Deluge in Zoho Services #4: Zoho Sheet

Deluge in Zoho Services #4: Zoho Sheet

Hello everyone,

Greetings from Deluge! It's been a while since we connected, but now we're back in action, continuing our series of posts on Zoho services that support Deluge. We hope you found the previous post in this series useful. In today's post, let's explore the ways in which you can use Deluge to achieve more with Zoho Sheet.

Custom functions is the Zoho Sheet feature that uses Deluge. These functions are written using the Deluge scripting language to manipulate data more effectively, communicate with third-party applications, and fetch/update values based on your requirements. Custom functions enable you to program your own functions and add different types of business logic. Apart from creating and running custom functions using Deluge, Zoho Sheet also allows bringing in data from other Zoho or third-party services using connections. Integrating with other services requires you to create a connection, thereby ensuring data transfer between the connected services. 

Many organizations have their own business logic that requires personalized functions. For example:
  • Let's say you've maintained inventory stock details in the Item Details report inside your Zoho Books account. As prices keep fluctuating everyday, it could become frustrating and tedious to individually edit and update each record in your report. To resolve this, you can maintain the required data in your Zoho Sheet. You can achieve data synchronization between both the services by configuring a custom function that performs the following actions via API calls.
    • Pulls the required data from the Item Details report in your Books account and populates the same in your sheet.
    • Pushes data to the Item Details report in Books as and when data is created/edited in your sheet.
      This way the data in your Books report will be automatically updated each time you add new data to your sheet.  
  • Let's say you've collected and stored the feedback comments of your customers in your sheet. You need to analyze the sentiments of these comments, categorize them as — Positive, Negative, and Neutral and submit the final sheet to the appropriate authority. To achieve this, you can create a custom function using zoho.ai.analyseSentiment task. The function checks a comment, analyzes its emotion and returns the detected emotion along with its probability percentage.

Example

Let's say you own a business named Zylker Corp. Your business has clinched a good number of sales-ready deals in the current year. But handling a large number of deals every day makes it difficult to determine which ones to focus on.

You're in charge of tracking and maintaining these deals, and you need to fetch all of them, along with their relevant details, such as Deal Name, Amount, and Closing Date for a certain period, and then populate that data inside your sheet.

This data is useful in generating real revenue for your business. However, this is time-consuming if done manually, and can also lead to errors. To overcome this, Deluge can be used to create custom functions that can actually pull data from your Deals module inside Zoho CRM.

Note: To use custom functions that require fetching data from other services (in this case, we're fetching data from Zoho CRM and populating them in Zoho Sheet), the ow​​​​ner of the spreadsheet must hold an account in Zoho CRM.

These custom functions are similar to the macros in an Excel sheet. A macro is an action or set of actions that you can run as many times as you want. If you have tasks in Microsoft Excel that you repeatedly perform, you can create a macro to automate those tasks. 

Similarly, you can create a custom function by specifying set criteria and running it repeatedly whenever required. In other words, you can automate repetitive tasks using custom functions to save time and manual effort. 

How it works



Steps to create a custom function

1. Create connection 

  1. Navigate to Tools > Custom Functions and click Manage Connections.
  2. Click Create Connection. Select the Default Services tab under Pick Your Service.
  3. Select the Zoho OAuth service from the list of services. 
  4. Enter a suitable Connection Name. Here, we named it crm_oauth_connection. The Connection Link Name will be auto-filled accordingly.
  5. Choose scopes ZohoCRM.coql.READ and ZohoCRM.modules.deals.ALL.
    Note:
    • This connection is used to authorize Zoho CRM to fetch records from all its modules through a COQL query.
    • We're using the COQL API here, since selecting a date range in  the function's criteria isn't supported in the Get Records API.
    • Refer to the API page to learn how to get records through a COQL query.
  6. Click Create and Connect. You'll be redirected to the service authentication page.
  7. Click Connect, then click Accept to allow DRE to access data in your Zoho account. The required connection is now created.
  8. The CONNECTION SUMMARY page will display your connection details.

2. Create custom function

  1. Navigate to Tools > Custom Functions and click Create Custom Function.
  2. Enter a valid function name.
  3. Select the data type of the return value for the specific function to be created from the Result Type dropdown. Here, you need to choose list as the return data type, since we need the output to be displayed as a list of values (vertically).
  4. You can also add the required arguments and their types for the function in the Create Custom Function popup. Here, you must add the following arguments—StartDate and EndDate—with their data types as date. This is because we're going to fetch the deal details between the specified start and end dates.

