Building extensions #2: Creating extensions for Zoho Projects using a CLI

Building extensions #2: Creating extensions for Zoho Projects using a CLI

In our previous post, we noted the two ways to create extensions for Zoho Projects— using the cloud editor and using the command line interface (CLI). We also shared how to create an extension using the Sigma cloud editor. In this post, we'll take a closer look at creating an extension using the CLI.

You'll learn how to create an extension project template with the CLI, test it, upload the zipped project while creating an extension, and then edit or change it. Let's go over each of these steps in detail.

Building an extension project using the CLI
  • To create an extension project, we must first set up the development environment, which involves:
➤ Downloading Node.js: Node.js acts as the base platform as well as the JavaScript environment in which the JavaScript code is executed.
➤ Installing ZET CLI: Zoho offers a command line interface called Zoho Extension Toolkit (ZET) which enables you to build, test, and pack your extension project.
Please follow the steps in this link to download Node.js and install ZET CLI.
  • Once the development environment is ready, use the basic ZET commands to create, validate, pack, and test your extension project.
zet init: Create a new project and add the necessary folder structure and resources
zet validate: Validate the entire project
zet pack: Pack the project to get a zipped file that will later be associated as the connected app
zet run: Run the internal Zoho server to test the project locally
Now, let's use these commands to create and manage an extension project.
  • First, use the zet init command. Select Zoho Projects as the Zoho service from the dropdown list.

  • Enter a name for the extension. An extension with the directory structure required for a sample Zoho Projects extension is created automatically.

  • This directory structure contains an app folder and a plugin-manifest.json file, both of which are similar to those created by the Sigma cloud editor detailed in the last post.

  • The app folder can be used to manage all the important resources required for your extension. By default, itincludes an index.html file, which serves as the UI for a sample widget.
  • The plugin-manifest.json file helps with extension configuration. It includes a widgets key configured with a default sample widget named, "Projects Extension" in the default location as the task details tab, along with the URL as the location of the index.html file.
Now that the extension project has been created, lets go ahead and test it in the Zoho Projects portal.
Testing an extension project using the CLI
  • To test a sample Zoho Projects extension created with the ZET CLI, use the Change Directory command to navigate to the project folder. Then, run the zet run command.

  • This command starts a local server and enables you to test your extension locally.
  • Now, navigate to your Zoho Projects portal. Click the Setup icon.
  • Select Developer Space from the left panel. Click Enable Developer Mode.

  • Developer Mode will be enabled and the page will automatically refresh.
  • You may now test your extension functionalities in the Zoho Projects portal.
  • Since the sample extension had a default widget called, "Projects Extension" configured on the Task Details page, choose and enter a project task in your portal.

  • Click on the Projects Extension tab on the Task Details page, and you will see that the widget has loaded.

  • Once you have finished testing your extension's functionality, use the zet pack command. This command adds a dist folder to the directory structure, zips the extension project, and places the zipped file inside the newly created dist folder.
Uploading the zipped file to your Sigma extension

Now that we have created the extension project and tested its functionalities locally, lets go ahead and create an extension in Sigma.
  • Once you enter your Sigma workspace, click the New Extension button to build a new extension.
  • Enter a name and description for the extension. Choose Zoho Projects for the service.
  • Toggle Upload Existing File to Yes.

  • Click Browse to locate and upload the extension project's zipped file, accept the terms and conditions, and click Create.

  • You will be redirected to the cloud editor. The directory structure of your CLI extension project will be automatically populated with the project's contents.
Editing an extension created with the CLI
  • You can make edits or changes to your extension code directly from the cloud editor.
  • If you wish to make changes to a file or its contents in the directory structure of your CLI extension project, please be sure to pack the extension project again using the zet pack CLI command.
  • Go to Sigma. Click the Extension Details icon of the extension you wish to edit.

  • Click the Edit icon under the extension name.

  • Browse for and upload the new zipped file, accept the terms and conditions, and click Update.

  • The extension will be updated to reflect the changes you have made.
In this post, we have covered the process of creating an extension for Zoho Projects through ZET CLI. We hope you found this information useful. Keep following this space for more information!

Sign up for a Zoho Developer account and start developing extensions for Zoho products using Sigma.

SEE ALSO







      Zoho Campaigns Resources


        • Desk Community Learning Series


        • Digest


        • Functions


        • Meetups


        • Kbase


        • Resources


        • Glossary


        • Desk Marketplace


        • MVP Corner


        • Word of the Day


        • Ask the Experts


          Zoho CRM Plus Resources

            Zoho Books Resources


              Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                Zoho Projects Resources


                  Zoho Sprints Resources


                    Zoho Orchestly Resources


                      Zoho Creator Resources


                        Zoho WorkDrive Resources



                          Zoho CRM Resources

                          • CRM Community Learning Series

                            CRM Community Learning Series


                          • Tips

                            Tips

                          • Functions

                            Functions

                          • Meetups

                            Meetups

                          • Kbase

                            Kbase

                          • Resources

                            Resources

                          • Digest

                            Digest

                          • CRM Marketplace

                            CRM Marketplace

                          • MVP Corner

                            MVP Corner




                            Zoho Writer Writer

                            Get Started. Write Away!

