Event Management System using ZDK CLI

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 past few weeks. One of the feedbacks asked us to cover "more on ZDK CLI". In this post, we will discuss building an Event Management System in Zoho CRM Using ZDK CLI.

Consider the case of Zenith, a Zoho CRM partner who is also partner for Zoho's competing products. Zenith is hosting a conference in which their representatives are inviting speakers from Zoho and also other competing products. The attendees of the conference will be either external attendees or leads or contacts of Zenith. For this purpose existing meetings module of Zoho CRM (previously called Events) can not be used as it is not a good fit for this case. Custom modules and fields are required for this. In this post, we’ll discuss how to create a Event Management System that is complimentary to Zoho CRM using ZDK CLI. 

Why Use ZDK CLI?
ZDK CLI allows developers to:
  1. Create and edit CRM metadata (modules, fields, roles, profiles, and widgets)
  2. Define relationships between modules (lookups, multi-select lookups)
  3. Push and sync metadata changes to sandbox.
  4. Resolve conflicts when multiple users work on the same metadata.

This makes it ideal for building reusable CRM systems such as event management.

Initial Setup

As the initial setup, initialize the ZDK CLI project directory using zdk init command and create a new ZDK Project folder "Zenith". 

     zdk init




Then, login to the sandbox environment for Zenith using zdk auth:login command. 

     zdk auth:login


When you execute zdk auth:login, you can either select any org that is already signed in or select NEW LOGIN to visit the login page and select the sandbox org you will be working on.




After logging in to Zoho select the sandbox environment and give required permissions.
Notes
For the current beta release, ZDK CLI is exclusively available for Sandbox environment and is not operational in Production environments. 



You will be redirected to the terminal after successful login and you can start working on ZDK CLI.



Notes
Change the api_version to 8 in zdk-project.json file.

Step 1: Define the Modules

For an event management use case, we will need the following custom modules:
  1. Conference – Stores details of each event.
  2. Attendees – Tracks participants, whether leads, contacts, or external.
  3. ConferenceAttendees (Linking Module, not created) – Connects conferences and attendees with registration status.
  4. Venues – Captures details of event locations.
  5. Speakers – Stores details of invited speakers.

This has been visualized in the data model below.


To create a module, use the command

     zdk meta:create modules




This creates the json file for module metadata : Conference.modules-meta.json  in the path Zenith/crm/meta/modules/Conference 

Conference.modules-meta.json content

{
    "singular_label": "Conference",
    "plural_label": "Conferences",
    "api_name": "Conference",
    "profiles": [
        {
            "api_name": "Administrator"
        }
    ],
    "display_field": {
        "api_name": "Conferences"
    },
    "show_as_tab": true
}

Similarly create modules Attendees , Venues, and Speakers modules

Step 2: Customize Fields

To create a field, use the command

     zdk meta:create fields

Conference module:

Conference modules's fields are:

  1. Attendees (multiselectlookup to Attendee module) 
  2. Speakers (multiselectlookup to Speakers module) 
  3. Venue (lookup to Venue module) 
  4. Date (datetime) 
  5. Duration(double) 
  6. Description (textarea) 
  7. Status (picklist: Planned, Ongoing, Completed)


Attendees field
Let us check how to create the field attendees of type multi-select lookup (to Attendee module)




The json file Attendees.fields-meta.json created in the path Zenith/crm/meta/modules/Conference/fields will look like this


To provide dependent details for the multi select lookup, add the multiselectlookup json object to the Attendees.fields-meta.json file as below:

{
    "field_label": "Attendees",
    "display_name": "Attendees",
    "api_name": "Attendees",
    "type": "used",
    "data_type": "multiselectlookup",
    "multiselectlookup": {
        "connected_details": {
            "module": {
                "api_name": "Attendee"
            },
            "field": {
                "field_label": "AttendingConference"
            }
        },
        "linking_details": {
            "module": {
                "plural_label": "Conferences_X_attendees"
            }
        }
 }
}

Speakers (multi-select lookup to Speakers module)
Similar to Attendees field, create Speakers field and modify the json file Speaker.fields-meta.json created in the path Zenith/crm/meta/modules/Conference/fields:

{
    "field_label": "Speaker",
    "display_name": "Speakers",
    "api_name": "Speakers",
    "type": "used",
    "data_type": "multiselectlookup",
    "multiselectlookup": {
        "connected_details": {
            "module": {
                "api_name": "Speaker"
            },
            "field": {
                "field_label": "AttendingConference"
            }
        },
        "linking_details": {
            "module": {
                "plural_label": "Speakers_X_attendees"
            }
        }
 }
}