  5. Click Create and your custom function will be created.

3. Script using Deluge

  1. Navigate to Tools > Custom functions > View Deluge Editor.
  2. Select the added custom function (DEALS_BETWEEN), write the following script in the editor, and click Save.
  1. //List is the return data type. StartDate and EndDate are the parameters, whose values will, in turn, be supplied as params while making the CRM API call.
  2. list DEALS_BETWEEN(date StartDate, date EndDate)
  3. {
  4. //Use toString to convert the input dates to accepted date formats in Sheet.
  5. start_date = StartDate.toString("yyyy-MM-dd");
  6. end_date = EndDate.toString("yyyy-MM-dd");
  7. //Construct a map with the required deal details in the defined map variable using a select query. The deal details include field names from the Deals module in CRM.
  8. query_map = Map();
  9. query_map.put("select_query","select Deal_Name, Amount, Closing_Date from Deals where Closing_Date between '" + start_date + "' and '" + end_date + "'");
  10. //Invoke the Zoho CRM API to fetch the records from the Deals module through a COQL query. The connection you created earlier will be used here.
  11. response = invokeurl
  12. [
  13. url: "https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v3/coql"
  14.  type: POST
  15. parameters:query_map.toString()
  16. connection:"crm_oauth_connection"
  17. ];
  18. //resultList is the variable to declare a list.
  19. resultList = List();
  20. response_data = response.get("data");
  21. //The below "for" statement parses the records inside the Deals module and fetches the specified details
  22. for each record in response_data
  23. {
  24. resultMap = Map();
  25. resultMap.put("Deal Name",record.get("Deal_Name"));
  26. resultMap.put("Amount",record.get("Amount"));
  27. resultMap.put("Closing Date",record.get("Closing_Date"));
  28. resultList.add(resultMap);
  29. }
  30. //Returns the response in the format expected by Zoho Sheet.
  31. return resultList;
  32. }
Note: 
  • In the above script, Deal_Name, Amount, and Closing_Date are API names of fields in the Zoho CRM Deals module.
  • You can test your custom function by clicking Run and entering sample values.
If you want to get the required API names for other CRM fields:
Log in to your CRM account.
Navigate to Settings > APIs (under Developer Space) > CRM API > API names.
Click the Deals module. The API names page will list the API names of all the fields in the Deals module. 
You can then use the required API names in your script.

4. Execute function

Enter the function in the below format. Your sheet will be populated with the deal details (Deal Name, Amount, and Closing Date) between the specified time period.

Input format:

=DEALS_BETWEEN("2022-01-01";"2022-11-11")

where,

DEALS_BETWEEN
name of your custom function
2022-01-01 
start_date value
2022-11-11
end_date value

You can refer to help page to learn in-depth about how to achieve the above custom functions using Deluge in Zoho Sheets. 
We hope you found this post useful—we'll be exploring Deluge in Zoho Connect in our next post. Please let us know if you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions in the comments, or write to us at support@zohodeluge.com.

Thank you!

You can also check out our preview posts in this series!




        • Recent Topics

        • Zoho Developer Community Hackathon 2025 is LIVE!

          Hey developers! It’s that time of the year again — the Zoho Developer Community Hackathon 2025 is officially open for registrations! If you’ve been waiting for a chance to stretch your skills, try something new, or finally bring that idea to life, this

        • Zoho Books | Product updates | September 2025

          Hello users, We’ve rolled out new features and enhancements in Zoho Books. From PayNow payment method to applying journal credits to invoices and bills in other locations, explore the updates designed to enhance your bookkeeping experience. Integrate

        • Zoho Workdrive for Office, "vsto runtime not found"

          Hi all, I have been trying to get ZohoWorkdrive_MS-addin_1.4.exe installed, but I keep getting the error "VSTO Runtime Not Found!" - even though I have installed it ... Anyone else hear had problems with the MS addin?  FYI, I am using O365 on A Dell laptop running Win 10 Home - fully patched and up-to-date.  I have tried compatibility modes and running explicitly as Administrator - the usual steps. Any advice would be appreciated.

        • Add "Fetch Composite Item" Action for Inventory

          I want to make a Flow that uses information returned in the GET call for Composite Items, and it's not currently available in Zoho Flow. Please consider adding this functionality.

