Custom Buttons in Zoho People | Extend Service | Administrator Guide | Settings

Custom Buttons in Zoho People

What are Custom Buttons in Zoho People?

Custom Buttons allow you to add specialized, one-click actions within system forms and custom forms in the system. These buttons help automate tasks such as triggering workflows, sending emails, updating fields, or accessing external resources—making the system more flexible and efficient for both administrators and employees.

What You Can Do with Custom Buttons

Custom Buttons extend the functionality of forms by enabling you to:
  1. Trigger predefined actions instantly with a single click
  2. Add buttons directly within record view or record listing
  3. Execute actions such as:
    1. Mail alerts
    2. Field updates
    3. Custom functions (scripts)
    4. Checklists (task sequences)
  4. Provide quick access to:
    1. Internal or external links
    2. Downloadable documents
    3. Attached documents that users can view or download directly from the form
  5. Invoke a custom widget within a form.

Creating a Custom Button

To create a custom button, navigate to a system or a custom service in Zoho People, use the following path for reference:
Settings > [Select Any Service] > Extend Services > Custom Button tab.

- Custom Button Setup Examples

Custom Actions:
From Extend Service > Custom Button tab, Select the Add Custom Action option
Click on the below use case to learn about how custom buttons can be used to trigger custom actions:
Adding a custom button in the employee form record view to send probation letter to employees
Follow these steps to configure:
  1. Navigate to Settings > Employee information > Extend Service > Custom Button tab
  2. Add A Custom Button
  3. Make sure the "Employee" form is selected
  4. Enter a suitable name to use for the button.

  5. Enter the Default Trigger Message in custom buttons through which you can provide instructions to non-admin users when they execute a custom action.

    Non-admin users cannot view the underlying logic or action scripts mapped to a custom button. Setting a Default Trigger Message ensures users see a custom confirmation or status message on their screen when they click the button.

    How Trigger Messages Work

    • Single-Record Triggers: If a specific action or criteria-based message is configured for an action, that message takes priority over the default trigger message. If no specific action message is set, the default trigger message displays.

    • Multi-Record Triggers: When triggering an action across multiple records simultaneously (bulk actions), the Default Trigger Message is always displayed to the user.

  6. Configure button visiblity (applicability) by selecting Roles, Departments, Groups or individual users from the 'Custom action applicable for' section
  7. Select the position of the button. 'In Record View' to be selected in this case
  8. Scroll down to 'Actions' section
  9.  Here we can choose to execute the action on the click of the button (Default Action) without validations or trigger it on criteria satisfaction (Criteria Based Action). For this use case, we will select 'Default Action'
  10. Enter the Specific Trigger Message in custom buttons through which you can provide instructions to non-admin users when they execute a custom action.
    1. Non-admin users cannot view the underlying logic or action scripts mapped to a custom button. Setting a Specific Trigger Message to ensure  users see a custom confirmation or status message on their screen when they click the button.
    2. When triggering an action across multiple records simultaneously (bulk actions), the Default Trigger Message  added at custom button level is always displayed to the user.
  11. Use the + icon within the 'Email Alerts' section to setup an email template to use, or use existing ones using the Add Existing icon ()
  12. Click Add to Save.


The button will now be viewable in record view of the form: (Operations > Employee Information > [Select an Employee] > Send Probation Letter button.



Send a U.S form (I-9, W-4...) for e-signature using a custom button
To send a U.S. forms  for e-signature instantly upon clicking a Button in employee form:
  1. Navigate to Settings > Employee Information > Extend Service > Custom Button.
    You can also add the custom button to other forms (Onboarding and more) where this option is supported for the service. 



  2. Click Add Custom Action.

  3. Enter the name.
  4. Enter the Default Trigger Message in custom buttons through which you can provide instructions to non-admin users when they execute a custom action.

    Non-admin users cannot view the underlying logic or action scripts mapped to a custom button. Setting a Default Trigger Message ensures users see a custom confirmation or status message on their screen when they click the button.

    How Trigger Messages Work

    • Single-Record Triggers: If a specific action or criteria-based message is configured for an action, that message takes priority over the default trigger message. If no specific action message is set, the default trigger message displays.

    • Multi-Record Triggers: When triggering an action across multiple records simultaneously (bulk actions), the Default Trigger Message is always displayed to the user.

  5. Select the position of the button as either record view or record listing.
    1. Record view: The button is available in the record view. The action can be executed for one record at a time.



    2. Record listing: The button is available in the record listing view. The action can be executed for multiple records at once.
  6. Enter the Specific Trigger Message in custom buttons through which you can provide instructions to non-admin users when they execute a custom action.
    1. Non-admin users cannot view the underlying logic or action scripts mapped to a custom button. Setting a Specific Trigger Message to ensure  users see a custom confirmation or status message on their screen when they click the button.
    2. When triggering an action across multiple records simultaneously (bulk actions), the Default Trigger Message  added at custom button level is always displayed to the user.
  7. In the Actions > E-sign Flow select the required U.S. form to be sent using this custom button.

  8. Click Save.

Idea
If you want to be able to trigger custom buttons for multiple records at once, select the "Record Listing" view as the 'Position of the button' when configuring a custom button.
Document Download:
From Extend Service > Custom Button tab, select the Add Document Download option
Click on the below use case to learn about how custom buttons can be used to trigger a document download:
Include a button to download dependent details of employees for HRs
Follow these steps to configure:

Info
To learn about default and specific trigger messages  refer to above examples.
  1. Navigate to Settings > Employee Information > Extend Service > Custom Button tab
  2. Select 'Add Document Download' option from the drop-down.
  3. Select the 'Employee Salary' form. Enter an appropriate name.
  4. Let us configure applicability to include only the 'Human Resources' department and the super administrator.
  5. Choose beween Letter Templates or Mail Merge Templates. For this example, we can go with 'Letter Templates'

  6. Configure action, let us add a letter template called 'Salary Slip Download' and use the available merge fields to add the required information to the mail template.

  7. Finally, click Add to Save
Now the download button will be available when viewing employee records: