Understanding Actions
In an IoT setup, you may have to trigger various actions, such as sending notification emails to relevant personnel, connecting to a third-party URL via. webhook, executing custom business logic on certain conditions, or sending notifications as alerts. These actions are generally initiated from alarm rules, notification profiles, or workflow rules within the application.
In all cases, you can either associate already created email notifications, custom functions, webhook actions, or push notifications or create new ones. To associate actions, they must be grouped under the specific category (alarm rules, notification profiles, or workflow rules) during creation. For example, if you create an email notification action, you need to select the category "Workflow" so it appears in the list of available actions to be associated with a workflow.
Alternatively, you can create the actions within the alarm rule, notification profile, or workflow feature itself. In this case, you need not specify the category as you are creating the actions from within the feature which also denotes the category.
This document provides insights into the various actions available in the application, including email notifications, webhooks, custom functions, and push notifications.
Email Notification
Email notifications are typically triggered by various events or conditions related to the devices, or assets, in general the data being monitored. Some of the scenarios when emails are triggered from the application are provided below.
- Threshold breaches: When the application condition detects a value (e.g., temperature, humidity, pressure, or fuel level) that exceeds or falls below a predefined threshold.
- Critical device failures: If a device malfunctions or fails, triggering an alarm that requires immediate attention.
- Device connectivity issues: Alerts when a device goes offline, loses connectivity, or fails to report data for a certain period.
- Scheduled and service alerts: Reminders for upcoming maintenance tasks or inspections based on usage hours, time intervals, or specific conditions.
The scenarios and conditions may vary based on your IoT network setup and requirements. In addition to specifying the condition, you need to configure the recipient details for the notifications.
Refer to the Configuring Email Notifications document for step-by-step procedure.
Webhooks
Webhooks in Zoho IOT facilitate communication with third-party applications by sending instant web notifications whenever a specific event occurs. With Webhooks, you can configure HTTP URLs to automate the entire notification process. For general information about Webhooks, please refer to webhooks.org.
For example, let's say you have a third-party application that needs to be notified when the temperature sensor in the IoT application records a reading above a certain threshold. You can set up a webhook in Zoho IOT that specifies the URL of the third-party application's endpoint to receive notifications. Whenever the temperature sensor's reading exceeds the threshold, Zoho IOT will trigger the webhook and send an HTTP POST request to the specified URL with the data about the event.
Below are some of the scenarios in which Webhook actions are used.
- In an IIoT setup, when the DG generator fuel level is alarmingly low, a webhook action can be triggered to push the fuel reading to a third-party application to initiate purchase order etc.
- In a BMS setup, you can push the air quality reading to a third party application to send mail to the concerned supervisor.
- In Energy Monitoring setup, energy consumption readings can be pushed to initiate the payment procedure for energy consumed via third-party application.
Webhook Parameters
The following table lists the parameters in webhook:
Field Name | Description |
Name | The unique name of the webhook. |
Description | A short description about the webhook. |
Method | The type of the API method - POST or GET. Choosing POST allows you to enter the values in the fields of the associated application, whereas GET allows you to retrieve information to update in the fields of a record in Zoho IOT. Note: By default, the system will select the POST method. |
URL to Notify | The REST API URL of the third-party application. |
Authentication Type | The desired Authorization type: General( includes API Key or AUTH Token) and Connection(OAuth, API Key, etc.). |
Connection | The connection for the webhook. |
Header | The information section in a webhook URL is typically classified as Header and Body. Parameters added to the header section will have data that will synchronize with the header of other applications. In addition to the trigger information, header can customarily carry API Keys/Auth tokens. To form the Header URL parameters, choose the module parameters and/or custom parameters. |
Module Parameters | The name, type, and corresponding value. Parameter Types are: Zoho IOT Modules, Datapoints, and Alarms. |
Custom Parameters | The name and corresponding value. The value in custom parameter is static, this key/value pair is mainly used to send the auth tokens, security tokens, API key, and so on. |
User Defined Parameter |
|
Body | The body part of the URL containing information in the URL string about the trigger to other applications. You can choose to use None, Form-Data, or Raw Data from the picklist to configure the body part of the URL. Form-Data: Allows you to build the body part of the URL by simply appending together, parameter name, and parameter type, or parameter value. You can build Form-Data in three ways: using module parameters, custom parameters, and user-defined parameters. Raw Data: Apart from forming the parameters, you can also write your own data values in the text editor if you select the option Raw Data as body type. You can input data in either of the following formats Text or JSON. You can also use the # merge field feature to denote a field value within the script. |
Preview URL | The preview URL displays the complete webhook URL for the GET and DELETE request method, while for the POST and PUT method, only the configured URL is displayed. To preview the URL, Click the Refresh icon in the bottom of the text editor. You can also copy the URL. |
Refer to the Configuring Webhooks document for more details.
Custom Functions
Custom Functions in Zoho IoT enable you to write your own business logic using Deluge code, allowing you to tailor actions to your specific needs. These functions can be linked to Email Notifications, Workflows, or Notification Profiles, ensuring they are executed automatically when predefined conditions are met.
Refer to the Understanding Custom Functions document for more details.
Push Notifications
Push notifications are useful for alerting users to important updates, with the bell icon serving as a visual cue to highlight the notification. Users can view these notifications by clicking the bell icon on their mobile or web application.
Push notifications are preferred over email notifications in IoT use cases where immediacy and real-time updates are critical, while email is better suited for less urgent or detailed communications.
Below are scenarios where push notifications are used:
Below are scenarios where push notifications are used:
- In the event of a smoke or gas leak in a smart building, push notifications can immediately alert building occupants and facility managers, ensuring swift evacuation or remedial action.
- Push notifications can instantly alert users about critical power fluctuations affecting energy equipment, helping prevent potential damage or system downtime.Critical power fluctuations.
- Push notifications provide immediate alerts when assets or vehicles cross predefined geofencing boundaries, ensuring users are informed of any unauthorized movements or location changes.
Push notifications deliver real-time alerts directly to users' mobile or web apps, ensuring immediate awareness and quick response in time-sensitive situations.
Refer to the Configuring Push Notifications document for more details.Availability
All Actions require necessary permissions. Refer to Users and Profiles document for more details.
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