Title: Store, retrieve, and access entity-specific data in widgets using | Community | Zoho Projects

Title: Store, retrieve, and access entity-specific data in widgets using | Community | Zoho Projects

Data storage - Overview

Storing data related to the extension you are working on is essential. It can be saved as key-value pairs for an entity or extension, known as entity and extension properties, respectively. Data can be saved for the following entities using entity properties: projects, tasks, issues, and milestones. Similarly, using extension properties, data can be recorded for an app and stored for the extension.

Support and Limitations

The entity properties allow you to store, retrieve, update, and delete data for an entity, while the extension properties allow you to do the same with an extension. Learn more about data storage functions that can be performed using entity and extension properties.

The data stored for an entity using entity property will be retained if the extension is uninstalled. However, when an extension is uninstalled, any data stored using the extension property is lost. You can refer to the limitations of entity properties and limitations of extension properties for additional details.

Scenario

A manufacturing firm uses Zoho CRM to manage its production and sales units, and also uses Zoho Projects for task management. Customers of the firm may raise cases of the"feature request" type to the solution experts for an enhancement or a request for a new feature for the existing products. The solution expert logs these requests as cases in Zoho CRM and begins working on the feature request through a task in Zoho Projects. In this way, the Zoho CRM solution expert who is the task owner in Zoho Projects can handle and manage the development-related activities to provide the feature as a solution to the customer through the Zoho Projects task.

Additionally, multiple customers may request the same feature for a product. In this scenario, it would be easier for the task owner or solution expert to keep track of all their CRM cases related to a feature request in one space, so that whenever a requested feature is completed, this can be communicated with customers of these tracked cases.

What can be done to ease the solution expert/task owner work?

The task owner would benefit from viewing a list of all their open Zoho CRM cases from inside the Zoho Projects task tab. This would allow them to view and associate the cases related to the feature request they are working on from within the task.
Once they have completed the feature enhancement and come up with a solution for the request, they can simply preview all of the Zoho CRM cases related to that feature request from within the task itself and offer an update to the customers.

Goal: Ease user experience by allowing them to view and associate Zoho CRM cases within the task details tab.

Solution

To accomplish this goal, we are going to use data storage along with a few other features in our extension.
  • First, allow the task owner to view case-specific details from the list of CRM cases. For this, we can create a task details tab widget named "CRM Cases". In this widget, we can include a drop-down menu and select a case to access case-specific details. This can be accomplished using the widgets approach explained earlier in this post.
  • Using the data storage concept, store the associated case for the task entity, allowing the task owner to view it as "Associated CRM Cases" alongside the drop-down selection the next time the widget loads. This enables the task owner to associate several cases with the task and view them all in a single widget.                                                              

Required components
  • A connection between Zoho Projects and Zoho CRM needs to be established to establish a secure integration between the products.
  • An extension configuration process includes:
  1. Creating an extension.
  2. Configuring the plugin manifest.
  3. Setting up the widget code.
  • Display all open Zoho CRM cases of the task owner as a drop-down list in a task details widget tab called "CRM Cases", and thereby allow the task owner to choose a case for which they want to view further details.
  • Implement the modal box feature to display case-specific details of the chosen case and also allow the task owner to associate the case to the task through a button in the modal box
  • Store the associated case for the task using the data storage concept (entity.store) in the modal box.
  • Display the associated cases by retrieving (entity.retrieve) it from the stored data and having them displayed as part of the widget along with the drop-down that displays the open cases.
Let's explore these components now.

Connection

We have created a connection to establish a secure integration between Zoho Projects and Zoho CRM. You can refer to this post for detailed guidance on establishing a connection.
                                                                  
                                     

Extension configuration

Extension creation: We have created a new extension for Zoho Projects. Learn more about the steps to create an extension

                                      

Plugin-manifest.json configuration: Once the extension was created, we configured the plugin-manifest.json file to include the created connection and a widget. For detailed understanding on configuring the plugin-manifest.json file, refer to our earlier post.
For our extension use case, the plugin-manifest.json file is configured as shown in the below screenshot.
                                     
