Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest – February 2025

Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest – February 2025



Hello everyone,
​
First of all, an apology is in order—our January digest got swept away by a whirlwind of hackathon madness. But fear not, February's digest is here to make up for lost time! We’ve got everything from upcoming events like the Zoho Developer Hangout (with a special focus on Catalyst!) to our new Client Script Commands session. We also dive into resources like the latest Zoho CRM Developer updates and Kaizen posts to help you stay ahead. Plus, the community spotlight showcases real developer problem-solving moments, and some of the best insights shared in our Cliq channel.

So, without further ado, grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and let’s jump into the updates!

Previous Month Highlights
​
Before we dive into this month's updates, let's take a moment to celebrate the grand success of the ZDC Hackathon 2024. After 46 days of innovation, intense competition, and collaboration, we wrapped up the first-ever Zoho Developer Community Hackathon with a bang!

With over 1,000 participants, 797 teams, and representation from 45 countries, this truly was a global event. A special shout-out to all our participants—students, independent developers, customers, and partners—who brought their A-game to the table.

The judges had their work cut out, but after thorough evaluation, we're proud to announce the winners:



A massive thank you to everyone who participated and made this hackathon a tremendous success! You can check out all the category-wise winners on our website. Until next time, keep the innovation rolling and stay tuned for the next challenge!

Upcoming Events

Client Script

Title: Part 5: Introduction to Client Script Commands 
Date: March 11, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM IST & 8:00 PM IST (GMT+5:30)

In this session, we'll explore a new dimension of Client Script that enables users to trigger them anytime and anywhere in CRM, extending their event-driven functionality beyond just specific modules and pages. Using Client Script Commands, the user can either use custom keyboard shortcuts or command palette to execute Client Scripts. Click here for registration and more details.

Zoho Developer Hangout: Episode 19

Title: Catalyst for Zoho Developers
Date: March 13, 2025
Time: 8:30 AM CT / 8:00 PM IST

This session, presented by our power user @Christopher Mowers, is for Zoho developers who are familiar with typical approaches to working in the Deluge environment and who would like to learn to adapt to the approach that Catalyst requires. We will cover the Catalyst services that are most relevant to you as a Zoho developer and the fastest and most reliable ways to integrate your Catalyst layer with other Zoho applications. We will also cover important factors to consider when planning to use Catalyst as a part of your Zoho solution. Register now to get tips from the expert!

Zoho Community Developer Bootcamp – Deluge

Date: March 15 & March 29
Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM IST
Place: New Delhi & Mumbai

All applications must be automated to improve themselves as well as the businesses they serve. Zoho provides a plethora of relevant solutions for all your application needs. However, to cater to specific requirements and handle more complex business logic, we use our in-house scripting language—Deluge. Save your spot to immerse yourself in our engaging hands-on bootcamp, designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge to harness the full potential of Deluge for Zoho applications.

Catalyst 101

Title: Introduction to Catalyst
Date: March 18, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM IST & 8:00 PM IST (GMT+5:30)

Catalyst is a full-stack cloud development platform that simplifies the complex. Build, test, host, deploy, and optimize solutions like never before. Its easy learning curve eliminates complexities, empowering you to craft bold innovations at the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO). This is a four-part learning initiative that focuses on offering a thorough understanding of Catalyst—Zoho's cloud computing platform. Click here for registration and more details.

ZDK CLI (Zoho Development Kit Command Line Interface)

Date: Mar 20 | Apr 10
Time: 10:00 AM IST & 8:00 PM IST (GMT+5:30)

Managing metadata in Zoho CRM shouldn’t feel like navigating a maze. Yet, the endless clicks to modify profiles, roles, modules, or layouts—and the challenges of version control—can quickly become overwhelming. What if you could skip the hassle and manage your metadata effortlessly? Introducing ZDK CLI—your one-stop solution for streamlining metadata modifications, pushing changes directly from the command line, and tracking updates seamlessly with your preferred Version Control System (VCS). Register now to discover how to take control of your CRM workflow with ZDK CLI.

