Custom Function to Format Phone / Mobile numbers in Australian Standard format

Custom Function to Format Phone / Mobile numbers in Australian Standard format

So I got sick of phone numbers being formatted incorrectly and Zoho not doing anything to standardise phone numbers to meet E.164 formats. So I went and coded my own function to fix this.
And figured I'd share with the community

This is specifically for Australian numbers. 

The CF will take all mobile, local landline, 1800 & 1300 numbers and format them into the format we are used to in Australia.
It will also add the country code +61 to the prefix so you can call directly from the CRM.

It works with all 10 digit numbers (0400 000 000 or 03 9000 0000)
And with all 9 digit numbers (400 000 000 or 3 9000 0000)
IE works with both the starting 0 or without the starting 0 (ie 03 9000 1111 or 3 9000 1111)


The numbers will be formatted as below

All mobile numbers    0400111222 --> +61 400 111 222
                                       400111222 --> +61 400 111 222
All local numbers        0390001111 --> +61 3 9000 1111
                                       390001111 --> +61 3 9000 1111
1800 numbers            1800111222 --> +61 1800 111 222
1300 numbers            1300111222 --> +61 1300 111 222

For the local numbers it will work with all states area codes (02, 03, 07, 08)

Anything that isn't the above will be ignored and stay the way it was. IE 131122 will stay like that
As will any numbers that aren't 9 or 10 digits long. (ie +61400111222 wont be formatted with spaces)

**NB I may do a V2 to format numbers that are +61 already but not planning that for a while.

This function is specifically for the Leads module.
It is Phone/Mobile Field agnostic. In that it will take whatever value is in the Phone Field, format it return it to the Phone Field. and what ever is in the Mobile Field, format and return it to Mobile Field.

I did this specifically as we use Phone to be the contacts Primary contact number and Mobile to be their Secondary contact Number.

It should be pretty easy to adapt to Contacts Module or any other module. You only need to change line 1 & 211.


Setting up with Workflow and Triggering the Function:
This applies for CRM
  1. Go to Setup --> Automation --> Workflow Rules --> Create Rule --> Under Module, select Leads --> Give a Rule name and Description (ie Format Phone Numbers Australia) --> Next
  2. When = Select "On a Record action" --> "Create or Edit" --> Next
  3. Condition = In Conditions, choose "All Leads" --> Next.
  4. Instant Actions --> Function --> New Function --> Write your own --> Add a Function name (ie Format_Phone_Numbers_Au), Display Name (ie Format Phone Numbers Australia), Description --> Create
  5. Copy paste the code from below and proceed to save the code.
  6. "Edit the Arguments" --> Key is id, in Param Value type # and choose your fields (ie Leads and Lead Id) the end result should read id = Leads - Lead Id --> Save
  7. Save the Function 
  8. Save the Workflow.


NOTE: there is probably a better more efficient way of achieving this.
So if anyone know a better way to code the above I'd love to hear.

EDIT: I had to upload the code separately due to restrictions in the post lengths.

EDIT 2: now updated to work with brackets (03) 9000 1111 and hyphens 0400-000-000

EDIT 3: updated to work with the country code already added but no + ie 61400111222  


The number formatting will work with the following

All mobile numbers    --> +61 400 111 222
  1. 0400 111 222
  2. 400111222
  3. 0400-111-222
  4. 61400111222
All local numbers  --> +61 3 9000 1111
(works with 02, 03, 07, 08) 
  1. 0390001111                  
  2. 390001111
  3. (03) 9000 1111
  4. (03) 9000-1111
1800 numbers  --> +61 1800 111 222
  1. 1800111222
  2. 1800 111 222
1300 numbers  --> +61 1300 111 222
  1. 1300111222 
  2. 1300 111 222 
​
​
EDIT: May 2025

Theres been some requests about cleaning up existing phone numbers for leads/contacts.

To do this there are a few steps to do.

Step 1 - create a new Custom Function called "Format Phone Numbers Au - mass update"
(or what ever you want to name it)

Use the same code as the single run fuction and add a recurring "loop" section to the start of the code, and a small closing at the end.
The way I have it setup is to use the following opening code before Line 1. 
Line 6 of the below code replaces Line 1 in the full code.

