Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - October 2024

Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - October 2024



Hello everyone,

This edition highlights October's product updates, upcoming community events, engaging discussions that sparked inspiration, and celebrates the top contributors who drove progress. Grab your favorite beverage and dive in!

Upcoming Events

Alert
We're super excited to announce our first-ever Zoho Developer Community Hackathon, coming your way this November. Get ready to innovate and compete on a global scale! Registration opens soon, so stay tuned for more details!

Zoho Apptics 101 

Date: November 12, 2024
Time: 12:30 pm IST & 9:30 PM IST
Title: Sessions, Screens, and APIs

In this series, we’ll dive deep into every aspect of application analytics to help you understand how Zoho Apptics aids in measuring important KPIs that reflect your app's performance, growth, and engagement. The last session of the series this year, focuses on Sessions, Screens, and API tracking. Registration and more details here.

Creator Tech Connect:

Title: Directory stores and device management in Zoho Creator using Zoho Directory.
Date: November 14, 2024
APAC & ANZ: 11 AM to 12 PM IST - Registration Link
EMEA: 4 PM to 5 PM IST - Registration Link
Americas: 9 PM to 10 PM IST - Registration Link

Creator's tech connect series would comprise of technical sessions that provide immersive training on the key essentials and technical nuances of building a solution in Zoho Creator. This is a great opportunity for our developer community to stay informed about Creator's new feature releases, product roadmap, best practices to follow while scripting in deluge, new deluge concepts, and cloud functions. The previous session focused on managing domains, controls, and security policies in Zoho Creator using Zoho Directory and in the upcoming session, we will explore directory stores and device management in Zoho Creator using Zoho Directory.

Catalyst Webinar

Title: Boost eCommerce Efficiency by Automating PDF and Invoice Generation at Scale
Date: November 21, 2024
Time: 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm IST or 8 AM - 9AM PT
 
Are manual processes slowing down your ecommerce business? Join this webinar to discover how automation can revolutionize your operations. Learn how to generate invoices and PDFs seamlessly, reduce errors, and scale your business effortlessly.

Agenda:
  • The Power of Automation: Understand how automating invoices and PDFs can drive efficiency and enhance your ecommerce operations.
  • Seamless Integration: Learn how to implement automated PDF generation into your existing systems with ease.
  • Scaling for Growth: Explore strategies to optimize your processes and scale your ecommerce business effortlessly.

Learning Table Series:

Title: Creator for the Finance Industry
Date: December 5, 2024
APAC & ANZ: 11 AM to 12 PM IST - Registration Link
EMEA: 4 PM to 5 PM IST - Registration Link
Americas: 9 PM to 10 PM IST - Registration Link

We designed this series to provide users with valuable insights and knowledge about Creator's capabilities in various business use cases and applications. This year, we have adopted the 12 Months 12 Industries concept. Every month, we will focus on a specific industry, illustrating its unique processes with real-time business scenarios and how to make best use of Creator for that industry. Our previous webinar on Creator for the NGO Industry was a success, and in the upcoming session, we'll be exploring Creator for the finance industry.

Feature Spotlight

Zoho Creator

We're thrilled to announce the launch of the revamped Zoho Creator Developer Console—a dedicated platform designed specifically for Creator developers and partners to build, test, and distribute apps to your clients. The revamped Zoho Creator Developer Console introduces a more streamlined, intuitive experience designed to empower developers at every stage of their app-building journey. Key updates include testing environments, seamless update deployment, the ability to publish apps for monetization in the Marketplace or distribute them privately with specific clients, and much more. Overall, the Zoho Creator Developer Console is an indispensable toolkit, enabling developers to innovate faster and deliver tailored, robust solutions to their clients.

Read more about this new launch in this community post or the partner network post.

Zoho Finance Platform: External Lookup Data Type in Custom Fields

We've added the External Lookup data to custom fields. Using this data type, you can select one of the available Zoho apps and look up data from one of its fields. Currently, you can look up data from Zoho CRM and Zoho Desk. After selecting the Zoho app, you need to select the organization, module, and field to lookup. For example, if you want to view the meetings you've had with your customers, you can create an external lookup for Zoho CRM, choose the CRM organization, select the Meetings module, and select the field to lookup (say Title). Learn More.

