Managing Picklists and Enabling History Tracking via Zoho CRM APIs

Managing Picklists and Enabling History Tracking via Zoho CRM APIs

Hello everyone!

Welcome back to another post in our Kaizen series. 

In this post, we will look at how you can manage picklist fields in Zoho CRM using APIs. This topic was raised as feedback to Kaizen #200, so we are taking it up here with more details.



In this post, we will cover the following:
  • What is a picklist field in Zoho CRM?
    • Picklist vs Multi-select Picklist
  • Working with picklist fields via APIs
  • History tracking for picklists
    • What is history tracking for picklists in Zoho CRM?
    • Use case
    • Enabling history tracking for a picklist using the Create Custom Fields API

What is a picklist field in Zoho CRM?

A Picklist field is a drop-down field in Zoho CRM that contains a predefined list of values. While creating or updating a record, you can select one value from this list instead of entering it manually. This helps you avoid typing errors.

Example :
A Region field with values East, West, North, and South.
If a lead is from the East, the user simply selects East from the picklist instead of typing it manually. 

Picklist vs Multi-select Picklist
                                                         
                                                            Picklist

                                                   Multi-select Picklist

  Users can select only one value from the list. 

   Users can select multiple values at once. 

  A standard Region picklist works when a record belongs to only one region.

  Example : East

   A Multi-select Region picklist works when a record spans multiple regions.
   Example : East, North

Global picklist / Global set : User can create a picklist in common and associate the created picklist across the modules to maintain accuracy. Refer to Kaizen #161: Global Sets using Zoho CRM APIs for more details.

Working with picklist fields via APIs

Creating a picklist field using the Create Custom Field API

You can create a new Picklist field in a module by calling the Create Custom Field Metadata API. For example, you can create a picklist field named Region with the values: East, West, North, South.

Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/fields?module=Leads
Request Method : POST


Sample Input
When creating a picklist field, set its data type as picklist and provide the list of options, each with a mandatory display_value. You can also configure additional properties such as actual_value, lexical sorting, and color coding.


{
    "fields": [
        {
            "field_label": "Select Region",
            "data_type": "picklist", // Specify the data type as picklist
            "tooltip": {
                "name": "info_icon",
                "value": "Select your region here"
            },

    "profiles": [
                {
                    "id": "5725767000000026011",
                    "permission_type": "read_write" 
                }
 ],
            "pick_list_values": [
                {
                    "display_value": "East",  //The unique display value for the picklist, which will be displayed in the CRM UI. Use the display_value in API requests during create, update, and upsert operations.

                    "actual_value": "IN_East" //The unique reference value associated with the particular option.
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "West",
                    "actual_value": "IN_West"
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "North",
                    "actual_value": "IN_North"
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "South",
                    "actual_value": "IN_South"
                }
            ],
            "pick_list_values_sorted_lexically": true,   //Sorts options alphabetically. Default value is false.
            "enable_colour_code": true    //Allows color coding for picklist options. Default value is false.
        }
    ]
}


Note : To create a multi-select picklist field, set the data_type key to multiselectpicklist in the request body ("data_type": "multiselectpicklist").

Sample Response
{
    "fields": [
        {
            "code": "SUCCESS",
            "details": {
                "id": "5725767000007613005"
            },
            "message": "field created",
            "status": "success"
        }
    ]
}

Updating a picklist field using the Update Custom Field API

The PATCH - Field Metadata API lets you modify an existing Picklist field. Use the Get Fields Metadata API to get your picklist field ID. 

You can:
Here is a sample request that updates the Select Region dropdown field in the Leads module.

Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/fields/5725767000007613005?module=Leads
Request Method : PATCH

Adding a new option to the existing picklist field 

Sample Input 

{
    "fields": [
        {
            "pick_list_values": [
                {
                    "display_value": "Central", //adding a new option to the existing picklist field
                    "actual_value": "IN_Central"
                }
            ],
        }
    ]
}

Updating picklist 

{
    "fields": [
        {
            "profiles": [
                {
                    "id": "5725767000000026011",
                    "permission_type": "read_only" //updating the permission_type
                }
            ],
            "pick_list_values": [
                {
                    "display_value": "South Region", //updating the display field's value
                    "id": "5725767000007613010" //unique ID of the option 
                }
            ],
            "enable_colour_code": false //disabling color code for the options
        }
    ]
}

Note : Use the actual_value or unique ID of a picklist option to update its display value. Use the Get Fields Metadata API or Get Layouts Metadata API to get the details.

Removing existing options using Update Custom Layout API

To remove picklist values, keep only the required options in your input. Any options not included in the request will automatically move to the unused section.
First, fetch the required layout, section, field, and option IDs using the Get Layouts Metadata API. Then, in your request body, specify only the picklist values you want to retain.

Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/layouts/5725767000000091055?module=Leads
Request Method : PATCH

Sample Input 
{
    "layouts": [
        {
            "id": "5725767000000091055", //layout id
            "sections": [
                {
                    "id": "5725767000000209001", //section id
                    "fields": [
                        {
                            "id": "5725767000007613005", //field id
                            "pick_list_values": [
                                {
                                    "display_value": "Central",
                                    "id": "5725767000007626001"
                                },
                                {
                                    "display_value": "East",
                                    "id": "5725767000007613004"
                                }
                            ]
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}


Here, Central and East regions remain as active picklist options, and West, North, and South regions are moved to the unused section.

Updated response
Use the Get Fields Metadata API to check the updated response. The Central and East are still active options (type: used), and North, South, and West are inactive options (type: unused)
{
    "fields": [
        .
        .
        .
        {
            "field_label": "Select Region",
            "id": "5725767000007613005",
            "api_name": "Select_Region",
            "pick_list_values": [
                {
                    "display_value": "-None-",
                    "sequence_number": 1,
                    "reference_value": "-None-",
                    "colour_code": null,
                    "actual_value": "-None-",
                    "id": "5725767000007613013",
                    "type": "used"   //default option
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "Central",
                    "sequence_number": 6,
                    "reference_value": "Central",
                    "colour_code": null,
                    "actual_value": "IN_Central",
                    "id": "5725767000007626001",
                    "type": "used"
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "East",
                    "sequence_number": 2,
                    "reference_value": "East",
                    "colour_code": null,
                    "actual_value": "IN_East",
                    "id": "5725767000007613004",
                    "type": "used"
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "North",
                    "sequence_number": 4,
                    "reference_value": "North",
                    "colour_code": null,
                    "actual_value": "IN_North",
                    "id": "5725767000007613008",
                    "type": "unused"
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "South",
                    "sequence_number": 5,
                    "reference_value": "South",
                    "colour_code": null,
                    "actual_value": "IN_South",
                    "id": "5725767000007613010",
                    "type": "unused"
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "West",
                    "sequence_number": 3,
                    "reference_value": "West",
                    "colour_code": null,
                    "actual_value": "IN_West",
                    "id": "5725767000007613006",
                    "type": "unused"
                }
            ],
            "data_type": "picklist"
        }
    ]
}



Assigning picklist values using the Insert Records API

When you insert a record, you can directly pass the picklist option’s display value (not the ID) in the request body.

Request URL : {api-domain}/crm/v8/{module_api_name}
Request Method : POST

Sample Input 
{
    "data": [
        {
            "Company": "Zylker",
            "Last_Name": "David",
            "Select_Region": "Central"   // Picklist value to assign
        }
    ]
}

Note: 
  • When creating, updating, or upserting records, 
    • You can either pass an existing picklist value or add a new one, through the API. Please note that the new value will only be stored in that record, and will not be added to the picklist field’s metadata.
    • In the UI, you can only select from the available dropdown options.
    • Always use the display_value of the picklist option, not the picklist option’s ID.
    • You can also assign the default option (-None-). In this case, the picklist field’s value will be stored as null ("Select_Region": null)
Sample Response

