Kaizen #181 - Mandating Subform Data for Blueprint Transitions using Widget

Kaizen #181 - Mandating Subform Data for Blueprint Transitions using Widget



Hello Developers!

Welcome back to another week of Kaizen! 

This time, we are tackling a common challenge on how to enforce subform data from a different module before allowing a blueprint transition in Zoho CRM Deals module.

Many CRM workflows require checking and collecting related records' data across modules before advancing a deal, case, or order to the next stage. Zoho CRM Blueprint natively support subforms from Quotes, Sales Orders, and Invoices for the Deals module with the help of Associated Items in the transition settings. 

Let us explore how to mandate custom subforms' data from a different module for a blueprint transition.

Why Mandate Subform Data from a Different Module?

In Zoho CRM, subforms manage multiple data entries under a single parent record. However, certain blueprint transitions may depend on subform data from related modules, such as:  
  • A Deal's transition may depend on the document data stored in the associated Contact’s subform.
  • A Service Request requiring validation against a subform in the related Account before processing.  
  • A Loan Application requiring income proof from the Customer’s subform before approval.  
Since blueprint transition rules only validate fields within the same module, you can use a custom widget to check and update subform data across modules before proceeding.

Business Scenario: Insurance Deals Qualification

Consider Zylker, an insurance company, using Zoho CRM to manage customers and streamline processes. Their sales process follows this blueprint when a deal reaches the Qualification stage:
Insurance Sales Blueprint

Steps to Build a Blueprint Widget

Step 1 - Review Basics

Refer to our earlier Kaizen on CLI Installation, Creating a Widget Project, and Internal hosting of the same.

Step 2 - Develop your Widget

After setting up the widget project using CLI, implement the logic based on your business case.

Here’s the logic for the sample use case we are discussing:

Widget Execution During Transition
  • When the user clicks the Collect Requirements transition, the widget loads.
  • Using the PageLoad event listener, retrieve the current record's ID and module name.
  • Use the GET Records API via its JS SDK to fetch the Contact ID linked to the Deal. 
ZOHO.embeddedApp.on("PageLoad", function(data) {
      // Fetch the current page's record details
      const recordId = data.EntityId;
      const moduleName = data.Entity;
      ZOHO.CRM.API.getRecord({Entity: moduleName, RecordID: recordId})
        .then(function(response) {
          const record = response.data[0];
          console.log("Current Record Details:", record);
          // Fetch the associated contact ID
 contactId = record.Contact_Name.id;

Check and Collect Required Document Details
  • Using the Contact ID, run a COQL query using Connection JS SDK to check if each Document Category has at least one entry in the Document Details subform.
Notes
Notes
In invoke connection JS SDK, use param type 2 for the API request payload inside the parameter key and param type 1 for regular parameters.

Explore the Working with Connections help page and create a connection with the necessary scopes to invoke the COQL API.
  • If all four categories (Address Proof, ID Proof, Income Proof, Medical Report) have at least one entry, the widget allows the transition immediately.
  • If any category is missing, the widget prompts the user to enter the details in a table that mirrors the Document Details subform in the Contacts module.
// Make a query API call 
          const query = {
            "select_query": `select Document_Category,COUNT(id) from Document_Details where id is not null and Parent_Id='${contactId}' group by Document_Category`
          };
          ZOHO.CRM.CONNECTION.invoke("crm_oauth_connection", {
            method: "POST",
            url: "https://www.zohoapis.com/crm/v7/coql",
            parameters: query,
            param_type: 2,
            headers: {
              "Content-Type": "application/json"
            }
 }).then(function(response) {
     const data = response.details.statusMessage.data;
            if (response.details.statusMessage === "" || (data && data.length < 4)) {
              createSubformUI();
              document.getElementById('contentContainer').style.display = 'block';
            } else if (data && data.length === 4) {
              document.getElementById('messageContainer').style.display = 'block';
              // Enable the "Move to Next State" button if all files are already updated
              const nextStateButton = document.querySelector('.nextStateButton');
              nextStateButton.disabled = false;
              nextStateButton.style.backgroundColor = ''; 
            }
 })

