Map Dependency Fields in Zoho CRM using APIs

Map Dependency Fields in Zoho CRM using APIs




Hi Everyone!!

Welcome back to another week of Kaizen series!

Over the past few weeks, we have been addressing your questions and feedback shared through our Kaizen 200th feedback form. Thank you for your continued engagement and thoughtful queries. We truly enjoy helping users solve real challenges through these Kaizen series.

This week, we will explore the Map Dependency Fields in Zoho CRM, and how you can configure and manage them using Zoho CRM APIs.

Map dependency fields with a use case

In Zoho CRM, dependency fields are also called picklist dependencies. They create a relationship between two picklist fields. A controlling field is the parent field, and a dependent field is the child field. The option chosen in the parent field decides which options should be shown in the child field. Helps you to make easy data entry and maintain cleaner with only relevant options.

In many businesses, one field’s options depend on another. For example, if your support team tracks Issue Type and Sub-Issue, showing all sub-issues at once lets users select incorrect options. A user might accidentally choose Payment Failed under Login Issue. This results in incorrect data selection and makes confusion in records.

Dependency fields solve this problem by creating a parent-child relationship between two picklist fields.

Let us consider the Support Cases module, where two picklist fields are already created:
  1. Parent Field - Issue Type: The value chosen here determines which options appear in the dependent field.
  2. Child Field - Sub-Issue: The available options change dynamically based on the selected value in the parent field.
Below table shows the picklist fields along with their respective options.

                            Issue Type

                                   Sub-Issue 

Login Issue

Forgot Password, Account Locked, 2FA Not Working
Payment Issue

Credit Card Declined, Refund Not Received, Double Charge

Feature Request

New Integration, UI Enhancement, Report Customization

By mapping these fields, CRM users see only the Sub-Issue values relevant to the selected Issue Type.

Without map dependency

Without configuring a map dependency, the Sub-Issue picklist would always display all available options - regardless of the selected Issue Type. For example, users might see options like Forgot Password, Double Charge, and Report Customization all at once. This can easily confuse users and lead to incorrect selections, such as choosing Double Charge under Login Issue.

With map dependency

With mapping dependencies, you can guide users to make correct selections by showing only the relevant options in the child field based on the option selected in the parent field.

Mapping picklist options in UI

You can map picklist field options directly from the Zoho CRM user interface.
Follow these steps:
  1. Go to SetupCustomizationModules and Fields.
  2. Select the desired module. In this case, Support Cases.
  3. Click the (more) icon next to the module name.
  4. Select Map Dependency Fields.
  5. On the Map Dependency Fields page, click the New button to create a new dependency.
  6. Choose the Parent Field and Child Field you want to map.
  7. Click Next button.


      8. Add option mappings to define which child field options should be shown based on the option selected in the parent field, then Save your configuration.

UI options mapping view

Mapping picklist options via API

Before mapping the options, you must need the following APIs :
  1. Modules Metadata API - To know the API name of the module.
    1. Endpoint: GET - /settings/modules
    2. Here, the API name of the Support Cases module is Support_Cases.
  2. Layouts Metadata API - Since dependencies are layout-specific, this API helps you identify the layout ID and all the available picklist fields for mapping. It also provides detailed metadata such as the layout ID, field IDs, and the corresponding picklist value IDs.
    1. Endpoint: GET /settings/layouts?module=Support_Cases

Create Dependency using the POST Map Dependency

Request URL:  {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/layouts/5725767000007972011/map_dependency?module=Support_Cases

Request Method: POST

Input JSON
Each object in the map_dependency array requires a parent field, a child field, and a pick_list_values array that maps each parent option to its relevant child options.


{

    "map_dependency": [ //Array that contains one or more dependency mappings

        {

            "parent": { // Mandatory - Represents the parent picklist

                "api_name": "Issue_Type", //Mandatory - API name of the parent field

                "id": "5725767000007985243" // Mandatory - Unique ID of the parent picklist

            },

            "pick_list_values": [  //Mandatory - List of parent picklist values and their corresponding child mappings

                {

                    "display_value": "-None-",

                    "maps": [

                        {

                            "display_value": "-None-",

                            "actual_value": "-None-",

                            "id": "5725767000007985204"

                        }

                    ],

                    "actual_value": "-None-",

                    "id": "5725767000007985249"

                },

                {

                    "display_value": "Login Issue",

                    "maps": [

                        {

                            "display_value": "Forgot Password", //Label shown in the UI for the parent value

                            "actual_value": "Forgot Password", //Actual stored value of the parent picklist option

                            "id": "5725767000007985185" //Mandatory - Unique ID of the parent picklist option