{
    "data": [
        {
            "code": "SUCCESS",
            "details": {
                "Modified_Time": "2025-08-23T04:51:39-07:00",
                "Modified_By": {
                    "name": "Patricia Boyle",
                    "id": "5725767000000411001"
                },
                "Created_Time": "2025-08-23T04:51:39-07:00",
                "id": "5725767000007623017",
                "Created_By": {
                    "name": "Patricia Boyle",
                    "id": "5725767000000411001"
                }
            },
            "message": "record added",
            "status": "success"
        }
    ]

}



Updating picklist values in existing records using the Update Records API

When updating, you also use the picklist display value in the field.

Request URL : {api-domain}/crm/v8/Leads/5725767000007628002
Request Method : PUT

Sample Input 

{
    "data": [
        {
            "Select_Region": "West" // New picklist value
        }
    ]
}

This will replace the existing picklist value with West.


History tracking for picklists

What is history tracking for picklists in Zoho CRM?

You can enable history tracking for a picklist field using the Create Custom Field API. Once enabled, Zoho CRM automatically creates a related list for the tracked picklist and a separate module.
Every time the picklist value changes, Zoho CRM creates a new entry in this related list. Each entry shows the old value, the new value, who made the change, and when it was made, and how long the record stayed in the previous value before moving to the next one.

Use case

Zylker's sales team tracks lead progress through the statuses such as New, Contacted, Qualified, and Converted. The team wants to know how long a lead remains in each status and identify if follow-ups are delayed or leads are not progressing. 
You can achieve this by enabling history tracking on the Status picklist. You can also monitor every status change, who made it, and how long the lead stayed in the previous status. This helps the team monitor, identify delays, and improve the follow-up process.

The log stores:
  • New Value - updated region in the Moved_To__s key.
  • Changed By - user who made the update  in the Modified_By key.
  • Changed On - date and time when the region was changed  in the Last_Activity_Time key.
  • Duration  - how long the record stayed in the previous value before the change  in the Duration_Time and Duration_Days keys.

Enabling history tracking for a picklist using the Create Custom Fields API

Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/fields?module=Leads
Request Method : POST

Sample Input
{
    "fields": [
        {
            "field_label": "Status",
            "data_type": "picklist",
            "pick_list_values": [
                {
                    "display_value": "New",
                    "actual_value": "New"
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "Contacted",
                    "actual_value": "Contacted"
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "Qualified",
                    "actual_value": "Qualified"
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "Converted",
                    "actual_value": "Converted"
                }
            ], 
            "history_tracking_enabled": true, //(mandatory) Enables history tracking for the picklist
            "history_tracking": {
                "related_list_name": "Status History", //Lets you give a custom name to the history related list that CRM creates.
                "duration_configuration": "time", //Decides how to track the timing of changes: days - History is tracked by days and time - History is tracked by time. 
 
              Note : Before specifying the time value, enable the duration customization feature in your organization by contacting support@zohocrm.com.

                "followed_fields": [  // The followed_fields lets you retrieve additional field values whenever the picklist value changes.
                    {
                        "api_name": "Owner"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ]
}

Sample Response in UI 


Sample Response via API
Whenever a picklist option changes, the system creates a new record in the related list module. In this example, Status History is the related list module. The sample response below shows how a particular change looks when retrieved using the Get Records API.

