Kaizen 179: Choosing between ZDK CLI and Web UI : When to Use Each

Kaizen 179: Choosing between ZDK CLI and Web UI : When to Use Each


Hello everyone, 
Welcome back! ZDK CLI uses commands to manipulate with Zoho CRM metadata from a terminal.  While Zoho CRM Web UI remains the primary tool for manipulating Zoho CRM metadata like creating modules, configuring fields/layouts etc., using ZDK CLI has its own advantages.  In this post, we will explore scenarios where each option excels, empowering developers and administrators to make informed decisions as per their requirements. Let's dive in!

Smith, a consultant at TechSolutions Inc. (a Zoho CRM Partner), is enhancing the Deals module for Springfield University, to align it with their admissions workflow. Springfield University is using customized Zoho CRM  for  learning management system (LMS). The Deals module now tracks student enrollment stages ( "Application Received," "Scholarship Review," and "Admission Offer Sent") instead of the sales pipeline. To support this, Smith needs to add a custom field like “Financial Aid Status” to the Deals module. 

Should he use Zoho CRM UI or ZDK CLI?

 For simple changes like adding this field, Smith would use the Zoho CRM UI—it’s faster. But this raises the question-

When does a customization demand use of ZDK CLI?

The answer becomes clear with Smith’s next project: customizing Zoho CRM for Brookside University. He has to create customizations for Student Management, Course Management, Admissions, Finances, etc., which takes days or even weeks. If Smith were to use the Zoho CRM UI , he has to navigate through multiple tabs in the setup and creates them one by one. When his customization is done in the sandbox, he completes testing it and deploys it to the sandbox environment.  Smith designs a Student Dashboard Widget that displays a student’s academic progress, attendance, extracurricular activities, and advisor notes in one place. For creating the widget, he uses the ZET CLI tool in terminal and after development he packages it separately and upload it to Zoho CRM. 

If Smith opts for ZDK CLI to build the customizations, he can create modules, fields, layouts, roles, and profiles directly from the terminal. He can use ZET commands in ZDK CLI project directory for developing the widget and can add the widget to the Zoho CRM through ZDK CLI.

By leveraging ZDK CLI alongside Version Control Systems like Git or Mercurial, Smith along with his team mates ensures every customization is traceable. Git logs resolve disputes like “Who modified the Admissions pipeline?”. Using ZDK CLI with VCS facilitates team collaboration. One team member can build up on another team member's work.

Riding on the success wave of Brookside University’s LMS integration, Smith’s firm, TechSolutions Inc., now needs to replicate the same Zoho CRM customization for their next project. Without ZDK CLI, Smith would have to do it all over again: manually rebuilding every module, field, and widget through the UI.

With ZDK CLI, the effort required is minimal.
  • Using zdk org:export command, Smith can export the metadata of Brookside University. 
  • He can use the exported files and "tweak" them to suit the needs of his new project.
  • Using zdk org:push  command, he can deploy the refined configuration to the new environment.
ZDK CLI transforms CRM customization from a manual process into a repeatable strategy—ensuring TechSolutions Inc.’s  growth.

When to Use ZDK CLI 

  • Bulk Metadata Management: You can use ZDK CLI to pull the metadata from one organization which has metadata customizations for LMS, make minor changes, and deploy it for a different CRM organization which needs customizations for the same.
  • Version Control of metadata changes: With ZDK CLI you can use Version Control Systems like  Git/Mercurial to track and manage metadata changes made by different team members, clearly showing who made updates and when, enabling transparency. This also makes it easy to revert changes if issues arise.
  • Collaboration - Reuse Components: Using ZDK CLI you can easily export your local metadata changes with zdk org:export, which creates a zip file of the the crm directory in your local ZDK CLI project. You can share this zip file with your fellow developers to collaborate seamlessly by building on each other’s work. You can also achieve the same using VCS. Checkout our previous Kaizen post on using ZDK CLI with git: Leveraging ZDK CLI with VCS to reuse components across different Zoho CRM org. 
  • Widget Development: You can create and update widgets via CLI commands.You can use ZET commands in ZDK CLI project directory and widgets can be added to your organization from the terminal itself without the need of packaging the widget.
  • Automate commands: You can automate ZDK CLI commands using scripts, reducing manual intervention. Take a look at this Kaizen post where we discuss a shell script designed to automate the process of pushing locally modified metadata along with conflict management.
  • Conflict Resolution:  Conflict resolution in ZDK CLI guarantees that changes done does not get accidentally overwritten.  Resolve merge conflicts with zdk org:pull:resolve, which opens a browser-based diff editor to reconcile code differences.

