Connections: Connecting Cliq with any third party applications.

Connections: Connecting Cliq with any third party applications.

Dubious on how can Zoho Cliq be piped with other applications? Voila! You have come to the right place. Connecting Zoho Cliq to third party services is easier with connections.  Let's understand what connections are before connecting to one.

What are connections?
Connections are associates that act as an interface in connecting Zoho Cliq with any third party application. We have charted down the working of connections below  for better understanding.



How and when a connection is useful?
While integrating Cliq with other third party applications, APIs has to be invoked with authentication. Connections allows users to access their own data in an external application from Cliq in an authenticated manner. In general, a developer building an integration will have to use the authentication properties to generate auth tokens and use the APIs. This has an overhead of managing the tokens, renewing them as they expire and much more. With Connections, these implementations are made easier.




Before we move on to see how to create a connection, let us understand few phrases. There are two ways with which you can connect to a third party service. One by picking a service from a gallery of listed services and two, by custom creating a connection.


Gallery of services from which you can pick the service of your choice.
It holds a list of standard services already registered with Zoho as API client. Client Id, Client Secret and other auth properties needn't be mentioned by the user in this phase as these are already registered by Zoho for the third party application. All you have to do is select a service specify the name and scope and use it in your code.

Custom creating a connection.
Let's say you want to create a connection with a third party service that isn't available in the gallery of services. If that is the scenario, then Zoho Cliq lets you custom create a connection. To know more about how to customize a connection head over to our  help docs and also stay tuned as we will walk you through this with an example in our upcoming posts! 

Note: It is important that the "User credentials of login user" option be enabled. This is done to make the  Connection use the user's authentication . If not then the  Connection uses the  admin's authentication.

Authentication is an important step in successfully building a connection. This involves approving over one application to interact with another on your behalf without giving away your password details.

Basic Authentication:
HTTP basic authentication is the simplest technique for enforcing access control to web resources because it does not require login pages. Rather, HTTP basic authentication uses fields in the HTTP header, eliminating the need of communication between two entities. 

oAuth1
It's an authorisation framework that provides the ability to secure designated access. It doesn't share passwords but uses authorisation tokens to confirm the identity between consumers and service providers unlike the basic authentication that involves passwords.

oAuth2
oAuth2 specification defines a delegation protocol that is useful for conveying authorisation decisions across a network of web-enabled applications and API.

Invoke URL task
An invoke URL task is generated once the connection is created. This task should be used in your deluge script to access third party services via connections in Cliq. They support four HTTP methods, GET, PUT, POST and DELETE. To invoke a URL follow the syntax below. To know more on Invoke URL task head over to our help docs.
  1. response = invokeUrl [
  2. url : <url>
  3. type : GET/POST/PUT/DELETE
  4. parameters : <paramMap/string>
  5. connection : connection name
  6. ];
Now, let's understand how to invoke URL task with the connections by taking an example. 

SAMPLE SYNTAX TO PULL TASKS FROM TODOIST

  1. resp = Map();
  2. tasks = invokeurl [
  3. url :"https://beta.todoist.com/API/v8/tasks"
  4. type :GET
  5. connection:"Enter your connection name"
  6. ];
  7. info tasks;
  8. return resp;

PARAMETER

DESCRIPTION

URL

The resource URL for drawing out the tasks from Todoist - "https://beta.todoist.com/API/v8/tasks".Head over to the Todoist documentation to pull out the required URL.

 

Type

The HTTP type for the URL. Type used - GET 

Connection

Your connection name 

Steps in creating a Connection .
To get started, you need to build a bot  Menu handler  and create a connection with Todoist . Say, you have all your tasks in Todoist, right where you collaborate. To build a bot Menu handler, 
  • Click on your profile picture and select Bots & Tools option.
  • From there select the Bots icon that displays first in the list. 
  • Give your bot a name and description and hit save.
  • After creating a bot go to the Menu option in the Edit handler page and edit the Menu. (Example - My Tasks). 