  1. string button.Format_Phone_Numbers_Au_mass_update(String leadIDs)
  2. {
  3. idList = leadIDs.toList("|||");
  4. for each  rec in idList
  5. {
  6. a = zoho.crm.getRecordById("Leads",rec);

Then to close the function replace the final Map (line 208-213) with the following

  1. }
  2. mp = Map();
  3. mp.put("Phone",nph);
  4. mp.put("Mobile",nmob);
  5. update = zoho.crm.updateRecord("Leads",rec,mp);
  6. info mp;
  7. info update;
  8. }
  9. return "Success";
  10. }

This new function will take your selected list of Leads and then "for each Record in the idList will run the function"

Step 2 - Create a Mass Update Button in the List view of the Leads/Contacts Module

Go to Settings > Customizations > Modules and Fields > [Module Tab} > Leads
Then go the the Buttons tab > Create New Botton

Button Name: Phone Numbers Mass Update
Define action: Function
Select Page: In List
Select Position: Mass Action Menu  (preview to see where the botton will be placed)
Configured Function: Select the function you created in the above step

Doing the above will create a new botton in the main list view for the Module. 
To use the button you need to select the entries you want to run the function then click the button.

Step 3 - Create a custom View for your Leads/Contacts so that you have less than 1000 

Zoho CRM Limits mass update functions to run for max of 1000 entries at a time. So if you have 10,000's leads you need to figure out how to narrow your view down to less than 1000 entries.

One way is to create a View with specific criteria like 
Email starts with A - this will show all leads with email address beginning with A
If this is still more than 1000 then figure out how to reduce it further to less than 1000

Step 4 - Select all records
Select the check box of the view at the top of the Column. This will select all records in the current window.
Windows are limted to 100 records, so you need to select all 1000 
You will then see a Blue text option to "Select All records in this view". Click this and all records will be selected.
If you have more than 1000 records in the view you wont be able to do the following step so make sure you've limited the view.

Step 5 - click the Mass Update button

Click the Mass Update Button you created above in Step 2. This will run the fuction for all the entries.
It'll take some time and entries will be added to the execution que. If you are interested you can check the api usage to make sure you keep your usage under the daily limit.

Step 6 - Figure out how to vary your list View for the next batch

Rinse and repeat Step 3-5. 
Figure out how to change the View so you see the next 1000 batch but exclude the ones you have already done.

Step 7 - Finish

Make sure you remove the Button you created in Step 2, otherwise someone will definitily run it in future when you dont want them to.





        • Recent Topics

        • Upon De activate a user what name doe sthe contacts candidates go under?

          When deactivating a user, does the user name remain the same, as the candidate owner? If not what/who, does it change to? Do I need to change the user name in contacts and candidates before I deactivate the user?

        • Weekly Tips: Customize alerts from your Priority Users

          You might receive hundreds of emails daily, but messages from your manager, clients, or team leads often require immediate attention, as they may contain urgent requests or critical updates. How would you ensure you never miss important messages from

        • Maximum 100 records in Sheet View is limiting. How can I increase this?

          Thanks in advance for any help with this. There was a similar post that showed answered but it did not help with increasing the number of records you see in a Sheet View. Editing in the Sheet View is fast and efficient but I have 3500 records and I need

        • Revenue Management: #3 Revenue Recognition Simplified

          In continuation of the previous post on how to compute revenue recognition, let's explore a solution that helps businesses handle real-world complexities. While the Accounting Standards provide a clear framework for recognizing revenue, the real challenge

        • Tip #40- Strengthen Remote Support with IP-based Restrictions in Zoho Assist– ‘Insider Insights’

          Protecting sensitive data and preventing unauthorized access is a top priority for any organization. With IP-based restrictions in Zoho Assist, you can ensure that only users from trusted networks can initiate remote support sessions. Say your IT team

        • Push Invoices to Xero Manually

          Hi guys, I'm wondering if anyone has wanted to do this and has a workaround or knows of an app that may be able to help with this. I sell B2B and B2C. The customers can purchase on our website or through marketplace, all of which send sales to zoho. The

        • OpenAI error code: 1010 in a Zobot

          Please see short linked screen recording. Insights welcome. Please and thank you! https://workdrive.zohoexternal.com/external/f3247ba9c872639157b707700c0300c433c7664aea924a034f4da3c3ad2e355f

