Convert a message on Cliq into a task on Zoho Connect

Convert a message on Cliq into a task on Zoho Connect

Message actions in Cliq are a great way to transform messages in a conversation into actionable work items. In this post, we'll see how to build a custom message action that'll let you add a message as a task to board on Zoho Connect. 

If you haven't created a board in Zoho Connect, then head over to this help document to know how to create one. 

For this example, we've created a board for the Zylker Campaigns team in Zoho Connect. The board has three sections: User Interface, Content Marketing, Customer Support. We'll see how the marketing team discusses about upcoming marketing initiatives and keeps track of tasks in their connect board. 



The workflow behind creating this message action is pretty simple. 

1. Once a user clicks on the Add Connect Task message action, the action's handler is triggered to display a form. 
2. The user fills all the information required. We use the form change handler to modify the form field values based on the users' inputs. For example, display networks that the user is a part of by default and on selecting a specific network, we'll show the list boards that the user is a part of under the selected network. The same applies for sections as well. 
3. On choosing the respective network, board and section, the user can add the task title, description, due date, assignee and more. Note that, the message on which the action was performed will be displayed as the task title by default. This can be modified.
4. On clicking Add Task, the form submit handler is invoked to create a task in Connect with all the provided details. 

Prerequisites
Create a connection between Cliq and Connect: 
You'll need an active connection between Cliq and Connect. To create a connection, 
  1. Click on your display picture. This will open up the user panel. Now, click on Bots & Tools
  2. Click on the Connections icon present on the left side menu of the Bots & Tools page. 
  3. Now, click on Create Connection
  4. In the Add Connections view, select the Zoho Oauth option. 
  5. Name your connection. For example you can name your connection: zoho_connect or zohoconnect and choose the following scopes: zohopulse.networklist.READ, zohopulse.tasks.READ, zohopulse.tasks.CREATE
  6. Make sure the Use Credentials of Login User option is enabled. 
  7. Click on the Create and Connect button to generate the invoke URL task with the connection name. 
We'll be using this invoke URL task in our code. 

Create a message action 

To create a message action on Cliq, 

  1. Click on your display picture. This will open up the user panel. Now, click on Bots & Tools. 
  2. Click on Message Actions in the left pane.
  3. Click on the Create Message Action button and fill in the required details. 
    Action Name: Provide your message action name. This field is mandatory.
    Hint: Brief explanation about the message action.
    Access Level: Decide who gets to access your message action. Choose between Organization, Team and Private. Default option is Private.
    Choose what kind of messages should have the message action. Options are Text messages, Attachments and Links. For this example, we're choosing messages of the type Text
  4. Click on Save & Edit Code. 
Create a form function

To create a form function on Cliq, 

  1. Click on your display picture. This will open up the user panel. Now, click on Bots & Tools.
  2. Click on Functions in the left pane. Click on the Create Function button and fill in the required details. 
  • Name: Give your function name. Ensure to use the same function name in your form's code as well. 
  • Description: Briefly describe how your function works. 
  • Function Type: Choose the component with which the function should be associated. For this example, we're using the function of the type: Form 

Step 1: Configuring the message action handler
The message handler is triggered to return the Create Task form as a response. 

