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


          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

                                  • Mail Delivery Failed

                                    Good morning,   I have just set up an account with 5 users, however each time a message is sent to 1 user a m'mail delivery failed' message is generated. See below.   Any ideas   Thanks   Rob   This message was created automatically by mail delivery software. A message that you sent could not be delivered to one or more of its recipients. This is a permanent error. The following address(es) failed: robb@thesmartgroup.ae mailbox is full: retry timeout exceeded ------ This is a copy of the message,

                                  • Delete commerce website

                                    I need to delete a commerce website, but the only option is to click on settings, REQUEST DELETE, choose an urgency notice, add a message....AND THEN nothing, no way to send the request. Why is nothing simple!?!?!  I just want to delete the store.  The

                                  • Adding external users to Zoho Social under Zoho ONE licence - how to best achieve this

                                    My client has a small business, and we are looking to implementing Zoho ONE with a single flexible user licence as that is all they really need and offers the best pricing for the range of modules we eventually wish to set them up with, one of which will

                                  • Has anyone built a custom AI support agent inside Zoho (SalesIQ/Zobot)?

                                    Hi all, I’ve been experimenting with building my own AI support assistant and wanted to see if anyone here has tackled something similar within Zoho. Right now, I’ve set up a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipeline outside of Zoho using FAISS. It

                                  • This mobile number has been marked spam. Please contact support.

                                    Problem Description: One of our sales agents in our organization is unable to sign in to Zoho Mail. When attempting to log in, the following message appears: This mobile number has been marked as spam. Please contact support at as@zohocorp.com @zohocorp

                                  • What’s New in Zoho Inventory | April 2025

                                    Hello users, April has been a big month in Zoho Inventory! We’ve rolled out powerful new features to help you streamline production, optimise stock management, and tailor your workflows. While several updates bring helpful enhancements, three major additions

                                  • When Zoho Tables Beta will be open to EU data center

                                    Hello all, We in EU are looking at you all using and testing and are getting jealous :) When we will be able to get into the beta also? We don't mind testing and playing with beta software. Thank you!

                                  • Pass current date to a field using Zoho Flow

                                    I am trying to generate an invoice automatically once somebody submits a record in Zoho CRM. I get an error in the invoice date. I have entered {{zoho.currentdate}} in the Date field. When I test the flow, I get "Zoho Books says "Invalid value passed

                                  • API: Mark Sales Order as Open + Custom Status

                                    Hi, it's possible to create Custom Status (sub-status actually) states for the Sales Order. So you have Open, Void. Then under Open you can have Open, and create one called Order Paid, Order Shipped, etc etc...which is grouped under Open. I can use the

                                  • Multi-Unit Inventory with Flexible Unit Selection (Purchase in One Unit, Sell in Another)

                                    We need multi-unit inventory management in Zoho Books with the flexibility to choose units (e.g., Box or Piece) at the time of purchase or sale. For example, if 1 Box = 10 Pieces, we should be able to record purchases in Boxes but sell either in Boxes

                                  • Zoho Quartz Screen Recording

                                    Hello, can we get access to Quartz, please, as a standalone solution? It would be great for creating training videos for current and future staff on how to use Zoho software according to our company requirements. Thank you

                                  • This domain is not allowed to add in Zoho. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details

                                    This is the error i keep getting when trying to use my Zoho Domain Mail. This domain is not allowed to add in Zoho. Please contact support-as@zohocorp.com for further details Find attached. I hope this can be resolved very quickly so i can go on and make

                                  • Tip 26: How to hide the "Submit" button from a form

                                    Hi everyone, Hope you're staying safe and working from home. We are, too. By now, we at Zoho are all very much accustomed to the new normal—working remotely. Today, we're back with yet another simple but interesting tip--how to hide the Submit button from your forms. In certain scenarios, you may want to hide the submit button from a form until all the fields are filled in.  Use case In this tip, we'll show you how to hide the Submit button while the user is entering data into the form, and then

                                  • filter broke my data

                                    I uploaded a file recently from Sheets and it has top 2 rows frozen, with table headers in second row and each one is filterable. somehow my first 2 columns became unfiltered and no matter what I do I cannot reapply the filter?? also didn't realize they

                                  • Email address for forwarding is not saving and there's no confirmation ema

                                    Steps to reproduce: 1. Enter my forward email in the email forward section of the account 2. Click save 3. See a notification stating saved successfully 4. Refresh the page, no forward email is saved 5. No email confirmation received at the forwarding

                                  • How do I move Notes around within a Group?

                                    It says here: " You can now sort notes by title (alphabetically), or by date modified and date created. You can even organize your notes by dragging and dropping them into a particular order. To sort your notes, simply go to Settings and tap “Sort By.” Please note: all sort settings will be saved and synced across devices, except for custom sorting. Custom sorting will be device specific."However, I am unable to 'custom sort' in either Notebook for Mac or on the Web. In addition, I can't find the

                                  • javax.mail.authenticationfailedexception 535 authentication failed

                                    Hi, I am facing 535 authentication failed error when trying to send email from zoho desktop as well as in webmail. Can you suggest to fix this issue,. Regards, Rekha

                                  • Pocket from Mozilla is closing shop. Don’t lose your favorites . Move them to Zoho Mail Bookmarks now! 📥🔖

                                    The end of Pocket shouldn't mean the end of your important links and content. Easily import them into Zoho Mail's Bookmarks and continue right where you left off. You can bring over your entire Saves, Collections, and tags just the way they are. Bookmarks

                                  • Zoho Sign: need to leave document pending for up to a year, or maybe there's a better way?