Request URL : {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/Status_History/5725767000007739323
Request Method : GET

Sample Response

{
    "data": [
        {
            "Status": "Contacted",
            "$approval": {
                "delegate": false,
                "takeover": false,
                "approve": false,
                "reject": false,
                "resubmit": false
            },
            "Modified_Time": "2025-08-28T06:35:15-07:00",
            "$currency_symbol": "$",
            "$field_states": null,
            "$review_process": null,
            "$editable": true,
            "Duration_Time": "6568847", //The system stores the duration in milliseconds.
            "$sharing_permission": "full_access",
            "Lead_Owner": {
                "name": "Patricia Boyle",
                "id": "5725767000000411001"
            },
            "Moved_To__s": "Qualified",
            "$orchestration": false,
            "Last_Activity_Time": "2025-08-28T08:24:44-07:00",
            "Full_Name": {
                "name": "Zylker",
                "id": "5725767000007735001"
            },
            "Modified_By": {
                "name": "Patricia Boyle",
                "id": "5725767000000411001",
                "email": "patricia@zoho.com"
            },
            "$review": null,
            "$process_flow": false,
            "$in_merge": false,
            "id": "5725767000007739350",
            "$approval_state": "approved",
            "$pathfinder": false,
            "$zia_visions": null
        }
    ]
}



Note :
  • You can select up to 10 fields in total, with a maximum of 5 user fields for all modules except Deals.
  • Encrypted fields cannot be specified.
  • In the Deals module,
    • History tracking is enabled by default for the Stage picklist field.
    • You cannot enable history tracking for any other picklist field in the Deals module.
    • You can only update the existing Stage picklist field using the Update Custom Field API.
    • You can add up to 6 followed fields, with a maximum of 5 user fields.



We hope this post helps you confidently manage picklists and track their history in Zoho CRM. Try it out, and let us know your experience in the comment section or reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com 

Stay tuned for more insights in our upcoming Kaizen posts!
Cheers!






Related Links :



    • Sticky Posts

    • Kaizen #197: Frequently Asked Questions on GraphQL APIs

      🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! 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 #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.

    • Celebrating 200 posts of Kaizen! Share your ideas for the milestone post

      Hello Developers, We launched the Kaizen series in 2019 to share helpful content to support your Zoho CRM development journey. Staying true to its spirit—Kaizen Series: Continuous Improvement for Developer Experience—we've shared everything from FAQs

    • Kaizen #193: Creating different fields in Zoho CRM through API

      🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! 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.

    • Client Script | Update - Introducing Commands in Client Script!

      Have you ever wished you could trigger Client Script from contexts other than just the supported pages and events? Have you ever wanted to leverage the advantage of Client Script at your finger tip? Discover the power of Client Script - Commands! Commands

      • Recent Topics

      • Inactive account cleanup policy for Zoho Sign

        Zoho Sign reserves the right to delete accounts that are license free and inactive for more than 120 days. The account deletion will be initiated only after the user receives prior email notice about possible data deletion and how to backup the data.

      • Missde API documentation for Sales Receipt

        Hi! I noticed that the Sales Receipt endpoint is not currently listed in your API documentation (https://www.zoho.com/books/api/v3/introduction/). Could you please provide any available temporary documentation for this endpoint, along with a detailed

      • Multi-currency in Zoho CRM Forecast and Reports

        As a company we have branches in 4 different countries with as many different currencies. Our Sales Teams would like to work with their local currency as much as possible. The Forecast module using only 1 currency is practically usable only by the sales

      • How to select from pricebook when creating a salesorder or quote

        I am creating a sales order and when selecting the Products I do not see any where to select from pricebooks. How do i associate this to my orders?

      • Proposal for Creating a Unique "Address" Entity in Zoho FSM

        The "Address" entity is one of the most critical components for a service-oriented company. While homeowners may change and servicing companies may vary, the address itself remains constant. This constancy is essential for subsequent services, as it provides

      • Automatic Matching from Bank Statements / Feeds

        Is it possible to have transactions from a feed or bank statement automatically match when certain criteria are met? My use case, which is pretty broadly applicable, is e-commerce transactions for merchant services accounts (clearing accounts). In these

      • I cannot find my older documents from 2024 and 2023

        I cannot find my older documents from 2024 and 2023.

