Deluge in Zoho services #5: Zoho Connect

Deluge in Zoho services #5: Zoho Connect

Hello everyone,

Greetings from Deluge! Whoosh 🌬️ That's how quickly the first two months of 2023 came to an end, and now we're in full speed ahead! We hope you found the previous post in this series useful and are now back with our latest post.

Basically, ‌Zoho Connect is a team collaboration application that allows you to keep your workplace communication organized by building a thriving workplace culture for internal communications, employee engagement, and cross-team collaboration. As you all know, Deluge, our very own scripting language enables users to add logic to their applications/services, thereby making them more powerful and robust. Let us now explore the ways in which you can use Deluge to achieve more with Zoho Connect and stay powerfully connected!

In addition to supporting connections that enable you to log in to any Zoho or third-party service and access your data stored in those services, Zoho Connect supports Deluge in the following seven areas:

1. Incoming webhooks

In general, webhooks are used to trigger an action in one application using real-time events from an external service. Here, webhooks allow you to integrate Zoho Connect with other external services. They are of two types - Incoming webhooks and Outgoing webhooks (explained in the next heading).

Incoming webhooks are used to trigger an action inside Zoho Connect using real-time events from other Zoho products or third-party services. You can use incoming webhooks to post messages in Zoho Connect so that you can stay updated on activities in other applications without leaving Connect.Using Deluge, you can write custom logic that will be triggered upon an event in another application. For example, you can post messages in the Job Openings Connect group using these webhooks whenever a new opening is added to your portal. 

Note: Incoming Webhooks are available only at the Group level inside your Connect account.

Example

Let's assume that you had conducted a live workshop for your organization. Now, you've built a Feedback Form using Zoho Forms and emailed the form to your attendees. When an attendee fills in their details in the form and clicks submit, an incoming webhook will be triggered and the attendee's feedback will be added as a post inside the Feedback Group in Zoho Connect. Additionally, you can also present the feedback post in a presentable manner by using the advanced formatting options available for incoming webhooks.

See how it works



Note: Refer to the help page to learn how to achieve this automation.

2. Workflows

Workflows allow you to create a set of rules for Zoho Connect modules such as Profile, Feed, Events, Tasks, Polls, and Announcements, based on which the defined actions would be performed in a repetitive manner. These workflow rules can automate the specified actions like assigning tasks, creating events, and so on, whenever a rule is triggered. You (admin) can associate Deluge functions with the configured workflows and specify where (Network/Group) and in which instances that rule should be triggered. You can also set one or more conditions based on which the specified actions will be executed.

Example

Currently, in Connect, we can enable the Moderation option to allow group admins (moderators) to approve all posts and comments made in the group before they are made visible to everyone. To automate this process, we can use the Deluge AI tasks - analyze sentiment and keyword extraction that check the Connect posts for sentiments and extract the keywords that deem it unsuitable to be shared with a wider audience. For example, you have created a Zylker Writers Club group in Connect that allows its members to post their write-ups on a monthly basis. A workflow can be configured to check the live posts for their content. You can write a custom function for the workflow using Deluge to send a mail to the group admin asking them to review the posted content if the posts contain sensitive/hurtful content. Additionally, you can also configure the same function to create a task to be assigned to yourself (admin) with priority set as "high" and status as "to be reviewed". If the posts do not contain any sensitive content, an email can be sent to the group admin notifying them that posts have been made live in their group.

See how it works



Note: Refer to the help page to learn how to achieve this automation.

Custom Menu

Custom menus in Zoho Connect let you add customized menus to entities such as group conversations, tasks, and events, in addition to the default menus—Follow, Print, Bookmark, and Copy post URL that are already available. These custom menus can be configured to perform the required actions and solve requirement-specific use cases. You can write a Deluge custom function and define how the menu should work. These custom menus can then be shared with a set of users or groups.

Example

Let's assume you've created a Connect group named Zylker Feedback where you've configured the feedback collected from forms to be posted in this group. Now, let's assume you want to create a support ticket in Zoho Desk for the Connect feedbacks that are actionable. You can configure a custom menu named Create support ticket by defining a Deluge custom function for each of the required handlers and publishing the custom menu. When you access the respective group, you can click the ellipsis (three-dots) icon beside a post and the custom menu will be listed under the More option. You can click the menu, enter the required details and the ticket will be created successfully in Desk. This way, you can automate the process of ticket creation and ensure a quicker response to your customers.

