Title: Creating custom connections for extensions | Community | Zoho Finance

Title: Creating custom connections for extensions | Community | Zoho Finance

In our previous post, we discussed the significance of connections, identified their types, developed a predefined connection, and demonstrated how it can be integrated with Zoho Books using an example. In this post, we'll walk through the process of creating a custom connection using an example.

Custom connections facilitate the integration of applications with Zoho Books by aiding in configuring the required application's connection manually by providing application-specific details. Let's go over the steps involved in configuring custom connections in detail using a use case scenario.

Use case

Let's say an organization uses Zoho Books to manage its financial operations. To improve sales for the organization, one must contact and communicate with multiple clients, as well as check in with vendors on a regular basis to remain up to date on new products on the market, take demos, and assess whether the products need to be brought into the organization.

In these cases, it is best to schedule appointments with clients and vendors in order to conduct business in an organized manner. This can be easily performed by integrating an appointment scheduling software so appointments can be scheduled with a click.

For our demo purpose, let's consider Zoho Bookings as the appointment scheduling software. Since it is not available under the default list of services in predefined connections, let's create a custom connection to achieve this.

Steps to create a custom connection
  • Go to Sigma and access your workspace.
  • Enter the developer portal of the Zoho Books extension you're creating a connection for.
  • Navigate to the Build section and click Connections.
   
  • Click New Connection to create a new connection.
NotesNote: Alternatively, you can use the View All option under a connection type to see all the services under that particular connection type and begin creating connections.
     
  • Choose Custom Services and click Create Service.
   
  • Provide the details of the service.
➤ Enter a name for the service, and the service link name will be immediately filled in.
➤ Choose the authentication type that corresponds to the authentication mechanism supported by the service for which you are building the connection. These details will be available as part of the service's API documentation. For our example, we'll use OAuth2, because Zoho Bookings supports it as an authentication mechanism.         
  
➤ The remaining fields to be configured for the service differ based on the authentication type used. In our case, the parameter type is Header, and the grant type is Authorization Code.
   
➤ Please refer to the table below for the values that need to be configured in the remaining fields.
Note: Register the service in the Zoho Developer API console to get the client credentials.
  • Finally, click the Create Service button.
  
  • The service is created successfully. Click Create Connection to create a connection for this service.
  • Provide the connection details, select the scope, and click Create and Connect.
 
  • Proceed with the flow to accept the scopes and authorize the connection.
 

The connection is now authorized, and you'll be directed to the connection details page. This page will also contain sample code in both Deluge and JSON formats that can be used to utilize this connection as part of your extension components. Depending on which component you want to invoke the connection in, you can use the appropriate sample code format.

Additionally, a predefined connection for Zoho Books is created to perform operations on Zoho Books data to implement our use case. Get more information on predefined connections in our previous post.

Now, in accordance with our use case, let's create a custom button that includes this connection to schedule appointments (in Zoho Bookings) with clients and vendors using Zoho Bookings with a single click (from Zoho Books).
We require two custom fields for our logic, one for setting the meeting start time with the client or vendor, and the other to display the Bookings appointment calendar link once the meeting is scheduled.
  • Create custom fields for the Customers and Vendors module by selecting Preferences > Customers and Vendors > Field Customization > New Custom Field.
 
  • Next, create a custom button and include the logic to schedule an appointment.
  • Create a custom button for the Customers and Vendors module by selecting Preferences > Customers and Vendors > Custom Buttons > New.
InfoBook meeting custom button function Deluge code - Please find code snippet as an attachment in the post
  • In the above code, the Get Contacts API of Zoho Books is invoked through the InvokeURL method using the predefined connection to get the contact/customer details for whom the appointment has to be scheduled in Zoho Bookings. Refer to this post to get complete details on the parameters required to call the InvokeURL method.
  • From the API response, the required details are fetched from which the start time (custom field data) is formatted to the way required by the Zoho Bookings API.
  • Next, the Zoho Bookings API to get the service ID and staff ID are invoked consecutively through the InvokeURL method using the custom connection created.
  • The Book appointment API is used to schedule the appointment using the service ID, the staff ID obtained from the Zoho Bookings API, and customer details obtained previously via the Zoho Books API.
  • Finally, using the update contact Zoho Books API, the Zoho Bookings calendar URL is updated in the custom field created to display the calendar booking URL.
We've now completed the extension setup for our use case.

