Building Extensions #5: Configuration setup while building extensions - Part 1

Building Extensions #5: Configuration setup while building extensions - Part 1

This series aims to equip developers with all they need to build extensions for Zoho Desk in Zoho Sigma and publish them in Zoho Marketplace.
 
With our series of posts so far, we have introduced you to our development environment setup (Sigma) to build extensions and the steps needed to upload them in Zoho Marketplace. This post will brief you on the configuration settings that are necessary while building extensions for Zoho Desk.
 
Extensions can either add a new custom feature to Zoho Desk that suits your business needs or integrate a third-party application with Zoho Desk. You may also use the advanced features provided within Zoho Desk to weave and craft sophisticated apps for Zoho Desk.
 
Regardless of the type of extension you may build, configuration details play an important role in them. The information needed to set up the extension should be added as a part of the configuration while building an extension. The location to load the extension widget within Zoho Desk, the authorized communication between Zoho Desk and third-party applications, and all the other required information are configured in the plugin-manifest.json file that is stored in the extension project directory.

Plugin-manifest 

The plugin-manifest file is included in the extension project directory by default. It has various keys included in it, each serving a unique function for configuring the extension. Let's explore the purpose of the keys that are included in the plugin-manifest file.

{

  "locale": [

    "en"

  ],

  "service": "DESK",

  "storage": false,

  "type": "personal",

  "whiteListedDomains": [],

  "modules": {

    "widgets": [

      {

        "location": "desk.ticket.detail.rightpanel",

        "url": "/app/widget.html",

        "name": "Desk Extension",

        "logo": "/app/img/logo.png",

        "icon": "/app/img/icon.png"

      }

    ]

  },

  "zohoAuthorisation": {},

  "connectors": [],

  "config": [],

  "moduleSupport": false

      }

locale

The details regarding the languages supported by the extension have to be specified here. All translation files need to be stored in .json format inside the "translations" folder of the extension's project folder.

service

This key stores the name of the Zoho product for which the extension is created.

storage 

At times, there may be a need for you to store data and use it whenever needed in your extension. This can be accomplished by enabling data storage for your extension. Set the value to "true" to enable the feature. It is disabled by default.

whiteListedDomains 

When you build an extension that integrates Zoho Desk with a third-party application, you will be invoking APIs. The domain names of these APIs have to be authorized by Zoho Desk and whitelisted to ensure a secure data transfer between the two applications.
 
Only whitelisted domains can be used to make an API call. Requests for domains that are not included in this key will be blocked. If your extension does not include third-party service requests, this key is declared as an empty array.

widgets

The details regarding widgets created for the extension are added to this key. An extension can have multiple widgets and the details can be added here as an array of objects. The following are the parameters that construct a widget object:
 
  • location: The information about where to load a widget needs to be added here. All locations where the widget could be loaded are predefined.  
  • url: The path of the widget's html file can be added here, either as a relative path (for internally hosted extensions) or an absolute path (for externally hosted extensions).
  • name: Name of the extension (displayed in the extension header)
  • logo: Path of the extension's logo (displayed in the extension header)
  • icon: Path of the extension's icon (displayed only on the widget chat bar and subtab)
Our next post will continue with the authorization part of configuration.
 
Stay tuned!


<<Previous                                                                                                                                   Next>>

      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

                                  • hide resolution from help centre

                                    to my surprise, i just found out that the resolution text is public in the helpcenter, even if 'notify customer' is off. is there a workaround to that? how do others deal with this? How zoho support does this and I don't think its used by Zoho in the first place. the resolution is meant to be private, not public
                                  • Zoho Analytics + Facebook Ads: Performance Alerts for Active Campaigns

                                    Is it possible with integration of Zoho Analytics with Facebook Ads and set up alerts or notifications for active campaigns when performance drops? For example, triggering a notification if CTR goes below a defined threshold or if other key metrics (like
                                  • Multiple upload field CRM

                                    I desperately need the functionality to add more than one upload field to web to contacts form. How can I do this?
                                  • Sort by age

                                    It would be very helpful if there was a way to sort by age in the Age column. Please add this function if possible. Thanks!
                                  • Lookup Field Option Not Available in Customization

                                    Hello, I am trying to customize different modules (e.g., Work Orders, Systems, and others), but I am unable to find the Lookup field option in the layout customization. When I go to: Setup → Customization → Modules and Fields → Add Field The Lookup field
                                  • Scheduled sending of a poll and its results

