Kaizen #175 - Leverage Settings Widget for Zoho CRM Extensions

Howdy, innovators!

Welcome back to a fresh week of Kaizen.

This week, we will delve into configuring a Settings widget in Zoho CRM for the effective functioning of extensions. It centralizes around key configurations that will be carried out to various integrations in an extension. A user-friendly settings widget enhances the usability and flexibility of your extensions. 

Why use a Settings Widget?

A Settings Widget plays a crucial role in making extensions user-friendly and adaptable to specific business needs. Following are a few key advantages of using the settings widget:

• Seamless Setup Post-Installation: Users can configure critical parameters right after installing the extension.
• Dynamic Customization: Users can revisit and modify configurations at any time, ensuring that the extension adapts to changing needs without re-installation or development
• Improved User Experience: Allows the end-users to control how the extension interacts with their workflows and data.
• Enhanced Control: Provides an overview and centralized control, making maintenance, troubleshooting, and updates simpler and faster.
  

Business Scenario: Notification Settings for Lead Import Extension

Let’s take a real-world use case to understand the value of this settings widget.

Imagine an organization named Zylker, using Zoho CRM along with a lead import extension. This extension pulls in leads from multiple sources like web forms, social media, or third-party marketing tools.

Requirement

Whenever a new lead enters a Zoho CRM organization through this extension, the sales team wants to receive an instant notification on a specific Zoho Cliq channel for that organization. This ensures they never miss a lead. 

Solution

By adding a Settings Widget to the extension, users can:

> Select a Preferred Zoho Cliq Channel: From the settings page, users can choose the channel where notifications should be sent.

> Modify the Channel Anytime: Based on team restructuring or communication preferences, users can revisit the settings and update the channel as needed.

With this setup, the settings widget becomes the control center, ensuring the efficient functioning of both the extension and the sales process. 

Building a Settings Extension Widget

Let us create a sample settings widget for the above business scenario. 

Create a Private Extension Widget

       1. Log into Zoho CRM, navigate to Setup > Marketplace > Extension Builder, and create a new extension by selecting Zoho CRM as the service.  

            

      2. The private extension that you have created will be listed in the Extensions page. Choose your extension and click the edit icon. 

            You will then be redirected to the Zoho Developer Console.
 

Dependency Configuration

Now, let us configure a couple of dependencies required for this use case in the developer console.  

Connectors 

To notify a Zoho Cliq channel, Connectors authorize the end user's Zoho Cliq account with the extension and grant access to the necessary data. Follow these steps to create a connector with the required APIs for the widget.

      3. In the console, navigate to Utilities > Connectors on the left-side menu.

      4. Click Create Connector and provide the required details using the guidance available on the Server-based Application help page.

           

      5. Use the generated Redirect URL to register your application in Zoho's API Console. After registration, enter the Client ID and Client Secret in the developer console.  

           

      6. Create Connector APIs for the following: 

•  GET List of all Channels to fetch all the available channels from your Zoho Cliq Account.  
  
  
  
  The Authorization header is automatically added to all the Connector APIs. 
• POST Message in Channel to notify the incoming leads in the channel. 
  
  
  
  You can include dynamic place holders in the URL, header, or request body using this format ${place_holder}.

      7. Once the APIs are configured, publish and associate the connector with the extension. 

            

          
           Refer to the Connectors help document to learn more. 

Variable 

Variables are required to store the admin's preferred channel details and retrieve them when a lead enters Zoho CRM through the extension. Upon installing the extension, this variable is automatically created in your Zoho CRM org. 

      8. Go to Build > Custom Properties and create a variable. 

         

Set the variable's permission to Hidden to prevent the CRM users from accessing/modifying the variable data from the Zoho CRM Variables page. This ensures that variables can only be configured through the extension.

For more information, refer to the Custom Variables help document. 

Tip

In your Zoho CRM, go to Setup > Security Control > Profiles and restrict permissions for your extension to prevent unauthorized access to the settings page.

Building a Connected App 

      9. In the console, go to Utilities > Connected Apps on the left-side menu.

      10. Follow the steps provided in this kaizen to create a new Zoho CRM widget for this use case. 

Code Logic for the Settings Panel

• Create a drop-down field called Select Cliq Channel to the settings panel. This dropdown should dynamically list the channels from your Zoho Cliq account by invoking the GET Cliq Channels API. Follow the given Invoke Connector method to execute Connector APIs.           