                                                                  
Setting up the widget code

Now that we've set up the other components, let's move on to writing our widget code and incorporating the data storage and modal box feature.
Displaying CRM cases in "CRM Cases" task tabPlease find the index.html code snippet attached in the post.
  • In the code snippet, the current Zoho Projects user's email is retrieved using the current_user instance of zohoprojects.get JS SDK method and saved in a variable called "currentuseremail".
  • The user's CRM org ID and their CRM cases are then fetched by invoking the Get Organization Details and Get Records APIs, respectively, using the Zoho Projects request JS SDK method. Certain mandatory parameters must be passed to the SDK method to invoke the mentioned CRM APIs, such as the third-party URL, data object, and connection. If you require further details on how the Zoho Projects Request method works, you can refer to our earlier post, which explains the working and the required parameters for invoking this method in detail.
  • From the Zoho CRM get records API response, a drop-down list is generated in the widget, with the Zoho Projects task owner's open CRM cases.
  • The end-user can select a value from the drop-down list to view the case-related details. This selected value (the selected case) is then fetched. When the Get Case Details button is clicked, a modal box instance is created and opened using the modal.create and instance methods. When the modal box opens, the selected case ID value is emitted using the emit method and the keyword "stored-files".
  • Using the emitted values, the case details is populated in a modal box, and if the solution expert finds that the case is related to the feature request handled in the Projects task, the case ID is saved using the entity.store method and associated with the current task. (This is addressed in the casedetails.html code in the next section).
  • The associated value stored in the modal box using the entity.store method is then retrieved in the index.html page using the entity.retrieve method. Using the retrieved associated case ID, when the widget loads, the Zoho CRM Get Records API is invoked again. From the response, the unclosed cases and the cases which have the email ID as that of the current Zoho Projects user's email address (fetched earlier and saved in variable currentuseremail) are filtered and displayed as the "Associated CRM cases" in the widget.

Modal box to display the details of the chosen case - Please check casedetails.html code snippet attached in this post
  • In the code snippet, the value emitted from the index.html, using the emit method for the keyword "stored-files" is received by the on method in the modal box UI. Using the received value, a hit is made to the Zoho CRM Get Records APIs using the Zoho Projects Request Method again.
  • The essential details are retrieved from the case-specific details returned by the Zoho CRM Get Records API and displayed to the task owner for reference. These details allow them to check on the case and associate it with the current Zoho Projects task if it is related to the feature request.
  • If the case is associated, the associated case value ID is saved with the entity.store property.
  • This stored and associated value is then received and retrieved using the entity.retrieve in index.html, from which the Associated CRM cases value are populated in the widget as mentioned earlier. This is addressed in the index.html code in the previous section.
Now that we have completed the setup and have all the extension components ready, let's go ahead and see the output.

Sample output: 

                                     

In this example, we used the data storage for an entity feature to save task-related data and retrieve it when needed. Similarly, we can store data for an app to perform various storage functions such as save, retrieve, update, and delete. We hope you found this information useful. Keep following this space for more insights!

Sign up for a Zoho Developer account and start developing extensions for Zoho Projects using Sigma.


SEE ALSO




        • Recent Topics

        • Report on Assets

          Hi,  Is it possible to report purchased assets on a specific year? The Balance Sheet shows everything up to the current date, and the expense reports will not show purchased assets because they are assets not expenses. If it is not possible, then is it possible to setup an API connection with Books to extract data from to another Reporting application?
        • Purchase of Fixed Assets

          How can I record the purchase of assets using zoho books? For example, I purchased 4 laptop for 100000 $ each and paid it through my bank account. How can I record this transaction and maintain track of how much of the assets I bought?
        • Where is the Fixed Asset Register?

