Kaizen #175 - Leverage Settings Widget for Zoho CRM Extensions

Howdy, innovators!

Welcome back to a fresh week of Kaizen.

This week, we will delve into configuring a Settings widget in Zoho CRM for the effective functioning of extensions. It centralizes around key configurations that will be carried out to various integrations in an extension. A user-friendly settings widget enhances the usability and flexibility of your extensions. 

Why use a Settings Widget?

A Settings Widget plays a crucial role in making extensions user-friendly and adaptable to specific business needs. Following are a few key advantages of using the settings widget:

• Seamless Setup Post-Installation: Users can configure critical parameters right after installing the extension.
• Dynamic Customization: Users can revisit and modify configurations at any time, ensuring that the extension adapts to changing needs without re-installation or development
• Improved User Experience: Allows the end-users to control how the extension interacts with their workflows and data.
• Enhanced Control: Provides an overview and centralized control, making maintenance, troubleshooting, and updates simpler and faster.
  

Business Scenario: Notification Settings for Lead Import Extension

Let’s take a real-world use case to understand the value of this settings widget.

Imagine an organization named Zylker, using Zoho CRM along with a lead import extension. This extension pulls in leads from multiple sources like web forms, social media, or third-party marketing tools.

Requirement

Whenever a new lead enters a Zoho CRM organization through this extension, the sales team wants to receive an instant notification on a specific Zoho Cliq channel for that organization. This ensures they never miss a lead. 

Solution

By adding a Settings Widget to the extension, users can:

> Select a Preferred Zoho Cliq Channel: From the settings page, users can choose the channel where notifications should be sent.

> Modify the Channel Anytime: Based on team restructuring or communication preferences, users can revisit the settings and update the channel as needed.

With this setup, the settings widget becomes the control center, ensuring the efficient functioning of both the extension and the sales process. 

Building a Settings Extension Widget

Let us create a sample settings widget for the above business scenario. 

Create a Private Extension Widget

       1. Log into Zoho CRM, navigate to Setup > Marketplace > Extension Builder, and create a new extension by selecting Zoho CRM as the service.  

            

      2. The private extension that you have created will be listed in the Extensions page. Choose your extension and click the edit icon. 

            You will then be redirected to the Zoho Developer Console.
 

Dependency Configuration

Now, let us configure a couple of dependencies required for this use case in the developer console.  

Connectors 

To notify a Zoho Cliq channel, Connectors authorize the end user's Zoho Cliq account with the extension and grant access to the necessary data. Follow these steps to create a connector with the required APIs for the widget.

      3. In the console, navigate to Utilities > Connectors on the left-side menu.

      4. Click Create Connector and provide the required details using the guidance available on the Server-based Application help page.

           

      5. Use the generated Redirect URL to register your application in Zoho's API Console. After registration, enter the Client ID and Client Secret in the developer console.  

           

      6. Create Connector APIs for the following: 

•  GET List of all Channels to fetch all the available channels from your Zoho Cliq Account.  
  
  
  
  The Authorization header is automatically added to all the Connector APIs. 
• POST Message in Channel to notify the incoming leads in the channel. 
  
  
  
  You can include dynamic place holders in the URL, header, or request body using this format ${place_holder}.

      7. Once the APIs are configured, publish and associate the connector with the extension. 

            

          
           Refer to the Connectors help document to learn more. 

Variable 

Variables are required to store the admin's preferred channel details and retrieve them when a lead enters Zoho CRM through the extension. Upon installing the extension, this variable is automatically created in your Zoho CRM org. 

      8. Go to Build > Custom Properties and create a variable. 

         

Set the variable's permission to Hidden to prevent the CRM users from accessing/modifying the variable data from the Zoho CRM Variables page. This ensures that variables can only be configured through the extension.

For more information, refer to the Custom Variables help document. 

Tip

In your Zoho CRM, go to Setup > Security Control > Profiles and restrict permissions for your extension to prevent unauthorized access to the settings page.

Building a Connected App 

      9. In the console, go to Utilities > Connected Apps on the left-side menu.

      10. Follow the steps provided in this kaizen to create a new Zoho CRM widget for this use case. 

Code Logic for the Settings Panel

• Create a drop-down field called Select Cliq Channel to the settings panel. This dropdown should dynamically list the channels from your Zoho Cliq account by invoking the GET Cliq Channels API. Follow the given Invoke Connector method to execute Connector APIs.           