        • Ability to Create Sub-Modules in Zoho CRM

          We believe there needs to be a better, more native way to manage related records in Zoho CRM without creating clutter. Ideally, Zoho would support "sub-modules" that we can create and associate under a parent module. Our use case: We have a custom module

        • Installing EMAIL Setup in New Domain

          Respected Support team, I'm facing an issue with cloudflare in Pakistan, I want to setup Zoho Mail Setup but I Don't know how to enable Zoho mail setup without cloudflare. My Website https://stumbleguymod.com/ is using CF, and I want a different Zoho

        • Signature change

          I cannot see how to change signature or out of office details easily now in the new format.

        • Inventory API - Retrieve all uploaded product / item images

          I know that I can get the primary image for each product / item or composite item, by using the /image endpoint.  https://inventory.zoho.com/api/v1/compositeitems/<item-id>/image?authtoken=<TOKEN> This will return only one photo, even if the item has multiple images uploaded. Is there a way to retrieve all images stored for an item via the Zoho Inventory API?

        • Ebay Integration malfunction

          My eBay integration in Inventory has always worked well. It suddenly malfunctioned. It is creating its own parts in Inventory that are unavailable instead of selling the parts I've always sold. Tech help was unable to resolve this. The latest sale attempt

        • how to get all the records in the custom View more than 200 records , Without using the page Concept

          how to get all the records in the custom View more than 200 records , Without giveing page as default in the Loop Concept Pls help how We can Achive this void schedule.Lead_Attempt_To_contact_schedule_10_30() { pages = {1,2}; for each pg in pages { query_map

        • The way that Users can view the ticket

          I have created users. What I would like to achieve is the following: All users under the same company account should be able to view each other’s tickets.

        • Zoho UAE SMS/WHATSAPP

          Hello everyone, so I have a question as regards DC and their impact on automation, integration and app usage. For example I am working with a UAE clientniw but each time I tried to connect their WhatsApp and sms then automate their process I tend to receive

        • Looking to Flag or Tag contacts/ accounts on Zoho Desk?

          I am looking for a way to flag certain accounts and make it obvious on the views pages. So for example if a has a certain package or needs extra attention it is clear before even clicking on the ticket. This could be via adding a tag or flag onto an account,

        • setting date-time field from string

          hello everyone, i hope someone could help me. i have a date-time field in a form that i want to fill in from two separate fields of date, and time. i need to combine the two fields to a one date-time field but can make it work. i tried to convert the

        • Calendars and CRM Contacts

          I'm finding having multiple calendars in Zoho One so confusing. I have a few questions so I can get this straight. We have a meeting room that we have set up as a resource in Calendar. Can this be set up in Bookings and the CRM Calendar? Using Zoho Calendar,

        • Announcing new features in Trident for Mac (v1.23.0)

          Hello everyone! Trident for macOS (v.1.23.0) is here with interesting features and thoughtful enhancements to elevate your workplace communication and productivity. Here's a quick look at what's new. Record your meetings. You can now record audio and

        • Applying a record template

          Hi all, I can't figure this out. I hope you can help. The scenario: We have learners who have to complete a 'digital' journal with tasks in order to qualify. Those tasks, once completed, need a final signature from their 'Mentor', which will trigger their

        • Quickbooks invoice with Zoho Creator

          Is it possible to push data from Zoho Creator directly to an invoice on QuickBooks? If so, where can I find information on how to do this?

        • Help: Capture full page URL in hidden field when same Zoho Form is embedded on multiple pages (iframe)

          Hi all, Goal Use one Zoho Form across multiple pages and record the exact page URL (incl. subdomain + path + hash) where the user submitted it. Example pages: https://www.example.com/cargo/ https://www.example.com/cargo/containers/#contact https://cargo.example.com/auto/

        • Automatically Populate fields - HELP!

          There have been many discussions on this but I still can't seem to get it to work for me. I am trying to create a lookup field and have other fields automatically populate. Based on the instructions in the Help Center, I should be using the "on user input". It's just not working, here is the layout...   Both forms are in the same application. Current form is called Add Note, form to fetch records from is called Add Client. Lookup field is called Select_Client_ID related field in fetch form is called

        • Push notifications to portal users

          Hi all, it is possible to send push notifications to portal users?