  1. messageText = message.get("content").get("text");
  2. getNetworks = invokeurl
  3. [
  4. url :"https://connect.zoho.com/pulse/api/allScopes"
  5. type :GET
  6. connection: "" // Give your connection name
  7. ];
  8. getNetworks = getNetworks.get("allScopes").get("scopes");
  9. netWorkOptions = List();
  10. for each  network in getNetworks
  11. {
  12. networkList = Map();
  13. networkList.put("label",network.get("name"));
  14. networkList.put("value",network.get("id"));
  15. netWorkOptions.add(networkList);
  16. }
  17. inputs = list();
  18. inputs.add({"type":"select","name":"networks","label":"Network","hint":"Select a network","placeholder":"Select a network!","mandatory":true,"value":"","options":netWorkOptions,"trigger_on_change":true});
  19. inputs.add({"type":"select","name":"boards","label":"Boards","hint":"Select a board","placeholder":"Select a board!","mandatory":true,"value":"","options":netWorkOptions,"disabled":"true","trigger_on_change":true});
  20. inputs.add({"type":"select","name":"sections","label":"Section","hint":"Select a section","placeholder":"Select a section!","mandatory":true,"value":"","options":netWorkOptions,"disabled":"true"});
  21. inputs.add({"name":"title","label":"Title","placeholder":messageText,"value":messageText,"hint":"Enter your task name","min_length":"0","max_length":"50","mandatory":true,"type":"text"});
  22. inputs.add({"type":"textarea","name":"note","label":"Description","hint":"Describe your task.","placeholder":"To be done by Tuesday","mandatory":false});
  23. inputs.add({"name":"duedate","label":"Due by","placeholder":"Give your task's due date.","mandatory":false,"type":"date"});
  24. inputs.add({"type":"select","name":"priority","label":"Priority","hint":"Choose your task priority","placeholder":"High","mandatory":true,"value":"High","options":{{"label":"No Priority","value":"None"},{"label":"Low","value":"Low"},{"label":"Medium","value":"Medium"},{"label":"High","value":"High"}}});
  25. addTask = {"name":"addTask","type":"form","title":"Add a task","hint":"Add a task to a board in Zoho Connect. ","button_label":"Add Task","inputs":inputs,"action":{"type":"invoke.function","name":"connectTask"}};
  26. return addTask;





Step 2: Configuring the form change handler

The form change handler will be triggered when the user is filling up the form. The handler is responsible for modifying the form field values based on the user's inputs. 

  1. targetName = target.get("name");
  2. inputValues = form.get("values");
  3. networkID = inputValues.get("networks").get("value");
  4. actions = list();
  5. if(targetName.containsIgnoreCase("networks"))
  6. {
  7. getBoards = invokeurl
  8. [
  9. url :"https://connect.zoho.com/pulse/api/myBoards"
  10. type :GET
  11. parameters:{"scopeID":networkID}
  12. connection:"" // Give your connection name
  13. ];
  14. getBoards = getBoards.get("myBoards").get("boards");
  15. boardOptions = List();
  16. for each  board in getBoards
  17. {
  18. boardList = Map();
  19. boardList.put("label",board.get("name"));
  20. boardList.put("value",board.get("id"));
  21. boardOptions.add(boardList);
  22. }
  23. actions.add({"type":"update","name":"boards","input":{"type":"select","name":"boards","label":"Boards","hint":"Select a board","placeholder":"Select a board!","mandatory":true,"options":boardOptions,"trigger_on_change":true}});
  24. }
  25. else if(targetName.containsIgnoreCase("boards"))
  26. {
  27. boardId = inputValues.get("boards").get("value");
  28. getResponse = invokeurl
  29. [
  30. url :"https://connect.zoho.com/pulse/api/boardSections"
  31. type :GET
  32. parameters:{"scopeID":networkID,"boardId":boardId}
  33. connection:"" // Give your connection name
  34. ];
  35. getSections = getResponse.get("boardSections").get("sections");
  36. sectionOptions = List();
  37. for each  section in getSections
  38. {
  39. sectionList = Map();
  40. sectionList.put("label",section.get("name"));
  41. sectionList.put("value",section.get("id").toString());
  42. sectionOptions.add(sectionList);
  43. }
  44. getMembers = getResponse.get("boardSections").get("members");
  45. if(getMembers.isempty() == false)
  46. {
  47. boardMembers = List();
  48. for each  member in getMembers
  49. {
  50. memberList = Map();
  51. memberList.put("label",member.get("name"));
  52. memberList.put("value",member.get("zuid"));
  53. boardMembers.add(memberList);
  54. }
  55. actions.add({"type":"update","name":"sections","input":{"type":"select","name":"sections","label":"Section","hint":"Select a section","placeholder":"Select a section!","mandatory":true,"options":sectionOptions}});
  56. actions.add({"type":"add_after","name":"duedate","input":{"type":"select","name":"members","multiple":true,"label":"Assignees","hint":"Add assignees","placeholder":"Assign task to a member","mandatory":false,"options":boardMembers}});
  57. }
  58. else
  59. {
  60. actions.add({"type":"update","name":"sections","input":{"type":"select","name":"sections","label":"Section","hint":"Select a section","placeholder":"Select a section!","mandatory":true,"options":sectionOptions}});
  61. }
  62. }
  63. return {"type":"form_modification","actions":actions};