// Initialize Zoho Embed SDK         ZOHO.embeddedApp.on("PageLoad", function () {             fetchCliqChannels();         });         ZOHO.embeddedApp.init();         // Fetch Cliq channels         async function fetchCliqChannels() {             const channelDropdown = document.getElementById("cliqChannel");             try {                 console.log("Fetching channels from Zoho Cliq...");                 const req_data = {                     "parameters": {}                 };                 const response = await ZOHO.CRM.CONNECTOR.invokeAPI("leadgeneration.zohocliq.listofallchannels", req_data);                 console.log("Response from Zoho Cliq:", response);                 const parsedResponse = JSON.parse(response.response);                 const channels = parsedResponse.channels;                 if (channels && Array.isArray(channels)) {                     channelDropdown.innerHTML = channels.map(channel => `<option value="${channel.unique_name}">${channel.name}</option>`).join('');                 } else {                     throw new Error("Invalid response structure");                 }             } catch (error) {                 console.error("Error fetching channels:", error);                 if (error.code === '403') {                     console.error("Authorization Exception: Please check your API permissions and authentication.");                 }                 channelDropdown.innerHTML = '<option value="">Failed to load channels</option>';             }         }

• Add a Save Configuration button that stores the selected channel name and channel ID in the variable created earlier. To save the selected data into the variable, use the invokeAPI() function, with the namespace as crm.set. 

// Save configuration         async function saveConfiguration(event) {             event.preventDefault();             const channelDropdown = document.getElementById("cliqChannel");             const selectedChannelUniqueName = channelDropdown.value;             const selectedChannelName = channelDropdown.options[channelDropdown.selectedIndex].text;             if (!selectedChannelUniqueName) {                 alert("Please select a channel.");                 return;             }             const settings = {                 unique_name: selectedChannelUniqueName,                 name: selectedChannelName             };             const data = {                 "apiname": "leadgeneration__Cliq_Channel",                 "value": JSON.stringify(settings)             };             try {                 const response = await ZOHO.CRM.CONNECTOR.invokeAPI("crm.set", data);                 console.log("Updated settings:", response);                 document.getElementById("setupStatus").innerText = "Configuration saved successfully!";             } catch (error) {                 console.error("Error saving configuration:", error);                 document.getElementById("setupStatus").innerText = "Failed to save configuration.";             }         }

• When a lead enters Zoho CRM through the extension, it should trigger a function that:Retrieves the saved channel details:  
  

                  > Retrieves the saved channel details: Uses the Get Organization Variable JS SDK to call the Zoho CRM GET Variable API to fetch the saved channel details.
                        

                     

                  > Notifies the channel: Sends a message to the retrieved channel using the Post Message API. 

Info

-> A complete working code sample for the use case is attached at the end of this post for your reference.  

-> The test function for triggering notifications is also included in the attachment. You can use the same snippet in your extension to initiate the notification process.

-> Ensure to replace the unique names of your Connector APIs and Variable.

      11. Fill in the details of the application as shown in this image and upload the widget ZIP file packed using the Zoho CLI command. 

             

      12. Click Save.  

Configure the Settings Widget

      13. Navigate to Build > Settings Widget in the left menu.  

      14. Provide a Name and the Resource Path of your widget.   

      15. Click Save.

             

The Settings Widget for Extension is available upon request. Contact support@zohocrmplatform.com to enable it for your account. 

Packaging, Publishing and Deploying 

      16. Go to Package > Publish on the left-side menu and publish the extension.   

      17. The review process for listing an extension in the Marketplace will take from three weeks to one month. 

            For the demo, we will proceed with deploying the extension using the private plugin deployment link.

            

      18. Now, replace the URL of your Zoho CRM page with the deployment link from the Developer Console and approve the extension installation.  

Try it Out! 

Once installed: 

> A pop-up will appear, prompting you to authorize Zoho Cliq for the required configurations. 

If you do not already have a Zoho Cliq account, you can sign up directly from the pop-up and proceed with the authorization.

> After authorization, you will be redirected to the Settings widget page, where you can select and save your preferred Cliq channel.

> If you need to update the settings later, you can find them on the Installed Extensions page under the respective extension.

 

Note

The demo videos above use a testing function to notify the channel. You can deploy it anywhere in your extension to trigger a notification whenever a lead enters a Zoho CRM organization through the extension.

Find the function in the attachments at the end of this post.