See how it works



Note: Refer to the help page to learn how to achieve this automation.

4. Outgoing webhooks

An outgoing webhook enables you to trigger real-time updates from Zoho Connect to other Zoho products or third-party services. For example, you can send the details of posts or events in Connect to external services using these webhooks. This data transfer takes place via an authenticated API URL (webhook URL). You can also choose the required action to be performed when the trigger activity occurs i.e., either push information to a URL or perform an action defined in the Deluge custom function. For example, you can define a custom function to notify users in Zoho Cliq when an event is created or sync your data in Connect with third-party services like Trello.

5. Function APIs

While integrating two services using APIs, the structure of requests from one service must match the requirements of the other service. For example, to integrate Zoho Connect with SmartTask or any other task management application, the request and response structure of the Zoho Connect Create Task API must be followed.

However, the request and response structure of one service might not always meet the requirements of the other service. Function APIs include handlers that let you format the request and response structure of an API to match the requirements of a specific service. You can write a Deluge custom function to define how the request needs to be handled or customized by these handlers. Depending on the type of request made, the relevant handler will be triggered.

6. Scheduler

Schedulers in Zoho Connect enable you to automate your routine tasks without any user input. You can configure your schedulers to repeat at certain intervals — such as everyday, weekly or every month and thereby save manual time and labor.

7. User sync

Most organizations use enterprise directory systems (such as Active Directory or LDAP) to maintain employee information. For larger organizations, it can be difficult to manually add and manage users in the network. Zoho Connect's User Sync option simplifies these processes by enabling you to add, update, and disable user profiles in bulk using a .CSV file.

Handlers in User Sync enable you to perform customized actions on the input data. You can define the necessary action by writing a Deluge custom function in these handlers.

Currently, the User Sync option has two handlers: Function Handler and Post-Function Handler.
  • Function Handler: Define the action to be executed before syncing the user details with the Zoho Connect network. Ideally, this handler is triggered once a CSV file is uploaded. You can use this handler to make changes to the data in the CSV file. For example, you can write a function to change the email domain based on the location or reorder the first name and last name to align with local usage.
  • Post-Function Handler: Define the action to be executed after syncing the user details with the Zoho Connect network. You can use this handler to notify the admin that the user details are synced or send a welcome email to the newly added members.
You can refer to this help page to view more examples and sample scripts.
That’s it for now! We hope you found this post useful—we'll be exploring Deluge in Zoho Bug Tracker 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.

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




        • Recent Topics

        • Project Change Orders and Additions

          We are in the process of migrating from QuickBooks Online to Zoho Books. We have Zoho One and like the ability to sync all of our data across everything. And I like that projects work in a way that's less dumb than QuickBooks. I'm trying to figure out

        • Track online, in-office, and client location meetings separately with the new meeting venue option

          Hello everyone! We’re excited to announce meeting enhancements in Zoho CRM that bring more clarity and structure to how meetings are categorized. You can now specify the meeting venue to clearly indicate whether a meeting is being held online, at the

        • Create custom rollup summary fields in Zoho CRM

          Hello everyone, In Zoho CRM, rollup summary fields have been essential tools for summarizing data across related records and enabling users to gain quick insights without having to jump across modules. Previously, only predefined summary functions were

        • Possible to send Zoom AI Companion transcripts and summaries to contacts in CRM?

          Title says it all. Is it possible to send Zoom AI Companion transcripts and summaries to contacts in Zoho CRM?

        • Introducing segments for targeted user engagement

          Hello everyone, We’re excited to announce Segments in Zoho Apptics, a new way to group users based on their behavior, preferences, and app activity. With Segments, you can deliver more meaningful, timely, and relevant experiences to your users. When combined

        • How do I edit the Calendar Invite notifications for Interviews in Recruit?