After testing and publishing the extension, as per our use case, you can book a meeting for a Zoho Books customer through Zoho Bookings and have your Zoho Bookings calendar reflected inside Zoho Books as well.

z
This is an example demonstration of the benefits of using a custom connection in a Zoho Books extension. This is a versatile use case that may even be used to schedule an internal meeting with your Zoho Books teammates who are working on a project. Similarly, this use case can be enhanced and implemented based on your needs.

We hope you found this information useful. Keep following us for more tips.

SEE ALSO



        • Recent Topics

        • Share saved filters between others

          Hi, I am in charge to setup all zoho system in our company. I am preparing saved filters for everybody, but the only one can see its me. How can others see it? Thanks
        • Introducing Screen Share with Audio

          Share your entire screen or just the chrome tab with audio for more engaging presentations. Your audience will hear sound just like you do, whether it's a video, demo or any other content. This is ideal for training sessions, team meetings, and client
        • CRM Analytics - Elegant Comparator

          Anyone noticed a wierd thing on the Elegant Comparator on CRM... Compare Among - Time Period - Last 6 Weeks... only 5 weeks show Compare Among - Time Period - Last 5 Weeks... only 4 weeks show Compare Among - Time Period - Last 4 Weeks... only 3 weeks
        • Multiple Selection/Select All for Approvals

          I have a suggestion from users regarding Approvals. In our environment, our Regional Managers can receive multiple requests for Approval or Rejection. They find it tedious to approve (or reject) each individual record. They would like to have a way to
        • Multiple locations but one parent company

          I am trying to configure my accounts that have multiple locations under one parent company to show separate locations in the portal.   
        • The Social Wall: May 2025

          Hey everyone, We're excited to share some powerful updates for the month of May! Let's take a look! Reply to your Instagram and Facebook comments privately through direct messages Are you tired of cluttered comment threads or exposing customer queries
        • Copy Templetes from one module to another in Zoho Books.

          Hello, I have created a Custom Module in Books for GST Invoice. I can see only 1 Invoice Templete over there. Can we clone or copy Invoices Templetes from Sales Module of Books into Customer Module.
        • Enhancements in Bookings browser extension

          Greetings from Zoho Bookings! We're here with another update to make your scheduling even quicker. We have enhanced our browser extension with three significant features: Copy slots to email Gmail integration LinkedIn integration Copy slots to email This
        • Some notes are shown as Not Synced

          I'm not sure why this happens but it's a weird little bug I noticed. I have two notes I believe that has that weird icon shown in the screenshot that shows that it's not synced even though the notes do sync properly. Manual syncing doesn't remove the
        • Power of Automation :: Auto-Color Tasks in Gantt chart based on values in Picklist field.

          Hello Everyone, A Custom function is a user-written set of code to achieve a specific requirement. Set the required conditions needed as when to trigger using the Workflow rules (be it Tasks / Project) and associate the custom function to it. Requirement:-
        • is it possible to add more than one Whatsapp Phone Number to be integrated to Zoho CRM?

          so I have successfully added one Whatsapp number like this from this User Interface it seems I can't add a new Whatsapp Number. I need to add a new Whatsapp Number so I can control the lead assignment if a chat sent to Whatsapp Phone Number 1 then assign
        • Experience effortless record management in CRM For Everyone with the all-new Grid View!