Similar Scenarios

• Sales Territory Management: An extension that auto-assigns incoming leads to sales reps can use a settings widget to allow managers to define territories and sales rep mappings dynamically.
• Custom Field Mapping: For extensions that sync data between Zoho CRM and external systems, a settings widget can let users map CRM fields to external system fields.
• Automated Email Preferences: In email automation extensions, the settings widget can allow users to specify email templates, recipients, or trigger conditions for follow-ups and campaigns.

Adding a Settings Widget to your Zoho CRM Extensions not only enhances user experience but also boosts the flexibility and efficiency of your extension. Whether it is notifying sales teams or customizing field mappings, a well-designed settings page is a game-changer for your extensions. 

Explore the Widget section in our Kaizen collection to try out various widget types and discover their unique use cases. 

If you have any queries or a topic to be discussed reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com or drop your comment below. 

Until next time, keep innovating!

Cheers! 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Related Reading

1. Zoho CRM Widget - An Overview, Installation and Creation, Mobile Compatibility, Telephony Widget Extension, and other Kaizens.
2. Widget SDKs - An Overview, Invoke Connector and Get Organization Variable.
3. Zoho Developer Console - An Overview, Creating Extensions, Building Connected Apps, and A Quick Start Guide.
4. Zoho Extensions - Custom Variables and Connectors
   
5. Zoho Cliq - GET List of Channels and POST Message in Channel.
6. Zoho Marketplace - An Overview

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Previous Kaizen: Kaizen #174 - Client Script Commands | Kaizen Collection: Directory

More enhancements in the COQL API are now live in Zoho CRM API Version 7. Check out the V7 Changelog for detailed information on these updates.

• Topic Participants

• Kiruthiga G

  

• Sticky Posts

• Kaizen #217 - Actions APIs : Tasks

  Welcome to another week of Kaizen! In last week's post we discussed Email Notifications APIs which act as the link between your Workflow automations and you. We have discussed how Zylker Cloud Services uses Email Notifications API in their custom dashboard.

• Kaizen #216 - Actions APIs : Email Notifications

  Welcome to another week of Kaizen! For the last three weeks, we have been discussing Zylker's workflows. We successfully updated a dormant workflow, built a new one from the ground up and more. But our work is not finished—these automated processes are

• Kaizen #152 - Client Script Support for the new Canvas Record Forms

  Hello everyone! Have you ever wanted to trigger actions on click of a canvas button, icon, or text mandatory forms in Create/Edit and Clone Pages? Have you ever wanted to control how elements behave on the new Canvas Record Forms? This can be achieved

• Kaizen #142: How to Navigate to Another Page in Zoho CRM using Client Script

  Hello everyone! Welcome back to another exciting Kaizen post. In this post, let us see how you can you navigate to different Pages using Client Script. In this Kaizen post, Need to Navigate to different Pages Client Script ZDKs related to navigation A.

• Kaizen #210 - Answering your Questions | Event Management System using ZDK CLI

  Hello Everyone, Welcome back to yet another post in the Kaizen Series! As you already may know, for the Kaizen #200 milestone, we asked for your feedback and many of you suggested topics for us to discuss. We have been writing on these topics over the

• Recent Topics

• Introducing Enhanced Storage Management

  We’re excited to roll out two new enhancements in Zoho Recruit, Subscription Information and Storage Management — designed to give admins complete visibility into subscription details, feature limits, and storage consumption — all from one place inside

• how to download all my files

  We are in the middle of zoho docs to zoho workdrive migration. I can not access my zoho docs page. I get redirected immediately to a zoho workdrive page. I would like to download all my files so that I have a backup in case something goes wrong with the

• Convert Zoho Books SalesOrder - Invoice

  Converting a Zoho Books Sales Order into an Invoice Using the SalesOrder Convert API Hello Zoho Developers, Today, we are sharing a simple and effective solution to convert a Zoho Books Sales Order into a Zoho Books Invoice using the SalesOrder Convert

• Zoho Expense - Report Templates

  Hi Expense Team, I do a recurring trip once every week which has the same cost: Per diem Milage Toll Payment It would be great if there was a feature which allowed me to clone a previously submitted report or create a template reports. This would save

• How to add tabular data when execute Add Record API

  Hi everyone! I was send api updateRecord follow by this request url : https://people.zoho.com/people/api/forms/json/<formLinkName>/updateRecord with parameters "inputData", "tabularData", "recordId". Ex picture below And response success: But. When I

• Tip #51- Centralized Contact Management for Better Remote Support- 'Insider Insights'

  For our final topic of November, we’re diving into one of the most helpful features in Zoho Assist, the Contacts section on Zoho Assist;s dashboard. Whether you’re managing multiple clients, tracking past sessions, or simply looking to streamline your