Now, to connect Cliq with Todoist, 
  • Click on your profile picture and select Bots & Tools.
  • In the integrations page click on Manage Connections.
  • In the window that opens, click on Add a Connection.
  • Select Todoist from pick your service.
  • Give your connection a name and select the scope.
  • In this case, the scope for the connection will be,
  1. data:read_write
  2. data:read
  3. task:add 


SOURCE CODE FOR A BOT MENU HANDLER

  1. resp = Map();
  2. tasks = invokeurl
  3. [
  4.  url :"https://beta.todoist.com/API/v8/tasks"
  5.  type :GET
  6.  connection:"Enter your connection name"
  7. ];
  8. info tasks;
  9. taskname = "";
  10. rows = List();
  11. for each task in tasks
  12. {
  13.  row = Map();
  14. row.put("Task Name",task.get("content"));
  15. row.put("Priority",task.get("priority"));
  16. row.put("Close","[Close](invoke.function|connection name|your email address|" + task.get("id") + ")");
  17.  rows.add(row);
  18. }
  19. response = {"text":"Connecting Cliq with todoist! ","card":{"theme":"10"},"slides":{{"type":"table","title":"List of Tasks","data":{"headers":{"Task Name","Priority","Close"},"rows":rows}}}};
  20. return response;

 

SOURCE CODE FOR CREATING A BUTTON FUNCTION
  1. info arguments;
  2. info target;
  3. response = Map();
  4. closeTask = invokeurl
  5. [
  6. url :"https://beta.todoist.com/API/v8/tasks/"+arguments.get("key")+"/close"
  7. type : POST
  8. connection:"Enter your connection name"
  9. ];
  10. info closeTask;
  11. response = {"text":"Your task has been closed successfully!"};
  12. return response;

SAMPLE RESPONSE


Hope this helps :) Do let us know in the comments below in case of any queries. We would be happy to assist you.
Regards,
Divya P
Cliq


















      • Sticky Posts

      • Customer payment alerts in Zoho Cliq

        For businesses that depend on cash flow, payment updates are essential for operational decision-making and go beyond simple accounting entries. The sales team needs to be notified when invoices are cleared so that upcoming orders can be released. In contrast,

      • Automating Employee Birthday Notifications in Zoho Cliq

        Have you ever missed a birthday and felt like the office Grinch? Fear not, the Cliq Developer Platform has got your back! With Zoho Cliq's Schedulers, you can be the office party-cipant who never forgets a single cake, balloon, or awkward rendition of

      • Accelerate Github code reviews with Zoho Cliq Platform's link handlers

        Code reviews are critical, and they can get buried in conversations or lost when using multiple tools. With the Cliq Platform's link handlers, let's transform shared Github pull request links into interactive, real-time code reviews on channels. Share

      • App Spotlight : PagerDuty for Zoho Cliq

        App Spotlight brings you hand-picked apps to enhance the power of your Zoho apps and tools. Visit the Zoho Marketplace to explore all of our apps, integrations, and extensions. In today's fast-paced world, seizing every moment is essential for operational

      • Automate your status with Cliq Schedulers

        Imagine enjoying your favorite homemade meal during a peaceful lunch break, when suddenly there's a PING! A notification pops up and ruins your moment of zen. Even worse, you might be in a vital product development sprint, only to be derailed by a "quick

        • Recent Topics

        • The attendees will now be redirected to the landing webpage when they exit the webinar, set by the organizer.

          Hello All, In the latest version of the Zoho Meeting iOS mobile app (v1.3.16), we have brought in the below enhancements:   Post Webinar Re-direction Revamped exit UI for Webinar Post Webinar Re-direction:  The attendees will now be redirected to the

        • 550-5.1.1 The email account that you tried to reach does not exist

          Hi, I made sure my domain, SPF, MX records, and DKIM are all verified. I've entered the information correctly in cPanel and Email Routing is set to Remote Mail Exchanger. I am able to send, but unable to receive emails. When I sent a test reply to it, I get the following error: The response was: 550-5.1.1 The email account that you tried to reach does not exist. Please try 550-5.1.1 double-checking the recipient's email address for typos or 550-5.1.1 unnecessary spaces. Learn more at 550 5.1.1 https://support.google.com/mail/?p=NoSuchUser

        • Download API file contents from browser

          Hi Team - is there something being planned to be able to trigger file downloads from the browser via a deluge script? i.e. retrieve a file via API, trigger the file download directly from the browser. Or... using the convertToPdf function (https://www.zoho.com/deluge/help/functions/file/convert-to-pdf.html)

        • When using "locations" in zoho books, can you keep the two locations totally separate from each other?