// Initialize Zoho Embed SDK         ZOHO.embeddedApp.on("PageLoad", function () {             fetchCliqChannels();         });         ZOHO.embeddedApp.init();         // Fetch Cliq channels         async function fetchCliqChannels() {             const channelDropdown = document.getElementById("cliqChannel");             try {                 console.log("Fetching channels from Zoho Cliq...");                 const req_data = {                     "parameters": {}                 };                 const response = await ZOHO.CRM.CONNECTOR.invokeAPI("leadgeneration.zohocliq.listofallchannels", req_data);                 console.log("Response from Zoho Cliq:", response);                 const parsedResponse = JSON.parse(response.response);                 const channels = parsedResponse.channels;                 if (channels && Array.isArray(channels)) {                     channelDropdown.innerHTML = channels.map(channel => `<option value="${channel.unique_name}">${channel.name}</option>`).join('');                 } else {                     throw new Error("Invalid response structure");                 }             } catch (error) {                 console.error("Error fetching channels:", error);                 if (error.code === '403') {                     console.error("Authorization Exception: Please check your API permissions and authentication.");                 }                 channelDropdown.innerHTML = '<option value="">Failed to load channels</option>';             }         }

• Add a Save Configuration button that stores the selected channel name and channel ID in the variable created earlier. To save the selected data into the variable, use the invokeAPI() function, with the namespace as crm.set. 

// Save configuration         async function saveConfiguration(event) {             event.preventDefault();             const channelDropdown = document.getElementById("cliqChannel");             const selectedChannelUniqueName = channelDropdown.value;             const selectedChannelName = channelDropdown.options[channelDropdown.selectedIndex].text;             if (!selectedChannelUniqueName) {                 alert("Please select a channel.");                 return;             }             const settings = {                 unique_name: selectedChannelUniqueName,                 name: selectedChannelName             };             const data = {                 "apiname": "leadgeneration__Cliq_Channel",                 "value": JSON.stringify(settings)             };             try {                 const response = await ZOHO.CRM.CONNECTOR.invokeAPI("crm.set", data);                 console.log("Updated settings:", response);                 document.getElementById("setupStatus").innerText = "Configuration saved successfully!";             } catch (error) {                 console.error("Error saving configuration:", error);                 document.getElementById("setupStatus").innerText = "Failed to save configuration.";             }         }

• When a lead enters Zoho CRM through the extension, it should trigger a function that:Retrieves the saved channel details:  
  

                  > Retrieves the saved channel details: Uses the Get Organization Variable JS SDK to call the Zoho CRM GET Variable API to fetch the saved channel details.
                        

                     

                  > Notifies the channel: Sends a message to the retrieved channel using the Post Message API. 

Info

-> A complete working code sample for the use case is attached at the end of this post for your reference.  

-> The test function for triggering notifications is also included in the attachment. You can use the same snippet in your extension to initiate the notification process.

-> Ensure to replace the unique names of your Connector APIs and Variable.

      11. Fill in the details of the application as shown in this image and upload the widget ZIP file packed using the Zoho CLI command. 

             

      12. Click Save.  

Configure the Settings Widget

      13. Navigate to Build > Settings Widget in the left menu.  

      14. Provide a Name and the Resource Path of your widget.   

      15. Click Save.

             

The Settings Widget for Extension is available upon request. Contact support@zohocrmplatform.com to enable it for your account. 

Packaging, Publishing and Deploying 

      16. Go to Package > Publish on the left-side menu and publish the extension.   

      17. The review process for listing an extension in the Marketplace will take from three weeks to one month. 

            For the demo, we will proceed with deploying the extension using the private plugin deployment link.

            

      18. Now, replace the URL of your Zoho CRM page with the deployment link from the Developer Console and approve the extension installation.  

Try it Out! 

Once installed: 

> A pop-up will appear, prompting you to authorize Zoho Cliq for the required configurations. 

If you do not already have a Zoho Cliq account, you can sign up directly from the pop-up and proceed with the authorization.

> After authorization, you will be redirected to the Settings widget page, where you can select and save your preferred Cliq channel.

> If you need to update the settings later, you can find them on the Installed Extensions page under the respective extension.

 

Note

The demo videos above use a testing function to notify the channel. You can deploy it anywhere in your extension to trigger a notification whenever a lead enters a Zoho CRM organization through the extension.

Find the function in the attachments at the end of this post.

