Zoho Creator monthly roundup - September 2024

Zoho Creator monthly roundup - September 2024

Hello all,

We're back with an exciting set of new features and enhancements that will elevate your Creator experience even further. In case you missed it, we’ve recently revamped our Product Roadmap page, now with a refreshed design and showcasing all the updates planned for the rest of the year. Be sure to check it out for a peek into what's coming next!

Now, let's dive into the updates for this month:
  • Zia assistance using Zoho GenAI
  • Field permissions for portal users
  • Enhanced flow for connection creation
  • SAML authentication enhancement for portals
  • Extension testing before publishing
- - - - - - - - - -

Zia assistance using Zoho GenAI 

We’re excited to announce the launch of our own large language model (LLM), Zoho GenAI, which will power Zia assistance by default. However, we’ll continue offering OpenAI as a paid option via BYOK (bring your own key).

How does it work?
  1. Going forward, when you use Zia Assistance to create a new app or form, or get next-field suggestions, Zia will be powered by Zoho GenAI by default.
  2. If you prefer to use OpenAI with Zia, you can integrate it by visiting the Zia section under Operations and configuring it by adding your API key.
Business value
By leveraging Zoho GenAI as the default option for Zia Assistance, you benefit from our in-house AI capabilities at no extra cost. The dual options (Zoho GenAI and OpenAI) also offer enhanced flexibility and convenience, allowing you to choose the product that best fits your needs.
 
Applicable for: C6
Availability: US, IN DCs
Reference: Understand Zia features in Creator
 
- - - - - - - - - -

Field permissions for portal users 

Our existing portal permission sets have empowered you to control the application components and data that portal users can access and interact with. With this new update, we’re taking it a step further by giving you the ability to configure field-level permissions within the portal, providing you with even more granular control over which fields are visible to your portal users. A key use case for this feature is handling personally identifiable information (PII), allowing you to control exposure to sensitive fields (like email addresses) by selectively granting or restricting access based on user permissions.

How will it work?
You’ll now find a Field Permission option under the More section on the Portal User Permissions page.

 
Business value 
Field permissions provide greater flexibility and security and ensure portal users see only the information that’s relevant to them.
 
Applicable for: C5, C6
Availability: All DCs
Reference: Understand portal permissions

- - - - - - - - - -

Enhanced flow for connection creation 

We’ve made several updates to streamline the connection creation flow, with the aim of making it easier for you to create and authorize connections:
  • Automatic connection name: The connection name will now be auto-generated when you select a connector. You can still edit it at any time.
  • Simplified authorization: By default, the same authorization will apply across all environments. If you prefer different authorizations for each environment, select the Use different authorizations for each environment option and specify the relevant environments.
  • Auto-generated authorization account name: The authorization account name will be automatically generated based on the third-party account name, if available, or assigned a system-generated name. You can edit this name later, on the Connection Details page.
Business value
This update streamlines third-party integration by enabling one-click connection creation for any selected built-in connector, reducing manual input and automating tasks, leading to increased efficiency and fewer potential errors.

Applicable for: C5 & C6
Availability: All DCs

- - - - - - - - - -

SAML authentication enhancement for portals     

We've rolled out enhancements to the user addition flow for Zoho Creator portals that use SAML authentication. Previously, there was no direct sync between the portal and the identity provider (IDP), requiring admins to manually add users under the Portal Users section before they could access the portal using SAML. With this new update, users from the IDP will now be automatically added as portal users upon signing up using SAML. The consumption of limits, as per your pricing plan, will be calculated as signups occur.

Note: This feature is applicable only to public portals.

Business value 
This enhancement simplifies user management by automating the user addition process, providing a smoother and more efficient onboarding experience.

Applicable for: C5, C6
Availability: All DCs
Reference: Understand SAML authentication

- - - - - - - - - -

Test extensions before publishing 

We'll be rolling out a new feature that lets you test your extensions on a sample application before you publish them. Previously, the process involved only development and publishing. With this enhancement, it will now include development, testing, and publishing. This added testing phase allows you to evaluate how your extensions perform in a live setting, giving you the chance to make any needed adjustments before completing the publishing process.