Step 3: Configuring the form submit handler

We'll call the create task API in form submit handler. The submit handler typically receives all the inputs filled by the user and will be triggered on form submission. 

  1. response = Map();
  2. formValues = form.get("values");
  3. scopeID = formValues.get("networks").get("value");
  4. boardId = formValues.get("boards").get("value");
  5. sectionId = formValues.get("sections").get("value");
  6. title = formValues.get("title");
  7. priority_value = formValues.get("priority").get("value");
  8. parameters = {"scopeID":scopeID,"boardId":boardId,"sectionId":sectionId,"title":title,"priority":priority_value};
  9. desc = formValues.get("note");
  10. if(desc != "" && !desc.isEmpty())
  11. {
  12. parameters.put("desc",desc);
  13. }
  14. duedate = formValues.get("duedate");
  15. if(duedate != "" && !duedate.isEmpty())
  16. {
  17. duedate = duedate.toList("-");
  18. eyear = duedate.get(0);
  19. emonth = duedate.get(1);
  20. edate = duedate.get(2);
  21. parameters.put("eyear",eyear);
  22. parameters.put("emonth",emonth);
  23. parameters.put("edate",edate);
  24. }
  25. assignee = formValues.get("members");
  26. if(assignee != {} && !assignee.isEmpty())
  27. {
  28. userIds = list();
  29. for each  assgineeID in assignee
  30. {
  31. userIds.add(assgineeID.get("value"));
  32. }
  33. parameters.put("userIds",userIds.toString());
  34. }
  35. addTask = invokeurl
  36. [
  37. url :"https://connect.zoho.com/pulse/api/addTask"
  38. type :POST
  39. parameters:parameters
  40. connection:"" // Give your connection name
  41. ];
  42. if(addTask.get("addTask").get("stream").isEmpty() == false)
  43. {
  44. taskTitle = "[" + addTask.get("addTask").get("stream").get("task").get("title") + "](" + addTask.get("addTask").get("stream").get("url") + ")";
  45. taskpriority = addTask.get("addTask").get("stream").get("task").get("priority");
  46. tasksection = addTask.get("addTask").get("stream").get("task").get("section").get("name");
  47. taskboard = addTask.get("addTask").get("stream").get("partition").get("name");
  48. response = {"text":"Task added in " + taskboard + ". Take a look at the task details below.","card":{"title":"Task Details","theme":"modern-inline"},"slides":{{"type":"label","title":"Task Details: ","data":{{"Title":taskTitle},{"Priority":taskpriority},{"Section":tasksection},{"Board":taskboard}}}}};
  49. }
  50. return response;






End notes: 

Message actions in Cliq are super versatile like all other Cliq platform components. You can choose to create a message action that's specific to a message type. This example can be customized even to suit messages of the type attachments and links. So go ahead and give it a try! You can download the source code file attached with this post or access this link here: https://workdrive.zohoexternal.com/external/6OxchwzzBCF-J8HFH

Useful Links: 
Zoho Connect Rest API Guide: https://www.zoho.com/connect/api/intro.html



      • Sticky Posts

      • Add Claude in Zoho Cliq

        Let’s add a real AI assistant powered by Claude to your workspace this week, that your team can chat with, ask questions, and act on conversations to run AI actions on. This guide walks you through exactly how to do it, step by step, with all the code
      • 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
      • Zoho Cliq REST APIs v3 : A complete guide to what's changed and why 

        APIs are not just consumed by a developer with numerous automations and a series of open browser tabs. They are parsed by LLMs, fed into agent pipelines, and auto-completed by AI coding assistants that have zero tolerance for inconsistency. A verb tucked
      • Cliq Bots - Post message to a bot using the command line!