                        },

                        {

                            "display_value": "Account Locked",

                            "actual_value": "Account Locked",

                            "id": "5725767000007985187"

                        }

                        

                    ],

                    "actual_value": "Login Issue", //Actual value of the parent field's option

                    "id": "5725767000007985242" //Mandatory - Unique ID of the parent field's option

                },

                {

                    "display_value": "Payment Issue",

                    "maps": [

                        {

                            "display_value": "Credit Card Declined",

                            "actual_value": "Credit Card Declined",

                            "id": "5725767000007985191"

                        },

                        {

                            "display_value": "Refund Not Received",

                            "actual_value": "Refund Not Received",

                            "id": "5725767000007985193"

                        },

                        {

                            "display_value": "Double Charge",

                            "actual_value": "Double Charge",

                            "id": "5725767000007985195"

                        }

                    ],

                    "actual_value": "Payment Issue",

                    "id": "5725767000007985244"

                },

                {

                    "display_value": "Feature Request",

                    "maps": [

                        {

                            "display_value": "New Integration",

                            "actual_value": "New Integration",

                            "id": "5725767000007985197"

                        },

                        {

                            "display_value": "UI Enhancement",

                            "actual_value": "UI Enhancement",

                            "id": "5725767000007985199"

                        },

                        {

                            "display_value": "Report Customization",

                            "actual_value": "Report Customization",

                            "id": "5725767000007985201"

                        }

                    ],

                    "actual_value": "Feature Request",

                    "id": "5725767000007985246"

                }

            ],

            "child": { //Mandatory - Represents the child field

                "api_name": "Sub_Issue", //Mandatory - API name of the child field

                "id": "5725767000007985186" //Mandatory - Child picklist field ID

            }

        }

    ]



Sample Response 

{
    "map_dependency": [
        {
            "code": "SUCCESS",
            "details": {
                "id": "5725767000008174001"
            },
            "message": "map dependency created",
            "status": "success"
        }
    ]
}


Retrieve the configured field mappings using the GET Mapped Dependency Fields API

Request URL:  {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/layouts/5725767000007972011/map_dependency/5725767000008174001?module=Support_Cases

Request Method: GET
Sample Response

{
    "map_dependency": [
        {
            "parent": {
                "api_name": "Issue_Type",
                "id": "5725767000007985243"
            },
            "internal": false,
            "active": true,
            "id": "5725767000008180001",
            "source": 1,
            "category": 0,
            "pick_list_values": [
                {
                    "display_value": "-None-",
                    "maps": [
                        {
                            "display_value": "-None-",
                            "actual_value": "-None-",
                            "id": "5725767000007985204"
                        }
                    ],
                    "actual_value": "-None-",
                    "id": "5725767000007985249"
                },
                {
                    "display_value": "Login Issue",
                    "maps": [
                        {
                            "display_value": "Forgot Password",
                            "actual_value": "Forgot Password",
                            "id": "5725767000007985185"
                        },
                        {
                            "display_value": "Account Locked",
                            "actual_value": "Account Locked",
                            "id": "5725767000007985187"
                        },
                        {
                            "display_value": "2FA Not Working",
                            "actual_value": "2FA Not Working",
                            "id": "5725767000007985189"
                        }
                    ],
                    "actual_value": "Login Issue",
                    "id": "5725767000007985242"
                },
              .
              .
              .
            ],
            "child": {
                "api_name": "Sub_Issue",
                "id": "5725767000007985186"
            }
        }
    ]
}
You will get a JSON structure containing all dependency mappings. Check if your parent and child fields appear as configured.

Update the existing mapped options using the PUT Mapped Dependency Fields API

Request URL:  {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/layouts/5725767000007972011/map_dependency/5725767000008174001?module=Support_Cases

Request Method: PUT

Input JSON

{

    "map_dependency": [

        {

            "parent": {

                "api_name": "Issue_Type",

                "id": "5725767000007985243"

            },

            "pick_list_values": [

                {

                    "display_value": "-None-",

                    "maps": [

                {

                    "display_value": "Login Issue",

                    "maps": [

                        {

                            "display_value": "Forgot Password",

                            "actual_value": "Forgot Password",

                            "id": "5725767000007985185"

                        },

                        {

                            "display_value": "Account Locked",

                            "actual_value": "Account Locked",

                            "id": "5725767000007985187"

                        },

                        { // mapped a new option to the existing mapping

                            "display_value": "2FA Not Working",

                            "actual_value": "2FA Not Working",

                            "id": "5725767000007985189"

                        }

                    ],

                    "actual_value": "Login Issue",

                    "id": "5725767000007985242"

