Testing and publishing Bigin toppings

Testing and publishing Bigin toppings

Hey Biginners!

In previous forum posts, we discussed what a Bigin topping is and explored the Bigin Developer Console's features. In this post, we're going to create a topping from scratch and discuss how to test and publish it.

Our topping will automate follow-up management in Bigin and ensure that follow-up calls are systematically created based on certain conditions, helping users improve the efficiency of their sales cycles and stay on top of their tasks.

Setting up the topping

We'll start with a custom field and workflow by creating a topping in the Bigin Developer Center.

Inside the created topping's Developer Console, add a new field by navigating to the Components section under the Build category and clicking the New Custom Field button. Create a custom field named "Follow-up Needed" in the Tasks module. This field should be a picklist with two values: "Yes," which will trigger a follow-up, and "No," which indicates that no follow-up is needed.


Creating a default Bigin connection

Next, create a default Bigin connection and authorize it to securely access your Bigin data. This connection allows authorized interaction between the topping and Bigin's modules.

For a more detailed explanation, refer to our post on creating Bigin connections. 


Creating a workflow rule

To create a workflow rule to schedule follow-up calls, go to the Automate section and select Workflow, then click the Create Rule button. From the Module dropdown, choose Tasks and enter "Schedule Follow-Up Call" as the rule name. Once done, click the Next button.



On this screen, we'll define the workflow rule. Set Record action as the criteria for the workflow rule execution. Then, select the Create or Edit option to specify which operation should trigger the rule.

Note: To ensure the workflow runs every time the task is updated, check the option Repeat the workflow whenever a task is edited, and click on the Next button to continue.



Next, you can define conditions that determine when the workflow should be triggered. To automate a follow-up call, apply these conditions:
  1. The status of the task is updated to completed.
  2. The Follow-up Needed field is set to "Yes."
Once the conditions are set, navigate to the Instant Actions section and select Function from the list of available actions. Provide a function name and display name, then click the Create Function button. This will redirect you to the Deluge editor, where you can write the logic for the function.



When the workflow criteria and conditions for a task are met, the function (which is created in the Deluge editor and linked to the workflow) will be executed automatically.

Let's look at how the logic is handled within the function in the Deluge editor.
  1. // Fetch the details of the task that's triggered by the workflow
  2. taskDetails = zoho.bigin.getRecordById("Tasks",task.get("Tasks.ID"),Map(),"taskscheduler__connectbigin");
  3. //Initialize a map to store call details
  4. callDetails = Map();
  5. callDetails.put("Call_Duration", null);
  6. callDetails.put("Call_Start_Time", "2025-03-04T18:00:00");
  7. callDetails.put("Call_Type", "Outbound");
  8. //Retrieve task data from the fetched task details
  9. taskData = taskDetails.get("data").get(0);
  10. //Extract task owner details
  11. ownerMap = Map();
  12. taskId = taskData.get("id");
  13. ownerMap.put("id", taskData.get("Owner").get("id"));
  14. //Assign owner details to the call record
  15. callDetails.put("Owner", ownerMap);
  16. //Assign contact details to the call record
  17. callDetails.put("Related_To",taskData.get("Related_To"));
  18. // Create a call record in Bigin
  19. response = zoho.bigin.createRecord("Calls", callDetails, Map(), "taskscheduler__connectbigin");

Overview of Code Logic

  1. Retrieve task details: The first step is to fetch the task details required for creating a follow-up call. (Note: We recommend using Bigin's Deluge functions to work with Bigin records.)
  2. Setup to create a call: A map is initialized to store call details.
  3. Create a new call record: Using the retrieved task details, which includes essential information like task owner details and related contact information, a new call record will be created in the Calls module in Bigin.
Once the function is created and saved, testing the topping ensures that any potential issues are identified and resolved before making it available to others.

Testing the topping in a sandbox

Thoroughly testing a topping is essential to make sure it's working as expected before it's submitted to the Marketplace team and listed in the Marketplace.

Before initiating the testing process, the developer must authorize the Bigin connection associated within the topping. For more details on connector authorization, please refer to the Connections guide.

This authorization enables secure data exchange between the topping and the connected Bigin account. Authorizing this connection is equally important when testing the topping using the sandbox environment, a virtual testing space that simulates the structure and behavior of a typical Bigin production account. The sandbox allows you to test your topping before deployment in an isolated environment where changes don't affect your live data.