How will it work?
  • Going forward, you'll find a Test option for the Extensions.
  • By clicking this, you'll be taken to a sample application where you can create a new page and insert your widget. Once done, click Access Application to see how your extension appears and functions on the page.
Business value
This enhancement enables you to test your extensions in a sample environment before publication, ensuring they function as intended and minimizing the risk of issues after launch.

Applicable for: Creator in Sigma
Availability: All DCs

- - - - - - - - - -

That wraps up this month's updates. Feel free to share your thoughts on these updates in the comments below!
 
Regards,
The Zoho Creator Team



      • Sticky Posts

      • Zoho Creator - 2023 Release Projection 1

        Hello everyone! A very Happy New Year to you and your family. Hope you're all good and having a great time using Zoho Creator to make your lives easier and your businesses prosper. 2022 was an action-packed year for us at Creator, and we hope to continue

      • Zoho Creator User Group meetups in a city near you! - Oct - Nov, 2023

        Greetings from the Zoho Creator team! We're hosting a series of Zoho Creator meetups in various cities across the globe, and we'd love to meet you there! Our meetups are a great opportunity to network with industry peers, exchange ideas and best practices,

      • Zoho Creator - 2023 Release Projection 2

        Hello everyone! Time truly flies when you're having an incredible journey, and today we mark the completion of an eventful and action-packed six months. It feels like just yesterday when we embarked on this adventure together with the launch of our new

      • Upcoming Updates - August 2022

        Hi all, Greetings from the Zoho Creator team! Today we've got news for you on some exciting updates. And rest assured— there’s more to come! In this post, we'll be going over the upcoming features and improvements for this month as mentioned below. A

      • Introducing Zoho Creator's v2 APIs

        Hello App Creators, Welcome to Zoho Creator's v2 APIs! This post will serve as the central point for migrating implementations of Creator's current APIs (v1) to v2. Improvements that v2 brings OAuth-based authentication, which is more secure than the

        • Recent Topics

        • Pulling Specific Products from Sales Orders in Books to a CRM Record

          We currently process orders directly through our website (woocommerce) as well as through manual sales orders in zoho books. When an order comes through the website, all of the individual products from that order show up in the CRM record of that customer.

        • Constant Sync Errors 🙄

          I'm constantly getting sync error notifications with no actual resolution. Also... I have folders and files with a (!) on the cloud icon, indicating it's not accessible. This has also led to the complete loss of certain folders. Like... the go missing!

        • Build custom AI solutions with Catalyst’s QuickML capabilities in CRM

          Hello everyone, We’re thrilled to announce an improvement for our Zoho CRM Enterprise users: the ability to create custom AI solutions using Catalyst’s QuickML directly from Zoho CRM. As you may already know, Zia, Zoho CRM’s AI-powered assistant, offers

        • 【Zoho CRM】Webフォームに関するアップデート

          ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの中野です。 「Zoho CRM アップデート情報」の中からフィルター機能に関するアップデートについて紹介します。 今回、「Webフォーム」機能に以下２点のアップデートがありました。 ダブルオプトイン（2段階の同意確認）後の確認メッセージのカスタマイズ 登録から確認まで一貫したユーザーエクスペリエンスを顧客に提供するために、カスタマイズされた確認メッセージを作成できるようになりました。 ダブルオプトイン認証メールのカスタマイズ 顧客に最初から興味を持ってもらえるよう、パーソナライズされたメールを作成できるようになりました。ユーザーのブランドに合った本文を作成し、パーソナライズすることで、様々な顧客に対応することができます。

        • Converting Time and Time Zones

          Hi Everyone I am trying to convert a time Zone to the local time of the user. I am fetching some data from an API, and it is coming back in this format: 2024-12-09T16:49:23Z This is in UTC/GMTZulu time. I am looking to convert it to the user time. In

        • Tip of the week 34 - 5 ways to maintain your email list

          A proper email list often reflects the reach of an institution. This reach is coveted by all but achieved by some. We often forget about drawbacks and incline towards numbers. Success is often reflected by quality and not quantity. This simple message reverberates in maintaining a hygienic email list. Here are five tips which will help you maintain a proper email list.    Organic email lists   Non-stop competition can make us susceptible to shortcuts like buying and renting lists from third party

        • Whatsapp Limitation Questions

          Good day, I would like to find out about the functionality or possibility of all the below points within the Zoho/WhatsApp integration. Will WhatsApp buttons ever be possible in the future? Will WhatsApp Re-directs to different users be possible based

        • Can not send campaign

          Hi, I'm trying to send a newsletter to my subscribers, but seems is not working - or maybe I did some wrong steps re. upgrades. I'm the admin for this account, no other person is using Zoho for my campaigns and I did not access the platform during last

        • Does Zoho campaign de-duplicate based on mobile for SMS campaigns?