Extensions 101

Title: Zoho Projects – Modal Boxes
Date: March 27, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM IST & 8:00 PM IST (GMT+5:30)

This series aims to guide developers through the process of building extensions for various Zoho products using the Zoho Developer platform, Sigma. Our previous sessions in this series covered extension development for multiple Zoho products and highlighted the platform's key capabilities for developing efficient extensions. Register for the upcoming sessions, where we'll delve deep into developing extensions for Zoho products like Projects, CRM, Books, and Desk.

Learning Table Series

Title: Creator for the Logistics industry
Date: April 3, 2025
APAC & ANZ: 11 AM to 12 PM IST - Registration Link
EMEA: 4 PM to 5 PM IST - Registration Link
Americas: 9 PM to 10 PM IST - Registration Link

We designed this series to provide users with valuable insights and knowledge about Creator's capabilities in various business use cases and applications. We have adopted the 12 Months 12 Industries concept. Every month, we will focus on a specific industry, illustrating its unique processes with real-time business scenarios and how to make best use of Creator for that industry. Our previous webinar on Creator for the Manufacturing Industry was a success, and in the upcoming session, we'll be exploring Creator for the Logistics industry.
 
Creator Tech Connect

Title: Product Release Updates in Zoho Creator
Date: April 10, 2025
APAC & ANZ: 11 AM to 12 PM IST - Registration Link
EMEA: 4 PM to 5 PM IST - Registration Link
Americas: 9 PM to 10 PM IST - Registration Link

Creator's tech connect series would comprise of technical sessions that provide immersive training on the key essentials and technical nuances of building a solution in Zoho Creator. This is a great opportunity for our developer community to stay informed about Creator's new feature releases, product roadmap, best practices to follow while scripting in deluge, new deluge concepts, and cloud functions. In our previous session, we discussed enhancing dashboards with Javascript widgets in Zoho Creator. In the upcoming session, we will explore the recent product release updates in Zoho Creator.

Resource Spotlight

Info
We've consolidated all the resources from the developer community learning series into a centralized hub for your convenient access. Consider bookmarking our Zoho Developer Community website to stay informed about the latest updates in the developer community.
  • Zoho CRM Developer Updates:
    • Introducing Catalyst Solutions to streamline automation at scale with minimal effort. 
    • The Bulk Data Processor CodeLib, powered by Catalyst, offers a ready-to-use solution for bulk reading, processing, and writing large datasets. It automatically handles the setup with pre-configured resources. Simply add your custom processing logic, and let the solution do the heavy lifting for you!
    • Refer to our Getting Started guide for setting up and the GitHub Repository for Code Samples.
Fill out this Early Access Form to get this feature enabled for your account. This feature will tentatively be opened in the second week of April, 2025.
    • Client Script support for Subforms is now available across all DCs.
Subform events are triggered from user actions, such as adding or deleting rows or updating data in subform.
These events allow you to run Client scripts for validation, automation, or dynamic updates.
By leveraging Subform Events, you gain precise control over subform behaviour. Click here to view the announcement post. Click here to view the updated help document.
    • Client Script functionality is extended to Zoho CRM Portals, allowing businesses to enhance portal interactions without creating new scripts. We understand that many of you have been eagerly awaiting this enhancement, and we are pleased to inform you that this support is now live for US DC. We will update once its rolled out for other DCs. Click here to view the announcement post.
    • Python SDK - Upgraded python SDK supporting V7 APIs to version 4.0.0. GitHub, pypi.
    • Upgraded NodeJS SDK supporting V7 APIs to version 4.0.0.
    • Kaizen Posts