To begin testing, navigate to the Test your Topping button located in the top right corner of the Bigin Developer Console. This will launch the virtual sandbox environment.



In the sandbox account, you can test the topping by creating a new task. Click on the Create New Record button and select Task from the options. Enter the necessary task details, ensuring that the Related To field is provided. This associates the task with the Bigin contact, enabling the follow-up call activity to be triggered for that specific contact when the workflow criteria is met. Next, set the Follow-up Needed field to Yes and save the task.

Navigate to the Activities module and go to the newly created task. Here, the automation happens based on two criteria specified in the workflow:
  1. The field value of Follow-up Needed is "Yes."
  2. The task is marked as completed.

Upon satisfying these two criteria, a follow-up call for the task will be created in the Calls module.



If the topping isn't working as intended, you can fix the issue instantly in the Developer Console and test in the sandbox environment.

Publishing the topping

Once you finish building and testing the topping, you can publish it two ways, depending on how you want to distribute it to users:
  1. Publish your topping privately.
  2. Submit it to the Bigin Marketplace.

Publishing a topping for private customers

If you're building a topping for a particular set of customers, you can choose private publishing. Choose the Publish option in the left panel of the Bigin Developer Console to do this.

After choosing the option, the Bigin Developer Console displays the customizations and components used in the topping.

Provide a release note for the topping and click the Confirm button. You'll get an installation URL for your topping. You can share this URL with customers so they can install the topping in their Bigin account.

You can also share the topping privately via email. Click the Share Privately option for a preconfigured email template. Enter the customer's email in the To field, then click the Share button to send the email.


Publishing publicly in Bigin Marketplace

If you want to share your topping with a wide audience, the Bigin Marketplace is your go-to platform. This platform lists Bigin toppings and makes them available to all users. If you want to list your topping in the Bigin Marketplace, you must follow a set of procedures:
  1. Submit the topping for review to the Marketplace team.
  2. Ensure the topping satisfies all the Marketplace standards.
To submit the topping to the Marketplace, navigate to the Bigin Developer Center, choose the topping you need to publish, and click on the Toppings details icon.



Under the Status section, click Submit to Marketplace.



Here, you need to provide details about your topping in the Marketplace Details window. Once the Bigin Marketplace team completes the review process, the topping will be listed in the Bigin Marketplace, allowing users to find and install it in their Bigin accounts.

From integrating components to submitting toppings for review, we've covered building and testing toppings.

In upcoming posts, we'll take a closer look at each feature with a detailed use case.

Stay tuned!

<<Previous                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Next>>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   



        • Recent Topics

        • Can't edit Segments

          Happening with 2 different Zoho One environments, in different browsers. Please fix.

        • Zoho Sheet for Desktop

          Does Zoho plans to develop a Desktop version of Sheet that installs on the computer like was done with Writer?

        • From Zoho CRM to Paper : Design & Print Data Directly using Canvas Print View

          Hello Everyone, We are excited to announce a new addition to your Canvas in Zoho CRM - Print View. Canvas print view helps you transform your custom CRM layouts into print-ready documents, so you can bring your digital data to the physical world with

        • Transfer ownership of files and folders in My Folders

          People work together as a team to achieve organizational goals and objectives. In an organization, there may be situations when someone leaves unexpectedly or is no longer available. This can put their team in a difficult position, especially if there

        • Consumer Financing

          Does Zoho currently have a payment gateway (such as Stripe, Square, etc) which offers financing for customers? So, let's say the estimate we give the customer is greater than what they can afford at the time, but we can sell the service now, letting them

        • How can Data Enrichment be automatically triggered when a new Lead is created in Zoho CRM?

          Hi, I have a pipeline where a Lead is created automatically through the Zoho API and I've been trying to look for a way to automatically apply Data Enrichment on this created lead. 1) I did not find any way to do this through the Zoho API; it seems like

        • validation rules doesn't work in Blueprint when it is validated using function?

          I have tried to create a validation rule in the deal module. it works if I try to create a deal manually or if I try to update the empty field inside a deal. but when I try to update the field via the blueprint mandatory field, it seems the validation

        • Subform edits don't appear in parent record timeline?