Venue (lookup field to Venue module)
Similarly, create the Venue field with type as "lookup" The json file Venue.fields-meta.json created in the path Zenith/crm/meta/modules/Conference/fields will look like this


To provide dependent details for the lookup, add the lookup json object to the json as below.
{
    "field_label": "Venue",
    "display_name": "Venue",
    "api_name": "Venue",
    "type": "used",
    "data_type": "lookup"
    "lookup": {
        "display_label": "Venue",
        "api_name": "Venue",
        "module": {
          "api_name": "Venue"
        }
      }
}

Description (textarea)
After create a textarea field Description using zdk meta:create fields command, add textarea json object to the field meta json file as below :

{
        "field_label": "Description",
                "display_name": "Description",
                "api_name": "Description",
                "type": "used",
                "data_type": "textarea",
                "textarea": {
                        "type": "rich_text"
                }
}

The possible values for text area are small, large and rich_text.

Status (picklist)
After create a picklist field Status using zdk meta:create fields command, add pick_list_values json array to the field meta json file as below:

{
    "field_label": "Status",
    "display_name": "Status",
    "api_name": "Status",
    "type": "used",
    "data_type": "picklist",
  "pick_list_values": [
    {
      "display_value": "Planned",
      "actual_value": "Planned"
    },
    {
      "display_value": "Ongoing",
      "actual_value": "Ongoing"
    },
    {
      "display_value": "Completed",
      "actual_value": "Completed"
    }
  ]
}

Date and duration fields of type datetime and double does not require any edits to the created meta.json file.




Attendees Module

Similarly, add fields for attendees modules
  1. Phone (phone)
  2. Company (text)
  3. EventsAttended (multi-select lookup to Conference module)
  4. Attendee Type (picklist with options Lead, Contact, External)
  5. Leads (lookup to Lead module)
  6. Contacts (lookup to Contact module

Venue Module

  1. Location (text)
  2. Capacity (integer)
  3. Contact erson (text)
  4. ContactNumber(phone)
  5. Description(textarea)

Speakers Module
  1. Phone (phone)
  2. Company (text)
  3. SpeakerStatus (picklist with options Confirmed, Pending, Canceled)

Step 3: Create a Custom Role


To create a field, use the command

     zdk meta:create roles


This ensures event managers have the right access without interfering with other CRM operations.

Pushing changes to the sandbox environment

Once all changes are done execute zdk org:push and zdk org:push result --{jobId} command to deploy the changes to the sandbox environment. Once the changes are verified in your sandbox environment you can deploy it to the production environment.




You can extract this metadata zip file, that is created using zdk org:export command to your own ZDK project directory and try pushing the changes to your sandbox environment.

Building the Event Management System for "Zenith" illustrates the core strength of ZDK CLI. It brings software engineering best practices to Zoho CRM customization. By defining modules/fields/roles as json files directly or creating them using the command, the source truth of the metadata is available in local system. The same can be tracked via version control systems like GIT for better collaboration among the team.

    • Sticky Posts

    • Kaizen #222 - Client Script Support for Notes Related List

      Hello everyone! Welcome to another week of Kaizen. The final Kaizen post of the year 2025 is here! With the new Client Script support for the Notes Related List, you can validate, enrich, and manage notes across modules. In this post, we’ll explore how

    • 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.

    • Recent Topics

    • How can I add a comment to an existing ticket via API?

      I need to add comments/notes to the history of an existing ticket using the API without overwriting the original ticket description. Thanks!

    • Allow Text within a Formula

      Hi, I would like to be able to use this for others things like taking an existing Date Field and copying its value, so by entering getDay(Date)&"-"&getMonth(Date)&"-"&getYear(Date) it results in 01-02-2026. And then when the Date is changed so is this

    • Zoho Social - Feature Request - Reviewer Role

      Hi Social Team, I've come across this with a couple of clients, where they need a role which can review and comment on posts but who has no access to create content. This is a kind of reviewer role. They just need to be able to see what content is scheduled

    • Notification to customers when I use a Zoho function

      Hi all, I tried searching the community but couldn't find anything about it. I noticed that the customer receives the notification of reopening the old ticket but does not receive the notification of opening a new ticket when I use the function: "separate

    • Zoho Books/Inventory - Update Marketplace Sales Order via API

      Hi everyone, Does anyone know if there is a way to update Sales Orders created from a marketplace intigration (Shopify in this case) via API? I'm trying to cover a scenario where an order is changed on the Shopify end and the changes must be reflected

    • Zoho Inventory / Finance Suite - Add feature to prevent duplicate values in Item Unit field

      I've noticed that a client has 2 values the same in the Unit field on edit/create Items. This surprised me as why would you have 2 units with the same name. Please consider adding a feature which prevents this as it seems to serve no purpose.