Update the Contact's Subform
  • The user enters the document details and clicks the Save button in the widget. 
  • Since subform updates act like a PATCH request, any existing record IDs must be included in the update payload to retain them. To get the existing subform record IDs make a  GET Records API call via its JS SDK. 
async function getExisitingSubFormRecords(contactId) {
let exisitingRecords = [];
awaitasync function getExisitingSubFormRecords(contactId) {
let exisitingRecords = [];
await ZOHO.CRM.API.getRecord({ Entity: "Contacts", RecordID: contactId })
.then(function (response) {
const record = response.data[0];
console.log("Current Record Details:", record);

if (record.Document_Details)
{
record.Document_Details.forEach(function (document) {
exisitingRecords.push({id: document.id});
});
}
})
.catch(function (error) {
console.error("Error fetching records:", error);
});
return exisitingRecords;
} ZOHO.CRM.API.getRecord({ Entity: "Contacts", RecordID: contactId })
.then(function (response) {
const record = response.data[0];
console.log("Current Record Details:", record);
record.Document_Details.forEach(function (document) {
exisitingRecords.push({id: document.id});
});
})
.catch(function (error) {
console.error("Error fetching records:", error);
});
return exisitingRecords;
}
  • Clicking the Save button executes the following actions:
    -> Uploads the selected file to Zoho File System (ZFS) using the Upload File API through its JS SDK.
    -> Updates the Document Details subform in the associated Contact record by adding the file ID from the upload response and each row's entry using the Update Records API (via the Update Record JS SDK).
  • Once the subform is successfully updated, the widget allows the transition to next Blueprint state.
async function updateRecord(event) {
event.preventDefault();
// Collect user entries from each row
const rows = document.querySelectorAll('#documentsTable tbody tr');
const documentDetails = await Promise.all(Array.from(rows).map(async (row, index) => {
const documentCategory = row.querySelector('select[name="documentCategory"]').value;
const documentNumber = row.querySelector('input[name="documentNumber"]').value;
const documentName = row.querySelector('input[name="documentName"]').value;
const documentFile = row.querySelector('input[name="upload"]').files[0];
const fileId = await uploadFile(documentFile);
return {
Document_Category: documentCategory,
Document_Number: documentNumber,
Document_Name: documentName,
Upload: [
{
file_id: fileId
}
]
};
}));
// Get the existing subform records
const existingRecords = await getExisitingSubFormRecords(contactId);
// Merge the existing records with the new records
existingRecords.forEach(record => documentDetails.push(record));
// Prepare the payload for the update API call
const payload = {
id: contactId,
Document_Details: documentDetails
};
// Make the update API call
ZOHO.CRM.API.updateRecord({
Entity: "Contacts",
APIData: payload
}).then(function (updateResponse) {
console.log("Update response:", updateResponse);
const saveButton = document.querySelector('.saveButton');
saveButton.textContent = "Saved";
saveButton.disabled = false;
saveButton.style.backgroundColor = 'grey';
// Enable the "Move to Next State" button after saving
const nextStateButton = document.querySelector('.nextStateButton');
nextStateButton.disabled = false;
nextStateButton.style.backgroundColor = ''; 
})

Step 3 - Validate and Pack the Widget

  • Follow the steps given in the Widget help page to validate and package the widget.
  • Go to Zoho CRM > Setup > Developer Hub > Widgets and click Create New Widget.
  • Fill in the required details as shown in this image and ensure to select Blueprint as the widget type.
    Creating a Blueprint Widget

Step 4 - Associate the Widget with the Blueprint

  • Navigate to Setup > Process Management > Blueprint and open the Deals Blueprint created for this use case.
  • Click on the Collect Requirements transition.
    Associate Widget to a Blueprint Transition
  • In the During tab on the left pane, select Widgets and associate the newly created widget.
  • Publish the Blueprint to activate the changes.