      • Kaizen 171 - Check out the frequently asked questions on the Zoho CRM COQL API in the Zoho Community Forum with answers.
      • Kaizen 172 - This post discusses how you can use the 'crmAPIResponse' object in a standalone function and use that REST API-enabled function as a Source in Queries.
      • Kaizen 173 - Comparing Zoho CRM REST APIs and Zoho CRM GraphQL APIs.
      • Kaizen 174 - Learn how to trigger Client Scripts anywhere within Zoho CRM, extending the scope of Client Script beyond standard pages and events.
      • Kaizen 175 - Learn how to configure a Settings Widget for your Zoho CRM extension to enable key configurations and enhance user experience.
      • Kaizen 176 - Learn how you can optimize your queries in different ways using record ID as a variable.

      • Kaizen 177 - This post explains the Duplicate Check Preferences API, the Upsert API, and their differences, along with real-time scenario.

      • Kaizen 178 - Learn in detail about Criteria and Filter support in Zoho CRM APIs, how to construct them, and explore the various comparators supported for different field types.

      • Kaizen 179 - Discover when to use ZDK CLI vs. Zoho CRM UI for CRM customization. Learn the best practices while using ZDK CLI.

  • Building extensions for Zoho Finance Suite applications: 
  • Zoho Finance: We've supported new SDK methods in widgets. You can now include a confirmation modal and display success and failure messages in your widgets. Additionally, we have created a separate help document for the widget locations supported in Zoho Books.

  • Zoho IoT: The Internet of Things is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s a driving force for innovation across industries. Zoho IoT simplifies the complexity of IoT, offering a low-code platform that empowers businesses to harness the full potential of their data. Learn all about how you can build, visualize, and automate your workflows with Zoho IoT.

  • The Ultimate Guide to Automation: Are you tired of spending time on repetitive tasks? Automating routine processes not only boosts efficiency but also frees up your team to focus on what truly matters. Discover how automation can streamline workflows, reduce errors, and drive business growth. 

  • Zoho Cliq: Stay ahead of the game with Cliq Bot Calls! Automate alerts, speed up decision-making, and keep your team in sync—all without lifting a finger. Find out how this feature can transform your workflow.

  • Zoho DataPrep: Data preparation is evolving, and 2025 is set to bring smarter, faster, and more automated solutions! From AI-powered cleaning to real-time data enrichment, stay ahead of the trends shaping the future of data. Explore the top data preparation trends for 2025.

  • Zoho RPA: Not all tasks are created equal—some are perfect for automation! Discover which business processes are best suited for Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and how automating them can save time and reduce errors.

  • Zoho Analytics: This article explores how Zia can help you leverage advanced analytics, helping businesses identify trends, predict outcomes, automate insights like never before, and make smarter business decisions.

Community Discussions

Zoho Developer Forum

Developers ZUG Cliq Channel

Info
These conversations are confined to the Developers ZUG Cliq channel members. If you're keen on becoming a part of this space, visit our website, click JOIN NOW, and complete the form to get an invite to the channel.

Ever feel like you're banging your head against a wall trying to figure out a tech problem? Well, you're not alone! This month, we saw some awesome examples of how a community of Zoho users can turn those frustrating moments into "aha!" moments.
  • Real People, Real Problems, Real Solutions:
    • Imagine you're coding a script, and suddenly, it just...stops working. That's what happened to @Andre. Instead of spending hours pulling his hair out, he asked for help. And guess what? @Mike spotted a potential cause right away—a sneaky change behind the scenes. That's the power of having experienced folks around!
    • Or picture this: you're trying to connect two apps, but you keep getting an error message. @Buddy Quaid ran into this with Zoho Writer and CRM. Thankfully, @Mike (again, our resident superhero!) explained the missing piece, and boom, problem solved.
    • And it's not just about fixing errors. @Himali was trying to figure out a tricky workflow in Zoho Inventory. The community jumped in, explained the process, and @Bijoy even suggested a workaround to make things smoother. That's how we learn from each other!
    • We also had a great chat about keeping track of all those automations and workflows. Anyone else feel like you're herding cats sometimes? It was awesome to see everyone sharing their tips and tricks.
  • Unlocking the Power of Zoho Together:
  • Why this matters? (especially if you're new here):
    • You're never alone: Tech can be confusing, but in a community like this, you'll always find someone willing to help. So, the next time you're stuck, just ask the community—someone might just have the answer (or three)!
    • Learn by doing: Seeing how others solve problems is a fantastic way to learn something new. 
    • Discover hidden gems: You might stumble upon a clever trick or workaround you never knew existed.
    • We talk about the practical stuff: Like how to manage and keep track of your automations and workflows across the Zoho platform.