                                    Is there a way to schedule sending a poll to all my users and have the results sent separately to the team?
                                  • Integrating Zoho Suite and apps more with Linux

                                    I just got introduced with Zoho just couple of months ago, and I've already planned to contribute to it, even though it's not an open-source software. Still I have found it's potential to beat the tech giants and still being respective towards data privacy
                                  • Store Submitted Forms as PDF

                                    Hi there, Is there a method to store Form submissions as a PDF in workdrive for archival? I set the form to email the submission to the user and an internal inbox but I'd really love to store the final form as PDF in workdrive automatically. I can't seem
                                  • System Components menu not available for Tablet to select language

                                    I have attached a screenshot of my desktop, mobile, and tablet menu builder options. I am using 2 languages in my application. Language Selection is an option under the System Components part of the menu, but only for my desktop and phone(mobile). My
                                  • Separate Items & Services

                                    Hi, please separate items and services into different categories. Thank you
                                  • CRM->INVENTORY, sync products as composite items

                                    We have a product team working in the CRM, as it’s more convenient than using Books or Inventory—especially with features like Blueprints being available. Once a product reaches a certain stage, it needs to become visible in Inventory. To achieve this,
                                  • Add an option to disable ZIA suggestions

                                    Currently, ZIA in Zoho Inventory automatically provides suggestions, such as sending order confirmation emails. However, there is no way to disable this feature. In our case, orders are automatically created by customers, and we’ve built a custom workflow
                                  • Want to use Zoho Books in Switzerland. CHF support planned?

                                    Hi, We're a Swiss company using other Zoho suite software and I discovered Zoho Books and other accounting SaaS when looking for an accounting tool. Do you intend to cover Switzerland and CHF based accounting anytime soon? Roy
                                  • Feature Request - Gift Cards or Gift Voucher Capability in Zoho Commerce

                                    Hi Zoho Commerce team, I'm comming accross more and more retail businesses who sell gift cards. As there is currently no way to manage this in Zoho Commerce, it is a blocker to addoption. This is particularly popular in Europe and North America. I recently
                                  • Highlight a candidate who is "off limits"

                                    Hello: Is there a way to highlight a candidate who is "off limits"?  I would like to have the ability to make certain candidate and / or Client records highlighted in RED or something like that.   This would be used for example when we may have placed a candidate somewhere and we want everyone in our company to quickly and easily see that they are off limits.  The same would apply when we want to put a client or former client off limits so no one recruits out of there. How can this be done? Cheers,
                                  • Closing off tasks automatically based on project status

                                    Is there a way to close off all open tasks when a project is set as Cancelled?
                                  • [Free webinar] Understanding connections and datasources in Zoho Creator - Creator Tech Connect

                                    Hello everyone, We’re excited to invite you to another edition of the Creator Tech Connect webinar. About Creator Tech Connect The Creator Tech Connect series is a free monthly webinar featuring in-depth technical sessions designed for developers, administrators,
                                  • Bridge the Gap Between your Service and Finance Teams

                                    In field service, the most expensive distance isn’t the drive to a customer’s home—it’s the gap between a finished job and a paid invoice. Zoho FSM leverages the power of Zoho Invoice to handle and manage billing operations. It enables you to: Instantly
                                  • Direct URL to "View Record"

                                    I would like to create a button (Deluge Script) to jump to the "view record" without passing by the record menu, but I can not aford to find the right url. I don't want the "view record" as a single page. I want the "view record" in the application like the picture below: Thanks in advance for your help
                                  • Live Chat for user

                                    Hi everyone, I’m new to Zoho Creator and wanted to ask if it’s possible to add a live chat option for all logged-in portal users so they can chat internally. I’m trying to create a customer portal similar to a service desk, but for vehicle breakdowns,
                                  • SalesIQ Chat Owner to CRM Lead Owner Mapping

                                    There is no proper mapping between the SalesIQ chat owner and the CRM lead owner. When a chat is assigned to an agent, the lead created in CRM is often assigned to a different user, forcing admins to manually change ownership every time. This creates
                                  • Product line search in quotes

                                    Is there a way to change the search setting when you add a product line to a quote. We have created a field in products called 'Part Number' and I would like when I'm adding a product line to the quote that I can search on that field. At the moment it only searches on product description. In products I can search on the 'Part Number' field Any help welcome.
                                  • Storage Limits