          Hello Everyone, Hope you are well! As part of our ongoing series of feature announcements for Zoho CRM For Everyone, we’re excited to bring you another type of module view : Grid View. In addition to Kanban view, List view, Canvas view, Chart view and
        • Recurring Events Not Appearing in "My Events" and therefore not syncing with Google Apps

          We use the Google Sync functionality for our events, and it appears to have been working fine except: I've created a set of recurring events that I noticed were missing from my Google Apps calendar. Upon further research, it appears this is occurring
        • Zoho CRM record in blueprint unable to initiate any form of approval process

          My business case As a penetration testing company, we have engagements that need to follow a set path, from “to be scheduled” to “assigned to tester” to “regulatory documents sent” to “testing in progress” to “report delivered”. On this path, a particular
        • HOW TO VIEW INDIVIDUAL COST OF NEWLY PURCHASED GOODS AFTER ALLOCATING LANDED COSTS

          Hello, I have been able to allocate landed costs to the purchase cost of the new products. however, what i need to see now is the actual cost price (original cost plus landed cost), of only my newly purchased products to enable me set a selling price
        • Edit Project Number?

          Hi all: We just signed up for a trial of zoho one, which includes ZoHo Projects. We've noticed there was a 'dummy project' preloaded in projects to help familiarize yourself with the software. We've created a couple of our own projects now but noticed since the dummy project was preloaded, our projects start with number 2 then 3, sequentially. Since it seems we will be keeping zoho past the trial, If we delete the dummy project, how do we get our own projects renumbered, beginning with 1? We'd like
        • Zoho RPA is now available in your Zoho One bundle!

          Hello All! Of late, it's been quite a stint of new app integrations in Zoho One. This announcement pertains to the addition of another Zoho application, the most sought-after Zoho RPA - Robotic Process Automation, to the bundle. What is Zoho RPA? Zoho
        • Tip of the Week #57– Reply faster with saved response templates!

          Ever find yourself typing out the same email reply over and over again? It's time consuming and eats productive work hours. With shared response templates, you and your team can create pre-composed messages to quickly respond to common queries — saving
        • Pipeline in Custom Modules

          I love the way the Sales Pipeline looks and functions with reports. I would like to add the save pipeline features and visualization to a custom module, however, I only see that these pipelines are only available for the Deals module. Is there a way to add pipelines to custom modules?
        • New in CPQ: Create dynamic actions in Product Configurator (PC), clone PCs and Price Rules (PRs)

          Configuring product combinations just got enhanced. Zoho CRM's CPQ system now supports dynamic actions based on multiple base products. Additionally, you can now clone configurations for both Product Configurator (PC) and price rules (PRs). Dynamic actions
        • Introducing WhatsApp integration in Bigin

          Greetings! In today's business landscape, messaging apps play a significant role in customer operations. Customers can engage with businesses, seek support, ask questions, receive personalized recommendations, read reviews, and even make purchases—all
        • Beyond Email: #2 Connect better with Contacts

          After successfully creating a 'Welcome & Setup' event using the Calendar, Sarah is eager to invite her team members to participate. For a smoother communication experience and easy access, Sarah wants to store their information, ensuring quick reference
        • Zoho Books API Creating Invoice and Address API

          I'm trying to create an invoice with zoho books api and i get the following error: Error creating invoice in Zoho Books: { message: 'Request failed with status code 400', details: { code: 15, message: 'Please ensure that the "billing_address" has less
        • Outlook Add-in security times out needs to login 10 times a day

          hi we've just switched the Zoho. We use Azure SSO. All users have stopped using it. Sometimes it asks every 5 minutes. What should I lot at to solve this?
        • Action requested: Retain your sales journey configuration in Path Finder

          Dear Customers, We hope you're well! As you might know, we're completely overhauling our journey management suite, CommandCenter, and are in the last leg of it. As a means of getting ready to go live, we will be announcing a series of requests and updates
        • How to handle this process need using a Blueprint?