        If you had read our post on how to post a message to a channel in a simple one-line command, then this sure is a piece of cake for you guys! For those of you, who are reading this for the first time, don't worry! Just read on. This post is all about how
      • Automating Real-Time Zoho Bookings Alerts in Zoho Cliq

        Enable your teams to respond in seconds by bridging the gap between booking confirmation and team notification. No sticky notes, no calendar nudges and no follow-up frenzies. For businesses that rely on scheduled appointments, real-time visibility is

        • Recent Topics

        • How to pass parameter through a anchor tag in html snippet

          code :<a href="https://creatorapp.zoho.in/mkmtraining235/theatre-management-system/#Page:Movie_show_listing_page?Movie_ID=<%=movie.ID%>" class="movie-card" target="_self"> but when i try with the a text values it redirect to the first page that i createdbookingFormUrl
        • I am facing a problem with an if-else condition

          If I use if, else if, and else conditions in Deluge with the same variable name, sometimes the variable causes an error because the same variable name is present in every block
        • Do you have software like Windows software?

          We want swadeshi software
        • Has anyone integrated Zoho with Go High Level (GHL)? Looking for guidance

          Hi everyone, I’m exploring the possibility of integrating Zoho applications with Go High Level (GHL) and wanted to check if anyone in the community has experience with this. Specifically, I’m interested in understanding: Whether a direct integration is
        • What is wrong with this sendmail message?

          I keep getting improper statement errors on the message, but I cannot see a problem. Also, if the message is much longer the whole message turns black instead of being coloured yellow, red and blue. client = Clients[ID == input.Client_Lookup]; sendmail
        • Allow Reauthorizing CRM Connections Without Revoking First

          Currently, when a Zoho CRM connection needs to be reauthorized or authorized with another account, we first have to revoke the existing authorization and then authorize it again. This creates a gap where the connection is unavailable, and any functions,
        • Programmatic Itemized Expenses?

          It does not appear that it is possible to create itemized expenses programmatically (via the API)? Is this correct, or am I misunderstanding the situation?
        • Report Configuration - Unable to select "File_Upload" under Supporting Document

          Good day everyone. I encounter this issue whereby i have difficulty to select "File_Upload" under Supporting Document when i configuring my report. Ps: I have create Supporting Document in Zoho creator form as subform and the add this "File Upload" inside
        • Zoho Marketing Automation Cannot Sync Lookiup Fields

          Hello all, It seems that Zoho MA cannot sync Lookup fields from the CRM. Can you confirm if this is the case? Is there a workaround? Do you know if Campaigns can sync with custom modules and also with Lookup field in the CRM? Thank you!
        • Specific ListView Canvas on Canvas Home Page Always Loads Most Recent ListView, Not the One Specified

          I had mentioned this to ZOHO, but I mainly wanted to see if others in the Community are also facing this problem. I created a Canvas ListView for a Custom Module, and then created a Canvas Home page (technically on a tab item, but I'm not sure if that
        • Zoho Campaigns EU Topics API returns HTTP 200 with empty topicDetails

          Hello, Our Zoho Campaigns EU organisation has two custom topics visible in the Campaigns UI, and contacts are subscribed to them. However, an OAuth request with ZohoCampaigns.contact.READ to https://campaigns.zoho.eu/api/v1.1/topics returns HTTP 200 with
        • Caso de Éxito: Cómo Toyota Financial Services unificó la atención al cliente con Zoho