Community Spotlight

Cliq Contributors

We want to express our sincere appreciation to all our community contributors. Your commitment, expertise, and the time you invest are invaluable to the community. 



For those who are new to the Zoho Developer Community, check out this post to get started. 

Make sure to follow the digest every month for the most recent updates and conversations. Stay connected and participate in the forums and the Cliq channel to be featured in the upcoming month's digest. Wishing you all an amazing month ahead!


SEE ALSO



      • Recent Topics

      • Marketing Tip #7: Add a blog to your online store

        A blog is more than content. It’s a magnet for new customers. Sharing product guides, styling tips, or industry insights through blog posts builds trust and helps you rank higher on search engines. Try this today: Write one blog post answering a common

      • Kanban view on Zoho CRM mobile app!

        What is Kanban? The name doesn't sound English, right? Yes, Kanban is a Japanese word which means 'Card you can see'. As per the meaning, Kanban in CRM is a type of list view in which the records will be displayed in cards and categorized under the given

      • Allow Regular Users to Directly Transfer Ownership of Files & Folders

        Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, Hope you are doing well. We would like to request an important enhancement related to file and folder ownership management in Zoho WorkDrive. At the moment, a regular user cannot directly transfer ownership of their files or folders

      • Triggering rules on lead conversion

        There is no field on the Rule list for rule conversion to trigger an alert on liead conversion to a potential. I assigned a rule to file on any creation or update of a lead. The lead was changed a lead to a potential but no rule was fired. Rajesh Bhadra

      • Customised Funnel

        We are running the standard plan for our ZOHO CRM. I have been asked if there is a way to combine data from the Calls module, Deals module and Contact Module into 1 funnel, similar to the view you can get when viewing Deals By Stages, you can see the

      • Trigger Zapier on Deluge Insert Into Function?

        Hello, To get around the limitation of not being able to trigger a Zapier Zap on Record Update(this would be extremely useful to be able to do btw), I have created a Deluge script to copy the data from Form A to a Trigger Form B using the Insert Into expression from a Custom Action button on a Report from Form A.  This action does not trigger the Zapier Zap whereas manually adding a record or duplicating an existing record does trigger the Zap. Is Insert Into not the same as a manual Add in the context

      • Can you inject JS in an HML+CSS+Deluge Page?

        I have an HTML + CSS + Deluge page and need just a little vanilla JS functionality. However, it seems like Zoho Creator does not allow that. I'm required to create a JS widget. Is this correct? If so: 1. Won't this quickly consume my API limit if there

      • Display Client Name in Zoho Creator Client Portal Dashboard

        Hello Zoho Creator Team, We hope you are doing well. Zoho Creator recently introduced the option to set a client’s display name in the Client Portal settings, which is very helpful for providing a personalized portal experience. However, there is currently

      • Zoho unified inbox

        The new changes have definitely improved things for switching between accounts.  But zoho still desperately needs a unified inbox.  It sucks to have to enter filters and folders for each and every inbox.  This seems like such a simple thing, i wonder why Zoho hasn't done it?