          I am a Zoho One user for 18 months, using invoicing and CRM and now ready to migrate my books to Zoho Books. Where do I keep the fixed asset register for the equipment that I use in my business? I have a service based business with a lot of gear and business
        • Kaizen #168 - Incremental Authorization

          Welcome to this week's post in the Kaizen series. In this post, we will discuss Incremental Authorization. What is Incremental Authorization? Incremental Authorization is an OAuth strategy that allows a client to request specific authorization scopes
        • Configure Notes Title for Blueprint Transition

          It'd be very helpful to be able to configure note titles on blueprint transitions when requiring notes. This would help tie back the history of notes to the blueprint actions. We have some approval processes in our blueprint and require notes for the
        • An update to improve email delivery | Email Authentication & Relay

          Dear Zoho Recruit Community, We hope this message finds you well. This post is to inform you about an important update regarding the authentication of all email domains in your Zoho Recruit account. Effective 31st December, 2024, emails sent using email
        • Stop adding Default ID column to xls exports

          When anything is exported to xls, Zoho adds a column with an ID.  WE DO NOT WANT THIS COLUMN.  We use an automated report to a team.  We have our own tracking number.  1. This makes the report messy, it just pushes OUR data off to the right.  2. We have
        • Zoho cases and remote work api

          How to use zoho cases listing api? When i try to hit the endpoint specified in the docs , i get the error : the page you are looking for does not exist with a 401.
        • Calendly does not show scheduled Meetings

          I use Calendly as my standard booking tool, but no matter what I am doing, Calendly shows any appointment as free (when in fact there already is an appointment in CRM Calendar or Zoho Calendar). Drives me nuts - cannot go away from Calendly due to various
        • I want the currency in my account to be Mexican pesos.

          Hello, I am a Mexican citizen and live in Ukraine. When I registered to your system, it was seen that I was from Ukraine, so the default currency is Euro. This is causing me a problem. Please change the standard currency in my account to Mexican Pes
        • Year-End Wrap: Don't rewrite - Switch to Email Templates

          As we're half-way through December, now is the perfect time to start sending out festive greetings. Whether it is to your clients or your team, it is important that every mail is tailored to the recipient and feels genuine, which allows you to make better
        • Elevating Email Security on Zoho Desk: DKIM Now Mandatory

          Hello Zoho Desk Users! It has been a wonderful journey with you on Zoho Desk. As we prepare to welcome 2025, we are strengthening our efforts to ensure a secure and seamless experience for you. To enhance email security, DKIM configuration will be mandatory
        • How to view shared mailbox in Outlook

          How to view shared mailbox in Outlook or in another software
        • Necesito el código ZB para mi cuenta

          Hice cambio de servidor y no encuentro el codigo unico de cname.
        • Privacy error

          Privacy error on Chrome for all embedded forms and reports, this is a huge issue: "Your connection is not private Attackers might be trying to steal your information from creator.zohopublic.com (for example, passwords, messages, or credit cards). NET::ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID"
        • Automate Backups

          This is a feature request. Consider adding an auto backup feature. Where when you turn it on, it will auto backup on the 15-day schedule. For additional consideration, allow for the export of module data via API calls. Thank you for your consideration.
        • Customise Search Bar in CRM

          Is there a way to customise this search bar in the CRM to add fields?
        • Counting downloads of a file

          Hello Could anyone help me, I would like to use a custom script to count how many times a file contained in a record has been downloaded. Is that something that is possible in Creator? Thanks Estelle
        • Is there any way to prevent emails from being sent from zoho crm without pressing email opt out?

          When I left my desk yesterday I excitedly thought I had fixed my problem, by making use of the "Inactive" field ... However after contacting the support chat, they have advised to stop emails being sent I need to update the "Email Opt Out" field - which
        • New Search Function

          Hey Team, The search function updated in our CRM about a week ago, so I assume it was an automated update across Zoho. It no longer displays leads/deals etc in Chronological order so that the most recently created or updated is the first to display which
        • New permissions for accessing emails sent via Zoho CRM

          Last modified on Nov 4, 2024: Permissions for accessing emails sent via Zoho CRM have now been extended to the IN DC. With this rollout, the feature is now available to all users across all DCs. Resources: Data sharing for emails, Configuring email compose
        • 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
        • Request for Alerts on Workflow and Function Changes.