          I'm setting up the Zoho Recruit Interview Calendar system but there's some notifications I don't have any control over. I've turned off all Workflows and Automations related to the Calendar Scheduling and it seems that it's the notification that is sent

        • Posibility to add Emoticons on the Email Subject of Templates

          Hi I´ve tried to add Emoticons on the Subject line of Email templates, the emoticon image does show up before saving the template or if I add the Emoticon while sending an Individual email and placing it manually on the subject line. Emoticons also show

        • Clarity on extended contract status

          Clarity on “extended” status- How does Zoho “extend” a contract?  E.g. if client extends by 1 month, can the “end date” be adjusted accordingly in Zoho and tagged as “Extended” with a clear audit trail that also captures the client’s email? Note- Email

        • Customizing contract status

          Can we customize/add/remove status on Zoho contracts ourselves or does Zoho needs to do this? Context- There is a long list of status on Zoho but not all of them are relevant for us . There are few status which are missing and needs to be added. E.g-

        • Set Custom Business Calendars and Holidays for Global Teams

          Managing a project across diverse teams means accounting for more than just tasks and deadlines; it means acknowledging how and when each team actually works. Users might follow different working days or observe region-specific holidays that cannot be

        • [Integration edition] Deluge learning series - Integrations between Zoho apps and Third-party services with Deluge | 28 August 2025

          We’re excited to welcome you to the Deluge learning series: Integration edition! The Integration edition will run for three months: Session 1 – Integrating Zoho Apps with Deluge using inbuilt integration tasks Session 2 – Integrating Zoho Apps with Deluge

        • Critical Vulnerability in all major password manager plugins - is Zoho Vault affected?

          Hi Zoho, a security researcher found a critical clickjacking vulnerability in all major browser password managers: DOM-based Extension Clickjacking: Your Password Manager Data at Risk | Marek Tóth Is Zoho Vault affected as well? Apparently the Vault extension

        • Introducing SecureForms in Zoho Vault

          Hey everyone, Let’s face it—asking someone to send over a password or other sensitive data is rarely straightforward. You wait. You nudge. You follow up once, twice—maybe more. And when the information finally arrives, it shows up in the worst possible

        • Tables from ZohoSheets remove images when updated from source

          I have a few tables from a ZohoSheet in a ZohoWriter document that will remove the images in the cells when I refresh from the source. The source still has the images in the table when I go to refresh. After updating from the source, as you can see the

        • Change eMail Template for Event-Invitations

          Hello ZOHO-CRM Team How I can change the eMail Template for Event-Invitations? I work with the German Version of the Free Version. I know how I can modify eMail alerts or Signature Templates, but where I can other eMails modify you send out? Thank you for your answer. Regards, Juerg

        • Inventory Adjustments

          Hi, How to transfer the material from one head to another ? Like materials purchased for manufacturing the laptop need to transfer from consumption inventory (Quantity of raw materials reduced) to destination inventory ( Quantity of Laptop increased)

        • Need Your Insights

          Hi Zoho, I'm confused why the flow only sends to one output. setVariable15 is from a list. It doesn't consider the 2nd entry. Any thoughts?

        • Map Dependency Fields - How can can I limit picklist values from a multi-select Parent field?

          I know the "Map Dependency Fields" feature doesn't allow a multi-select parent field. However, I need the functionality. Can I do it through a deluge function, and would it still support color coding picklists? We need the color coding for quick scanning

        • DYK 1 - Color Palette for Enhanced Visual Identification of Status

          Introducing the Did You Know series of posts. The goal of this series is to familiarize users with certain features or enhancements in Zoho Projects that may not be evident at first glance. The first post in this series deals with color palettes for indicating

        • Invalid field in the COQL query

          Dear Zoho Support! I believe that you already helped me with a similar problem a few years ago. One of my clients has a custom field named "LOB" in the "Deals" Module (see the field's metadata below). The COQL query using this field: : "select id, Deal_Name,

        • 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

        • Transferring domain registration to new registrar and switching email hosting at the same time?

