Episode IV:Handling User Inputs in custom functions

Episode IV:Handling User Inputs in custom functions

Hi Everyone,

We've been exploring custom functions which help in performing advanced automation tasks. Custom functions enable you to achieve possibilities based on your organization's requirements. Custom functions require user inputs that allow the function to operate specifically for your organization based on the data provided.

The User Inputs section

Zoho Desk team provides you custom functions in a uniform code format. We have the "user inputs section" at the beginning of most of our custom functions.
The code below demonstrates what the User Inputs section looks like in custom functions. The User inputs section lets you feed in customized inputs based on your organization/portal.
  1. // ----<<<< User Inputs format>>>>----
  2. logs = Map();
  3. deskUrl = "https://desk.zoho.com";  //Replace .com the domain based on your DC
  4. Orgid = "***********" //replace with org ID
  5. cfApiName = "cf_field_name";// replace with the API name of the custom field
  6. departmentId = ***********;// Replace *********** with your department Id
  7. templateId = "enter_the_email_template_id";
  8.  
  9. from_email = "enter_the_from_email_address";
  10. // ----<<<< Code Section >>>>----
  11.  
  12. logs.insert("templateId":templateId);
  13. if(templateId != "")
  14. {
  15. // info templateId;
 
Here's how you can add your portal-based inputs to the custom function:
  1. // ----<<<< User Inputs with data >>>>----
  2. logs = Map()
  3. deskUrl = "https://desk.zoho.au";  //DC is au
  4. Orgid = "10000000x7" //replace with the complete org ID
  5. cfApiName = "cf_country_name";// replaced with the API name of the field Country name.
  6. departmentId = 29x0x0x0x0x0x9;// Replace *********** with your department Id
  7. templateId = "1x3x00xx9x8xxx0x0x";
  8. from_email = "1x4x00xx1x0xxx0x0x";
  9. // ----<<<< Code Section >>>>----
  10. logs.insert("templateId":templateId);
  11. if(templateId != "")
  12. {
  13. // info templateId;

What makes the 'User Inputs' section valuable in custom functions?

Some developers prefer to include user inputs directly within the code in every line.  However, using the dedicated User Inputs section offers several advantages: it keeps your code clean, enhances efficiency, and separates hard-coded values from the logic, making your custom function more manageable and easier to maintain.
In the User Inputs section, you’ll need to replace the sample values or placeholders with actual data. This is necessary because the Arguments option in the Custom Function script provides access to only a limited set of field values. In most cases, inputs such as Org ID, ticket ID, and API names must be entered in the User Inputs section to ensure the function runs correctly and is tailored to your organization/portal.

User Inputs: where to get the required values?

This section explores how to fetch the user inputs required for specific parameters.  These inputs play a key role in helping you code custom functions tailored to your needs. In most cases, they include IDs related to your organization, tickets, custom views, departments, holiday lists, and more; each referring to a unique record ID within the Zoho Desk platform.

1. Zoho Desk Domain

Many user inputs begin with "replace .com based on the your DC".
The easy way to find your DC(data center) or location is from the browser's URL. Login to your Zoho account via this link, your DC is present after accounts. zoho.
For example : deskURL = "https://desk.zoho.com";
If your DC is IN, replace .com with in in the deskURL like this "https://desk.zoho.in". Based on your DC : eu/au/in, replace .com with the respective DC alone.


2. Org ID

To get the Org ID of your Zoho Desk portal, go to Setup >> APIs under Developer Space. You will find the Org ID under the API Plan details.

3. Ticket ID

To get the ticket ID, go to Tickets >> open the ticket for which you want the ticket ID. In the browser's URL, you will find an 18-digit number  after the "/tickets/details/" section, which is the ticket ID of the particular opened ticket.



4. Contact ID

To fetch the contact ID, go to Customers and choose the contact for which you wish to find the Contact ID. In the browser's URL, you will find an 18-digit number at the end of the URL after the "/contacts/details/" section. This is the contact ID for the selected contact.



5. Account ID

To get the Account ID, click on Customers in your Zoho Desk portal, then click on Account on the bottom left of the window. Click on the account for which you want the account ID. Once the account is displayed, the 18-digit number at the end of the browser's URL after "/accounts/details/" is the Account ID for the selected account.


6. Agent ID

To fetch the Agent ID, go to Setup (S) >> User Management >> Agents. You can search the Agent using the Search space on the top left. Select the Agent for detailed view. The 18 digit number in the browser URL at the end after the "/user-control/agents/" is the Agent ID of the selected ID.


7.  Department ID

Navigate to Setup >> Organization >> Departments >> select the department for which you want to fetch the ID. The URL in the browser has the department ID after the "/general/departments/" section.


