled, the recipients will receive notifications for the records they have access to, based on the hierarchy and the assigned record owner.
   2. If you want them to get notifications regarding all records added by everyone, the user needs to be assigned with the View all permission in the Application Settings tab.

Note: By default, developers in the application (when environments is disabled) and admins will have access to the application, report, and records.

1. Apps added to the environment: While developers can't get notifications from the production environment, they or the admin can be configured to receive notifications while testing the application in the development and stage environments. By doing so, you can avoid unnecessary spam notifications being sent to the preconfigured recipient in those actions. This can be configured from the development and stage environment settings.

1.3.1. Configure send push notification action

1. Create a form workflow by selecting the supported record event and form event for configuring the Send notification action.
   
2. Click Add New Action in the workflow builder. The Add New Action window will slide in from the right.
   
   
   1. To create new action in the existing action block, hover over the action inside an action block and click the + icon that appears.
      
3. Select when to run this action. By default, it is set to Always, which means the action will execute for all records. To run the action only for specific records, choose on condition and define the necessary condition or criteria. Learn more about configuring conditions in a workflow.
   
4. Choose the action type as Notification.
   
5. Select Send notification action.
   
6. Configure the send notification action in a workflow by specifying the following fields on the Send notifications page:
   
   
   1. Select users based on: Choose how recipients should be selected for sending notification.
      1. User list: Sends the notification to users selected from the list of all users in your Zoho Creator account. This option lets you choose one or multiple users as recipients.
      2. Users Fields: Sends the notification to the user stored in the selected user field of the form. You can choose from user fields configured in the form, as well as system fields such as Admin User, Login User, Added User, or Last Modified User.
         
   2. To: Based on your previous selection, this field lets you choose the users or the form fields that contain user information to whom the notification will be sent.
      1. In the screenshot below, the User fields option is selected previously, so the user fields available in the form are listed. When you select a user field, the push notification will be sent to the user stored in that field.
         If you've selected User list previously, all users in your Zoho Creator account will be displayed, and you can choose one or multiple users to receive the notification.
         
   3. Title: Enter the notification title. You can personalize it by inserting supported Zoho variables, system fields, or form fields by clicking Insert Fields.

Note: The title can have a maximum limit of 200 characters.

1. Message: Enter the message content. Like the title, you can also include supported Zoho variables, system fields, and form fields to personalize the notification.

Note: The message can have a maximum limit of 500 characters.

1. View: Select the report associated with the notification. The selected report will open when the user clicks the notification. The form actions and criteria defined in the workflow will apply to filter the report accordingly.
   

7. Click Save.
   
8. Click Done in the top right corner of your screen.
   

1.4. Show success message

The show success message action is used to display a custom message to the user when a form is submitted or a record is deleted. By default, Zoho Creator displays the messages 'Data added successfully' and 'Data deleted successfully.' However, you can configure a personalized success message using the show success message action directly through the UI without any scripting, serving as a no-code alternative to the Deluge success message task.

You can include supported system fields, Zoho variables, and form field values in the message to make it more relevant to the user's input. When configured, this action will override the success message set in the form properties.

1.4.1. Configure show success message action

1. Create a form workflow by selecting the supported record event and form event for configuring the Show success message action.
   
2. Click Add New Action in the workflow builder. The Add New Action window will slide in from the right.
   
   
   1. To create new action in the existing action block, hover over the action inside an action block and click the + icon that appears.
      
3. Select when to run this action. By default, it is set to Always, which means the action will execute for all records. To run the action only for specific records, choose on condition and define the necessary condition or criteria. Learn more about configuring conditions in a workflow.
   
4. Choose the action type as Notification.
   
5. Select Show success message action.
   
   
   
   Note: This message will overwrite the success message set in the form properties.
   

6. Enter the message to be displayed. You can also include Zoho variables and form fields by clicking on Insert Fields.
7. Click Save.
   
8. Click Done in the top right corner of your screen.
   

1.5. Redirect to a URL

The Redirect to a URL action allows you to navigate users to a specific URL based on the user interaction in the form. The action is triggered via form workflows created by selecting supported record and form events. The URL can point to an external website or to another form, report, or page within the application.

By default, this action runs for all records, but you can configure criteria to trigger it only for specific cases. You can also customize the URL dynamically by including supported Zoho variables and form field values, making the redirection context-aware and personalized. This action serves as a no-code alternative to the Deluge openUrl task.

1.5.1 Configure redirect to a URL action

1. Create a form workflow by selecting the supported record event and form event for configuring the Redirect to a URL action.
   
2. Click Add New Action in the workflow builder. The Add New Action window will slide in from the right.
   
   
   1. To create new action in the existing action block, hover over the action inside an action block and click the + icon that appears.
      
3. Select when to run this action. By default, it is set to Always, which means the action will execute for all records. To run the action only for specific records, choose on condition and define the necessary condition or criteria. Learn more about configuring conditions in a workflow.
   
4. Choose the action type as Notification.
   
5. Select Redirect to a URL action.
   
6. Choose the URL Type to which you want to redirect the user.
   
7. Based on your previous selection, the field allows you to set a website URL or select any form, report, or page URL of your application.
   

   Security Tip: Ensure that the redirect URL is valid, secure, and begins with https://. Avoid using unverified or user-generated URLs to protect users from malicious redirects.

   

   1. If you have selected URL Type as Website, you can include supported system fields, Zoho variables, and form fields along with the URL as query params by clicking on the Insert Fields.
      

   Note: You can use a report URL or form URL in the website field and add query parameters to filter the report or autofill a form when the user is redirected to it.
   

   
8. Choose the window in which you want to open the URL.
   

9. Click Save.
   
10. Click Done in the top right corner of your screen.
    

2. Related links

1. Form workflow actions
2. Configure field rules for form workflows
3. Configure data access actions for form workflows
4. Configure integrations for form workflows
5. Configure Deluge script for form workflows