    • Zoho CRM for Everyone's NextGen UI Gets an Upgrade

      Hello Everyone We've made improvements to Zoho CRM for Everyone's Nextgen UI. These changes are the result of valuable feedback from you where we’ve focused on improving usability, providing wider screen space, and making navigation smoother so everything

    • Kaizen #224 - Quote-driven Deal Reconciliation Using Zoho CRM Functions and Automation

      Hello everyone! Welcome back to another instalment in the Kaizen series. This post covers quote-driven deal reconciliation, emphasizing Functions and Automation to address practical sales challenges. Business Challenge Sales organizations often mark deals

    • CRM gets location smart with the all new Map View: visualize records, locate records within any radius, and more

      Hello all, We've introduced a new way to work with location data in Zoho CRM: the Map View. Instead of scrolling through endless lists, your records now appear as pins on a map. Built on top of the all-new address field and powered by Mappls (MapMyIndia),

    • Dependent / Dynamic DropDown in ZohoSheets

      Has anyone figured out a way to create a Dropdown, the values of which is dependent on Values entered in the other cell ?

    • Zoho Inventory - Composite Items - Assembly - Single Line Item Quantity of One

      Hi Zoho Inventory Team, Please consider relaxing the system rules which prevent an assembly items from consisting of a single line item and outputting a quantity of 1. A client I'm currently working with sells cosmetics and offers testers of their products

    • Directly Edit, Filter, and Sort Subforms on the Details Page

      Hello everyone, As you know, subforms allow you to associate multiple line items with a single record, greatly enhancing your data organization. For example, a sales order subform neatly lists all products, their quantities, amounts, and other relevant

    • No funcionan correctamente el calculo de las horas laborales para informe de tickets

      Hola, estoy intentando sacar estadísticas de tiempo de primera respuesta y resolución en horario laboral de mis tickets, pero el calculo de horas en horario laboral no funciona correctamente cree los horarios con los feriados : Ajusté los acuerdos de

    • BARCODE PICKLIST

      Hello! Does anyone know how the Picklist module works? I tried scanning the barcode using the UPC and EAN codes I added to the item, but it doesn’t work. Which barcode format does this module use for scanning?

    • Zoho Inventory - Allow Update of Marketplace Generated Sales Orders via API

      Hi Inventory Team, I was recently asked by a client to create an automation which updated a Zoho Inventory Sales Order if a Shopify Order was updated. I have created the script but I found that the request is blocked as the Sales Order was generated by

    • How do I create an update to the Cost Price from landed costs?

      Hi fellow Zoho Inventory battlers, I am new to Zoho inventory and was completely baffled to find that the cost price of products does not update when a new purchase order is received. The cost price is just made up numbers I start with when the product

    • Manage control over Microsoft Office 365 integrations with profile-based sync permissions

      Greetings all, Previously, all users in Zoho CRM had access to enable Microsoft integrations (Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks) in their accounts, regardless of their profile type. Users with administrator profiles can now manage profile-based permissions

    • Zoho OAuth Connector Deprecation and Its Impact on Zoho Desk

      Hello everyone, Zoho believes in continuously refining its integrations to uphold the highest standards of security, reliability, and compliance. As part of this ongoing improvement, the Zoho OAuth default connector will be deprecated for all Zoho services

    • VoC in Zoho CRM is now data savvy: Explore response drilldown, summary components and participation in CRM criteria

      VoC has all the goods when it comes to customer intelligence—which is why we're constantly enhancing it. We recently added the following: A customer drilldown component that shows you the list of prospects and customers behind a chart's attribute Expanded

    • How do I bulk archive my projects in ZOHO projects

      Hi, I want to archive 50 Projects in one go. Can you please help me out , How can I do this? Thanks kapil

    • Error 0x800CCC0F Outlook

      Hello, i cannot send or receive email in outlook. can you please help. 'Sending' reported error (0x800CCC0F) : 'The connection to the server was interrupted. If this problem continues, contact your server administrator or Internet service provider (ISP).'

    • Passing the CRM

      Hi, I am hoping someone can help. I have a zoho form that has a CRM lookup field. I was hoping to send this to my publicly to clients via a text message and the form then attaches the signed form back to the custom module. This work absolutely fine when

    • Can I add Conditional merge tags on my Templates?