• Using gift vouchers

  We would like to be able to offer a limited number of gift vouchers, of varying values, to our customers, and are looking for the best way to do this. We have looked at Coupons and Gift Certificates, but neither seem to fit the bill perfectly. Coupons:

• Say Hello to Telephony in Zoho FSM

  Zoho FSM now brings complete telephony support so your team can manage inbound and outbound calls without switching tabs. Faster responses, smarter routing, and total call visibility—all in one place. Choose the telephony setup that works for you Zoho’s

• Zoho Sign - Zoho CRM extension upgrade

  Hi everyone, We've updated Zoho Sign extension for Zoho CRM with significant internal changes. Impact on existing Zoho Sign extension users Users using the extension without customization If you are using the integration without implementing Zoho Sign's

• Sent mail sort by date disappeared

  Hello, We used to be able to sort the emails by date in the sent folder, but this feature has recently disappeared. Can we bring it back?

• E-Invoicing in Belgium with Zoho Inventory

  Starting January 1, 2026, Belgium is introducing mandatory electronic invoices (e-invoicing) for all B2B transactions between VAT-registered businesses. Invoices and credits notes must be exchanged in a prescribed digital format. How E-Invoicing Works

• Employee ID is not correct in get records api V2 for leave

  Hi Team, We are facing an issue when calling the Get Records API V2. The employee.id returned in the response is not the actual employee record ID in Zoho People. As a result, our integration is forced to make an additional Get Record API call for every

• Formatting Mailing Labels

  I want to use the "Print Mailing Labels" function on the drop down list, but I am not seeing a way to change the formatting on the mailing labels. At the moment, the information that appears on the mailing labels ARE NOT mailing addresses, but random

• Zoho People. Updating TabularData

  I am trying to update tabular data in the record. I always have the same response. I have checked many times. Section ID is correct. May be something wrong with request structure itself. Can someone help me. Body content type: form urlencoded query params

• Canvas View - Print

  What is the best way to accomplish a print to PDF of the canvas view? Latest update (27th November 2025): We are excited to announce that the Canvas Print View is now available! We encourage you all to try it out and share your feedback with us. Learn

• New to automation - please help

  Hi there! We are new to automations in Zoho. We built out one automation campaign and it seems to be firing off for some people but others not. Please advise what's the best practice or if anything we should tweak. Thank you so much!

• Zia Conversation Summary: Context at a glance for every customer interaction

  Hello everyone! Every customer conversation tells a story—but in CRM, that story is rarely in one place. A sales rep moving between multiple leads has to reopen long email threads, check call remarks, and revisit meeting notes just to remember what was

• How to update Multi File upload field

  Assume that i have a multi file upload field,how can i update the same field again?

• How to set a fixed width of column/cells

  Is there a way to set a 'fixed' width for cells in zoho sheet?   I know how to adjust the size of the colums.... but after I past a large block of text into a cell, it expands the cell size again. (yes, I have turned off word wrap)   How can I set a fixed width so the cells don't change size each time I add data to a cell?   Thanks.

• Workdrive Oauth2 Token Isn't Refreshing

  I have set up oauth for a bunch of zoho apis and have never had a problem with oauth. With workdrive i am using the exact same template i usually use for the other zoho apps and it is not working. All requests will work for the first hour then stops so

• Single Portal for Multiple Apps

  Hello, I'm just getting started with Zoho and I'm very overwhelmed. I am currently using the free trial of Zoho One, but if I can figure it out, I intend to upgrade to the paid version. Zoho One, of course, gives me  access to an entire suite of services/applications. One of the things I'd like to do is have a single place for clients (customers?) to log in and view current projects, invoices, contact information, etc. A single login for my clients. A single portal. I've come across documentation

• 【開催報告】 大阪 ユーザー交流会 2025/11/20（木）Zoho CRM Plus 活用のアイデアとデータの“見える化”

  皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの中野です。 11/20（木）に、大阪 ユーザー交流会を開催しました。本投稿では、その様子をお届けします。 当日の登壇資料などもこちらに共有しますので、参加できなかった皆さまもご参照ください。 （Zoho 社員セッションの登壇資料については、11/28(金)に開催予定の東京回の開催報告で共有いたします） 今年2回目の開催となる大阪 ユーザー交流会では、株式会社KDDIウェブコミュニケーションズ 山田さんによる Zoho CRM Plus の事例セッションのほか、「Zoho

• Every rating counts: Shaping customer experience

  We are back to that beautiful time of the year. It is the season to reflect, be thankful, and appreciate everything that has happened throughout the year. Thanksgiving is a time we connect with our family, friends, and relatives to strengthen relationships,

• Paging through API results. a major gap in your documentation.