8. Help Center ID

To fetch the ID of the Help Center, go to Setup >> Channels >> Help Center >> select the Help Center for which you want to fetch the Help Center ID, then click Customization. Now the browser URL will have the 18-digit number between #setup/channels/  <Help Center ID> and /hcCustomize.


9. ID of Business hours

To get the ID for a business hour configured, go to Setup >> Organization >> Business Hours. Select the Business hour to view the Business hour page. The browser's URL will have the business hour ID after "/businesshours/edit/" section.


10. ID of a Holiday list

To get the ID of the Holiday Lists configured, go to Setup >> Organization >> Holiday Lists. Click on the Edit button in the Holiday list to view the Holiday list page. You will find the Holiday list ID next to "/holidaylist/edit/" in the browser URL.


11. Email template ID

Navigate to Setup >> Customization >> Email Templates. Click on the Email template for which you need the ID. Once you've selected the Email template, you can locate the Email template ID in the URL of the email template page. It is found after the "/emailtemplates/edit/" section.
 

12. Custom field API name

When custom functions are triggered based on  a specific field or a custom field created, they require the field's API name to be included in the user inputs.
To fetch the API names, go to Setup >> Customization >> Layouts and Fields >> Field list. You will find the API name for the respective Field Name in the Fields list. 

13. Custom view ID

Some custom functions operate based on a custom view you've created. To execute the custom function based on the custom view within your portal, you'll need the custom view ID.
To fetch the ID of the Custom View, select the Module where you created the Custom View >> Views >> choose the custom view, right click on the page and select inspect. Click on Network in the Inspect tab. Click clear to clear the Network tab. Click Save on the custom view. In the Network console, the first 16 digit number you see is the Custom view ID. Click on the ID to view the headers, you can confirm the ID here.
To fetch the Custom View ID:
  1. Navigate to the module where the custom view was created.
  2. Go to Views and select the desired custom view. Click Edit on the custom view.
  3. Right-click on the page and select Inspect to open the developer tools. Click the Network tab.Click on Click Clear to empty the Network logs.
  4. Now, click Save on the Custom View. In the Network console, look for the first 16-digit number—this is the Custom View ID.
  5. Click on that entry to view the Headers, where you can confirm the ID.
 
With this episode, we bring the custom function series to a close.

Here are the links to visit the previous episodes:

We’d love to hear how these inputs have helped you! If there are any topics you'd like us to focus on, share them in the comments below.
Until the next post, see you soon!
Lydia | Zoho Desk

    • Sticky Posts

    • Register for Zoho Desk Beta Community

      With the start of the year, we have decided to take a small step in making the life of our customers a little easier. We now have easy access to all our upcoming features and a faster way to request for beta access. We open betas for some of our features

    • Share your Zoho Desk story with us!

      Tell us how you use Zoho Desk for your business and inspire others with your story. Be it a simple workflow rule that helps you navigate complex processes or a macro that saves your team a lot of time; share it here and help the community learn and grow with shared knowledge. 

    • Tip #1: Learn to pick the right channels

      Mail, live chat, telephony, social media, web forms—there are so many support channels out there. Trying to pick the right channels to offer your customers can get pretty confusing. Emails are most useful when the customer wants to put things on record. However, escalated or complicated issues should not be resolved over email because it's slow and impersonal.  When you need immediate responses, live chat is more suitable. It's also quick and convenient, so it's the go-to channel for small issues. 

    • Welcome to Zoho Desk Community - Say hello here!

      Hello everyone! Though we have been here for a while, it’s time to formally establish the Zoho Desk Community; we’re really happy to have you all here! This can be the place where you take a moment to introduce yourself to the rest of the community. We’d love to hear all about you, what you do, what company or industry you work for, how you use Zoho Desk and anything else that you will like to share! Here’s a little about me. I am Chinmayee. I have been associated with Zoho since 2014. I joined here

    • Webinar 1: Blueprint for Customer Service

      With the launch of a host of new features in Zoho Desk, we thought it’ll be great to have a few webinars to help our customers make the most of them. We’re starting off with our most talked about feature, Blueprint in Zoho Desk. You can register for the Blueprint webinar here: The webinar will be delivered by our in-house product experts. This is a good opportunity to ask questions to our experts and understand how Blueprint can help you automate your service processes. We look forward to seeing

    • Recent Topics

    • Where do the 'Archived' mails go?