Best Practices

  • Use ZDK CLI for development in sandbox environments and the Web UI for minor fixes and to deploy it to Production environment.
  • Pull configurations via CLI (zdk org:pull) before major edits to maintain a backup.
  • For developing widgets zet commands along with ZDK CLI commands in the terminal.
  • Refrain from making simultaneous changes via Web UI and ZDK CLI to prevent conflicts.
  • If you are unfamiliar with a command, use zdk help command for to check the description of the command.
  • Though ZDK CLI lacks the visual simplicity of the Web UI, pairing it with IDEs like VSCode improves its usability.

Notes
For the current beta release, ZDK CLI will exclusively be available for Sandbox environment and will not be operational in Production environments. 

We hope you found this post useful. We will meet you next week with another interesting topic!
If you have any questions, let us know in the comment section.

Happy Customizing!








        • Recent Topics

        • How to Print the Data Model Zoho CRM

          I have created the data model in Zoho CRM and I want the ability to Print this. How do we do this please? I want the diagram exported to a PDF. There doesnt appear to be an option to do this. Thanks Andrew

        • Cisco Webex Calling Intergration

          Hi Guys, Our organisation is looking at a move from Salesforce to Zoho. We have found there is no support for Cisco Webex Calling however? Is there a way to enable this or are there any apps which can provide this? Thanks!

        • Migration of Mails from Pipedrive

          Hi, so far the migration from Pipedrive to ZOHO works pretty good. For full completeness of the migration we miss all the mails linked to Deals, Contacts, Customers, ... What possibilities do we have to have Pipedrive fully migrated to ZOHO? Best Regards,

        • Published sheets don't work anymore

          Hi, Published sheets don't work anymore. The display of values is very very slow and calculations are not displayed at all. Thanks!

        • WorkDrive TrueSync for macOS 26 (Tahoe) Beta

          Hello everyone, With Apple unveiling the macOS 26 (Tahoe) Beta, we know many of you are eager to explore the latest features and enhancements. We’re excited to support your enthusiasm! As part of our commitment to delivering seamless cross-platform experiences,

        • Limited layout rules in a module

          There is a limit of 10 layout rules per module. Is there a way to get that functionality through different customization or workflow + custom function (easily accessible), etc. Having just 10 is limiting especially if module contains a lot of data. Are

        • #1 Zoho Billing vs. Zoho Books: Which one should I choose?

          Managing your business finances isn't just about sending invoices. It's about keeping everything organized, accurate, and moving towards your organization's goals. At Zoho, we understand the complexity, which is why we offer two powerful yet distinct

        • Is Zoho tables still being developed?

          Has this product been abandoned? I haven't seen any useful new features or stability improvements over the past six months or more. I think Tables is a great concept, filling a niche between spreadsheets and full database tools, but the current implementation

        • How to connect oracle ADW with Analytics

          I want to add Oracle ADW as a data source in Zoho Analytics, but I couldn't find any relevant documentation. Can anyone suggest how to do it, or let me know if it's even possible? Thanks!!

        • RAG (Retrieval Augmented Generation) Type Q+A Environment with Zoho Learn

          Hi All, Given the ability of Zoho Learn to function as a knowledge base / document repository type solution and given the rapid advancements that Zoho is making with Zia LLM, agentic capabilities etc. (not to mention the rapid progress in the broader

        • add attachments to automated emails?

          Hi, I'm looking for a way to have documents saved under an account, be grabbed and sent to an email address once a specific status has been updated.  For example we have a tab we've labeled as sales orders, when the status is changed to shipped, it emails the customer the tracking number and estimated delivery date.  I'd like it to also grab pdf docs (COA, BOL, etc) from that order and send in that email.   Currently we have to go into zoho change the status to shipped, then email all the docs to

        • [Action Required] Zendesk - Zoho Analytics integration requires re-authentication

          Dear Zendesk integration users, Zendesk is transitioning to a new OAuth model that uses refresh tokens for improved security and stability (read more). As a result, all Zendesk users in Zoho Analytics must re-authenticate their Zendesk connections on

        • Rerun Migration?