          I am looking to add a location but I don't want to intermingle the banking or other accounts. I want that to be like two separate independent branches that use different banking accounts, accounts payable, and accounts receivable. The people who are in

        • Adding a Channel to SalesIQ

          I have a client that currently uses Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk. They would like a live chat to place on their website that has a mobile app and chat bots (something like SalesIQ). However, they would also like to have all this work over SMS as well. Does the SalesIQ API allow this? Can I add visitors without them being a visitor on a website? Thanks! Bryan Redeagle

        • Zoho Flow Needs to Embrace AI Agent Protocols to Stay Competitive

          Zoho Flow has long been a reliable platform for automating workflows and integrating various applications. However, in the rapidly evolving landscape of AI-driven automation, it risks falling behind competitors like n8n, which are pioneering advancements

        • Important Features Missing

          Hey all I love linkthread, but i am missing some important features. I want to be able to include my Google Tag Manager. I have all the important stuff in my GTM Container: Facebook Pixel, LinkIn Pixel, Zoho Pagesense and so on. So i am able to do retargeting

        • Zoho SignForms: Prefill parameters with spaces render as “+” in the document (even when using %20)

          Hello Zoho Sign team, we are using SignForms with prefill parameters passed via URL. Spaces in parameter values are being rendered as “+” in the finalized document—even when we URL-encode spaces as %20. This is critical for us because we prefill addresses

        • Currency selector (based on variable) usage in comparsion

          Hi, I've developed a currency selector based on the following topic, and it's working well in pivot tables and charts: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/how-can-i-allow-my-users-to-choose-a-currency-for-the-dashboard I also have a comparison

        • Customize Column in Projects - Default View for Template?

          Is there a way to have the columns you'd like to see added to a template? I want my customized columns to show up every single time I create a project from that template. It appears I can customize them in the template but when I create the project they do not transfer over.  Template: See below how the columns in order are : Task, Owner, Status, Assigned, Website URL, Blog H1..etc. When I create a project from that same template it comes out as: Task, Owner, Status, Tags, Start Date, End Date, etc

        • Ask the Experts 24: Analytics, data administration, and mobile experience with Zoho Desk

          Hello Everyone! Welcome back to the Ask the Experts(ATE) series! We were so focused on our Autumn 2025 release that we didn't host an ATE session last month. In this month's ATE, we'd like to expand our areas for discussion: we'd like to listen to your

        • Multi-Page Forms in Zoho Creator!

          Let’s make long applications easier to handle by dividing them into pages, adding a progress bar, and guiding users step by step through complex data entry. This would be a total game-changer for the user experience and could significantly boost completion

        • Email login error

          Login successfully but email page error

        • Shared Mailboxes Disappeared

          Zoho Mail users in our company haven't been able to see their Shared Mailboxes for the past few hours. I've checked with App and Web Access, but they can't access them. When I send emails to their addresses, I get no error messages. They're still visible

        • Remote Server is misconfigured

          Dear Team, I am unable to use email id as remote server is misconfigured. It would be really great if you could help on this and get this resolved. Thanks & Regard Rohit Gupta

        • why cant i access my email account. it keeps asking me for reverifiying my account by entering my password.

          I cant access my account. it keeps asking me for reverifcaton by entering my password. once its entered it asks for it over and over.

        • Free webinar alert on October 16 - Less Complexity, More Security: Workplace + Directory

          Hello Zoho Workplace Community! Security and productivity shouldn't be at odds—and with Zoho, they're not. Discover how Zoho Workplace + Directory delivers seamless collaboration with enterprise-grade security, all in one integrated ecosystem. Join our

        • Workdrive and ChatGPT Team Synced Connectors

          Hi, we want to be able to integrate Zoho Workdrive with OpenAI’s ChatGPT Team plan. Google Drive and OneDrive both offer this, zoho please catch up asap. We dont want to have to put our company files in google drive, we want to allow chatgpt Team edition

        • Alias Name (on items) use case in Zoho inventory

          Hey, Hope everyone is well. Wondering if anyone can shed some light on the use case of Alias Names on Products in Zoho Inventory? Cheers, Chris

        • Updating an Invoice Line Item's Discount Account via API Call / Deluge Custom Function

          I need help updating an invoice line item's discount account via API. Below is a screenshot of the line item field I am referring to. Now the field to the left of the highlighted field (discount account) is the sales income account. I am able to modify

        • Send e-mail with attachments

          Dear Zoho, How is that possible in Zoho Flow to send an e-mail with attachment?  Just a simple example: Zoho Flow checks my Zoho mails and if the conditions starts the trigger then I would like to send an email with the original email's attachment. Any idea? BR, Adam

        • How to I get checkboxes on a subform to update via deluge

          Hello, would someone be able to tell me what I'm doing wrong here? I am trying to take the contents of a Deals subform and add them to an invoice then update the checkbox on each row so that 'add to invoice' is unticked and 'invoiced' is ticked. The output

        • Unified customer portal login

          As I'm a Zoho One subscriber I can provide my customers with portal access to many of the Zoho apps. However, the customer must have a separate login for each app, which may be difficult for them to manage and frustrating as all they understand is that