                                    Hello, What is the storage limitations for each user on professional edition?  Thanks, Mekki
                                  • Power Pivot and Data Modeling functionality in Zoho Sheet

                                    When will MS Excel functionalities like Power Pivot and Data Modeling functionalities be available in Zoho Sheet?
                                  • 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
                                  • What's New - January 2026 | Zoho Backstage

                                    Welcome to 2026! If you thought last year was big, buckle up. We’re stepping into this year with a singular focus: unimaginable growth, elite scalability, and performance benchmarks that leave the old ways of event management in the rearview mirror. As
                                  • Cliq on your mobile phone

                                    Some of the employees in my company get their cliq on their mobile phones but it will not let them answer the call. The employee has to go to their laptop to access it. 
                                  • Bulk Delete Messages in Cliq

                                    Isn't it possible to bulk delete messages in Cliq? I have them delivered to me as notifications from another service but most of them need to be deleted as not of value. I get dozens of them per day, and deleting them is already difficult is the "Delete"
                                  • stock movement report by each transaction for each item

                                    Dear Sir we are using zoho inventory for foodstuff and we lack the transaction report which clearly shows movement of an item from Opening balance of the month to Goods received in, Supplier return out, Invoice out, Sales return In, Transfer out and Transfer
                                  • Unable to change Company Logo

                                    Hi Guys, I have an issue where I've uploaded a Company image in Gif format and the logo has now got a black background whereas the logo is supposed to be black not the background. I didn't think it would be an issue so I created a PNG version to upload
                                  • Metadata API Access to Functions

                                    I think it would be incredibly helpful to have api access to every function's code. Our team primarily uses deluge functions to update fields across modules according to business logic. I would like to create a visual dependancy model for our CRM, but
                                  • Historical Sales Info - Blend with Finance Invoice Line Items, Access in CRM and Desk

                                    My company has been using Zoho One since 2021, with sales data going back through 2020. However, we have been in business much longer, and we have historical sales information that we want to have at our fingertips when talking with customers (usually
                                  • Introducing Record Category in CRM: Group options to see record status at a glance.

                                    Release update: Currently available for CN, JP, and AU, CA, Sa, and UAE DCs (all editions); EU, US, and IN (Standard and Professional editions). It will be made available to other DCs by mid-March. Hello everyone, We are pleased to introduce Record Category
                                  • Service disruption in Zoho Cliq (EU Region) – February 9, 2026

                                    Hello everyone, We’d like to inform you about a brief service disruption that affected Zoho Cliq users in the EU region earlier today. The issue has been resolved, and all services are now operating normally. Summary On February 9, 2026, Zoho Cliq experienced
                                  • Spotlight series #26 - Build slides with visual clarity using Diagram

                                    Hello all! The feature in the spotlight this month is Diagram. Let's say you are a part of a project kickoff meeting and your teammate starts explaining the project life cycle like this: "First we ideate, then we create an initial prototype and share
                                  • Client scripts for Zoho Books ?

                                    Good day everyone, I am looking for a way to be able to interact with the Quotes and Invoices as they are being created. Think of it like Zoho client script in Zoho CRM. But for the life of me I dont see a way to do this. The issue with having function
                                  • Ability to move emails between different Shared Mailboxes

                                    Hi Zoho Team and Community, I would like to suggest a feature that would greatly improve the workflow for teams managing multiple Shared Mailboxes. Currently, we often receive emails in the wrong shared mailbox. While we can forward them to the correct
                                  • Crossbeam

                                    Does anyone use Crossbeam with their Zoho CRM? I'm looking for a way to import Crossbeam partner leads into Zoho CRM. If so: - What's your experience been like? - Are you able to automatically import Crossbeam leads > Zoho CRM? How? - What doesn't work
                                  • Access forms within a form

                                    I have multiple forms that I would like to create access to for users within one form. Example: I have forms A, B, C, D. I would like to create a form with the links to forms A, B, C, & D. That way we can send one link and then the user can select the
                                  • WorkDrive issues with Windows Explorer Not Responding

                                    We are using WorkDrive to collaborate on editing video content. We have a lot of files and quite a few are a few gigs. Recently anytime I try and work with the files Explorer freezes for a couple minutes whether it's dragging the files into Premiere or
                                  • Next Page