          Is it possible to have subform edits (like add row/delete row) appear in the Timeline for parent records? A user can edit a record, only edit the subform, and it doesn't appear in the timeline. Is there a workaround or way that we can show when a user

        • Zoho CRM - Option to create Follow-Up Task

          When completing a Zoho CRM Task, it would be very helpful if there was an option to "Complete and Create Follow-Up Task" in the pop-up which appears. It could clone the task you are closing and then show it on the screen in edit mode, all the user would

        • Mandatory Field - but only at conversion

          Hello! We use Zoho CRM and there are times where the "Lead Created Date & Time" field isn't populated into a "Contractor" (Account is the default phrase i believe). Most of my lead tracking is based on reading the Lead Created field above, so it's important

        • Zoho CRM for Everyone's NextGen UI Gets an Upgrade

          Hello Everyone We've made improvements to Zoho CRM for Everyone's Nextgen UI. These changes are the result of valuable feedback from you where we’ve focused on improving usability, providing wider screen space, and making navigation smoother so everything

        • File Upload field automatically replaces spaces with underscores – support experience

          Hi everyone, I want to share my recent experience regarding the File Upload field behavior in Zoho Creator and my interaction with the Zoho support team. When a user uploads a file, the system automatically renames the document by replacing spaces in

        • Deluge function to copy parent record file upload field to child record file upload field

          I'm stuck trying to write a deluge function that is triggered via automation in child record "Appointments," confirms if a file is in file upload "Report" field of parent "Contacts" record via Contacts lookup field "Contact_Name". If no file is in parent

        • Zoho Books Sandbox environment

          Hello. Is there a free sandbox environment for the developers using Zoho Books API? I am working on the Zoho Books add-on and currently not ready to buy a premium service - maybe later when my add-on will start to bring money. Right now I just need a

        • Make panel configuration interface wider

          Hi there, The same way you changed the custom function editor's interface wider, it would be nice to be able to edit panels in pages using the full width of the screen rather than the currently max-width: 1368px. Is there a reason for having the configuration panel not taking the full width? Its impossible at this width to edit panels that have a lot of elements. Please change it to 100% so we can better edit the layouts. Thanks! B.

        • Image Compression Options

          Much better if we have level of options to compress the image [20%, 40%...] We are dealing with service reports daily that has before and after photos (image field)- the file size too large and one thing, the current limit is 10mb or 15mb for report

        • Cannot get code to work with v2.mergeAndStore!

          Please can someone help me pass subform items into a repeating mail merge table row using v2.mergeAndStore? I have a mail merge template created in Writer and stored in Workdrive. This template is referenced by a custom CRM function which merges all of

        • How to hide or archive a blog post temporarily in Zoho commerce website builder?

          I would like to temporarily hide or archive a blog post in zoho commerce website builder so that it doesnt appear on my website till I enable it again. I tried to look for this option but could not find it.  It only allows me to permanently delete a blog

        • Founders using Zoho — are you leveraging Zoho Campaigns + Zoho Social for thought leadership… or just sending emails?

          I’ve noticed something interesting in the Zoho ecosystem. Many founders use Zoho Campaigns and Zoho Social for basic marketing—newsletters, scheduled posts, and announcements. But very few are using these tools strategically to: • Position themselves

        • WATERFALL CHART IN ZOHO ANALYTICS

          Hi Team, I would like to know whether Zoho Analytics currently supports a Waterfall Chart as a built-in visualization type. If yes, could you please share the steps to create one? If not, is there any workaround or recommended method to build a Waterfall

        • How to mix different types of inputs (such as dropdown list and textbox)

          Hi, I'm creating a form called "Room Reservations" for a company. I created a "table" using "Matrix Choice". I created "Room 1", "Room 2" and "Room 3" with the "Questions". I would then like to create two columns with the "Answers", one called "Department"

        • Full Context of Zoho CRM Records for Zia in Zoho Desk for efficient AI Usage

          Hello everyone, I have a question regarding the use of Zia in Zoho Desk in combination with CRM data. Is it possible to automatically feed the complete context of a CRM record into Zia, so that it can generate automated and highly accurate responses for

        • Ability to assign Invoice Ownership through Deluge in FSM

          Hi, As part of our process, when a service appointment is completed, we automated the creation of the invoice based on a specific business logic using Deluge. When we do that, the "Owner" of the invoice in Zoho FSM is defaulted to the SuperAdmin. This