          Hi - We recently sent our first SMS campaign using Zoho Campaign integrated into Burst SMS and got feedback that some of our customers received multiple messages. Upon inspection, this was due to multiple contacts in our list containing the same mobile

        • Multilingual Newsletter

          Hi, Can Zoho campaign give the possibility to create and send a campaign in English and French, giving the possibility to the person receiving it to switch from default language chosen for a campaign? thnaks

        • Top Menu Disappeared from Blog Page

          Hi, Our top menu disappeared at Blog Posts page. However, it's still visible any other page on the website. I attached two screenshots, so it can be understood clearly. How can we bring back top menu? Thanks, K.

        • Add Comment/Notes to Each Action in Zoho Flow for Internal Documentation

          It would be great if Zoho Flow could introduce a field to every action where we can make an internal note about why we are doing something with a specific action. This is especially helpful if more than one person from the organization handles automation

        • Questions about To Do

          1. I created a To Do note on Android and there is a line sorting option in the options drop down menu. But I didn’t find such an option in the PC client. I really need this option. 2. Why is there no search in To Do on the PC client? 3. Why is there no

        • Tip of the week 03 - Sending emails in batches

          Today's marketers not only want their email marketing to be efficient, but also smart. For an email campaign, you may think you have all the essential elements for lead conversion—a big mailing list, an attractive template design, and the most-engaging message content, but after hitting the ‘send’ button, you may not get the expected conversions. Wondering why? Here’s one of the major reasons. Many marketers miss out on sending the email campaign the right way. Did you know that you should not be

        • Sites Speed and Performance Grades

          I noticed that there are no recent inquiries or complaints about load speed or performance issues with Zoho Sites websites. However, I wanted to understand what Zoho has done to ensure that speed remains optimized, images are compressed and lazy loaded,

        • Feature Request - Configurable Payment Icons + Pay Now link in email.

          The PAY NOW buttons (icons) on invoices are really small. It would be great if we could make that a big, colored icon. Better would be to add a button to emails as well. 

        • Website Access Blocked (from one pc only) when attempting unattended access to any device

          Hello From one of my laptops I cannot access any remote device using unattended access. A Zoho Assist error page didplays 'Website Access Blocked. See attached.

        • Survey end date extension

          Hi, Is there any way to extend the end date of my survey? I needed more time in finding respondents that is why I need to extend the end date of my survey. Help. Thanks

        • AI read notes or explanation

          It would be such a great feature to have AI voices be able to read our Notes or Explanation If not having the AI speak the notes at run time, how about a feature where inside of Zoho Show you can have it look at all the notes of all the slides and have

        • Managing Prepaid Hours for Consulting

          We are a consulting firm that bills clients a flat upfront annual fee plus an hourly rate and offer a discount for pre-paying a block of hours. Hours that surpass the pre-paid block are billed monthly at the normal rate. If there are any pre-paid hours remaining at the end of the project they are banked for future use. I'm not seeing a method of doing this in Projects/Books/CRM... thoughts?

        • Email Verification Tool

          Hi there, just came across this tool for Google Sheets https://www.producthunt.com/posts/email-verification-tool-for-google-sheets-2 How would one do to automatically verify/validate email addresses entered on the CRM in a similar way?

        • Get DealID when Deal Created?