Products supported: Zoho Books, Zoho Inventory, and Zoho Billing.

Keep an eye out for our ongoing Custom Function Series!
 
For any queries related to the Zoho Finance development platform, reach out to our tech team at devsupport@zohofinance.com

Resource Spotlight

Info
We've consolidated all the resources from the developer community learning series into a centralized hub for your convenient access. Consider bookmarking our Zoho Developer Community website to stay informed about the latest updates in the developer community.

Community Discussions

Zoho Developer Forum

  • Sometimes, choosing the right data structure can make a big difference. @Ilja wanted to know the best way to compare a list of countries with their corresponding ISO codes. While a long chain of if-else statements might seem like a simple solution, it gets slow and hard to manage with a large number of countries. @Sakis Oikonomou, @Abhishek , and @Eric Chrobak jumped in and explained that a Map approach is superior. Go through this conversation to know why!
  • @WM Yeo encountered a roadblock in their client script where changes to a specific field weren't triggering updates in other fields. Find out how they resolved the issue as this thread underscores the importance of understanding the appropriate methods for field updates in different contexts.
  • @keino sought a way to send emails to each contact listed in a Zoho CRM subform. @addisonbooth.co.uk suggested using Zoho Flow to automate this process, while @Pheranda Nongpiur offered a more direct approach with a custom Deluge code snippet. This conversation underscores the flexibility of Zoho CRM, with both low-code and custom coding options available to fulfill specific needs.
  • @yongmeng.tay wanted to automate a field update based on user data. @Bhoomi Joshi, a dedicated Zoho MVP, went above and beyond, providing a detailed client script solution and even offering a personalized debugging session. This thread showcases the power of community support and the importance of clear communication in resolving technical hurdles.

Developers ZUG Cliq Channel

InfoThese conversations are confined to the Developers ZUG Cliq channel members. If you're keen on becoming a part of this space, visit our website, click JOIN NOW, and complete the form to get an invite to the channel.
  • Redundant work can get pretty tiresome. Our top contributor, @Pranit, tried to overcome such a task through auto-populating fields in Zoho Desk. Check out this conversation where the community members bring together different pieces of the puzzle to get the complete picture. @Carter shares the logical flow, and @Vivek shares the coding solution with @Venessa and @Dr. Joe Sweeney backing it up with their thoughts.
  • Almost always, someone from the Community has the answer to another's question. Sometimes, a member ventures into something unventured. @Pranit found himself in such a situation. Needing to convert a byte array to PDF, he turned to the community for help. While the community offered various suggestions, the perfect solution remained elusive. Check out the conversation to see if you might have a solution to his problem. Who knows, you might even find any of the offered solutions beneficial to your business!
  • Each integration between products gives any business an additional dimension of functionality. It's even more pivotal when that integration deals with the final step of the sales cycle—creating and delivering the invoice for a completed deal. @Buddy Quaid faced an issue while creating an invoice with Zoho Writer and storing & sending it from Zoho Workdrive. This month's top Cliq contributor, Vivek Rai, joins Buddy on quite a journey of issues and stumbling blocks, before reaching the solution. Check it out here!

Community Spotlight

ZDH Speakers

As a continuation of featuring a ZDH presenter each month, this time, we are delighted to introduce the 16th episode presenter . Explore this post to discover the knowledge and insights he shared with the community.

Cliq Contributors

Here are our top contributors who have gone the extra mile to support and assist the community:


We want to express our sincere appreciation to all our community contributors. Your commitment, expertise, and the time you invest are invaluable to the community. 

For those who are new to the Zoho Developer Community, check out this post to get started

We appreciate you dedicating your time to peruse this month's digest. Make sure to follow the digest each month for the most recent updates and conversations. Stay connected and participate in the forums and the Cliq channel to be featured in the upcoming month's digest. Wishing you an amazing month ahead!



