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

        • Zoho Vault API: Create new Secrets

          Hello, I attempt to Post Secrets to the vault, since the encrypted entries are almost impossible to decrypt, since there is no documentation on how to decrypt them. Like with the lack of documentation on how to descrypt, there are missing information regarding on how to create new secrets/post secrets. Source: https://www.zoho.com/vault/api/#create-a-new-secret When I try to send JSON Informationen as a POST-Request I only receive the error message: {     "operation": {         "result": {             "error_code": "",

        • CRM and Finance Tab - Add Invoice "Subject " Column

          When On a contact in CRM, and you click the Zoho Finace tab, how can I put in the invoice subject line? Or even a custom field for this.  We need to see what that invoice is for, without opening it.   If we have tons of invoices we need a way to quick

        • Collections Management: #4 Before, During & After Payment Processing

          "Mark, I think the payment link isn't working. Can you send it again?" Staring at a message, Mark got on his phone. This was the third time the same customer had asked him that week. A few minutes later, another message came, "Hey, the invoice total seems

        • Account name not populating when importing contacts

          When importing a csv file to add contacts the account name is blank? Every other filed gets mapped and imported correctly, i.e contact name, phone number. However not the account name which I have mapped to "company" field in my csv file

        • Suggestion to improve zoho writer

          I am using your product, I believe it is very useful, however, i was writing a note and I needed to draw an arrow in different angles to explain a point and I couldn't. it would be helpful, to add draw functions to the zoho writer. thanks

        • webhook basic authentication

          II want to use a webhook to send out a SMS. Unfortunately Twilio does not use an authToken but basic authentication. I created the webhook as POST and get this url: https://{username}:{password}@api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts/{account}/Messages?body=<BODY>&to=+155555555&from=+1555555555

        • Managing functions

          Can someone let me know if there are any plans to improve the features for managing functions in CRM? I have lots of functions and finding them is hard. The search only works on the function name and the filter only works on function type. I have created

        • Good news! Calendar in Zoho CRM gets a face lift

          Dear Customers, We are delighted to unveil the revamped calendar UI in Zoho CRM. With a complete visual overhaul aligned with CRM for Everyone, the calendar now offers a more intuitive and flexible scheduling experience. What’s new? Distinguish activities

        • Custom function return type

          Hi, How do I create a custom deluge function in Zoho CRM that returns a string? e.g. Setup->Workflow->Custom Functions->Configure->Write own During create or edit of the function I don't see a way to change the default 'void' to anything else. Adding

        • Issue with Hour Calculation in Zoho People Attendance Module

          I have noticed an issue in the attendance regularization feature of Zoho People. When trying to regularize past dates, the total working hours are not calculated correctly. For example, if I enter a check-in and check-out time for a previous day, the

        • Free webinar alert on November 19 - Email driven strategies - Master personality based styles

          Hello Zoho Community! Want to make email management easier, smarter, and more you? We’ve got just the session for you! Join our interactive, game-based webinar to discover how Zoho Mail adapts to your personality and work style. Learn practical hacks,

        • Push Notification for New Bookings in Zoho Bookings App

          when a someone schedules an appointment through the booking page, is there any option to receive a push notification in the mobile app?

        • Automation in Zoho Sprints

          Hi. I have a Sprints board with the following statuses: ToDo, InProgress, CodeReview, Testing, Preprod, Live When a ticket is moved from e.g. Testing to Preprod, the following tags should be modified: remove 'tested OK' remove 'ready for Preprod' add

        • Export Purchase orders as Excel

          Is it possible to export purchase orders as excel rather than PDF? Our suppliers don't want orders made in PDF, they need it to be excel

        • Cliq iOS can't see shared screen

          Hello, I had this morning a video call with a colleague. She is using Cliq Desktop MacOS and wanted to share her screen with me. I'm on iPad. I noticed, while she shared her screen, I could only see her video, but not the shared screen... Does Cliq iOS is able to display shared screen, or is it somewhere else to be found ? Regards

        • Draft & Schedule Emails Directly in Bigin

          Greetings, I hope all of you are doing well. We're happy to announce a few recent enhancements we've made to email in Bigin. We'll go over each one in detail, but here's a quick overview: Previously, you couldn't draft or schedule emails in Bigin, but

        • Create CRM Deal from Books Quote and Auto Update Deal Stage

          I want to set up an automation where, whenever a Quote is created in Zoho Books, a Deal is automatically created in Zoho CRM with the Quote amount, customer details, and some custom fields from Zoho Books. Additionally, when the Sales Order is converted

        • Send email template "permission denied to access the api"

          Hello, Per the title, I'm trying to send a Zoho CRM Email template based on the advice given here: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/community/topic/specify-an-email-template-when-sending-emails-in-custom-functions (I'd prefer to send right from Deluge

        • Zia’s AI Assist now helps you write clearer notes — in seconds

          After helping recruiters craft job descriptions, emails, and assessments, Zia’s AI Assist is now stepping in to make note-taking effortless too. Whether you’re recording feedback after an interview or sharing quick updates with your team, you can now

        • Shortcut to fill a range of cells

          Good evening: I'm writing because I haven't been able to find a feature that allows you to select a range of cells, type in one of them, and then use a key combination to type in all of them. In Excel, the keyboard shortcut is Ctrl+Enter. I haven't found

        • Introducing Dark Mode / Light Mode : A New Look For Your CRM

          Hello Users, We are excited to announce a highly anticipated feature - the launch of Day, Night and Auto Mode implementation in Zoho CRM's NextGen user interface! This feature is designed to provide a visually appealing and comfortable experience for

        • Object required error

          Hi, I am getting an 'Object required' error on the line Call HideColumnsOutsideRange(ws, startOfWeek, endOfWeek) when I run the ShowCurrentWeek macro but not when I run the ShowCurrentMonth macro. Any ideas? Regards, GW Option Explicit Sub HideColumnsOutsideRange(ws

        • Zoho CRM - Rename "Estimates" in CRM Finance Suite Integration to "Quotes"

          I'm not sure if it's been 2 or 3 years now since Zoho Books renamed Estimates to Quotes. I still see "Estimates" in the Zoho CRM integration. Could this be added to Translation settings so that some customisation could be made on an account by account

        • Its 2022, can our customers log into CRM on their mobiles? Zoho Response: Maybe Later

          I am a long time Zoho CRM user. I have just started using the client portal feature. On the plus side I have found it very fast and very easy (for someone used to the CRM config) to set up a subset of module views that make a potentially extremely useful

        • All new Address Field in Zoho CRM: maintain structured and accurate address inputs

          The address field will be available exclusively for IN DC users. We'll keep you updated on the DC-specific rollout soon. It's currently available for all new sign-ups and for existing Zoho CRM orgs which are in the Professional edition. Latest update

        • New Series Announcement - Ecommerce Marketing Tips

          Running an online business is more than just having a website. It’s about getting the right customers to discover you, trust you, and keep coming back. To support your growth journey, we’re launching a weekly Marketing Tips series right here on Zoho Commerce

        • 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.

        • Next Page