          I want to get an alert whenever a new workflow or function is added or an existing workflow or function is edited. Is there any way to do that? I need to log all changes whenever updates are made or new ones are added.
        • Transfer Amount from One Vendor to Another Vendor

          One of the vendors, who has a balance with us, has closed the business and has started a new business; Now he wants me to transfer the outstanding from the old account to the new Vendor Account. I am trying to do this using Payment Settlement a/c, But
        • How to make Branch compulsory in Zoho Books invoice?

          How I make Branches compulsory in Zoho Books invoice?
        • Regarding GST Report Issue in Zoho Books

          Hi, Right now, the very important point from my end is this Zoho Books issue. Here, you can see that we have created the invoice with the items of account sales and expenses. The journal is also correct. The profit and Loss statement is also correct.
        • Default Ship To Address on Purchase Orders cannot be different than Organization Address

          Our organization address is not where we want shipments delivered, it is just a mailing address. We would like to change the Ship To address on our PO's so that by default it is our warehouse (not the mailing address). I understand that when creating
        • Function #57: Automatically group items in invoices based on categories

          Hello everyone, and welcome back to our series! As a business expands and new product lines are launched, it becomes important to organize the items for better inventory management. The Category field in Zoho Books helps here by allowing you to add and
        • Differences between Zoho Books and Zoho Billing

          Without a long drawn out process to compare these. If you were looking at these Books and Billing, what made you opt for one and not the other. Thanks
        • unable to import transactions into zoho books

          I download a csv with separate columns for deposit and withdraw. The sample has zero's in the blank spaces so I ensure mine does too. When I try to import it says the fields must have values greater than zero.
        • Zoho Forms Unable to Save Account Numbers with a Leading Zero

          We are using Zoho Forms to for rental applications. It is working well, except for one thing:  when a user enters their bank account information, and that account number actually starts with a ZERO (like 00123456) the Zoho form will return the value without
        • How to include GST% in PO amount?

          Currently when I raise PO, the basic price of the item is used. However, the GST is not calculated and added along with the basic amount. I have added a Custom field for GST in the PO but I need Zoho Inventory to calculate the GST amount and add it with the Basic price to give me the final PO price.
        • sitemap in zoho sites not updating

          I checked my sitemap and it has not added any updates. Do I have to generate one manually all the time or is zoho sites suppose to generate and update it?
        • I trying to connect our PM tool but API shows failure

          Hi All, in ZOHO CRM when an enquiry stage is moved to WON then I have created a rule to trigger POST URL to thrid party AP and then create a function for mapping with below code void automation.kytesfunctions(String enquiryId) { // Fetch enquiry details
        • Sample Ticket - Created from Bot Preview

          Why is Zoho desk adding bot created tickets?
        • Webhook data is not being received

          We’ve set up the webhook with a public URL that returns a 200 status on Postman. However, when we ran a test, we didn’t receive anything in the req.body object or see any data from the POST request. As a team of freshers still learning the ropes of development,
        • Number of Workflow runs

          Is there a way in Zoho desk to see statistics regarding workflows, rules and other automation objects? Would be nice for several reasons: You could ensure that your workflows are actually running. You could determine which ones weren't being used so you
        • Mail is no longer populating CRM contacts

          Hi! For the last few days, my mail hasn't been populating my CRM contacts. Even people I email multiple times per day. In fact, it keeps trying to send mail to myself. Notice, I started typing Amy and only got as far as, "Am" and it suggested myself.
        • Zoho Support is indeed shocking and difficult to get a response with

          All our business emails have an auto-foward set up on them so that they also go to our GMAIL accounts so that we receive them to the relevenat people. The emails are indeed auto forwarding and arriving to our GMAIL accounts but when you log into your
        • How to get a list of selected records into a button-function? Here is how!

          So, you might know already how to get a button on a page somewhere and perform actions with a function when pressed, but how about a button that only works with the records you selected in the list view? The button selected is a custom button in the modules
        • Next Page