      • Marketer’s Space - Multi-Channel Campaigns for the Biggest Shopping Week with Zoho Marketing Automation

        Hello marketers, Welcome back to another post in Marketers Space! The biggest shopping week of the year is almost here, and it’s your moment to shine without the stress. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday just around the corner, being present across email,

      • Is there a problem with sharing workdrive files with links since last night?

        As per title, we can't access folders/files through share links since last night. I created ticket but we need quick solution and didn't hear back from the support yet. The files are still accessible by the main account but all zoho files that we are

      • Enable Screen Recording in Zoho WorkDrive Mobile Apps (Android & iOS)

        Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, How are you? We are enthusiastic Zoho One users and rely heavily on Zoho WorkDrive for internal collaboration and content sharing. The screen-recording feature in the WorkDrive web app (similar to Loom) is extremely useful- however,

      • Production Management Tool (MRP / BOM)

        Hi Guys, is there any recommended App available that works with zoho and covers the needed applications for a production? What we need is a system that covers the BOM (bill of materials), MRP (material ressources planning), MRP II (manufacturing ressources

      • Function #53: Transaction Level Profitability for Invoices

        Hello everyone, and welcome back to our series! We have previously provided custom functions for calculating the profitability of a quote and a sales order. There may be instances where the invoice may differ from its corresponding quote or sales order.

      • Bug in Zoho Cliq Signup Flow – "%s" Placeholder Visible Instead of Product Name

        Hi Zoho Team, I would like to report a UI bug in the Zoho Cliq signup/enable flow. During the step where Cliq asks to enable the product for the company, the following text appears: Great! Your company is already available in Zoho, so you just have to

      • Zoho Invoice Customer Login Portal

        Are there any plans for a customer portal to Zoho Invoice, ala Freshbooks?  I would like customers that I invoice to be able to login to review invoices and invoice history.  I have not switched from Freshbooks for this very reason.

      • Exporting tickets

        I went to Setup -> Organization -> Import/Export in order to export tickets but found 2 issues: 1. The email body never gets exported. 2. There are some large numbers (like 5.57E+16) under certain columns of the exported CSV file. I could not find any export options. Please can you help with this?

      • Editing the Ticket Properties column

        This is going to sound like a dumb question, but I cannot figure out how to configure/edit the sections (and their fields) in this column: For example, we have a custom "Resolution" field, which parked itself in the "Ticket Information" section of this

      • Copy field information to clipboard

        I need to be able to transfer some field information in to the clipboard, so that I can then paste it in to our helpdesk system. Is there a way I could add a button to a detail report that does this?

      • Issuing reconciling a bank statement

        HELP! I'm trying to reconcile a bank statement. The prior month reconciled perfectly. Beginning balance is correct yet I'm off by the same amount each time. Both myself and my office manager, separately and together, have tried to complete this reconciliation

      • Unknown table or alias 'A1'

        I would like to create a subquery but i am getting the following error: Unknown table or alias 'A1' used in select query. This is the sql statement:  SELECT A1.active_paying_customers, A1.active_trial_customers, A1.new_paying_signup, date(A1.date_active_customers), 

      • Detect and ignore bots in visitors

        The SalesIQ visitor numbers are basically useless to us because there is no bot detection. We get the same bots coming in from the same countries looking at the same pages every day. It can't be that difficult to tell the difference between an actual

      • Add Real-Time Microphone Audio-Level Indicator During Screen Recording

        Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, Hope you are doing well. We would like to request an important enhancement to the Zoho WorkDrive screen-recording experience. Current Limitation: During a recording session, there is no visual indication that the microphone is

      • Zero Personalization of the File Sharing Experience

        By now (2025) this is the maximum level of personalization available for a Zoho sharing link. We gently asked Zoho if we could modify at least the background, and they replied that it cannot be customized. We're truly disappointed – and surprised every

      • Two factor authentication for helpdesk users

        The company i work for wants use the helpdesk site in Zoho desk, as a place for their distribution partners to ask question and look for information about our product. The things there is suppose to go up there is somewhat confidential between my company

      • Kiosk can't merge picklist or multiselect

        There is no ability to load a multiselect or picklikst field into a kiosk with the values that have been previously selected. So, I essentially have 3 unacceptable options: 1.)Load the value into a text string and include instructions like this: "Picklist

      • AGE field from DATE OF BIRTH Field.