Similar Scenarios

• Sales Territory Management: An extension that auto-assigns incoming leads to sales reps can use a settings widget to allow managers to define territories and sales rep mappings dynamically.
• Custom Field Mapping: For extensions that sync data between Zoho CRM and external systems, a settings widget can let users map CRM fields to external system fields.
• Automated Email Preferences: In email automation extensions, the settings widget can allow users to specify email templates, recipients, or trigger conditions for follow-ups and campaigns.

Adding a Settings Widget to your Zoho CRM Extensions not only enhances user experience but also boosts the flexibility and efficiency of your extension. Whether it is notifying sales teams or customizing field mappings, a well-designed settings page is a game-changer for your extensions. 

Explore the Widget section in our Kaizen collection to try out various widget types and discover their unique use cases. 

If you have any queries or a topic to be discussed reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com or drop your comment below. 

Until next time, keep innovating!

Cheers! 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related Reading

1. Zoho CRM Widget - An Overview, Installation and Creation, Mobile Compatibility, Telephony Widget Extension, and other Kaizens.
2. Widget SDKs - An Overview, Invoke Connector and Get Organization Variable.
3. Zoho Developer Console - An Overview, Creating Extensions, Building Connected Apps, and A Quick Start Guide.
4. Zoho Extensions - Custom Variables and Connectors
   
5. Zoho Cliq - GET List of Channels and POST Message in Channel.
6. Zoho Marketplace - An Overview

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Previous Kaizen: Kaizen #174 - Client Script Commands | Kaizen Collection: Directory

More enhancements in the COQL API are now live in Zoho CRM API Version 7. Check out the V7 Changelog for detailed information on these updates.

• Topic Participants

• Kiruthiga G

  

• Sticky Posts

• Kaizen #198: Using Client Script for Custom Validation in Blueprint

  Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – 1 More to the Big Two-Oh-Oh! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.

• Kaizen #226: Using ZRC in Client Script

  Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. In today's post, lets see what is ZRC (Zoho Request Client) and how we can use ZRC methods in Client Script to get inputs from a Salesperson and update the Lead status with a single button click. In this

• Kaizen #222 - Client Script Support for Notes Related List

  Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. The final Kaizen post of the year 2025 is here! With the new Client Script support for the Notes Related List, you can validate, enrich, and manage notes across modules. In this post, we’ll explore how

• Kaizen #217 - Actions APIs : Tasks

  Welcome to another week of Kaizen! In last week's post we discussed Email Notifications APIs which act as the link between your Workflow automations and you. We have discussed how Zylker Cloud Services uses Email Notifications API in their custom dashboard.

• Kaizen #216 - Actions APIs : Email Notifications

  Welcome to another week of Kaizen! For the last three weeks, we have been discussing Zylker's workflows. We successfully updated a dormant workflow, built a new one from the ground up and more. But our work is not finished—these automated processes are

• Recent Topics

• Generate a link for Zoho Sign we can copy and use in a separate email

  Please consider adding functionality that would all a user to copy a reminder link so that we can include it in a personalized email instead of sending a Zoho reminder. Or, allow us to customize the reminder email. Use Case: We have clients we need to

• You cannot send this campaign as there is no contact in the selected mailing list.

  We have synced contact lists and sent campaigns just fine prior to today.  Now no matter what list I upload when I go to send the campaign it gives an error "You cannot send this campaign as there is no contact in the selected mailing list." And now it

• Pivot Report Formula - using a today() variable

  Is it possible for me to use a value of today() in a formula on a pivot table? I'm trying to identify where the end date of a project is greater than the current date if("10. Projects (Zoho Projects).End Date" > today(), 'Yes', 'No') I get the error that

• Cannot connect IMAP to outlook

  Hello I have followed the instructions to connect my zoho account to Outlook IMAP but get this message: Session Id: bba118fb-151c-824f-9512-3ad1e91b109d Timestamp: 1708976566964 Error code: INVALIDCREDENTIALS INTERACTIONREQUIRED I'm using the exact configeration

• Department Overview by Modified Time

  We are trying to create visuals to show the work our agents do in Zoho Desk. Using Zoho Analytics how can we create a Department Overview per modified time and not ticket created time? In order for us to get an accurate view of the work our agents are

• Enhance Sign CRM integration

  Hello all, I'm working on a custom Deluge script to enhance the integration between Zoho CRM and Sign by using a writer merge template for additional flexibility. I want to replicate the post-sign document integration that exists between CRM and Sign

• Zoho Workdrive download was block by security software

  Hi Team, Recently workdrive download was blocked by huorong security. Could you please advise how to put zoho workdrive as white list? every time we put "*.zohoexternal.com" or "workdrive.zohoexternal.com", the warning msg will still pop in next dow

• Choosing a portal option and the "Unified customer portal"?