          I need to transfer an existing domain uv cure adhesive that's currently with SiteGround to Porkbun. I also need to move the existing custom email addresses from SiteGround to Zoho Mail. I'm not sure if I should transfer the domain first and then tackle

        • Split deposits

          Can Zoho do split deposits. One deposit, two checks for two separate invoices from different customers. This is one of the most common tasks I can imaging. When I mark the two invoices paid, there are two deposits in bank register. When I try to match,

        • Feedback: Streamlining Note Management in Zoho Notebook

          Dear Team/Support, I would like to share some feedback regarding the note management system that could help improve usability and accessibility for users like myself. Notebook 1 (screenshot attached): Currently, the system does not allow selecting and

        • Deactivate Desk Contact without Deleting Contat

          We have a client who has multiple tenants for regulatory purposes, and as such, has a few users that have email addresses in both tenants. They've then emailed into the ticketing system, so we have multiple contacts (no big deal, we want to keep their

        • Delete my store of Zoho commerce

          Hi Team, I want to delete my stores of commerce. Please help me asap. Looking for the positive response soon. Thanks Shubham Chauhan Mob: +91-9761872650

        • 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

        • [Free Webinar] Learning Table Series - Zoho Creator for Asset Management with AI Enhancements

          Hello Everyone! We’re excited to invite you to another edition of Learning Table Series, where we showcase how Zoho Creator empowers industries with innovative and automated solutions. Each month highlights a specific sector, and this time our focus is

        • How to set different item selling prices for Zoho Commerce and Zoho Books

          Item selling prices for Zoho Commerce and Zoho Books are in sync. If we update the Item selling price in Books, the same will happen in commerce and vice versa. I need a separate commerce selling price for online users and a separate books selling price

        • Menu Building is completely broken

          I have been 3 hours, I have not been able to edit the menu. Either it is completely broken, very little intuitive or I do now know anything... There is no way to create a megamenu, no way to create a menu. Despite the fact I go to menu configurartion

        • Can you sell Subscriptions using Zoho Commerce?

          In addition to physical products and the apparently coming soon 'Digital Products', it is possible to sell Subscriptions using Zoho Commerce?

        • Kaizen #197: Frequently Asked Questions on GraphQL APIs

          🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.

        • Multiple Languages for Product Names

          Hi, I use 2 languages: spanish and english. I want to have for every product a name in spanish and a name on english. I want to have to possibility of choosing one of these languages when making an invoice or a purchase order. Is there any way to do

        • Item with name in different languate

          Hello, is there a way to have an item with its name in different languages? For example: I sell an item in different markets and I'd like to have a Proposal and the Invoice with the Item Name in a specific language. Rino Bertolotto Zoho Specialist, STESA srl

        • Contacts with most tickets? Alarm for multiple tickets?

          Is it possible to see through the analytics/reports which contacts are creating the most tickets (not the most discussed ones)? Also, is there a way to set up a notification if a contact creates multiple tickets within a certain time frame?

        • Issue with Template Subject Line Format in Zoho CRM

          Hi Team, I’ve noticed that when I update the subject line of an email template in Zoho CRM, it sometimes appears in an incorrect format when used. Please see the attached screenshot for reference. Kindly look into this issue and fix this issue from backend

        • Two Data Labels in Bar Chart

          I need to create a bar chart that has both the SUM and COUNT. I've concatenated them into a formula but it converts it into a stacked bar / scattered chart. The bar chart is no longer accessible. Since i'm comparing YOY, it would be best to have it in

        • Disable field on subform row

          Hi, Is it currently possible to disable a row item on a subform? I was just trying to do something whereby until another value is entered the field is disable but for the deluge scripting interface threw up an error saying such a function is not supported on a subform. Thanks in advance for your help. Shaheed

        • Leads - Kanban view fit to screen

          Hey guys, I created a custom layout for my leads, staged by lead status. I have 10 types of status. In Kanban view I see only 4 columns/stages and need to scroll to the right to see the rest. Is there a way to make columns/stages be displayed all together?

        • Request to Differentiate Auto-Closed WhatsApp Conversations in SalesIQ

          Hi Zoho Support, I’d like to raise a request related to the way WhatsApp conversations are auto-closed in SalesIQ. Every Monday, our Sales team has to manually review each closed WhatsApp conversation from the weekend to identify which ones were automatically

        • Next Page