      I have hit 'Archive' on quite some mails I still needed, but didn't want in my inbox anymore. I obviously thought 'Archive' is not the same as 'Delete', since they don't even pass the trash folder this way, and right now I was looking for one of those

    • Signature image size changing on replied emails

      Hi, Sometimes I see the size of the image I use as signature changes when I open replied emails. Do you know why is this happening? It doesn't seem to happen when I send emails to Gmail though. Signature should look like in attachment "Signature_normal.jpg"

    • Não consigo enviar emails. "Razão:533"

      Não consigo enviar emails. "Razão: 533 Relaying disallowed. Invalid Domain" aparece e me impede de enviar emails... Como resolver o problema?

    • Error when setting up IMAP access in Gmail

      Hi I set up POP3 access via Gmail for my Zoho-hosted domain email. I just tried to change it to IMAP access, however when inputting the settings I received the following error message from Gmail "Missing +OK response upon connecting to the server: * OK

    • Zoholics Europe 2025: Unlocking the Power of Zoho CRM : A Hands-On Workshop

      Why should you attend? At Zoholics Europe 2025, Zoho’s official user conference, you’ll have the opportunity to connect directly with experts and explore powerful tools that help businesses elevate customer experiences. Be sure to attend one of the most

    • "Wrong password or login" Problem to configure Zoho on MAIL App on my Macbook

      Hi, I'm having problems to configure my e-mail on my MAIL App(Macbook pro). My e-mail is hari@trespontoum.net Actually was working perfectly, and still working on my Iphone. My MAIL App prompt me that my login or password is wrong. I tried to change 3

    • How do I delte a mailbox alias

      Hi everyome, I have created a mailbox alias on one of my accounts, but I can't figure out how to delete it again. When I go into the control panel on my super-admin account and click on user details and the settings for the user, I can see the mailbox

    • Allowing vendors to Upload Purchase Invoices against Purchase Order

      Work Flow: Once Project is executed, We send Purchase order to every Vendors asking them to Share the invoice against the same. Most of the time Vendors Send invoices through Mails but our Finance Team miss to book those Purchase Invoices in Zoho Books.

    • Deluge - forward incoming email with original attachments and content but new subject

      I'm working in ZohoMail with a 10GB paid account. Using a filter and a custom function, I can send a new mail with the original email content and a new subject, but I'm struggling to find how to attach the original attachment to a new mail - or even to

    • Error: "The conversation window has expired." on WhatsApp

      Hello, I would like to know why this error appears in the messages within WhatsApp from the CRM: "The conversation window has expired." The question arises because a potential client sent us a message at 11:00 PM and we are responding the next day at

    • How to Sync Desk KB and Sales IQ KB?

      Hi, we have just started to use Desk and are using the SalesIQ Chat. Ideally I'd like to use the 'FAQ' feature on chat (which uses SalesIQ KB) and also allow our customers to use the self-service KB that comes with Desk. Unfortunately they are two different

    • Need help! Unable to send message; Reason: 554 5.1.8 Email Outgoing Blocked.

      Hi Zoho team My account name is senpai.atelier, it’s been few days I can’t send Emails with the same error messages. I’ve raised the issue to support@zohomail.com that doesn’t respond to my query. I wonder if you may help troubleshooting soon.

    • Zoho arrives to Spam on all Microsoft Accounts (Outlook, Hotmail, Microsoft 365)

      I believe this is a very serious issue. All my email accounts in Zoho arrives straight to SPAM. Thing is, a lot of clients rely on email arriving to Inbox, specially on Microsoft Accounts since it is used a lot both for business and personal email sending.

    • Registeration

      I just added the TXT code. What next?

    • Cannot receive password protected zip files

      Hello, I cannot received a password protected attachments. Also all my members in the same domain has the same problems. Can you please help me? Best regrads

    • ERROR 554 5.1.8 Sender Address Blocked code(554)

      We have an email with Zoho ( comercial@bruiser.com.br), but, when we try associate the account in GMAIL, the server shows this message:  554 5.1.8 Sender Address Blocked code(554) I see this error appear when the limits of returns exceded 10 messages,

    • How do I associate pricebooks to a customer?

      I setup a few pricebooks, that worked fine. But now the only thing I can do with it, when I enter a quote or sales order, I can select which pricebook to use, but I have to do this product by product every time I add one. Is there a way to connect a pricebook

    • Zoho mail stopped receiving emails

      Our email are stopped to receive outsider email. i have checked the DSN, it's pointed to ZOho mail. Can anyone help me to fix this issue urgently? Thanks

    • send email from web application

      Hello, I'm experiencing an issue with sending emails from my web application. Here are the configuration parameters currently in use: ini Copia Modifica quarkus.mailer.from=noreply.sedis@mondonovo.net quarkus.mailer.host=smtp.zoho.com quarkus.mailer.port=465