  I am trialling Zoho to replace various existing systems, one of which is a customer portal. Our portal allows clients to add and edit bookings, complete forms, manage their subscriptions and edit some CRM info. I am trying to understand how I might best

• General feedback

  I think Zoho is at the moment (potentially) the best, or perhaps the only, real online solution, for business, and not just business. Surely the only one that has all the features that I need (and I've probably tried everything, at least all that has a cost-free option). It has still got lots of bugs and imperfect features, so I do hope it keeps developing and becomes a really professional platform. Lots of people (including me) want to use such one platform for all scheduling/mail/note-taking...

• How to add SSL to Short URL custom domain?

  Hi, I've added a custom domain the the URL Shortener Domains. It's creating the short URL fine, but when clicking through, firstly I get an SSL warning, then a 400 Bad Request warning.

• Single Portal for Multiple Apps

  Hello, I'm just getting started with Zoho and I'm very overwhelmed. I am currently using the free trial of Zoho One, but if I can figure it out, I intend to upgrade to the paid version. Zoho One, of course, gives me  access to an entire suite of services/applications. One of the things I'd like to do is have a single place for clients (customers?) to log in and view current projects, invoices, contact information, etc. A single login for my clients. A single portal. I've come across documentation

• Antispam validation failed for your domain in Accounts

  I tried adding a domain to zeptomail.zoho.com, but the “add domain” operation failed. The front‑end error reads: “Domain could not be added. Please contact support@zeptomail.com.” The back‑end API returned: ``` { "error": { "code": "TM_3601", "details":

• CodeX Scripts for Enforcing Custom Project Logic

  Every organization has a defined way of executing projects. There are clear expectations around how tasks should move, when projects should progress, and which actions require validation. When these rules are consistently followed, projects remain structured

• Cancelled appointments still block out timeslot

  I haven't had to test this before, but I've just found a problem. I had an appointment in a certain timeslot, and that appointment was cancelled. However, Bookings won't let another appointment be booked in that slot - it makes that time unavailable until

• Preventing Group Emails From Being Sent to Group Member Personal Mail

  We have a group setup for a public facing email address. We have streams turned on for this group. Right now when an email is sent to this group email it hits the group stream and also sends a copy of the email to all group members. We'd like to disable

• Unusual activity detected from this IP. Please try again after some time.

  Hello Zoho admin and IT team We are a registered website in Eloctronic services and we been trying to add our users to the zoho system but this issue faced us ,, hope you unlocked us please.

• ¿Puedo migrar mi sitio desde WordPress a Zoho? ¿Zoho admite herramientas con código personalizado?

  ¡Hola comunidad! Estoy evaluando la posibilidad de migrar mi sitio web https://calculadoradenotas.cl/ desde WordPress a una solución Zoho, y tengo algunas dudas técnicas que espero puedan aclararme. Mi sitio no es solo informativo: es una herramienta

• How do I link my invoice to an estimate?

  There has been instances where I have created estimates, however, invoices for the same estimate were created independently. The status of these estimates hasn't converted to 'invoiced'. 

• Zoho Books (and other finance suite apps) - Retrospective Linking of Invoice and Sales Orders to Quotes.

  In some cases, Quotes and Invoies may be created sperately instead of using the convert feature. In this feature request I am asking for the Finance Suite team to consider adding a lookup field to reference the quote on Invoices and Sales Orders, or some

• Impossible to import Journal from Freshbooks

  I have been trying to import journals from Freshbooks since August 30th. Every time I try to import, I get an error message. I have already made sure every row has a date. First it was saying the account and notes had unexpected input and that every debit/credit

• Peppol: Accept Bill (Belgium)

  Hi, This topic might help you if you're facing the same in Belgium. We are facing an issue while accepting a supplier bill received by Peppol in Zoho Books. There is a popup with an error message: This bill acceptance could not be completed, so it was

• Convert invoice from zoho to xml with all details

  How to convert an Invoice to XML format with all details

• Prevent subform editing on a module's detail's page

  Hi everyone, We would like to prevent any editing of the subform data in the : Create page Edit page Details page (as subform editing is now allowed by the recent UX update) We are able to prevent editing by making the subform fields read only in the