        HI! I have a field called date of birth in my CRM (LEADS, CONTACT etc…)     How can I know the AGE today   I would like to create a field AGE. I now how to create a field but I don´t which calculation (CUSTOM FUCTION) to make ¿ANY HELP?

      • How to update/remove file in zoho creator widgets using javascript API

        Hi Team, I have developed a widget which allows inserting and updating records I have file upload field with multiple file upload. Now while doing insert form record, I am using uploadFile API to upload files for that record. I am using updateRecord API

      • Announcing new features in Trident for Windows (v.1.34.4.0)

        Hello Community! Trident for Windows just got better! With this update we have features that make your daily work easier and more efficient. We've added some features that are exclusive to our app and we're sure you'll find them useful. Let’s dive into

      • Report Hover Setting

        Would be great if we will able to show information to the user while hovering a record in a report.

      • Vertical images displayed as horizontal

        Some pictures that originally are in vertical position are displayed in horizontal after the upload. It seems that system rotates them by 90 degrees. How can I fix this issue?

      • Zoho Desk iOS app update: Saved filters and sort options

        Hello everyone! Saved filters created on the web(desk.zoho.com) for tickets are now accessible on the Zoho Desk iOS app. You can easily rename, delete, or clear filters on the go. We have also introduced Sort options on the ticket listing screen, allowing

      • Big Things Just Dropped in the SalesIQ Universe: Top Upgrades You’ll Love in Nova’25

        Nova'25 has landed, and it’s packed with meaningful upgrades to help you engage smarter, work faster, and scale with ease. Whether you're into proactive messaging, smarter automation, or better admin control, there's something here for everyone. Here's

      • Time Entries in Analytics

        I am trying to import a zoho sheet into zoho analytics. In my sheets one of the columns has "time Entries" in this "format HH:MM am/pm" example 11:00 PM. After import, i noticed that analytics converted the time to "00 Jan 1900 23:00:00".. how do i maintain

      • Amazon invoice in Zoho Books

        I have just made my first few sales on Amazon India. Amazon Seller account generates invoices for the sales made on Amazon. These invoices are sent to customers also. Now when I was only making offline sales, I used to create Invoices in Zoho Book. Now

      • Zoho Creator Upcoming Updates - November 2025

        Hello everyone, Welcome to your monthly roundup of new features and enhancements! We hope you've already taken a look at Release Projection 2—it details the features coming your way for the rest of the year. And this month, we're excited to start rolling

      • Zoho Webinar + HubSpot : Simplifiez la gestion de vos données de webinaires

        Les webinaires sont aujourd’hui essentiels pour interagir avec vos prospects et vos clients. Cependant, la gestion des données entre plusieurs plateformes peut vite devenir complexe. Grâce à la nouvelle intégration entre Zoho Webinar et HubSpot, vos outils

      • I am trying to give access to one of our educators access to 3 forms in Zoho and she is not able to view the data - Access issue

        Hi Team, When I try to provide read access to one of our educators on Zoho for Pre-training , post training and Impact survey forms submit form access which also allows them to read , it does not show them data

      • How to book GST paid in zoho books

        hi, i am a new user to Zoho books and not able to book GST paid in books, kindly suggest how i can book it in books. thanks, siddharth

      • PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK (CORPORATE) INDIA - NOT AVAILABLE IN BANKING

        Dear sir, Kindly fix it. PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK (INDIA) is available but PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK (CORPORATE) is not available. Kindly enable this banking since we need to categorize the entries. Regards, Sanjay Jena email id/ user id : travewithmerchant@

      • Next Page