                }

            ],

            "child": {

                "api_name": "Sub_Issue",

                "id": "5725767000007985186"

            }

        }

    ]

}





Delete existing dependency using the DELETE Mapped Dependency Fields API

Request URL:  {{api-domain}}/crm/v8/settings/layouts/5725767000007972011/map_dependency/5725767000008174001?module=Support_Cases

Request Method: DELETE

Sample Response


{
    "map_dependency": [
        {
            "code": "SUCCESS",
            "details": {
                "id": "5725767000008174001"
            },
            "message": "map dependency deleted",
            "status": "success"
        }
    ]
}



Assigning picklist values using the Insert Records API

When you insert a record, you can directly pass the picklist option’s display value (not the ID) in the request body.

Request URL: {api-domain}/crm/v8/{module_api_name}
Request Method: POST

Sample Input 

{

    "data" : [

        {

            "Name" : "Support Case 1",

            "Support_Case" : "Login Issue",

            "Issue_Type" : "Login Issue",

            "Sub_Issue":"Forgot Password"

        }

    ]

}


Note: When creating or updating records via API, CRM does not validate the dependency relationship between parent and child picklist values.
To ensure data consistency and prevent data loss, always use the Get Map Dependency API before creating or updating records and to know correct mappings as well. This helps you retrieve the correct parent–child mappings and pass only valid picklist values in your API requests.

FAQs

Q1. Is the Map Dependency field supported in subforms?

Yes. You can configure dependency mappings for picklist fields within subforms as well. The Map Dependency Fields API supports creating parent–child picklist relationships directly inside a subform. To do this via API, use the subform’s API name as the module name when making the dependency mapping call.
This ensures that the dependency is created specifically for the picklist fields inside that subform, not the main module.

Q2. Can I keep the parent field in the main form and the child field in the subform?

Not currently. As of Zoho CRM API Version 8, cross-level mapping where the parent field is in the main form and the child field is in a subform, or vice versa is not supported neither via the UI nor through the API.

You can only:
  1. Map picklists within the main form, or
  2. Map picklists within the same subform.

Q3. What happens if I delete a picklist value that is part of a dependency?

If you delete a picklist option, the corresponding mapping will be automatically removed from the dependency.


Q4. What happens if I rename a picklist value that is part of a dependency?

If you rename a picklist option, the dependency will be automatically updated with the new option label.



We hope this post helps you learn more on mapping dependency fields in CRM using Zoho CRM APIs. Try it out, and let us know your experience in the comment section or reach out to us at support@zohocrm.com 

Stay tuned for more insights in our upcoming Kaizen posts!



    • Recent Topics

    • Can I filter a Lookup field to only show related records from another Lookup in Zoho CRM?

      In our Leads module, we have two Lookup fields: Recruitment Agency – the agency that the lead came from Recruiter – the individual contact from that agency who sent us the lead Both fields link correctly to their respective records in CRM. However, our
    • billing

      hi, I am being billed $12/year, and I can't remember why. My User ID is 691273115 Thanks for your help, --Kitty Pearl
    • Automatic Matching from Bank Statements / Feeds

      Is it possible to have transactions from a feed or bank statement automatically match when certain criteria are met? My use case, which is pretty broadly applicable, is e-commerce transactions for merchant services accounts (clearing accounts). In these
    • Unable to confirm Super Admin assignment — confirmation button not working

      I’m trying to change the roles within my organization. I am currently a super admin and would like to add another user as a super admin. When I attempt to confirm the action, a screen appears asking for my password to verify my identity. However, when
    • I Need Help Verifying Ownership of My Zoho Help Desk on Google Search Console

      I added my Zoho desk portal to Google Search Console, but since i do not have access to the html code of my theme, i could not verify ownership of my portal on Google search console. I want you to help me place the html code given to me from Google search
    • Inactive Items - Make Less Prominent by Default

      Currently, when one marks an Item as "Inactive", it really doesn't do much of anything to hide it or get it out of the way. Search and reporting within Finance should, by default, hide inactive Items from standard reports, searches, etc. If one specifically
    • How to unlink a SAML user from the existing Zoho Desk user (domain change case)

      Hi everyone, I’m trying to understand how to handle a situation where a customer changes their company domain. In our setup, users authenticate via SAML, so when the domain changes, the SAML system treats them as a new user. However, in Zoho Desk, I’d
    • Enable Screen Recording in Zoho WorkDrive Mobile Apps (Android & iOS)