          Hi What's the easiest way to grab the DealID when a deal is created?  I want to add it to a custom field on the deal. Thanks

        • ZOHO Widget SDK not loading in html

          I have this code below, I have imported the widgetsdk however I get the error shown in the image, I have tried many different ways of importing and initiating the function ZOHO but nothing is working. can someone explain what I'm doing wrong, if I am

        • Enhancements to Zoho Corp Help Center "Team Requests" View

          Dear Zoho Team, I hope this message finds you well. The ability to view both my tickets and my team’s tickets in the Zoho Corp Help Center is a fantastic feature, especially as the focal point for Zoho in our organization. However, we’ve encountered a

        • Allow Multiple Scheduled Appointments with Zoho Support

          Dear Zoho Team, I hope you're doing well. First, thank you for introducing the option to schedule support calls via the Zoho CRM booking link. This has been a fantastic enhancement, eliminating the need for back-and-forth coordination when scheduling

        • Projectwise budget ---

          Can we have a Project wise subject in addition to the Monthly, and quarterly ACCOUNT LEVEL budget?

        • WorkDrive API Documentation

          WorkDrive provides users and developers an extensive set of APIs to help integrate functionalities of Zoho WorkDrive with other Zoho applications and third-party tools. We have published the official WorkDrive API Documentation page for all external users.

        • Welcome Link Expired

          Hi The links sent to the users didn't get clicked on in time and now all the links have expired. Is there a way to send a new link without deleting them and re-adding them>

        • Error 403: Forbidden When Updating Email Signature via API

          Hi Zoho Desk team, First, congratulations again on the excellent Zoho API. But, I’m encountering an issue while attempting to update an email signature via the API. Whenever I make a request to update the signature, the response returns an HTTP 403 Forbidden

        • Who can see draft replies on tickets?

          We have noticed that we are able to see draft replies made by other agents. Which settings can limit this visibility? It makes sense to me that admins and the agent who created the draft would be able to see the draft, but no one else. How can we make

        • Serious question: Are there actually "solo-preneurs"/small business owners who made Zoho-one work well for them?

          L.S. After already many years of continued struggle with Zoho-One, I am seriously wondering if there are actually solo-preneurs (one person small business owners - without a large, dedicated IT dept.) who got it (Zoho-One) to work well for their businesses.

        • Major iOS issues when accessing forms via the browser

          Hi, We have been using forms for some time, while the office staff are accessing the forms via the app on Android mobiles, we have a fleet of sub contractors that we would not like them having access to the main app as some of the forms are confidential

        • All notes disappeared

          I've been using the notebook app for over five years on my phone without being logged into an account. A few days ago I opened the app and all my notes had disappeared. Since then I tried restarting my phone, updating the app and logging into my account,

        • Leads and Deals Issue

          Hi! Is Zoho having trouble today? I've been experiencing issues today. When I move a deal to closed/won, it previously would require a closing date but today the screen just went blur and the closing date did not pop up. And then under leads, I was trying

        • How to Iterate a Function in Zoho Desk Workflow with Delay Between Calls?

          Hi everyone, I’m working on a function in Zoho Desk that searches for a specific ticket record. If the ticket is not found, I need to retry the search multiple times with a delay between each attempt until the ticket is located or a maximum number of

        • How to Iterate a Function in Zoho Desk Workflow with Delay Between Calls?

          Hi everyone, I’m working on a function in Zoho Desk that searches for a specific ticket record. If the ticket is not found, I need to retry the search multiple times with a delay between each attempt until the ticket is located or a maximum number of

        • Work Orders / Bundle Requests

          Zoho Inventory needs a work order / bundle request system. This record would be analogous to a purchase order in the purchasing workflow or a sales order in the sales cycle. It would be non-journaling, but it would reserve the appropriate inventory of

        • Zoho Books API Limit Is RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

          The 2,500 API call limit in Zoho Books is about as useful as AOL dialup.  Seriously Zoho, not only can I use up 2,500 API calls in no time with my own app but YOUR OWN STUPID IPAD APP blows through them super fast too, so if any one of my clients wants

        • QR codes in templates

          I'm excited about the new QR code generator. I have included a QR code that contains the record ID setting "${ID}" as input data. In the report detail it works perfectly but when printing it in a template the code is not shown.

        • Button Display Conditions

          Hi Guys, Is it at all possible to have extra button conditions? Context: We have data in our deals module which has a custom button which converts the deal into contacts + set up relationships between them. At the end of the conversion we set a field

        • Next Page