        • Reply to Email for SO/PO

          Hello, We are new to Zoho Books and running into an issue. Our support@ email is our integration user. When our team is sending out PO/SO's we are updating the sender email, but for some reason many of our responses are coming back to our support@ email

        • How to Convert NSF to PST Format Effortlessly? - SYSessential

          It is highly recommended to obtain the error-free solution of the SYSessential NSF to PST converter to convert NSF files from Lotus Notes. Using this professional software, it becomes easier to convert all NSF database items, including emails, journals,

        • Zoho Commerce - Poor Features Set for Blogging

          Hi Zoho Commerce team, I'm sure you will have noticed that I have been asking many questions about the Blogs feature in Commerce. I thought that it would be useful if I share my feedback in a constructive way, to highlight the areas which I feel need

        • Pass shipping info to payment gateway Zoho Books to Authorize.net

          For some reason the integration from Zoho books to Authorize.net does not pass the shipping address. Authorize.net is ready to receive it, but zoho books does not send it

        • Massive Zoho Books failure

          We have not received any communication or notification from Zoho, but we have detected that Zoho Books is not working for all our users. We cannot access or use Zoho Books. This is critical. We are trying to contact Zoho on the Spain telephone number,

        • Does the Customer “Company Name” field appear anywhere in the Zoho Books UI outside of PDFs?

          Hi everyone, I’m trying to understand how the Company Name field is actually used in Zoho Books. There is a Company Name field on the customer record, but when viewing transactions like a Sales Order in the normal UI (non-PDF view), that field doesn’t

        • Email outbox is now available in the sandbox

          Hello all! Testing emails without visibility has always been a blind spot in the sandbox. With the new Outbox, that gap is closed. You can now view and verify every email triggered from your sandbox, whether it’s through workflows, approvals, or mass

        • Zoho Desk blank screen

          opened a ticket from my email, zoho desk comes up blank, nothing loads. our receptionist also gets the same thing under her login on her computer. our sales rep also gets same thing on zoho desk at his home on a different computer. I tried clearing cache/history/cookies,

        • Looking For Recruit Developer

          Hi everyone, I am looking for a Zoho Certified Developer to assist with a development project for MetalXpert. We are building a software system designed to bridge the gap between a candidate mobile app and an employer web portal using Zoho Recruit as

        • sales IQ issue on website

          i integrated the zoho sales IQ code on the website but it is comming in distroted form i am sharing the screenshot below the website is bulit in wix platform

        • Multi-currency and Products

          One of the main reasons I have gone down the Zoho route is because I need multi-currency support. However, I find that products can only be priced in the home currency, We sell to the US and UK. However, we maintain different price lists for each. There

        • Deprecation of the Zoho OAuth connector

          Hello everyone, At Zoho, we continuously evaluate our integrations to ensure they meet the highest standards of security, reliability, and compliance. As part of these ongoing efforts, we've made the decision to deprecate the Zoho OAuth default connector

        • I need to know the IP address of ZOHO CRM.

          The link below is the IP address for Analytics, do you have CRM's? IP address for Analytics I would like to know the IP address of ZOHO CRM to allow communication as the API server I am developing is also run from CRM. Moderation Update: The post below

        • Important Update: Google Ads & YouTube Ads API Migration

          To maintain platform performance and align with Google's newest requirements, we are updating the Google Ads and YouTube Ads integrations by migrating from API v19 to the newer v22, before the official deprecation of v19 on February 11, 2026. Reference:

        • Importing into the 'file upload' field

          Can you import attachments into the file upload field. I would expect it to work the same way as attachments do, But can't seem to get it to work.

        • Zoho recruit's blueprint configuration is not functioning as mapped

          Current Status: Zoho Blueprint is not functioning as configured. Issue: We are moving a Candidate status in Zoho Recruit "for active file" but we encountered: "Status cannot be changed for records involved in Blueprint." This happens to various client

        • Super Admin Logging in as another User

          How can a Super Admin login as another user. For example, I have a sales rep that is having issues with their Accounts and I want to view their Zoho Account with out having to do a GTM and sharing screens. Moderation Update (8th Aug 2025): We are working

        • Next Page