                                    I have zoho one, maybe there's a better way to do this with another service than sending a zoho sign template from zoho crm. At the end of the day this requirement is due to regulations, no matter how dumb it may seem. I'm just looking for a way of getting

                                  • 'Add Tax To Amount' not reflected in Invoice

                                    Hi Zoho Support, I'm experiencing an issue with tax calculation display in my invoice template. Despite having "Add tax to amount" box checked in the template settings, the Amount column is not showing the tax-inclusive total for line items. Current behaviour:

                                  • To Do: shareable task links without login

                                    Hi! I’m using Zoho Mail and ToDo in my daily work, and I’ve run into one limitation that’s a real blocker for me. Right now, to share tasks with managers or directors, they need to have a Zoho account and be added to a group. In practice, many of them

                                  • Separate Items & Services

                                    Hi, please separate items and services into different categories. Thank you

                                  • Unable to edit or delete email address

                                    I signed up for free Zoho today. I usually am pretty good at understanding and configuring things like this, but your interface baffles me, and your online help is cryptic to say the least. I have spent hours just trying to set up a couple of email accounts in Zoho before pointing my domain MX records to Zoho. I solved some other issues on my own, but I can't figure out this latest problem: I have created two email addresses in Zoho. Let's call the first one myname@mydomain.com and the second one

                                  • Mastering Zia Match Scores | Let's Talk Recruit

                                    Feeling overwhelmed by hundreds of resumes for every job? You’re not alone! Welcome back to Let’s Talk Recruit, where we break down Zoho Recruit’s features and hiring best practices into simple, actionable insights for recruiters. Imagine having an assistant

                                  • We are unable to process your request now. Please try again after sometime or contact support@zohoaccounts.com

                                    I cannot sign up and return the error of we are unable to process your request now. Please try again after sometime or contact support@zohoaccounts.com

                                  • Multi-currency - What's cooking ?

                                    Hi,       We have been doing this feature for sometime and we would like to give you some glimpses of it.  Working with Multi Currency :        Multicurrency support gives you the ability to handle business transactions in multiple currencies. You can define a base currency for your organization and add more currencies with exchange rates based on the base currency.  Setup :        From the setup page, you can manage all the currencies supported by your organization.       Currencies page        

                                  • Integrating Chatbot with Zoho Creator Application

                                    Is it possible to integrate a chatbot with a Zoho Creator application?

                                  • How to reduce programmatically the image uploaded by user?

                                    I need a function that will automatically reduce the pixel dimension to 800 x 600 pixels / 180 resolution or (approx. 1.37MB) of image uploaded by user from digital camera, for example, 2271 x 1704 pixels /180 resolution or approx. 11.1MB. After the user selected the image, the function will able to detect if pixels is above 800x600, process the photo (crop/ reduce) and resume upload. Need help...  

                                  • Dark mode for Zoho Creator / Zoho CRM Code editor

                                    Hi Team, Is there any plans for Dark mode in Zoho creator / Zoho Crm code editor and development pages in pipeline?

                                  • Is there a way to make a button scroll down?

                                    Looking to have a button on a landing page scroll down to another section on the page. Any recomendations outside of coding?

                                  • Collective-booking event not added to all staff calendars

                                    We assign two staff to certain events. When the client books this event, it adds it to one staff calendar (the 'organiser') but not the other. How can I ensure all staff assigned to a collective booking get the event in their calendar? (A side note: it

                                  • ZOHO Android Client

                                    Hi, I installed the Android app, but it had an issue, so I reinstalled it. I was able to add multiple accounts, but now when I add the next account, it just duplicates the one I already have and will not even allow me to enter the info for another account.

                                  • I'd like to suggest a feature enhancement for SalesIQ that would greatly improve the user experience across different channels.

                                    Hello Zoho Team, Current Limitation: When I enable the pre-chat form under Brands > Flow Controls to collect the visitor’s name and email, it gets applied globally across all channels, including WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. This doesn't quite align

                                  • Enhance Barcode/QR Code scanner with bulk scanning or continuously scanning

                                    Dear Zoho Creator, As we all know, after each scan, the scanning frame closes. Imagine having 100 items; we would need to tap 100 times and wait roughly 1 second each time for the scanning frame to reopen on mobile web. It's not just about wasting time;

                                  • Managing Rental Sales in Zoho Inventory

                                    I am aware that Zoho Inventory is not yet set up to handle rental sales and invoicing. Is anyone using it for rentals anyway? I'd like to hear about how others have found work arounds to manage inventory of rental equipment, rental payments, etc. Th

                                  • Megamenu

                                    Finally! Megamenu's are now available in Zoho-Sites, after waiting for it and requesting it for years! BUT ... why am I asked to upgrade in order to use a megamenu? First: Zoho promised to always provide premium versions and options for all included Zoho-applications

                                  • Zoho Flow to Creator 3001 Respoonse

                                    I have updated my Flows with the new V2 connection to Zoho Creator, but now some Flows do not work. They take in data from a Webhook and are supposed to create a record in Creator, however creator returns a 3001 message along with a failure, but I cannot

                                  • File Upload to Work Drive While Adding Records in Zoho Creator Application

                                    Hi I am trying to set a file attachment field in zoho creator form, to enable the user to upload a scanned document from their local pc. The file should be uploaded to zoho workdrive and not to the default zoho creator storage. The file link should be

                                  • Why not possible to generate?

                                    Using this https://desk.zoho.com/DeskAPIDocument#TicketCount#TicketCount_Getticketcountbyfield on my ZML script url :"https://desk.zoho.com/api/v1/ticketsCountByFieldValues?departmentId=XXXXXXXXXXX&accountId!=XXXXXXXXX&customField1=cf_country_1:XXXXXX&field=overDue"

                                  • email

                                    Hi My crm email is not working, can you check, I have zoho one account.

                                  • Next Page