                            Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                              Zoho CRM コンテンツ



                                ご検討中の方

                                  • Recent Topics

                                  • Develop and publish a Zoho Recruit extension on the marketplace

                                    Hi, I'd like to develop a new extension for Zoho Recruit. I've started to use Zoho Developers creating a Zoho CRM extension. But when I try to create a new extension here https://sigma.zoho.com/workspace/testtesttestest/apps/new I d'ont see the option of Zoho Recruit (only CRM, Desk, Projects...). I do see extensions for Zoho Recruit in the marketplace. How would I go about to create one if the option is not available in sigma ? Cheers, Rémi.
                                  • Highlights of 2025: Milestones and moments

                                    Hey everyone! As we step into 2026, it’s a great time to look back at everything 2025 brought to Zoho Social. This year was big, packed with powerful new features, smart enhancements, exciting events, and a major milestone: a whole decade of Zoho Social.
                                  • Introducing the sandbox environment in Zoho Sign

                                    Hey there! Customer and partners across the globe have been requesting a testing environment—also called a sandbox—for quite some time. Sandboxes help you try out document workflows before using them in your production setup. This new year, we are excited
                                  • Can I share the drive with another Windows user?

                                    We use the WorkDrive Sync application on a server with several remote desktop users. Our question is: Can the drive created by WorkDrive Sync be shared from one of these remote users with the other users so they can access the files, or do we need to
                                  • Syncing Bills in Zoho Books to Zoho CRM

                                    Is there any way to sync the Bills in Zoho Books in Zoho CRM
                                  • Auto CheckOut Based On Shift.

                                    This Deluge script runs on a scheduled basis to automatically set the 'Actual_Check_Out' time for employees who haven't manually checked out. If the current time is past their scheduled 'Shift_End_Time', the script updates the check-out time to match
                                  • Formula working in MS Excel , is not working in Zoho Sheets, Filter fuction which is working in MS sheets per the attached workbook / Daily update.

                                    Filter function , which is working in MS Excel is not working in Zoho sheets. Please help on function of filter of particular class sheets and extract students name who has more than 3.5 hours of study hours on particular day depending on date in D7 cell.
                                  • ERROR: Product type cannot be changed for Items having transactions.

                                    I have mistakenly added a product type as goods for an item that was a digital service. Now when HSN/SAC became mandatory, this brought my attention to this error I did. So I tried changing the product type but it displayed this error message Product
                                  • Automate pushing Zoho CRM backups into Zoho WorkDrive

                                    Through our Zoho One subscription we have both Zoho CRM and Zoho WorkDrive. We have regular backups setup in Zoho CRM. Once the backup is created, we are notified. Since we want to keep these backups for more than 7 days, we manually download them. They
                                  • Boost your CRM accuracy with smart Data Enrichment

                                    Hello all! In this post let's look at data enrichment from a holistic perspective to gain more clarity on how you can use it. So, here's a quick recap of what data enrichment is and how you set it up it to enhance your existing module data! What is data
                                  • Is Zoho One Desktop more secure than Zoho One Web SaaS?

                                    Is Zoho One Desktop more secure than using Zoho One in browser? Inherently, it seems desktop would be unless you don't do things like share your pw or leave pc on. I am concerned about data being on the cloud or someone else's server and database.
                                  • Is it possible to set a region lookup table so that my deal country can lookup this lookup table

                                    Hi there, I would like to be able to add a data lookup table with the following fields: Country, Region. And then in my deal report, i can then lookup this table to fish out the region in my report. This will be important for my sales process to categorise
                                  • Test Emails Show Sent "via zcsend.net" in My Gmail Account

                                    I noticed the following info... However, a few email service providers such as Outlook and Gmail will display that the email was sent by zcsend.net (Zoho campaigns’ server) on your behalf instead of just your from email address.  In order to prevent this, you can go for either of these options: Do not select the check box meant for DomainKey Signature which is listed under Unverified sender domains. Include our mail servers by advanced authentication method such as SPF/ Sender ID and DomainKey/ DKIM.
                                  • 'UnAuthenticated Connection: zbooks_connection'

                                    I have a zoho connection in Zoho Books, the link name es zbooks_connection, but I like to validate if exist, by example if I use this line in my code: response=zoho.books.getTemplates("", "","zbooks_connection"); But I don't  have the connection I like
                                  • Calling the new 'Custom API' feature from within a Custom Widget

                                    From what I've learned it is not possible to call an endpoint from the new "Custom API" feature within a Creator Widget. The SDK's doesn't support it yet, when calling it natively you end up with CORS issues or at least I couldn't get it working even
                                  • Cannot post to Instagram. I get the error: Insufficient permission to publish on this page. Check with your page Admin to update permissions.