        • Zoho Projects - Task Owner filter at Project level

          Hi Projects Team, The feature requests I would like to raise is the ability to create a custom view at the project level for projects with tasks owned by a user or users. For example "Ashley's Projects" custom view might contain a list of project in which

        • Cadences

          I have just started using Cadences for follow-up up email pipeline. Is it just me or do you find the functionality very basic? For example, it will tell me (if I go looking for it) if someone has replied to a follow-up and been unenrolled; but it won't

        • Custom Fonts in Zoho CRM Template Builder

          Hi, I am currently creating a new template for our quotes using the Zoho CRM template builder. However, I noticed that there is no option to add custom fonts to the template builder. It would greatly enhance the flexibility and branding capabilities if

        • Would be really awesome to have Created Time and Modified Time showing for custom functions list

          It would be SO HELPFUL to be able to sort custom functions by created time/ modified time. Also seeing a created by/ modified by with the little profile picture would be supremely helpful as well. Just really hard sometimes to find a function you were

        • Ticket Export Does Not Include Ticket Threads

          Dear Zoho Desk Support Team, I hope you’re doing well. I would like to report an issue regarding the ticket export functionality in Zoho Desk. Currently, when exporting tickets, the ticket threads or conversation history are not included — only the ticket

        • Payments made notification

          This is a really wonderful feature but we can only use it for about 50% of payments made & have to revert to sending statements which is a real chore. Credits applied to the bills paid in the notification aren't included & this causes great confusion in the accounts receivable departments. Please, please add this required feature asap ! .....

        • Ability to add VAT to Retainer Invoices

          Hello, I've had a telephone conversation a month ago with Dinesh on this topic and my request to allow for the addition of VAT on Retainer Invoices.  It's currently not possible to add VAT to Retainer Invoices and it was mutually agreed that there is absolutely no reason why there shouldn't be, especially as TAX LAW makes VAT mandatory on each invoice in Europe!   So basically, what i'm saying is that if you don't allow us to add VAT to Retainer Invoices, than the whole Retainer Invoices becomes

        • ZOHO DESK link with Power BI

          HI, I am using ZOHO Desk for last two years and now my client is asking to integrate ZOHO desk data to Power BI so that they can use Data for reporting. Kindly guide in details so that i can give access to ZOHO desk export data for more visibility.

        • URLs being masked despite disabling tracking

          Hey, We had disabled click tracking from an email update we are sharing with our users. Despite this, the URL the end user is receiving is masked, and looks like "https://qksyl-cmpzourl.maillist-manage.net/click/1d8e72714515cda6/1d8e72714515ca70" instead

        • Dashboard Autorefesh

          Good day, I am a dashboard that displays the number of tickets based on "Product Name". This dashboard is displayed on a big TV for the team to monitor. Can the dashboard auto-refresh every few minutes to display the new values? Currently, we have closed

        • Deferred/ Unearned revenue

          Dear Zoho Team, Just in case you have missed out my query posted few days ago: We issue invoices relating to 12-month web hosting service. When we issue the invoice, we should record the entire amount of the invoice as DEFERRED/UNEARNED REVENUE (ie. $10

        • Bigin Android app update: Zoho Books integration

          Hello everyone! We’re excited to introduce Zoho Books integration on the latest version(v1.8.5) Bigin Android app. Once the integration is completed in the web(bigin.zoho.com), the Zoho Books tab will be visible in detail View of Contacts, Companies,

        • Audit Log enhancements: Increased retention period, better user visibility, and more

          Hello everyone, The Audit Log brings in the following enhancements which improve the overall ability to manage data. Why did we make these updates? Extended Data Retention: Audit data can now be filtered and exported for a 60-day period, doubling the

        • Question Regarding Managing Sale Items in Zoho Books

          Good day, I was wondering about something. Right now, Zoho Books doesn’t seem to have a way to flag certain items as being on sale. For example, if I want a list of specific items to be on sale from October 1 to October 12, the user would have to export

        • System flaws and lack of response from Zoho

          I have had to go on here as no-one is replying to my emails regarding my problem (been 10 days and no email reply) and your chat facility online through your Zoho Books software opens and closes immediately, so not functioning properly. I actually called

        • Customer Grouping

          Hi, how can I group multiple customers into single group. So that I can have idea of accounts receivables of all the customers in single group. Like if there are multiple subsidiaries of same company we have having a business with, and want to view the

        • Two currencies

          More and more I am finding that internattional payments' fees are unpredictable. I would like, on my invoices that are in a foreign currency (eg. USD$ or EUR€) for there to be a GBP£ TOTAL display alongside the invoice's currency total. This would make

        • Next Page