  There is no way for me. to get all of my data through a single API call. Typically REST APis have mechanisms for paging through API results. But the documentation for the API I am using: https://desk.zoho.com/DeskAPIDocument#Introduction Has no mention

• How to remove duplicate contacts

• Custom Field for Subscription

  Hi, I can't find a way to add a custom field (to contain a license key generated from our software) against a subscription? Is the only place to add this information in the Invoice module (as custom field for invoice)? When a customer views his subscription via the customer portal, there appears no way to display a license key for them? The invoice is not the natural place to store a license key for a particular subscription, so where else can this be stored and displayed?

• Custom View and Custom Fields on Zoho Books

  Hi, I have some custom fields on Estimates and Invoices. I also use Custom Views so I can have a lot of information at a glance. I want to include my custom fields as columns in my custom views of estimates / invoice, but it looks like is not possible.

• "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

• Dropdown data depends on filters in another field.

  In my quote form I have a lookup field called Reseller that pulls from Accounts. I would like it to pull from Accounts, but only those accounts with an account field 'Type' where that is 'Reseller'. Does anyone know a way to do this? Similarly, I'd like

• Is it possible to adjust the web browser tab title (when a ZoHo Desk ticket is opened)

  Hi All, When I open a ZoHo Desk ticket in a web browser, the tab title (text that appears at the top of the browser tab) uses the logic: *company icon picture* (xxxx) #ticket number - company name See below (highlighted in red) for reference. Company

• Add Attachment Support to Zoho Flow Mailhook / Email Trigger Module

  Dear Zoho Support Team, We hope you are well. We would like to kindly request a feature enhancement for the Mailhook module in Zoho Flow. Currently, the email trigger in Zoho Flow provides access to the message body, subject, from address, and to address,

• Collections Management: #7 Common Mistakes during Payment Collection

  Payment collection may appear straightforward in most cases. Still, as your customer base expands and transaction volume increases, it becomes clear that even small inefficiencies can lead to delayed payments, increased support load, or even revenue loss.

• Recruit paid support?

  Hi all, Could anyone who has paid support package advise if it provides value for money with regards to support response times? Exploring the idea as unfortunately when we have faced issues with Recruit it has been a 7+ day timescale from reporting to

• Sortie de Zoho TABLE ??

  Bonjour, Depuis bientôt 2 ans l'application zoho table est sortie en dehors de l'UE ? Depuis un an elle est annoncée en Europe Mais en vrai, c'est pour quand exactement ??

• Rename Record Summary PDF in SendMail task

  So I've been tasked with renaming a record summary PDF to be sent as part of a sendmail task. Normally I would offer the manual solution, a user exports the PDF and uploads it to a file upload field, however this is not acceptable to the client in this

• Limitation with Dynamic Email Attachment Capture

  I've discovered a flaw in how Zoho Creator handles email attachments when using the Email-to-Form feature, and I'm hoping the Zoho team can address this in a future update. The Issue According to the official documentation, capturing email attachments

• Recruit API search

  Hi all, Attempting to call the search api endpoint from Postman using the word element as mentioned in api docs Search Records - APIs | Online Help - Zoho Recruit When making the call to /v2/Candidates/search?word=Saudi receive response of { "code": "MANDATORY_NOT_FOUND",

• Text/SMS With Zoho Desk

  Hi Guys- Considering using SMS to get faster responses from customers that we are helping.  Have a bunch of questions; 1) Which provider is better ClickaTell or Screen Magic.  Screen Magic seems easier to setup, but appears to be 2x as expensive for United States.  I cannot find the sender id for Clickatell to even complete the configuration. 2) Can customer's reply to text messages?  If so are responses linked back to the zoho ticket?  If not, how are you handling this, a simple "DO NOT REPLY" as

• Custom Field in Zoho Projects pulling into Analytics

  We have a client that we have built our their new business process using Zoho Projects, and we have build a lot of custom fields with their their Projects where they are capturing specific data points that we want to be able to track and pull data, as

• Marketer's Space - Holiday season email marketing tips you should know

  Hello Marketers! Welcome back to another post in Marketer's Space! 'Tis the season—that time of the year everyone eagerly anticipates. While most look forward to relaxing, marketers will be super-busy from late November to early January. Mistakes can

• Next Page