          I migrated a mailbox a few days ago, but didn't do the cutover on the MX records until today.  How can I rerun the migration to sync the mailboxes?  The old account has had a fair amount of activity since the first migration. I am used to other systems

        • طلب حذف الدومين والمؤسسة من حساب zoho

          السلام عليكم، أود طلب حذف الدومين التالي من حسابي في Zoho، حيث لا يظهر لي خيار الحذف في لوحة التحكم: اسم الدومين: hudajstore.com البريد المرتبط: [contact@hudajstore.com] علمًا بأنني المسؤول عن المؤسسة، ولا أستخدم الدومين حاليًا، وأرغب في إلغاء ربطه وحذف

        • Microsoft Outlook Add-in Update: Enhancing Efficiency for Recruiters

          We've released an update to the Zoho Recruit Microsoft Outlook Add-in, which brings a host of features designed to streamline your recruiting process and boost productivity. Let's delve into the details: Associate Emails with records in Zoho Recruit You

        • New integration: Zoho Books + Zoho Forms

          Hello Zoho Forms community! We are thrilled to announce the addition of another integration that brings speed and efficiency to your financial workflows. Zoho Forms can now be integrated with Zoho Books! Here’s a quick rundown on Zoho Books! For anyone

        • Witness Sign - Automation with Zoho Creator

          Hi there, I used to be able do automatically send a Zoho Sign document from Zoho Creator where each signer had one witness. The action code was as follows for each signer and witness:       // CLIENT eachActionMap1 = Map(); eachActionMap1.put("signing_order","1");

        • Announcing: custom color palette + free workshop

          Hello everyone, We're excited to share new feature in Zoho Bookings—a color palette within booking page themes. You'll find this option under Manage Bookings > Workspaces > Booking Page Themes. You can customize the color of every element in your booking page and even alter the transparency of your background image. Please note that this is a paid feature included in the Basic and Premium plans. At the moment, it's available only under the Modern Web theme. This means you can create billions (7,

        • Removing To or CC Addresses from Desk Ticket

          I was hoping i could find a way to remove unnecessary email addresses from tickets submitted via email. For example, a customer may email the support address AND others who are in the helpdesk notification group, in either the TO or CC address. This results

        • Ability to Export Field Dependency Structure in Zoho Desk

          Hi Zoho Team, We’d like to request a feature enhancement in Zoho Desk that would greatly improve configuration management for organizations like ours: Requested Feature: The ability to export the full structure of Field Dependencies, especially for multi-level

        • [URGENT] Allow reorder (drag&drop) of subform record

          Very simple user case: a wedding planning app where you want to send your client a form to fill with information about their wedding. Form includes some field for general purpose information and a subform for event pacing/schedule. Clients are invited to create a new row (When? - What? - Where? - Who?) for each thing happening during their wedding chronologically. Ex: When                  What 10h                      Something TBD                    Speech After speech      Yet another thing happening

        • Departments in Zoho

          I'm trying to set up a department. It looks like Departments have been removed from Zoho One. Is there another option? We have our main account setup, but want to set up a separate small department that can't see our tabs.

        • Add Timer for Agent Status Duration in Zoho Desk Dashboard

          Hello Zoho Desk Team, We hope you're doing well. We would like to submit a feature request to further enhance the agent status tracking functionality within the Zoho Desk Dashboard. 🎯 Current Functionality As it stands, Zoho Desk allows us to view the

        • [Beta Feature] Parent-Child Ticketing

          Hello there, a beta parent-child ticketing feature has recently been made available for some, read more here: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/desk/ticket-management/articles/understanding-parent-child-ticketing-system#Business_scenarios I would like

        • Enable Sorting by Ticket Count in Category Reports

          Hi Zoho Desk Product Team, I hope you're doing well. We would like to submit a feature request to improve the reporting capabilities in Zoho Desk. 🎯 Feature Request: Sorting by Ticket Count in Category Reports Currently, category-based reports in Zoho

        • Reactivating a CRM user...