      • System default SLA descriptions can't be modified

        The system default SLAs have identical descriptions for all SLA levels, but their settings differ. However, I am facing an issue where I cannot modify these descriptions and save the changes. The content of the description box can be edited but the changes

      • Customising Help Center

        Hi I don't think it is possible to add custom pages to help center? We'd like to use this as a customer portal with support tickets, FAQ/Guides, Billing and contracts. Is there any plans to add a feature like this or an alternative way to do it other

      • Replies sometimes creating separate ticket

        Sometimes when a customer responds to an email coming from Zoho Desk, instead of adding a reply to the original ticket, a separate ticket is created. This happens even though the response subject line contained the ticket number, and the person responding

      • Ticket Approvals - External Users

        The ticket approval option - we need to be able to select external users (Contacts) for approvals. Sometimes we are working with an end user and their boss needs to approve a purchase. For example, working with a cashier on a broken cash register and

      • Force Users to Ask Answer Bot a question... First

        End users will always skip talking to a bot. It would be nice if Zoho adopted the standard and forced users to first ask a question to answer bot (or zia in some fashion) and then pass to the agent if it wasn't answered. Options to force the user to speak

      • View Answer Bot conversations?

        We are trialing Zia and are experimenting with Answer Bot on our knowledge base. So far so good! Management asks me if it is possible to view Answer Bot conversations, the purpose being to look over its shoulder and confirm that it is working as des

      • Mass Email an Account

        It would be nice to mass email an account stating there is an outage at their business or something specific to an account is needed to be mass communicated. Even if it makes a ticket for every Email Out to every contact in the Account. Think: the customer

      • Multiple Topics assigned to a single Campaign

        Hello, is it possible to assign multiple Topics to a single Campaign? We frequently write a content to our subscribers that spans multiple Topics and we would like to send it to all Contacts that are subscribed to at least one of the Topics. But it looks

      • Bigin Android app update: User management

        Hello everyone! In the most recent Bigin Android app update, we have brought in support for the 'Users and Controls' section. You can now manage the users in your organization within the mobile app. There are three tabs in the 'Users and Controls' section:

      • Zoho Projects Fonts and Accessibility missing

        I cannot find any more the tab where I can change the font in Zoho Project. I also checked the knowledgebase and there they have accessibility tab which I am completely missing. Is there some setup I am missing or is it a problem with our account?

      • Introducing Version-3 APIs - Explore New APIs & Enhancements

        Happy to announce the release of Version 3 (V3) APIs with an easy to use interface, new APIs, and more examples to help you understand and access the APIs better. V3 APIs can be accessed through our new link, where you can explore our complete documentation,

      • Zoho Books Custom Widgets Deprecation Error

        I created a simple sample widget with zet and published it using sigma Both in the Sandbox and Production the Widgets are showing this error

      • Problems with PDF files in notebook

        I'm evaluating Zoho Notebook as an alternative to Evernote and imported my Evernote account to Zoho Notebook. First issue is that notes in Evernote that comprise a PDF are turned into a 'group' with a single note page (that has the text from the Evernote

      • API (v3) Tasks sorting issue

        We are using the v3 API for Projects. When we gat all tasks, per page of 100 tasks, we get the task info alright. But when we try to sort based on DESC(last_modified_time) we don't get the correct sort order. It is roughly sorted by the last_modified_time,

      • Assemblies make my stock go negative

        I am sure this is just the way that we are using this feature, but we use assemblies, a lot. The issue for us is the way that the relive inventory and the fact that it makes our composite item stock go negative. I have added flows to auto assemble and

      • User Activity Reports

        I'd like to get data related to user activity.  For example, Login and logout times, emails sent/received, new records created , etc. Is that currently available. I just can't seem to find anything . Thanks, Dave

      • Help: Populate “Contact Owner” details into Customer custom fields (for email templates) in Zoho Books

        We want to send invoices on behalf of our sales agents, and include the agent’s name, email, and phone in the email body using placeholders. Plan is to copy the Customer Owner details into three Customer custom fields, so they can be used as placeholders

      • Undocumented Books API error message - 1000 - The requested action could not be completed. Please try again. | Unexpected error

        This code sometimes throws this error 1000 - The requested action could not be completed. Please try again. | Unexpected error What does it mean? result = zoho.books.updateRecord("salesorders",organization.get("organization_id"),salesorder_id,sales_

      • Partial payments for retainer invoices

        When a customer does not pay the entire retainer invoice there is no way to apply a partial payment. PLEASE add this function.