SEE ALSO


      • Sticky Posts

      • Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - November 2024

        Hello everyone! Welcome back to the November edition of the Developer Community Monthly Digest. Dive in to explore the upcoming events, hands-on training sessions, exciting product updates, insightful discussions, and more to keep you informed and inspired!
      • Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - October 2024

        Hello everyone, This edition highlights October's product updates, upcoming community events, engaging discussions that sparked inspiration, and celebrates the top contributors who drove progress. Grab your favorite beverage and dive in! Upcoming Events
      • Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - September 2024

        Hello everyone, This month's Developer Digest is packed with resources to help you build powerful applications. Learn how to leverage Zoho CRM's new features, explore the latest in Zoho Finance and Catalyst, and join exciting bootcamps, webinars, and
      • Zoho Developer Community Monthly Digest - August 2024

        Hello everyone, Get ready for another exciting month of Zoho development! Our August digest is packed with events, resources, and community discussions to empower you as a Zoho developer. Let's dive right in! Upcoming Events To stay on top of the upcoming
      • Extensions 101: Build Extensions for Zoho Finance suite

        Hello Developers! We are thrilled to announce our 5-day webinar series on building extensions for Zoho Finance Suite products. Our first session was a resounding success, introducing Extensions, Zoho Developer, Zoho Marketplace, and the Zoho Books Developer

        • Recent Topics

        • How to include GST% in PO amount?

          Currently when I raise PO, the basic price of the item is used. However, the GST is not calculated and added along with the basic amount. I have added a Custom field for GST in the PO but I need Zoho Inventory to calculate the GST amount and add it with the Basic price to give me the final PO price.
        • sitemap in zoho sites not updating

          I checked my sitemap and it has not added any updates. Do I have to generate one manually all the time or is zoho sites suppose to generate and update it?
        • I trying to connect our PM tool but API shows failure

          Hi All, in ZOHO CRM when an enquiry stage is moved to WON then I have created a rule to trigger POST URL to thrid party AP and then create a function for mapping with below code void automation.kytesfunctions(String enquiryId) { // Fetch enquiry details
        • Sample Ticket - Created from Bot Preview

          Why is Zoho desk adding bot created tickets?
        • Webhook data is not being received

          We’ve set up the webhook with a public URL that returns a 200 status on Postman. However, when we ran a test, we didn’t receive anything in the req.body object or see any data from the POST request. As a team of freshers still learning the ropes of development,
        • Number of Workflow runs

          Is there a way in Zoho desk to see statistics regarding workflows, rules and other automation objects? Would be nice for several reasons: You could ensure that your workflows are actually running. You could determine which ones weren't being used so you
        • Mail is no longer populating CRM contacts

          Hi! For the last few days, my mail hasn't been populating my CRM contacts. Even people I email multiple times per day. In fact, it keeps trying to send mail to myself. Notice, I started typing Amy and only got as far as, "Am" and it suggested myself.
        • Zoho Support is indeed shocking and difficult to get a response with

          All our business emails have an auto-foward set up on them so that they also go to our GMAIL accounts so that we receive them to the relevenat people. The emails are indeed auto forwarding and arriving to our GMAIL accounts but when you log into your
        • How to get a list of selected records into a button-function? Here is how!

          So, you might know already how to get a button on a page somewhere and perform actions with a function when pressed, but how about a button that only works with the records you selected in the list view? The button selected is a custom button in the modules
        • How to Add Break line / Return on button click

          I need to return the text concate with difference field from lead with line break i try "\r" ,"\n" "<br>" return "ali \r\n <br> baba"; None of above work.  i expected result something like this  ali baba but got this  ali \r\n <br> baba so, how can i
        • How to get batch number of item by api?