Try it Out! 

A complete working code sample of this widget is attached at the bottom of this post for reference. 
 
Now, let us see how this Blueprint works from the Deals page:  
  1. All required document details are available: The widget validates the Contact’s subform and allows the transition.  



  2. Missing or incomplete document details: The widget prompts the user to enter the missing details, updates the Contact’s subform, and then enables the transition.  



This approach ensures that required subform data from another module is validated and captured before proceeding with a Blueprint transition.  

Would you like us to address any of your pain-points or have a topic to discuss? Let us know in the comments or reach out to us via support@zohocrm.com.

Until next time, Happy Coding! 

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

Additional Reading

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


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


      Zoho Campaigns Resources


        • Desk Community Learning Series


        • Digest


        • Functions


        • Meetups


        • Kbase


        • Resources


        • Glossary


        • Desk Marketplace


        • MVP Corner


        • Word of the Day


        • Ask the Experts


          • Sticky Posts

          • Kaizen #197: Frequently Asked Questions on GraphQL APIs

            🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.

          • Kaizen #198: Using Client Script for Custom Validation in Blueprint

            Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – 1 More to the Big Two-Oh-Oh! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.

          • Celebrating 200 posts of Kaizen! Share your ideas for the milestone post

            Hello Developers, We launched the Kaizen series in 2019 to share helpful content to support your Zoho CRM development journey. Staying true to its spirit—Kaizen Series: Continuous Improvement for Developer Experience—we've shared everything from FAQs

          • Kaizen #193: Creating different fields in Zoho CRM through API

            🎊 Nearing 200th Kaizen Post – We want to hear from you! Do you have any questions, suggestions, or topics you would like us to cover in future posts? Your insights and suggestions help us shape future content and make this series better for everyone.

          • Client Script | Update - Introducing Commands in Client Script!

            Have you ever wished you could trigger Client Script from contexts other than just the supported pages and events? Have you ever wanted to leverage the advantage of Client Script at your finger tip? Discover the power of Client Script - Commands! Commands

          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

                                  • 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

                                  • Using Zoho Flow to create sales orders from won deal in Zoho CRM

                                    Hi there, We are using Zoho Flow to create sales orders automatically when a deal is won in Zoho CRM. However, the sales order requires "Product Details" to be passed in "jsonobject", and is resulting in this error: Zoho CRM says "Invalid input for invalid

                                  • Is Zoho Sheet available for Linux ?

                                    Is Zoho Sheet available for Linux ?

                                  • how to disable staff selection Zoho Booking integrated to SalesIQ?

                                    currently there is only one Consultant in my Zoho Bookings like this I integrate Zoho Bookings into Zoho SalesIQ to create a chatbot. Unfortunately, even though I only have one consultant for a consultation, the user have to pick the consultant. It will

                                  • Zoho Bookings No Sync with Outlook

                                    Zoho Bookings appointments are showing on my Outlook Calendar but Outlook events are not showing on Zoho Bookings. How do I fix this?

                                  • End Date in Zoho Bookings

                                    When I give my appointments a 30 minutes time I would expect the software not to even show the End Time.  But it actually makes the user pick an End Time.  Did I just miss a setting?  

                                  • Custom confirmation message

                                    How can I change the message that users see after they submit the booking form? I have to confirm some details before their appointment is officially "confirmed", so I want to change it where it doesn't say their appointment is "confirmed" but rather

                                  • Issue showing too many consultations in my workspace link.