      • Making Tags Mandatory

        When creating an expense, is it possible to make the Tags field mandatory?  I see the option in settings to make other fields mandatory, like Merchant, Description, Customer, etc, but nothing about Tags. Thanks! Kevin

      • Mass Update not trigger workflows

        Hi, I have performed a mass update of all records in a custom module using a custom view. I have a dummy checkbox on my module that I turn on or off - hoping to trigger all the new workflows that have been created for that module. However, no workflows

      • Multi-Select lookup field has reached its maximum??

        Hi there, I want to create a multi-select lookup field in a module but I can't select the model I want the relationship to be with from the list. From the help page on this I see that you can only create a max of 2 relationships per module? Is that true?

      • Generating CRM reports based on date moved in staged history

        Hi everyone, I'm trying to generate CRM reports of jobs (I think these are called usually deals) based on when they were moved to a particular stage, ie all jobs that were moved to Proposal/Quote in the previous financial year. I can see from other similar

      • Modules for missed calls, emails, texts etc

        Hi there. Is there a way to create a module that would automatically show a list of all inbound calls that were missed by our users, as well as any inbound SMS's, emails & WhatsApp messages. That way, a user who is available, can work through that list

      • Subforms and automation

        If a user updates a field how do we create an automation etc. We have a field for returned parts and i want to get an email when that field is ticked. How please as Zoho tells me no automation on subforms. The Reason- Why having waited for ever for FSM

      • Conditional layouts - support for multi-select picklists

        Hi, The documentation for conditional layouts says the following: "Layout Rules cannot be used on the following field types: Auto Number Lookup Multi Select Lookup User Lookup Formula File Upload Multi Line" I have a custom module with a multi-pick list

      • Ability to Set a General Email Signature for the Organization in Zoho Recruit

        Dear Zoho Recruit Team, I hope you're doing well. We would like to request a feature that would allow us to set a general email signature at the organizational level within Zoho Recruit. Currently it is only possible for individual users to create their

      • Custom Buttons & Links Now Supported in Portals

        We’ve just made portals in Zoho Recruit more powerful and customizable than ever! You can now bring the power of Custom Buttons and Links to your Candidate, Client, Vendor, and Custom Portals — enabling portal users to take direct action without recruiter

      • Change Last Name to not required in Leads

        I would like to upload 500 target companies as leads but I don't yet have contact people for them. Can you enable the option for me to turn this requirement off to need a Second Name? Moderation update (10-Jun-23): As we explore potential solutions for

      • CC and/or BCC users in email templates

        I would like the ability to automatically assign a CC and BCC "User (company employee)" into email templates. Specifically, I would like to be able to add the "User who owns the client" as a CC automatically on any interview scheduled or candidate submitted

      • Is there a way to show contact emails in the Account?

        I know I can see the emails I have sent and received on a Contact detail view, but I want to be able to see all the emails that have been sent and received between all an Accounts Contacts on the Account Detail view. That way when I see the Account detail

      • Live webinar: Transform data into impactful visuals with Zoho Show

        Data is frequently a core part of a presentation, whether it’s a sales pitch, project update, research report, or performance review. But when it’s just numbers on a page, the message you’re trying to convey can get buried. The real magic happens when

      • Zoho Projects - Q2 Updates | 2025

        Hello Users, With this year's second quarter behind us, Zoho Projects is marching towards expanding its usability with a user-centered, more collaborative, customizable, and automated attribute. But before we chart out plans for what’s next, it’s worth

      • Next Page