        • Inactive Items - Make Less Prominent by Default

          Currently, when one marks an Item as "Inactive", it really doesn't do much of anything to hide it or get it out of the way. Search and reporting within Finance should, by default, hide inactive Items from standard reports, searches, etc. If one specifically

        • Can no longer export as pdf

          In NOTEBOOK I am no longer able to export notes to pdfs as I used to be able to. When I hit that command it asks where I want to send it, but no matter what I chose there is no pdf attachment that shows up in order to send. Nothing happens.

        • Emails are going to notification folder and not in inbox

          emails are going to notification folder and not into inbox

        • How can I prevent the Zoho Vault extension from automatically logging me out?

          Hi, I want the Zoho Vault Chrome extension to never log out. How can I do this? It only allows me to log out for 1 week, and the same applies to the Android app.

        • Zoho CRM App - Links

          Hi  Is there are plan for making Custom Links available in the Zoho CRM Android App? I can't see them being added? Thanks Gene

        • Templates

          Trying to sort out / get rid of unwanted invoice templates, the error msgs are not at all helpful. Surely it's easy to amend the error msg by including a list of the names of the customers / vendors that use it, denying deletion or making it inactive

        • Contacts limit in basic vs standard - what counts? Are customers contacts?

          I’ve been using books for a number years for my small business. I only ever work with 20 clients at any given time. I do purchase services from a number of vendors to run my business, so there are some comtacts there too. I used to use the basic package,

        • Finding missing records

          I have a challenge and I am not really sure where to start with it. I can't find any similar threads on here, can anyone help: I have two forms, FormA and FormB. Both forms have records that contain a field called Job_Number. What I am trying to achieve

        • Prevent Unapproved Quotes from Exporting to Zoho CRM Finance Module

          Is it possible to prevent unapproved quotes in Zoho Books from being exported from Zoho Finance module inside Zoho CRM?

        • ZOHO BOOKS - RECEIVING MORE ITEMS THAN ORDERED

          Hello, When trying to enter a vendor's bill that contains items with bigger quantity than ordered in the PO (it happens quite often) - The system would not let us save the bill and show this error: "Quantity recorded cannot be more than quantity ordered." 

        • Updates for Zoho Campaigns: Merge tag, footer, and autoresponder migration

          Hello everyone, We'd like to inform you of some upcoming changes with regard to Zoho Campaigns. We understand that change can be difficult, but we're dedicated to ensuring a smooth transition while keeping you all informed and engaged throughout the process.

        • Process between CRM and Campaigns to ensure double opt-in contacts?

          I would like to ask for a few clarifications to ensure we fully comply with best practices and legal requirements: According to the documentation (Zoho Campaigns CRM sync – Default option), the best and recommended way to sync contacts is by using the

        • What's New in Zoho Inventory | August – October 2025

          Hello customers, The last quarter has been incredibly productive! We've released a powerful slate of new features and enhancements in Zoho Inventory designed to give you better control, greater efficiency, and expanded functionality across your inventory

        • Search not working!

          I have items in my notebook tagged but when I search for a tag nothing comes up! Any fix for this?

        • Let's Talk Recruit: Meet Zia, your all-in-one AI assistant (Part-2)

          Welcome back to Let’s Talk Recruit series. In Part 1, we introduced Zia and how AI is reshaping the way recruiters work. This time, we’re taking a closer look at how far Zia has come and how each update continues to simplify your everyday tasks. When

        • Zoho Developer - Feature Request Platform

          Zoho Developer is one of the most underatted platform in zoho ecosystem, however, it may just be what zoho needs to welcome more people to use Zoho Services. The more developers you have creating zoho creator applications and zoho extensions the more

        • Last/Previous month in relative date filter

          In the relative date filter, what is the difference between "Last 2 months" and "Previous 2 months"? So, if we are on 25-July, then is my understanding correct of the following: Last 2 months :=:      25-May~24 July Previous 2 months :=:     01-May~30-June Thanks.

        • Tags get removed from notes on mobile

          I don't know why this keeps happening even after all these app updates but if you log out and log back into the app or you reinstall it, all the tags you assigned to your notes get taken off, but if you go on the desktop version the tags are still there.