                                    Hi Team, I’ve set up two Workspaces to track meetings from different sources. So far, this has been working well, and the two Workspaces are differentiated without any issues. However, when I navigate to Consultations and share the link to my personal

                                  • All new Address Field in Zoho CRM: maintain structured and accurate address inputs

                                    The address field will be available exclusively for IN DC users. We'll keep you updated on the DC-specific rollout soon. It's currently available for all new sign-ups and for existing Zoho CRM orgs which are in the Professional edition. Managing addresses

                                  • Recurring Supervisor Rule Reminders for Open/In-Progress Tickets

                                    Hello Zoho Support Team, I would like to suggest a potential improvement regarding reminders for tickets and activities in Zoho Desk. Currently, it is possible to set reminders only once. In the Supervisor Rules section, it is possible to configure reminders

                                  • Improved RingCentral Integration

                                    We’d like to request an enhancement to the current RingCentral integration with Zoho. RingCentral now automatically generates call transcripts and AI-based call summaries (AI Notes) for each call, which are extremely helpful for support and sales teams.

                                  • Deluge sendmail in Zoho Desk schedule can't send email from a verified email address

                                    I am trying to add a scheduled action with ZDesk using a Deluge function that sends a weekly email to specific ticket client contacts I've already verified the email address for use in ZDesk, but sendmail won't allow it in its "from:" clause. I've attached

                                  • Zoho Learn & Zoho Connect

                                    Hi, Is there a way to sync the knowledge base we have in Zoho Learn with the manuals section is Zoho Connect? Thanks,

                                  • Addin Support in Zoho Sheet

                                    Is there any addin support available in zoho sheet as like google marketplace to enhance productivity by connecting with other apps, providing AI data analysis, streamlining business processes, and more?

                                  • Allow syncing Activities from other applications

                                    Marketing Automation could be a much more powerful platform if you were able to sync activities into the platform (e.g. purchase, donation, etc) outside of a user doing something on your website. I'd love it if you could sync Custom CRM Modules as activities,

                                  • Changing Corporate Structure - How Best to Adapt Current and Future Zoho Instances

                                    My current company is Company A LLC with a dba ("doing business as" - essentially an alias) Product Name B. Basically, Company A is the legal entity and Product Name B is what customers see, but it's all one business right now. We currently have a Zoho

                                  • how to add subform over sigma in the CRM

                                    my new module don't have any subform available any way to add this from sigma or from the crm

                                  • {"errors":[{"id":"500","title":"Servlet execution threw an exception"}]}

                                    Here's the call to move a file to trash. The resource_id is accurate and the file is present. header = Map(); header.put("Accept","application/vnd.api+json"); data = Map(); data_param1 = Map(); att_param1 = Map(); att_param1.put("status",51); data_param1.put("attributes",att_param1);

                                  • How to Install Zoho Workdrive Desktop Sync for Ubuntu?

                                    Hi. I am newbie to Linux / Ubuntu. I downloaded a tar.gz file from Workdrive for installing the Workdrive Desktop Sync tool. Can someone give me step by step guide on how to install this on Ubuntu? I am using Ubuntu 19.04. Regards Senthil

                                  • Integración Books para cumplir la ley Crea y Crece y Ley Antifraude (VeriFactu)

                                    Hola: En principio, en julio de 2025, entra en vigor la ley Crea y Crece y Ley Antifraude (VeriFactu). ¿Sabéis si Zoho va a cumplir con la ley para cumplir con la facturación electrónica conectada a Hacienda? Gracias

                                  • How to upload own video?

                                    How can you upload your own video on your zoho website? I do not want to use another host, but i want to insert my own files. how can i do this?

                                  • Support new line in CRM Multiline text field display in Zoho Deluge

                                    Hi brainstrust, We have a Zoho CRM field which is a Muti Line (Small) field. It has data in it that has a carriage return after each line: When I pull that data in via Deluge, it displays as: I'm hoping a way I can change it from: Freehand : ENABLED Chenille

                                  • A couple of minor enhancements to Workflows

                                    Last updated on September 17, 2024: These enhancements were initially available for early access, and we've now enabled them for all users. We are elated to announce a couple of enhancements to custom functions in our Workflows! Say hello to: "Source"

                                  • Announcing new features in Trident for Windows (v.1.32.5.0)

                                    Hello Community! Trident for Windows just got better! This update includes new features designed to improve and simplify email and calendar management—and it includes a feature you’ve been waiting for. Let’s dive into what’s new! Save emails in EML or

                                  • How to render either thumbnail_url or preview_url or preview_data_url

                                    I get 401 Unauthorised when using these urls in the <img> tag src attribute. Guide me on how to use them!