          "Después de seis meses con el CRM en producción estamos encantados." Miriam Cárdenas, Responsable Departamento ATC Toyota Financial Services es la división financiera de Toyota encargada de gestionar la financiación de vehículos y, junto con KINTO España,
        • Zoho Books - France

          L’équipe de Zoho France reçoit régulièrement des questions sur la conformité de ses applications de finances (Zoho Books/ Zoho Invoice) pour le marché français. Voici quelques points pour clarifier la question : Zoho Books est un logiciel de comptabilité
        • Sending Zoho form link from custom function in Zoho CRM

          Hello,  We intend to send a Zoho form link to certain Contacts using a custom function. The Zoho Form must be pre-filled with the Deal information and contacts receiving it should be able to modify the values and upon submission, those modifications must
        • Automatically remove commas

          Team, Please be consistent in Zoho Books. In Payments, you have commas here: But when we copy and paste the amount in the Payments Made field, it does not accept it because the default setting is no commas. Please have Zoho Books remove commas autom
        • Zoho ERP | Product updates | July 2026

          Hello users, We're back with another round of updates to help you streamline your operations. This month's release brings new features and enhancements designed to help you work more efficiently. Read on to discover everything that's new in Zoho ERP this
        • Can I hide some products from a particular customer

          HI I want ot give a customer access to the portal but I need to hide some products from them that are not available for them to buy- is this possible ?
        • OpenAI Is Moving to the Responses API: Here's What It Means for SalesIQ

          OpenAI has deprecated its Assistants API and is moving to the Responses API. If you're using OpenAI Assistants with SalesIQ, you may be wondering if you need to make any changes to your existing setup. You don't. SalesIQ has already taken care of the
        • Free webinar: Zoho Sign for Microsoft apps

          Hello, Did you know Zoho Sign works right inside the Microsoft apps you already use? A signature request shouldn't mean leaving Teams for another tab, or downloading an Outlook attachment just to sign it. Zoho Sign integrates with Microsoft 365, Teams,
        • How Should Teams Collaborate With Multiple AI Agents?

          Zoho is moving quickly with Zia Agents, MCP, and agentic workflows. It makes me wonder what the next step is when a team starts using several AI agents instead of just one assistant. At that point, I think the challenge becomes collaboration and coordination.
        • Billing Status and WO Status Field Colors -

          Hello Team, I noticed that the colors of the Billing Status and WO Status fields in the WO module have been changed. (Org ID:170000078905) This is not urgent to correct, but I wanted to bring it to your attention so you can check whether this is a system
        • Introducing throw statements in Deluge

          Hello everyone, We're introducing a powerful addition to Deluge that gives you more precise control over error handling in your scripts. Whether you're calling an external API, validating user input, or enforcing a business rule, there are moments when
        • Zoho Notebook、実はこんなところから使えます

          ユーザーの皆様、こんにちは。ゾーホージャパンの田村です。 前回に続き、今回もZoho Notebookをご紹介します。 関連情報 メモの保存場所、見直しませんか?― Zoho Notebookで始める情報管理 仕事中、「この内容、メモに残してあとで見返したいな」と思う瞬間はありませんか? 会議中の一言、お客様とのやり取り、CRMで見つけた気づき、 ほんの数秒で終わる内容だからこそ、「あとで書こう」と思って、そのまま忘れてしまうこともあります。 そこで今回は、PCやスマートフォンはもちろん、普段お使いのZoho製品からもすぐにアクセスできるノートアプリ「Zoho
        • I have been looking for CVID to get segmate list where & how can fnd it?

          I am trying to get segment details from the Zoho API. The API documentation says that the CVID is a mandatory parameter, but I cannot find the CVID in the "getmailinglists" API. Can you tell me where to find the CVID?
        • How do I increase the email attachment size in Zoho CRM ?