      Hi Zoho WorkDrive Team, How are you? We are enthusiastic Zoho One users and rely heavily on Zoho WorkDrive for internal collaboration and content sharing. The screen-recording feature in the WorkDrive web app (similar to Loom) is extremely useful- however,
    • Automation#36: Auto-create time-entry after performing the Blueprint transition

      Hello Everyone, This week’s edition focuses on configuring a custom function within Zoho Desk to streamline time tracking within the Blueprint. In this case, we create a custom field, and request the agent to enter the spending time within the single
    • Feature Request: Reviews

      Any chance we could get a "Reviews" element to put on sites? It should be extremely simple to do. Basically just take the comments box and add an option for a star rating. At the very least, it would be nice to have more customization options for the comment box so the text could be changed from "Comments" to "Reviews". I've looked at a bunch of embeddable review widgets but nothing meets my needs so this would be a great feature to have added to the site builder.
    • Can I create a custom function for chart of accounts?

      I'm trying to add a custom function that should run whenever a record in the Chart of Accounts module is edited, but on the form for creating a new function, the module dropdown does not include the chart of accounts as an option.
    • Can we handle a support like (incident management) project in Zoho Projects?

      Hi, I have a new profile of a project whereby we provide "ticket" base support to a client. They have a request and ideally we would handle comms via a email exchange logged in Zoho. Today we use Zoho Projects for all out projects, which means that we
    • Trying to show the actual Terms & Conditions on PDF

      Hi, On Zoho forms I am trying to have the actual terms and conditions that the user needs to accept also show on the pdf that they receive after. Right now it only says "Agreed". Please help.
    • Installing EMAIL Setup in New Domain

      Respected Support team, I'm facing an issue with cloudflare in Pakistan, I want to setup Zoho Mail Setup but I Don't know how to enable Zoho mail setup without cloudflare. My Website https://stumbleguyzzapk.com/, https://fakservices.com/ is using CF,
    • Enhancements to Zoho Meeting Annotator

      Hello Zoho Meeting Team, Hope you are doing well. We would like to share a few improvement suggestions regarding the Zoho Meeting Annotator used during screen sharing. While the current version provides helpful annotation tools, there are several limitations
    • Cliq iOS can't see shared screen

      Hello, I had this morning a video call with a colleague. She is using Cliq Desktop MacOS and wanted to share her screen with me. I'm on iPad. I noticed, while she shared her screen, I could only see her video, but not the shared screen... Does Cliq iOS is able to display shared screen, or is it somewhere else to be found ? Regards
    • Triggering rules on lead conversion

      There is no field on the Rule list for rule conversion to trigger an alert on liead conversion to a potential. I assigned a rule to file on any creation or update of a lead. The lead was changed a lead to a potential but no rule was fired. Rajesh Bhadra
    • How to calculate separate totals for Product Line Items filtered by category in Quotes?

      Hello! I'm working with Quotes in Zoho CRM and need help calculating conditional totals for line items. Current setup: I have two tables in my Quote template (Zoho Writer), both displaying Quoted Line Items Table 1 (top): Shows all products where Product
    • Add "Fetch Composite Item" Action for Inventory

      I want to make a Flow that uses information returned in the GET call for Composite Items, and it's not currently available in Zoho Flow. Please consider adding this functionality.
    • Zoho Social/Marketing Plus - Addition to "Monitor" function

      It would be very helpful if the Monitor function would allow us to add a column to monitor hashtags in addition to pages and mentions. This is a common and very valuable function in other social listening tools.
    • Almacenamiento

      Hola, Quisiera saber como podría hacer para bajar el almacenamiento de 5gb a mis usuarios, en otras palabras los quiero ir limitando de la cuota real, y luego ir agregando poco a poco la cantidad hasta llegar a los 5gb que me dan en el plan free. 
    • Develop Zoho Meeting as a Full Native Application (Not a Browser Wrapper)

      Hello Zoho Meeting Team, Hope you are doing well. We would like to suggest an important improvement regarding the Zoho Meeting desktop application. At the moment, the Zoho Meeting app feels more like a mini browser window or an iframe that loads the web
    • Zoho Invoice Now Supports VeriFactu for Businesses in Spain

      Starting from January 1, 2026, Spain requires real-time invoice reporting for all B2B transactions. From July 2026, this requirement will extend to B2C transactions as well. All reporting must be carried out through the VeriFactu to AEAT (Agencia Estatal
    • Will I Get a Refund If I Downgrade Zoho Mail?