    • Custom CSS in Zoho Form

      Hi, Please let me know, how we can add custom css in Zoho Form.  Thanks

    • Zoho Recruit

      Getting this issue

    • Missing Email

      We recently started using ZohoMail we migrated our users from google workspaces. The migration process seemed to have gone smoothly however not all emails are showing in the inbox folder. For example: If I sort the inbox folder from old to new. (Oldest

    • Client Script Quality of Life Improvements #1

      Since I'm doing quite a bit of client scripting, I wanted to advise the Zoho Dev teams about some items I have found in client script that could be improved upon. A lot of these are minor, but I feel are important none-the-less. Show Error on Subform

    • Account blocked after accessing via VPN

      All my accounts are blocked after using a VPN. I have submitted multiple support tickets without response. It’s critical that my email be restored asap Can you please provide a way to unblock my accounts

    • Exchange Rate Updates

      Hi, It would be great that when you work with multiple currencies, the exchange rate updates automagically every day (as seen on Zoho Books) or at least that when you create/update an opportunity the exchange rate could be manually updated, or maybe both!

    • Courses without signup

      Can I create "real" public courses where no signup is needed?

    • Espace Sandbox – Votre environnement de test sécurisé dans Zoho Projects

      Zoho Projects propose un sandbox sécurisé pour tester des configurations, des personnalisations et des modifications sans compromettre les données en production. Note : Disponible avec le plan Enterprise le plus récent basé sur les utilisateurs (y compris

    • Descargas en learn

      Buenos dias, yo en mis cursos para no tener que cargar los archivos que utilizare en las lecciones decidi utilizar la opcion de bloques para añadir un enlace de mi workdrive con el video que deseo para que sea todo mas organizado, pero hay un problema.

    • Mail delivery

      I initially had a problem sending any outgoing mail and was able to fix it on my own, given Zoho support never got back to me. However, despite being able to send emails now, none of my mail to different Gmail addresses are arriving, and they are not

    • Mermaid Support & Zoho Learn

      Hi Zoho Team, I’m currently working with Zoho Learn and was wondering if there’s any way to add support for Mermaid syntax to create flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and other visual elements within articles or lessons. Mermaid is widely used in technical

    • Blocked due to VPN

      Hi My account outgoing mails and IMAP access have been blocked due to using a vpn being interpreted as suspicious logins. I’ve tried to mail support but not sure if this is also blocked. This is extremely frustrating as I’m using a vpn because I’m travelling

    • reset admin access.

      I am a user under the domain @lanutraceuticals.com. I do not have admin access. Kindly let me know the administrator contact or help me reset admin access.”

    • Unsubscripation booked domin

      Kindly Un subscription booked domain

    • How to change Super Admin

      Good Day, Can someone kindly guide me on how to change the super Administrator. I have tried many times but could not succeed.

    • Events disappearing in Calendar

      To reproduce the bug: 1.- Add a new event in Calendar 2.- Type any name for the Event 3.- Click "Create" 4.- The event appears 5.- Click on the event to open it 6.- Optional: Edit the event 7.- Click OK 8.- After two seconds, the event disappears Now, click on another day and then come back to the inserted event's day. The event appears.

    • Mail transfer to a contact with multiple accounts

      Hi, Since we can only associate one email for a Contact across Zoho, would it be a problem if we want to merge our mailbox in the future? For example, Mr. Jones is the main POC for 5 accounts, once we merge our mail where would the messages go-- is it

    • @mention not working in Mail

      Am I missing something? When trying to forward a message there is a hint you could do this also by "@mention" at the end of the message. When typing (for example) "@s.." there should appear addresses from my contacts, shouldn´t it? But nothing happens! So what can I do? Best regards and thanks for any help in advance! JH P.S.: Sorry for my bad English.

    • Enable Zia-Powered Deluge Assistance and AI Agent Without Mandatory OpenAI Integration

      Hi Zoho Creator Team, Hope you're doing well. We’d like to request a feature enhancement related to Zia's AI capabilities in Zoho Creator, particularly regarding Deluge Assistance and the AI Agent. Currently, as shown in your documentation (Generate Deluge

    • Zoho Sign community meetup series - India

      Hello everyone! Zoho Sign is a comprehensive digital signature application tailor-made for Indian businesses with unique features like Aadhaar eSign, eStamping, USB/PFX signing. We are now excited to announce our first meetup series for Zoho Sign in India,

    • List of packaged components and if they are upgradable

      Hello, In reference to the article Components and Packaging in Zoho Vertical Studio, can you provide an overview of what these are. Can you also please provide a list of of components that are considered Packaged and also whether they are Upgradable?

    • Next Page