                                    We had another admin that left the company. Since he left, we get this error when posting to Instagram.
                                  • Enhance productivity with the revamped Zoho Sheet View

                                    Hello folks, For some time now, you've been able to use the Zoho Sheet View to quickly edit multiple records or to insert a batch of new records. Its tabular interface allows users to engage in these tasks productively. Despite this, the existing Sheet
                                  • Zoho desk desktop application

                                    does zoho desk has a destop applicaion?
                                  • Ability to re-order Workflow Rules

                                    We really need the ability to re-order workflow rules within departments.  Either the ability to drag/drop them into a different order or something.
                                  • Ticket to article and Ticket to template

                                    Hello! I would like to know if it is possible (and how) to do the following actions: 1. To generate an article from a ticket (reply + original message) 2. Easy convert an answer to an email template
                                  • Create an article template

                                    I have a question concern the Knolwedge Database from Zoho Desk. There is any possibility to create an article template ? Exemple of what I research : TODAY : I want to create a lot af articles with the same baseline > I create one article > I copy/paste
                                  • Persisting email signals to contact timeline?

                                    Hello there. Regarding the email signals that are logged when a contact opens an email, am I correct that these signals are not logged to a contact's timeline? Ideally, I would like to have this context available for future follow-ups, if the contact
                                  • Change of Blog Author

                                    Hi, I am creating the blog post on behalf of my colleague. When I publish the post, it is showing my name as author of the post which is not intended and needs to be changed to my colleague's name. How can I change the name of the author in the blogs?? Thanks, Ramanan
                                  • Zoho FSM API Delete Record

                                    Hi FSM Team, It would be great if you could delete a record via API. Thank you,
                                  • Instant Messaging Update | Now migrate your WhatsApp Business phonenumber from another BSP to Zoho Desk | Dec'23

                                    Hi All, Everything seems to move at lightning speed these days, and time is certainly flying by for the IM team. But we are delighted at how much ground we covered this year. 🚀 For one, we enabled WhatsApp business phone number migration so that you
                                  • Upload ticket attachments via Drag-&-Drop

                                    Hello, if you want to upload a file to the ticket attachment you need to click the button and use the file browser to select and upload the desired file. In many cases, it would be much more efficient if you could simply drag the file to the browser window...
                                  • Can we disable add to cart in Zoho Commerce?

                                    Hello, Our sales happen on the phone. During the call the customer is directed to our website to inspect the products together with the sales rep. So we need a way to present our inventory. I figured Zoho Commerce is a good fit for this use case. However
                                  • Introducing WhatsApp integration in Bigin

                                    Greetings! In today's business landscape, messaging apps play a significant role in customer operations. Customers can engage with businesses, seek support, ask questions, receive personalized recommendations, read reviews, and even make purchases—all
                                  • Issues with Zoho Sheet in Mac

                                    I have downloaded the Zoho App from App Store but It is failing to Save As, Open & Download Operations. App Store
                                  • Zoho One account closure vs deactivation

                                    I wonder what are the best practices and guidelines around deactivating vs deleting Zoho accounts in organisations? Any practical considerations?
                                  • Global Search placement in the new UI

                                    Having a hard time with the global search placement in the UI redesign. Surely I can't be the only one. Previously global search placement was perfect. A bar at the top/center of the page. Exactly where you would expect it to be. Since the new UI has
                                  • Role Management

                                    I am creating an analytics dashboard for a company that will be utilized by its various departments such as Finance, Marketing, and HR. My goal is to design the dashboard with separate tabs for each department. Additionally, I plan to implement role-based
                                  • Schedule Zoho CRM reports only on Business Days

                                    Hello, Is it possible to schedule reports only on business days ? We currently get daily sales reports on weekend which has no value since the sales team doesn't work on weekends. Thanks
                                  • Missing the "Find & Merge Duplicates" choice

                                    Hi, I am missing the "Find & Merge Duplicates" choice. I looked under the "More Actions" menu in Contacts, Accounts, Vendors, and Leads and it is not there.  I have full permissions.  Please assist me on finding this feature. Thanks!
                                  • How to install Widget in inventory module

                                    Hi, I am trying to install a app into Sales Order Module related list, however there is no button allow me to do that. May I ask how to install widget to inventory module related list?
                                  • Cannot see Application from Lookup field

                                    Hi all, I am trying to access data for an application on our account via a lookup field; however, the application doesn't appear in the dropdown at all. Can anyone shed any light on this, please? I have asked Zoho support; however, they're just as confused,
                                  • How to track a contact or customer's past product purchases in Bigin Premiere?

                                    Hello there. I am the sole user of Bigin for a small company (chess club), and would like to track current and past purchases made by a contact (player) or company (family which includes the player). Players may register for multiple tournaments, take
                                  • LENTITUD EN RECIBIR MAIL

                                    Buenas tardes, Estamos experimentando lentitud en la recepción de correos electrónicos.
                                  • Items should display under specific warehouse

                                    I have configured the multi warehouse but it show all the items under all warehouse which is not correct according to our business logic, so i want that items should only display under that specific warehouse not under all the warehouses not even with zero quantity. Some items should be common but not all so is there any option for that purpose so i can specific the items to its warehouse. Regards
                                  • Tracking Non-Inventory Items

                                    We have several business locations and currently use zoho inventory to track retail items (sales and purchase orders). We were hoping to use zoho inventory to track our non-inventory items as well (toilet paper, paper towels, etc). I understand that we
                                  • Next Page