          Hi there, Is there any way to get batch number of item by api? Batch number is the batch reference number in https://www.zoho.com/inventory/help/advanced-inventory-tracking/batch-tracking.html . When I call the https://www.zoho.com/books/api/v3/#Items_Get_an_item
        • Announcing new features in Trident for Windows (v.1.18.6.0)

          Hello Community, Trident for Windows is here with some new features to elevate your workplace communication. Let's take a quick look at what's new. Ask and send read receipts for emails You can now request read receipts for specific emails while composing,
        • Dialing Microsoft Teams Phone Service via Zoho CRM

          I am using the VOIP option in Microsoft teams for my office phone system. I was hoping to have a way to dial numbers directly from Zoho CRM, but don't see anything in the Teams Integration or in the Telephony integration that will enable this. Does anyone
        • Increase subscription prices for existing subscriptions

          Hi, Does anyone know how we could achieve the ability to increase the subscription fee for our existing customers based on a % increase. We are not yet using Zoho Billing (Subscriptions) and I'm not sure if it is a good fit for us. But we would need to
        • Why developing custom function development made so difficult for Zoho Projects!!

          Hi Zoho Team, I am trying to write function to automate a process but whatever API name or Column Name I use, the API isn't populating certain fields. Even the standard fields aren't getting populated through API. It's already exhausting to find all API
        • Data not visible in sheet cells

          I'm having an issue where my data is not visible in my sheet cells. If I click on an individual cell, the data does display above in the little "fx" box. But all the boxes in the sheet just look blank. My collaborators do not have this issue. I have checked
        • Function #20: Custom calculation in item table of invoices

          When you create an invoice in Zoho Books, the 'Amount' of a line item is typically calculated as the product of the "Quantity" and the "Rate" of the item. For instance, if an item has a sales rate of $50 and a quantity of 5 is sold, then the amount would
        • PO receive limitations

          It is VERY common to receive more or less that the PO quantity. It's totally ludicrous to limit the maximum receive to the PO quantity! What if the receive is 0.00001 less than the PO quantity - it leaves the PO as "Partially received" The current options are to edit the PO manually before finalizing the receive, an outrageous situation ! Please Zoho guys - this is an infuriating oversight & can be easily resolved by introducing the option as shown in the attached document ......
        • Why don't we have better integration with Mercado Pago or Pagseguro?

          Currently, the integration between Zoho Commerce and Mercado Pago for Brazil is very poor... Since it is old, it does not include the main payment method in Brazil today, which is PIX. Is there a date for this to finally be launched? There are numerous
        • Why is there no integration with native Brazilian shipping methods?

          Zoho Commerce is a powerful platform for e-commerce, but its lack of integration with native Brazilian shipping solutions is a significant limitation for users in Brazil. Integrating with popular shipping providers like Correios, Frenet, and Kangu would
        • Alert for Back Navigation in Zoho Creator Widgets on Mobile Apps

          In Zoho Creator widgets, when a user navigates back on mobile devices, the data within the widget is reset. This leads to a loss of any unsaved changes or inputs, causing frustration for users. To enhance user experience, we need to implement a confirmation
        • Mapping Zoho Projects into Cliq Channels

          why arent all the Zoho Projects listed from the drop down menu when trying to Map them into Zoho Cliq Channels. The system doesnt allow me to type the name of the project but gives a drop down of a list of projects however it doesnt give me a list of
        • Input GST Reversal for damaged goods

          In our line of business, some items are damaged and we are doing inventory adjustments to remove them from stock. However, as per GST guidelines, there is a specific rule that we have to reverse Input GST availed for such items and needs to be reported
        • Canadian Anti Spam Law

          In order to be able to comply with the new Canadian Anti Spam Law, I need to send out a Confirm Subscription email to all of our existing contacts. If I use the Subscribe tag, the user gets the following message: Registration Failed. Sorry! This contact is already present in the selected list. You can check this with your update profile link. If I include an 'Update Profile' link, it then sends an email which does not arrive immediately. Can you provide a tag or URL I can put in a Campaign Email
        • How to bulk update lookup fields

          "I have a primary key named Product SKU in one form called Master SKU (which contains details like price, color, size, etc.). I also have another form called FBA, which has the same primary key, Product SKU, and contains stock quantity information for
        • Change work hours per day for employees

          Hello, Is there a way to modify the work hours per day for employees in Zoho projects? This would be helpful for resource allocation to more accurately see when an employee who works 35 hours a week vs 40 hours has a full schedule. Thanks.
        • Record GST Paid for Imported Goods

