1. Log in to Zoho Developer Console and click Vertical Solutions.
2. Select the application you'd like to modify and click Edit.
3. Create a Connectors and under Utilities.
4. Click Create Connector.
5. Provide a suitable name and description for the connector.
6. Provide the name of the third-party service.
7. Provide the signup URL for the third-party service.
8. Provide the URLs needed to generate the Auth token.

• Request Token URL: This allows the connector to request authorization to access data on the resource server.
• Access Token URL: Once authorized, the Request Token and Token Key will be exchanged for the Access Token, allowing the connector to draw specific information from the third-party server.
• Refresh Token URL: Some applications increase security by limiting the duration of time a particular token is valid. In these cases, you will need to provide the Refresh Token URL to allow the connector to reauthorize access.
  
• Revoke Token URL: Upon calling the Revoke Token URL, the application shall explicitly revoke tokens and revoke the granted access. Upon providing the Revoke Token URL, users are required to choose between Access Token or Refresh Token for the Revoke using field, which should be used when the Revoke token API call is made.
• 

  Choice of the token for the Revoke using field differs from service to service. Please ensure you choose the right token.

Authorize a Connector

1. In the All Connectors page of your Zoho developer, open the respective connector by clicking on it.
   
2. Click Authorize Connector. 
   

   
   

   

   
   
3. Upon clicking Authorize Connector, if you're not already logged into the third-party account, you will be prompted to do so.
   Once you are logged in, the authorization window will explain the access permissions for the connector.
   
4. Click Allow.
   

Once the Connector API is created and authorized, you can validate the API by executing and checking the response.

Validate API

You can validate the API by executing and checking the response.

1. In the All Connectors page, click on the connector containing the APIs.
   A new page will appear, displaying all APIs associating with the connector.
2. Choose the API from the left pane and click Execute. 
   
   
   

The API request's Response Code and Response Body will be displayed in the response area.

Publish a Connector

Publishing a connector technically means publishing the APIs associated with the connector.

To publish a connector:

1. In the All Connectors page, click the connector in which the API is to be published and click Publish.
   A new popup will appear to provide publish details.
2. Provide the following details:
   
1. Connector Logo
   
2. Support Email Address
   
3. Release Notes
   

Associate Connector with Solution

To associate connectors with your solution:

1. In your Zoho Developer Console home page, click Vertical Solutions.
   
2. Select the solution to which you'd like to associate the connector.
   
3. Click Connectors in the left pane and click Associated Connectors.
   
4. Click Add Connector and choose the connector that you intend to associate.
   
   
   
5. Click Add.
   

Connectors Actions

Once the Connector is published, you may define the actions it can perform On Authorization and On Revoking, which will define what action to be performed during an authorization of the connector, and on revoking this connector respectively.

To define and edit connectors actions:

1. Navigate to the Associated Connectors page. The connectors will be listed.
   
2. Hover over the respective connector and click View Actions.
   
3. Write your function which needs to be performed on authorization of this connector at On Authorization.
   
4. Write your function which needs to be performed on authorization of this connector at On Revoking.
   

Using Connectors APIs

Once a connector is created and connected, you can invoke the APIs defined in it via the below means:

1. Custom functions using the invokeConnector deluge task 
   
2. JS SDK Methods.
   

Invoking Connectors APIs via Custom Functions

Syntax

response_variable =zoho.crm.invokeConnector("connector_unique_identifier");

The connector_unique_identifier is the API name of the Connector and can be obtained from the Associated Connectors section of Connectors at the solution in which the connector is associated.

To find the connector_unique_identifier:

1. Navigate to the Associated Connectors page and go to Associated Connectors.
   
2. Hover over the respective connector and click View All API's.
   You can view the List of APIs.
3. Click the respective APIs, to view the Connectors API Details.
   
   
   
   
4. Find the API Unique identifier, which follows the format of connector_unique_identifier.connector_api_unique_identifier. For example, if the API Unique identifier is ' gcontacts.pushcontact ', gcontacts is the API name of the connector and pushcontact is the API name of the API .
   You may also click the Copy to Clipboard button to copy the sample script and use them in the custom functions.

Sample Code

 data=Map();
 data.put("First_Name","Alfred");
 data.put("Last_Name","Little");
 data.put("Email_ID","example@zohomail.com");
 data.put("Phone_Number","");
   zoho.crm.invokeconnector("gcontacts.pushcontact",data);

Invoking Connectors and its APIs via JS SDK Methods

Connectors and the APIs within them can be invoked via our JS SDK methods, thereby facilitating users to perform their business functionalities from a custom build widgets.

There are 4 methods that are associated with Connector in our JS SDK, which will we explain in detail below:

1. Authorize a Connector
   
2. Connector Status
   
3. Revoke Connector
   
4. Invoke Connector API

You can find the JS SDK and some sample widgets on our Github page.

Authorize a Connector

The ZOHO.CRM.CONNECTOR.authorize method can be used to authorize a connector, which will prompt the connector authorize window.

Syntax

 

ZOHO.CRM.CONNECTOR.authorize(connector_unique_identifier)

The connector_unique_identifier here refers to the API name of the Connector.

Sample code

var connectorAPIName = "zoho.authorize";
ZOHO.CRM.CONNECTOR.authorize(connectorAPIName);

Connector Status

The ZOHO.CRM.CONNECTOR.isConnectorAuthorized method can be used to check and verify the status of a connector. The response will be in boolean, where 'true' means the connector's authorization is active and 'false' means the connector's authorization is inactive and needs re-authorization.

Syntax

 

ZOHO.CRM.CONNECTOR.isConnectorAuthorized(connector_unique_identifier)

The connector_unique_identifier here refers to the NameSpace of Connector to authorize.

Sample code

var connectorAPIName = "zoho.authorize";
ZOHO.CRM.CONNECTOR.isConnectorAuthorized(connectorAPIName)
.then(function(result){
 console.log(result) 
});

ZOHO.CRM.CONNECTOR.revokeConnector("zoho.accounts")
  .then(function(data){
      console.log(data)
  })

Invoke Connector API

ZOHO.CRM.CONNECTOR.invokeAPI(connector_api_unique_identifier, data)