        • Show Zoom Link in Recipient's Calendar

          We set up meetings within a record, selecting the "Make this an online meeting".  We use Zoom. Most of the recipients go to their calendar (usually Gmail or Outlook, corporate) to join the Zoom meeting, but there is no Zoom link in the calendar. Can this

        • How to fetch custom fields for time entries in Zoho Project API v3

          In the previous Zoho Projects REST API, we were able to retrieve custom field details for time entries, including picklist options, using the endpoint: GET /restapi/portal/[PORTAL_ID]/timesheetcustomfields In the new Zoho Projects API v3, we tried using

        • VAT rates - exempt and out of scope

          Good Evening, UK based company here. I am a bit confused in respect of setting up VAT rates for exempt goods and services; at present I am simply leaving the VAT rate blank in the transactions in order to prevent any VAT appearing in the VAT return. When

        • Zoho is blocking emails I subscribe to from one sender

          About 4 months ago I stopped receiving newsletters that I subscribe to from @thedispatch.com. They tell me that zoho's server is blocking them. I've added them to my contacts list, but they're not even reaching my inbox. I don't know how to troubleshoot

        • Introducing Lead Capture: Empower exhibitors to capture leads effortlessly

          Events provide a great opportunity for exhibitors to generate awareness and engage with potential customers. Efficiently distributing attendee information to exhibitors through a seamless and secure way is of paramount importance. Introducing Lead Capture

        • Work Order Creation Issue

          Dear Team, I would like to inquire about the daily limit for Work Order creation in Zoho FSM. Yesterday (02/05/2025) at around 6:30 PM GST, I attempted to create a Work Order, but I have been unable to do so since then. Please find the attached image

        • Accessing shared mailboxes through Trident (Windows)

          Hi, I have a created a couple of shared mailboxes. The mailboxes are showing up on the browser based Zoho workplace, but I cannot seem to figure out how to access my shared inboxes through Trident (Windows). Am I missing something or is this feature not

        • URGENT: ChatGPT Extension Failing With “gpt-3 Access Error” (Priority Support)

          Appreciate support reviewing this urgently. I am a Priority Support member and need immediate clarification on a recurring issue involving the ChatGPT extensions inside Zoho Desk. Both extensions — including the version created and published by Zoho —

        • Server error when trying to Data > Sort > Custom Sort

          Been using Data > Sort > Custom Sort for a while, now it has suddenly stopped working. When selecting the same data range and trying to execute, I get "Sorry! There was a problem saving your last edit. Please try again."

        • Zoho Desk iOS update: Custom buttons, follow/ unfollow option on tickets

          Hello everyone! In the most recent Zoho Desk iOS app update, we have brought in support to access the custom buttons configured on web app(desk.zoho.com). Using custom buttons you can seamlessly execute predefined actions directly from their mobile devices,

        • Zoho pdf suit

          Pl. design products with following feature: 1. Please add all features given in Ilovepdf website to work on pdf files. It is mandatory to use pdf in court work. 2. Courts have prescribed New Times Roman, pl. add this font as well 3. Indexing, signature

        • Zoho Not Working

          Today Zoho not wokring

        • Dynamically autofill fields with URL parameters

          I have a zoho form embedded in my organization's WP website. Our users find their account with a search tool, and then can select to open this page with the embedded form. The URL of the page holds the parameter that I need, but I cannot figure out how

        • User Automation: User based workflow rules & webhooks

          User management is an undeniable part of project management and requires adequate monitoring. As teams grow and projects multiply, manual coordination for updating users & permissions becomes difficult and can give way to errors. User automation in Zoho

        • Integrate Projects for Desk KB article release tasks

          Could you please look into the possibility of integrating project tasks for Zoho Desk article release processes? We are looking for an internal integration between Zoho Projects and Zoho Desk's KB article drafting, reviewing and releasing tasks. We could

        • Issue in Annual Leave

          We created a policy to credit 21 days at the Start of the Year An employee has taken 16 days of leaves thought the year, so we expect to see 5 Leaves remaining right? But Zoho People is Showing 12 Days of Leave Balance Available If we check the Leave

        • Use the searchBy parameter to find user by email address

          I'm trying to find a user is Zoho Desk via the Api. In the documentation I see that there is the possibility to add a searchBy parameter in the request. But I can't find how the search values should be formatted. I've tried multiple things and get either

        • Zoho CRM Community Digest - September 2025 | Part 2

          Hello Everyone! Mid-September vibes: fresh tips, smart hacks, and practical Zoho CRM updates all in one place. Let’s dive in. Product Updates: The All-New Address Field! The new Address field type makes it easier to capture complete addresses in one structured

        • Next Page