          In Australia, goods that imported from overseas needs to pay GST per invocied value. In most case, the freight forwader (logistic agent) paid this on behalf of importer (us), and invoice us in together in their freight invocie.  How do we setup a proper
        • Unable to produce monthly P&L reports for previous years

          My company just migrated to Books this year. We have 5+ years financial data and need to generate a monthly P&L for 2019 and a monthly P&L YTD for 2020. The latter is easy, but I'm VERY surprised to learn that default reports in Zoho Books cannot create
        • Bulk Editing Multiple Invoices with Overwriting at time of upload

          Hello, I would like to edit a few 100 invoices. Only the HSN needs to be updated. When I am trying to upload the excel sheet with the data updated, I get an error: The Invoices are skipped as they already exist. I know the invoices exist but I would only
        • Oauth Redirects me to sign in page

          I am developing a postman script for me to securely get my credentials via Zoho Vault. With that, I need to authorize my postman to be able to access Zoho Vault. I am currently on Step 1 in this Zoho Vault | API Reference which redirects me to this guide
        • Here's why you should refrain from using EasyShip

          This is a screen recording which shows EasyShip performance issues. Note well! While we do use the Zoho-to-Easyship integration, the problems are wholly on the EasyShip side. The actual integration of data to EasyShip, and status updates back to Inventory,
        • How can I create a billable expense.?

          Hi, I've a bill of an expenses related to printing and stationary account but it recorded in non-billable expense category. How can I record this expense in billable category. Below is the pathway I've used to record the expense. Purchases. Expenses Click
        • Introducing Sub-Accounts in Zoho Books!

          Hello Everyone, Sub-Accounts is LIVE! Yes, you read it right. The much needed and most requested feature is now live in Zoho Books. The sub-accounts feature in Zoho Books will help you to classify your accounts further which will give you a more detailed view of your accounts while running reports. You can create sub-accounts for the below Accounts: Asset Cost of Goods Sold Expense Liability Fixed Asset Other Asset Other Current Asset Long Term Liability Other Current Liability Other Liability Other
        • How can I insert and update field data of a sub-form without adding data into the main form’s mandatory fields.

          1. I have a main form that contains a sub-form. I need to update the data of the sub-form from a function, but I am unable to do so. How can I achieve this in Zoho Creator? 2. How can I insert data into a sub-form without inserting data into the mandatory
        • How to autorespond for inactive users?

          Hi, we have a few inactive users that we would like to set up an autorespond to the sender telling that the email addresses are no longer active. How can we do that?
        • Cannot view or interact with polls on IOS

          When testing with Android the user will receive a pop up message when a poll is started and be able to access polls via the more menu. This is not the case when using IOS phones, there seems to be no way to view or interact at all.
        • Calendar view not working in Zoho Projects

          Hello Zoho team! Since this morning, clicking on the "Calendar" link in the Projects Menu doesn't do anything. It seems to refresh the page, but it doesn't open the calendar view for tasks. It affects every user in my company. Closing and opening the
        • Multi Select Filter off comma separated values

          Hey friends! I have a query table for a couple of dashboards/ charts. In one of the dashboards, I'm trying to create a multi select filter for the service that is being sold. The way we look at services is by a CRM field titled, "Mail Lead Entities,"
        • Dashboard filter applied to all reports but not visible on report

          Hi, I have two reports which shows sales transactions data - one is graph and the other a pivot table. Both reports use the same base table. There are no filters on the reports so it shows all transactions for the last 6 months. I want to create a dashboard that includes the graph and the pivot table report. However, I want the dashboard to have a fixed date filter that only shows the last 30 days of data i.e. filtering the underlying graph and pivot table to show the last 30 days of order data.
        • Equipment Scheduling for Efficient Field Service Operations

          Zoho FSM helps you nail the critical aspect of field service management, i.e., scheduling the right technicians to the service appointments. Ensuring that technicians have access to the right tools and machinery for their job is also of paramount importance.
        • Next Page