      Hi I was wondering if I can use Conditional Mail Merge tags inside my Email templates/Quotes etc within the CRM? In spanish and in our business we use gender and academic degree salutations , ie: Dr., Dra., Sr., Srta., so the beginning of an email / letter

    • Zoho vault instal on windows

      I am trying to use Zoho Vault Desktop for Windows, but I am unable to complete the sign-in process. Problem description After logging in to my Zoho account and clicking Accept on the authorization page, nothing happens. The application does not proceed

    • Zoho Browser??

      hai guys, this sounds awkward but can v get a ZOHO BROWSER same as zoho writer, etc. where i can browse websites @ home and continue browsing the same websites @ my office, as v have the option in Firefox, once i save and close the browser and again when i open it i will be getting the same sites. If u people r not clear with my explanation, plz let me know. Thanks, Sandeep  

    • Let’s Talk Recruit: LinkedIn Cheatsheet

      Welcome to the first edition of Let’s Talk Recruit for 2026. We are kicking off the year by revisiting one of the most asked about topics in Zoho Recruit. How our LinkedIn integrations actually work and how recruiters can get the most value from them.

    • Ticket layout based on field or contact

      Hi! I want to support the following use-case: we are delivering custom IT solutions to different accounts we have, thus our ticket layouts, fields and languages (priority, status field values should be Hungarian) will be different. How should I setup

    • Zoho Forms API

      Is there any way to get all form entry list using API? Looking forward to hear from you

    • Creating a Chart from a Report

      In Zoho Analytics, is it possible to create a chart from a Pivot View report? We are looking to use Zoho Analytics to replace Excel for Sales reports and would like to be able to show both the table and the chart together.

    • Ability to Set Client Name During Portal Invitation

      Hi Zoho Team, We would like to suggest an important enhancement to the Zoho Creator Client Portal functionality. Zoho Creator recently introduced the option to set a client’s display name in the Client Portal settings, which is very helpful for creating

    • Move email between inboxes?

      Is it possible to move emails from one team inbox to another? We would like to be able to have a single "catch-all" inbox for incoming requests, and then move the email to the appropriate department inbox. I was hoping we would be able to accomplish this

    • PDF Attachment Option for Service Reports

      Hello Team, I would like to check with you all if there is an option to attach PDF documents to the service reports. When I try to attach a file, the system only allows the following formats: JPEG, JPG, and PNG. Could you please confirm whether PDF attachments

    • 【Zoho CRM】データ一覧画面でのメモのバッジ機能リリースのお知らせ

      ユーザーの皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの藤澤です。2026年度もゾーホーユーザーコミュニティをどうぞよろしくお願いいたします！ 今回は「Zoho CRM アップデート情報」の中から、新機能のデータ一覧画面でのメモのバッジ機能をご紹介します。 目次 概要　メモのバッジ機能について メモの作成について メモに関する様々な処理について 最近追加したメモについて メモのバッジの非表示について クライアントスクリプトの対応 概要　 メモのバッジ機能について 既存の活動バッジに加えて、すべてのタブのデータ一覧表示画面に、各データごとに利用できる「メモのバッジ」（キャプチャ内の赤枠部分）が新たに導入されました。

    • is it possible to add more than one Whatsapp Phone Number to be integrated to Zoho CRM?

      so I have successfully added one Whatsapp number like this from this User Interface it seems I can't add a new Whatsapp Number. I need to add a new Whatsapp Number so I can control the lead assignment if a chat sent to Whatsapp Phone Number 1 then assign

    • Can’t find fsm in zoho one

      Every other app is available to me in Zoho one except fsm

    • Posibility to add Emoticons on the Email Subject of Templates

      Hi I´ve tried to add Emoticons on the Subject line of Email templates, the emoticon image does show up before saving the template or if I add the Emoticon while sending an Individual email and placing it manually on the subject line. Emoticons also show

    • Task Deletion Restriction & Strict Stage Control

      Hello Zoho Community, We have the following two issues currently pending and under testing, for which we require a workable and reliable solution: 1. Task Deletion Restriction We are testing ways to ensure that staff users are not able to delete tasks

    • Unable to mass update a picklist field

      Hello, I have the records within our Accounts module divided between two account types: Parent Accounts & Member Accounts. I am attempting to mass update accounts from one picklist value to the other (within other specific criteria in our custom fields)

    • Process checklist in CRM

      Hi We've created a new sales process that I'm mapping into the CRM - issue I have is that some of the tasks / milestones I would like to capture require very simple tick box responses but there are quite a few under a variety of sub categories so I don't

    • CRM project association via deluge

      I have created a workflow in my Zoho CRM for closing a deal. Part of this workflow leverages a deluge script to create a project for our delivery team. Creating the project works great however, after or during the project creation, I would like to associate

    • Next Page