          I'm a 1-man business primarily using CRM under my Zoho1 subscription (I have NO other employees or users). I wish to re-activate a prior user (my son, once more working with me) but when changing his status from inactive to active I receive this message:

        • Zohoサポートにスコープ開放を依頼する

          お世話になっております。 現在、弊社にてZoho DeskのナレッジベースをAPI経由で取得し、AIツール（NotebookLM等）に連携する仕組みの構築を検討しています。 つきましては、ZohoDesk.articles.READ スコープを使用したOAuth認証の許可をいただけますでしょうか。 API Console から Server-based アプリを作成済みですが、認可URLにアクセスすると「スコープが登録されていません」と表示されます。 お手数をおかけしますが、スコープの開放をご

        • Where can I configure the notifications for everything KB-related?

          Hi all, I'm receiving notifications for some actions happening in our Knowledge Base (e.g. someone leaving a feedback) and I would like to customise the template or have the choice to enable/disable such notifications like it is possible for ticket notification

        • Increase Round Robin Scheduler Frequency in Zoho Desk

          Dear Zoho Desk Team, We hope this message finds you well. We would like to request an enhancement to the Round Robin Scheduler in Zoho Desk to better address ticket assignment efficiency. Current Behavior At present, the Round Robin Scheduler operates

        • Self Client Authorization Code Flow for Mail returns 404

          Hello, I'm having trouble getting the Zoho mail api setup and want a sanity check. I am trying to follow this guide to get an access token for the mail api: https://www.zoho.com/accounts/protocol/oauth/self-client/authorization-code-flow.html Unfortunately

        • Zoho Knowledgebase Help Center Categories linkages are wrong

          Greetings, I am build a help center in zoho desk, based on the additional custom brand I have paid for. My knowledge base has 4 main categories. I have this setup this way in my knowledgebase customization theme area. The page layout is like this: Here

        • Resizing a Record Template Background Inage

          Hi everyone, I have an issue which I can't seem to resolve: Basically, I'm designing a record template in certificate form. I've specified A5 landscape. I've set my background image the same dimensions with total pixels at 443,520. Whatever I try, when

        • Connecting Learn to a Custom GPT

          Hi all! I am attempting to connect a Learn Space and all it's articles into a custom GPT. Has anyone successfully done this? I have worked on it with no success so far.

        • Tip 12: How can you customize the display name while sending emails from Zoho Creator.

          Hi folks, Usually when you send emails to your users, the display name defaults as your From email address. Most often, you would like to set a custom display name to represent your organization or the context of the email. You can mask or customize the display name (From Address) using Deluge script as long as the From email address has been verified. This would be very useful to you if you want to send bulk emails to a large audience.    Let's say you have a Student Registration form for your dance

        • Importing Data to update and not add

          I'm very new to Zoho created and tried searching the forums for the answer. Nothing I found has helped me make sense of how to do this. I created a app based on an excel spreadsheet but no matter what I do, whenever I import data it duplicates the record. I have a field I would like to use as a unique identifier, but I'm not sure how to tell my app that.  Any assistance, even a link to a tutorial on creating functions in the workflow of the app, would be very helpful. Unfortunately I can't share

        • Allow me to duplicate a field

          Hi, Many times I need to create new field with slightly change compare to an existing one. So when I click an existing field, can you add one more option "duplicate"? That'd be very helpful. You mayc heck wufoo.com to see this feature. Thanks, Li lhong1

        • Community Digest Noviembre 2024 - Todas las novedades en Español Zoho Community

          ¡Hola, Español Zoho Community! Wow, ya termina el año, ¡gracias a vuestra participación se nos ha pasado volando! Por eso mismo estamos preparando sorpresas para todos los que participáis en la Español Zoho Community para el próximo año, ¡estad atentos

        • Zoho Mail iOS app - Complete revamp of the UI including insert image option, toolbar customization, calendar widgets and more!

          Hello everyone! The new Zoho Mail iOS app introduces a fresh look, blending native iOS features with a refined UI and UX to make email management more intuitive. The updated design focuses on simplicity, ensuring smoother navigation throughout the app.

        • Download API file contents from browser

          Hi Team - is there something being planned to be able to trigger file downloads from the browser via a deluge script? i.e. retrieve a file via API, trigger the file download directly from the browser. Or... using the convertToPdf function (https://www.zoho.com/deluge/help/functions/file/convert-to-pdf.html)

        • Adding a work order for Assets vs. changing the contact person

          When adding a work order for an existing Assets (e.g. service), the assigned contact cannot be changed (deleting the contact deletes the selected Assets). This results in such an illogical operation that if you want to change the person to be contacted,

        • Next Page