          See one minute screen recording: https://workdrive.zohoexternal.com/external/eb743d2f4cde414c715224fc557aaefeb84f12268f7f3859a7de821bcc4fbe15
        • Integrate MS Teams with Zoho CRM for faster collaboration

          Availability Editions: Standard and above DCs: All Release status: This feature has been released for all users in all DCs. Help resource: Microsoft Teams integration Hello everyone, We're adding MS Teams to our lineup of CRM chat integrations—Cliq, Slack,
        • Upgrade the Lato font to the Lato 2 font

          While there's not a major difference, I noticed that Zoho doesn't use the upgraded Lato 2 font but it instead uses the standard one. Lato 2 enhances the look of letters and numbers when you italicize them, among little things that get tweaked. Is it possible
        • What is New in CRM Functions?

          What is New in CRM Functions? Hello everyone! We're delighted to share that Functions in Zoho CRM have had a few upgrades that would happen in phases. Phase 1 An all new built-in editor for better user experience and ease of use. ETA: In a couple of days.
        • Using files from Zoho CRM in Gemini/ChatGPT/Claude

          Hi all, I’ve got subscriptions to Gemini and a few other AI tools which I use for tasks like data enrichment, email composition, etc. In our workflow, we often receive various documents from clients — such as process workflows, BRDs/requirement documents
        • Please Enable Snippets for Agents Adding Comments

          Snippets and templates are currently enabled for agents when they use the reply functionality. There is currently no way to add a template or snippets when an agent comments. This is really weird. Our agents don't use the reply functionality, only the
        • Subforms and Reports

          I am trying to do a report that shows various data from subforms. eg I want a report that shows what Bill Status are Approved Required. Or show the status of all bills. It doesn't look like Zoho Reports picks up information within reports. Is there another
        • Time Entry : Auto fill fields Hours minutes seconds

          Hello world, Do someone know a script (for workflow rules) which fill automatically fields hours spent, minutes spent, seconds spent when we fill Executed time and End time Formula should start from (End time - Executed time) Thx in advance
        • Pass variables to Zoho Desk via URL to create a fast new ticket landing page

          We are integrating our phone system into Zoho Desk. Currently when a helpdesk agent answers the phone, a soft client opens a new tab with zoho desk at the new case page. https://desk.zoho.com/support/companyname/ShowHomePage.do#Cases/new We would like
        • 【Zoho CRM】アナリティクス機能のアップデート:ウォーターフォールの導入

          ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの藤澤です。 今回は「Zoho CRM アップデート情報」の中からアナリティクス機能のアップデートをご紹介します。 本記事は、以前紹介された機能に新たに追加された機能です。 以前の記事:https://support.zoho.co.jp/portal/ja/kb/articles/zoho-crm-visualize-your-data-with-a-new-set-of-charts-treemap-butterfly-sankey-and-cluster-charts
        • Webhook - Configuration failed: 200 response not received for POST request

          Hello, I am trying to set up a webhook to connect with an automation software but I receive the following error from Zoho: Configuration failed: 200 response not received for POST request I have tried testing it on webhook.site as well and receive the
        • Workdrive Upload Notification

          Is there a way to be notified when someone externally has uploaded files to a folder? The "Unread" tab is really worthless because it shows all files from every directory on the system. I just need an email (or bell at worst) that says "someone has uploaded into <foldername>".
        • Cannot reorder fields in Page Layout in Expenses and Purchase Requests

          It is very inconvenient that the custom fields in Page Layout cannot be re-ordered. The only way is to remove the fields and re-create them; however, it is impractical. This would affect the reports and dashboards we are having. Not able to re-order the
        • Workflow for "Expenses" module?

          Hi there, over the last 2 years, Zoho Expense has seen tremendous growth and we are happy with it. But, sometimes it is frustrating to see things are being implemented halfheartedly, or so it seems. For example, There is the possibility to create workflows
        • The Grid is here!

          Hey Zoho Forms Community! 👋 We’re thrilled to announce the launch of a feature that’s been on your wishlist for a while: Grids What is Grids? Grids let you place form fields side by side in multiple columns to create a more concise and organized form
        • Next Page