      Hello, We upgraded an email account for our new employee. However, the employee left after one month, and now I've reduced the number of Zoho Mail users from 7 to 6. Can we get a refund for the remaining portion of our annual payment?
    • Zoho Billing Now Supports VeriFactu for Businesses in Spain

      Starting from January 1, 2026, Spain requires real-time invoice reporting for all B2B transactions. From July 2026, this requirement will extend to B2C transactions as well. All reporting must be carried out through the VeriFactu to AEAT (Agencia Estatal
    • Introducing the revamped What's New page

      Hello everyone! We're happy to announce that Zoho Campaigns' What's New page has undergone a complete revamp. We've bid the old page adieu after a long time and have introduced a new, sleeker-looking page. Without further ado, let's dive into the main
    • Zoho Books - France

      L’équipe de Zoho France reçoit régulièrement des questions sur la conformité de ses applications de finances (Zoho Books/ Zoho Invoice) pour le marché français. Voici quelques points pour clarifier la question : Zoho Books est un logiciel de comptabilité
    • Name autocomplete

      Hi, During searching emails the web tool does not always propose the auto-completion of the saved emails. As a result I either have to go to contacts and look up the exact email, or the exact full name including the middle name and any dots, which is very annoying. For example I have a contact that I emailed in the past that has "First M. Last" <email@email.com> type of contact. When I start typing 'First' the email may or may not pop up in the autocomplete menu. Then if I start typing "first last"
    • Using a CRM Client Script Button to create a Books Invoice

      Hello, I need help handling error messages returned to my client script from a function. The scenario I have setup a client script button which is available from each Deal. This CS executes a crm function, which in turn creates an invoice based on the
    • Why Format section gets disabled when we create Merge Template over PDF

      I need some assistance I have a Client who is going to give certificates to users who passes his exam. So, I am using mail merge but in ZOHO writer after I upload the PDF and create merge Template over PDF the format Section gets disabled. My problem
    • Possible to connect Zoho CRM's Sandbox with Zoho Creator's Sandbox?

      We are making some big changes on our CRM so we are testing it out in CRM's Sandbox. We also have a Zoho Creator app that we need to test. Is it possible to connect Zoho CRM's Sandbox to Zoho Creator's Sandbox so that I can perform those tests?
    • How do i follow up my email campaign in-thread

      Is there a way to follow up the email campaign so that it is in-thread using zoho campaigns? eg customer gets original email with subject line "hello" then 5 days later follow up would be with subject line "RE: hello".
    • Announcing new features in Trident for Mac (1.29.0)

      Hello everyone! Trident for macOS (v1.29.0) is here with new features and enhancements to enhance your business communication. Let's take a quick look at them. Access shared mailboxes. You can now view and access shared mailboxes in Trident, which are
    • Books is extremely slow again today !

      Everything is running slowly even with 500mb connection speed
    • Cyclic dependencies in many-to-many relationships...

      I have an application which includes a form for companies, and a form for contacts. Each company can be assigned 1 technical and 1 administrative contact. I have this working okay so far, but I want to copy the scripts used so far to a new empty application. When I import the scripts it fails with a message that says: Problem encountered while creating the application Error in resolving form dependency:Cyclic dependency among the forms:[Company, Contact] What can I do to resolve this? After all,
    • Zoho Workdrive for Office, "vsto runtime not found"

      Hi all, I have been trying to get ZohoWorkdrive_MS-addin_1.4.exe installed, but I keep getting the error "VSTO Runtime Not Found!" - even though I have installed it ... Anyone else hear had problems with the MS addin?  FYI, I am using O365 on A Dell laptop running Win 10 Home - fully patched and up-to-date.  I have tried compatibility modes and running explicitly as Administrator - the usual steps. Any advice would be appreciated.
    • Zoho API to create ticket

      I'm developing an integration to create tickets via API, but, locally it works (send and recieve requests). In production it also works sending requests, but, my file don't recieve any response data. My URL is available in Zoho API Console and I have
    • Automate Timesheet Approvals with Multi-level Approval Rules

      Introducing Approval Rules for Timesheets in Zoho Projects. With this automation, teams can manage how timesheets are reviewed and approved by setting up rules with criteria and assigning approvers to handle submissions. Timesheet, when associated to
    • Zia’s AI Assist now helps you write clearer notes — in seconds

      After helping recruiters craft job descriptions, emails, and assessments, Zia’s AI Assist is now stepping in to make note-taking effortless too. Whether you’re recording feedback after an interview or sharing quick updates with your team, you can now
    • Building toppings #1 - Serving your needs with Bigin toppings

      Hey Biginners! We're excited to kick off our Developer Community series on building toppings for Bigin, and our goal is to provide an accessible, beginner-friendly, and relevant path for every developer. Imagine creating tiny pieces of software that unlock
    • Next Page