        • Rename the attachment from record template pdf in the sendmail deluge script

          Hello Zoho, I urgently need a feature to rename record templates that I send via the sendmail feature. The program I created sends emails to clients with an invoices that have been created in the invoice database. If the user selects 3 invoice numbers,

        • Alt Text On Multiple Images

          I'm using Zoho Social to post to a charity website. Often the posts have multiple images, but it seems there is only one field for Alt Text. Does that mean I can only include it for the first image? Or is there a way to add alt text for all the imag

        • [SOLVED] Getting 401 when trying to download ticket attachment via API

          I'm able to use the API just fine to access ticket content. But I cannot download ticket attachment, keep getting 401 Client Error. Example: https://desk.zoho.com.au/api/v1/tickets/{ticket_id}/attachments/{attachment_id}/content?orgId={org_id} For headers,

        • Zoho project – Workdrive integration.

          Hello everyone, I was wondering something, we did the Zoho projects integration with Zoho Workdrive but nowhere during this integration we could set the location of the folders that would be automatically created in Workdrive. As I understand it, it creates

        • Scriptを埋め込みたくてOn User Inputを探しているのですが・・・

          編集モードで、Scriptを埋め込みたい項目を選択し、「項目のプロパティ」パネルで、その下のほうに「フィールドアクション（Field Actions）」という見出しがあると聞いたのですが、そもそも、それが見つかりません。そのために、On User Inputなどのイベントが選べません。 画面の英語を日本語に訳しているためにわけわからん状態になっているのかも知れませんが、わかる方、いらっしゃいますか？

        • Problem with cloud query exceeded

          When making a call I get this error, It is associated with a function in node that calls external APIs This is the code //tokenConsultar = thisapp.ObtenerToken(); //input.token = tokenConsultar.get("output").toMap().get("token");

        • Showing Total of Funnel Chart Legend (With Values) Items

          Hi, We are using the funnel type chart for displaying our zCRM sales pipeline stages and associated sum of deals in each stage.  We have configured the legend to show the associated value (Deal Amount (Sum)) for each stage adjacent to the legend items (Stages). Is there a way to display the total of the values in the same chart?  For example, at the bottom of the legend or maybe as a #merge placeholder in the legend title?

        • How to Convert VCF Contacts to CSV using Excel

          Many users switch from traditional address books to digital formats like vCard and CSV. These formats allow users to easily manage their contacts. However, a difficulty comes when you need to transfer your contact information to another application or

        • Field authorization for Linking module in Zoho CRM portal

          Hi guys! Currently building a customer portal for one of my clients, and I ran into a bit of a roadblock while using a multi-select lookup field. The issue is that there is no way to hide or define access in the linking module created by this multi-select

        • Kaizen #63 - Layout Rules in Zoho CRM

          Hello and welcome to another week of Kaizen! This week, we will be discussing Layout Rules in Zoho CRM. If you need to modify the layout of a module based on user inputs, or to show or hide sections based on the value of a specific field, we have got

        • Zoho CRM Portals - allow access per account

          Hello all, I am trying to set up a portal for our customer but I seem to be hitting an obstacle and I am not sure if it is my problem or a limitation in the software. So basically the way I understand the portal Contact Email > Each Record or Related

        • Android - Writer não acentua em Português com teclado bluetooth

          Gosto muito do Zoho, tanto o Note quando o Writer. Infelizmente, o Writer sofre de um problema sério: ao usar um teclado bluetooth, forma mais cômoda de lidar com um processador de texto, os acentos (todos!) da Língua Portuguesa não são aceitos. Todos

        • Set File Upload fields as mandatory

          Currently the CRM for some reason lacks the ability to set a file upload field as mandatory So we have an issue We have a requirement that before a Deal stage is set as Deal is Won the member needs to upload a file Now for some weird reason in Zoho I

        • Editing HTML in Zoho CRM Email Template

          I am trying to create a template within the CRM email option, but need to be able to use custom HTML. There does not seem to be a way to do so.

        • Ability to CC on a mass email

          Ability to CC someone on a mass email.

        • How to make attachments mandatory

          I want the user to be unable to mark an opportunity as Closed – Won if it doesn’t have any attachments. I’ve already tried client scripts and functions, but nothing worked.

        • Next Page