• Export Invoices to XML file

  Namaste! ZOHO suite of Apps is awesome and we as Partner, would like to use and implement the app´s from the Financial suite like ZOHO Invoice, but, in Portugal, we can only use certified Invoice Software and for this reason, we need to develop/customize on top of ZOHO Invoice to create an XML file with specific information and after this, go to the government and certified the software. As soon as we have for example, ZOHO CRM integrated with ZOHO Invoice up and running, our business opportunities

• Refresh frequency

  Dear Zoho Team, I really, truly appreciate that Zoho Books gets frequent updates. As a matter of fact this is how a good SaaS company should stay on top. However, I feel that I have to hit refresh almost every day. This was exciting at the beginning but

• Zoho Books | Product updates | January 2026

  Hello users, We’ve rolled out new features and enhancements in Zoho Books. From e-filing Form 1099 directly with the IRS to corporation tax support, explore the updates designed to enhance your bookkeeping experience. E-File Form 1099 Directly With the

• Weekly Tips : Save Time with Saved Search

  Let's assume your work requires you to regularly check emails from important clients that have attachments and were sent within a specific time period. Instead of entering the same conditions every time—like sender, date range, and attachments included—you

• Bring real app analytics into Zoho Creator apps with Zoho Apptics

  We’re kicking off the year with a release we’ve been looking forward to for a long time. After being in the works for a while, Zoho Creator and Zoho Apptics are now officially integrated, bringing in-depth product analytics directly into the Zoho Creator

• Discontinuing Zoho ShowTime service on May 30, 2026

  Hello everyone, As a follow-up to our earlier announcement, we’d like to share an important update regarding Zoho ShowTime’s discontinuation timeline. Zoho ShowTime, our online training platform, reached its end of life on December 31, 2025, and its services

• emailing estimates

  Shows up in the customer mail logs as sent but nobody is receiving them, even when I send them to myself I don't get them ??? Something wrong with the mail server or my end ?

• Ability to CC on a mass email

  Ability to CC someone on a mass email.

• Bookings duration - days

  Hi team, Is there any way to setup services/bookings that span multiple days? I am using Zoho Bookings for meeting room bookings. Clients may wish to book a room for more than one day, for up to a month.  If not, is there a plan to allow services to be setup with durations of Days as well as hours and minutes? Many thanks, Anna.

• Customer address in Zoho Bookings

  Hello,  Is it possible to add customer address information to the Zoho bookings appointment screen? Or have it pull that information automatically from the CRM? We are wanting to use this as a field management software but it is difficult to pull the address from multiple sources when it would be ideal to have a clickable address on the appointment screen that opens up the user's maps.  It would also be advantageous for the "list view" to show appointment times instead of just duration and booking

• Feature Request - Allow Customers To Pick Meeting Duration

  Hi Bookings Team, It would be great if there was an option to allow customers to pick a duration based on a max and minimum amount of time defined by me and in increments defined by me. For example, I have some slots which are available for customers

• New feature: Invite additional guests for your bookings

  Hello everyone, Greetings from Zoho Bookings! We are happy to announce the much-awaited feature Guest Invite, which enhances your booking experience like never before. This feature allows additional participants to be invited for the bookings to make

• Changing the owner of a call

  Am I correct in my conclusion that I cannot change the owner of a call in Zoho? The field does not show up in the screen, nor can I make it show up as the systems does not give me that option. I cannot "mass update" it either. I tried it, but Zoho refuses to change the name of the owner. Please help out: how do I change the owner of a call.

• Unified Notes View For Seamless Collaboration

  To facilitate better coordination among different departments and team members, the notes added to a record can now be accessed in all its associated records. With this, team members, from customer service representatives to field technicians, can easily

• Remove Profiles from "Forecast" Module

  How can I remove Profiles from My forecast Module? Image Below The only revenue generators are the VP's, and the Estimation Managers, and the Estimators subordinate to the Est. Managers. How can I remove the unused Profiles? Its frustrating to see them

• Uplifted homepage experience

  Editions: All editions. Availability update: 17th February 2026: All editions in the CA and SA DC | JP DC (Free, Standard and Professional editions) 23 February 2026: JP (All Editions) | AU, CN (Free, Standard, Professional editions) 27 February 2026:

• Restoring records from the recycle bin programatically

  Background I'm working on a piece of software to automate conversion of Leads into Deals based on order status from my company's website. The process is mostly complete, right now I'm just working on handling a few edge cases to ensure data integrity.

• Next Page