          It looks like I'm limited to 10MB when sending an attachment using the email widget on a record in Zoho CRM. Is there a way to increase the size? Or can I use some other tool? From what I'm reading online, I'm maxed out at 10MB. Any insight would be greatly
        • Introducing Incentives for Zoho CRM: Build, automate, and track sales commissions

          Dear Customers, We are here with an amazing news! We built a direct solution to help manage your commission provisioning activity in your business. From creating commission plans to issuing payouts, this application leverages your sales reps’ performance
        • Subforms and automation

          If a user updates a field how do we create an automation etc. We have a field for returned parts and i want to get an email when that field is ticked. How please as Zoho tells me no automation on subforms. The Reason- Why having waited for ever for FSM
        • Cannot format "start date" field in Zoho Flow

          I am trying to recreate a flow that connects Inventory package creation to Zoho projects (where a task is created in a defined project). I've been able to troubleshoot everything EXCEPT the date fields; specifically the "start date" - which is quite important
        • Dynamic Signature - Record owner

          Hi everyone, I’m using Zoho Writer merge templates from Zoho CRM and have two questions: Owner signature: How can I automatically insert the CRM record owner’s signature in the merged document? I’m not sure where this signature is stored or how to reference
        • GETTING THERE THANKS

          So we are still testing thanks to the great Zoho team for firstly getting pricelists working (essential) and writing some code to hide delivery and pickup options. Brilliant. So price lists are a definite mainly because of VAT. We run our Zoho books with
        • Time Zone is incorrect

          Time zone is not working properly...I've checked it twice. I'm eastern U.S. time it's currently 12:22 pm EST. CRM shows 3:22 pm EST.
        • CRM wants to access other apps and services on this device (Documents area)

          Did anyone else see this today? It only seemed to popup in the Documents area. Blocking it did not stop the ability to upload files there... Why is this coming up and what apps/services is it requesting in the background? Also, is it applicable elsewhere
        • Custom module - change from autonumber to name

          I fear I know the answer to this already, but thought I'd ask the question. I created a custom module and instead of having a name as being the primary field, I changed it to an auto-number. I didn't realise that all searches would only show this reference.
        • Zoho Mail outgoing webhooks stopped delivering events to my domain from Aug 28 to Sep 1, 2026 — temporary suppression by destination domain/IP?

          Dear Zoho Mail support team, I run an application that receives email notifications from several Zoho Mail accounts via outgoing webhooks (Settings → Developer Space → Outgoing Webhooks), with REST API polling as a backup. What happened: between August
        • Dynamic Field Folders in OneDrive

          Hi, With the 2 options today we have either a Dynamic Parent Folder and lots of attachments all in that one folder with only the ability to set the file name (Which is also not incremented so if I upload 5 photos to one field they are all named the same
        • Getting there -thanks

          So we are still testing thanks to the great Zoho team for firstly getting pricelists working (essential) and writing some code to hide delivery and pickup options. Brilliant. So price lists are a definite mainly because of VAT. We run our Zoho books with
        • I want to prefill CRM Account information using the GSTIN of the Customer

          Currently i need to add account details manually in zoho crm and when it syncs in zoho books manual working needs to be done. Whereas in zoho books i can prefill the customer details using the GSTIN which is great feature. Can the same be enabled for
        • #3 Making it look like my business

          Day 3: Meera had created her first invoice. The numbers were right, but something still felt unfinished. Her studio name was there, but the address did not look the way she wanted. Her logo was missing, and the invoice did not really feel like it came
        • Scan & Fill with double quote key/value pairs

          Hi, An old Ticket moved to a Topic/Idea: I love the idea of the new Scan & Fill as it nearly covers my previous request for a QR Scanner to read a multi-part QR Code. My QR Codes are hard-coded as below: {"key1":"value1","key2":"value2","key3":"value3"}
        • Increase the "Maximum Saved Entries per User" Options Limit

          Hi, You can create lots of saved entries, yet the Limit when you apply one is 25, we may often expect 32 to be in draft, and therefore want to enforce that, can we increase the limit of this field from 25 to 100 (As you can just turn it off and have more
        • Next Page