                                  • Zoho CRM Calendar | Custom Buttons

                                    I'm working with my sales team to make our scheduling process easier for our team. We primary rely on Zoho CRM calendar to organize our events for our sales team. I was wondering if there is a way to add custom button in the Calendar view on events/meeting

                                  • Option to Empty Entire Mailbox or Folder in Zoho Mail

                                    Hello Zoho Mail Team, How are you? We would like to request an enhancement to Zoho Mail that would allow administrators and users to quickly clear out entire folders or mailboxes, including shared mailboxes. Current Limitation: At present, Zoho Mail only

                                  • Default Sorting on Related Lists

                                    Is it possible to set the default sorting options on the related lists. For example on the Contact Details view I have related lists for activities, emails, products cases, notes etc... currently: Activities 'created date' newest first Emails - 'created

                                  • 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

                                  • Create custom rollup summary fields in Zoho CRM

                                    Hello everyone, In Zoho CRM, rollup summary fields have been essential tools for summarizing data across related records and enabling users to gain quick insights without having to jump across modules. Previously, only predefined summary functions were

                                  • Create static subforms in Zoho CRM: streamline data entry with pre-defined values

                                    Last modified on (9 July, 2025): This feature was available in early access and is currently being rolled out to customers in phases. Currently available for users in the the AU, CA, and SA DCs. It will be enabled for the remaining DCs in the next couple

                                  • Create Lead Button in Zoho CRM Dashboard

                                    Right now to create Leads in the CRM our team is going into the Lead module, selecting the "Create Lead" button, then building out the lead. Is there anyway to add the "Create Lead" button or some sort of short cut to the Zoho CRM Dashboard to cut out

                                  • Searching customer field

                                    Hello, When entering a receipt, we select customer information. The customer information is synced with Zoho CRM. However, we can't find the customer information because it searches for words that begin with the entered value. It needs to search for words

                                  • Introducing Version-3 APIs - Explore New APIs & Enhancements

                                    Happy to announce the release of Version 3 (V3) APIs with an easy to use interface, new APIs, and more examples to help you understand and access the APIs better. V3 APIs can be accessed through our new link, where you can explore our complete documentation,

                                  • stock

                                    bom/bse : stock details or price =STOCK(C14;"price") not showing issue is #N/A! kindly resolve this problem

                                  • Rotate an Image in Workdrive Image Editor

                                    I don't know if I'm just missing something, but my team needs a way to rotate images in Workdrive and save them at that new orientation. For example one of our ground crew members will take photos of job sites vertically (9:16) on his phone and upload

                                  • Resume Harvester: New Enhancements for Faster Sourcing

                                    We’re excited to share a set of enhancements to Resume Harvester that make sourcing faster and more flexible. These updates help you cut down on repetitive steps, manage auto searches more efficiently, and review candidate profiles with ease. Why we built

                                  • WIDGET in related record list ZOHO CRM; how to get and put data to subform custom fields?

                                    he need: Read and write two custom subform line-item fields on Quotes: Segment_wyceny (picklist/text) and W_pakiecie (number). Write works; read does not return these fields via SDK. Environment Zoho CRM Widget Zoho Embedded App SDK v1.2 Module: Quotes

                                  • 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

                                  • Zoho CRM Tracking Google Enhanced Conversions

                                    Can anyone @Zoho, consultants, or users help me understand if Zoho CRM is going to support Google's Enhanced Conversions? I included some information from Google below about it. We use Google Adwords for our pay per click advertising for lead generation,

                                  • Next Page