Using Custom Functions to Solve a Complex Use Case in Zoho Projects

Custom functions, also known as user-defined functions or UDFs, allow you to create your own functions in addition to the built-in functions provided within Zoho Projects. One of the key benefits of using custom functions in Zoho is that they allow you to automate complex tasks and calculations.

For example, if you want the status of a parent task to be updated in correspondence with that of its sub-task, this feature lets you write your own code which will perform the desired function. The code below when executed will automatically change the parent task's status to "To be tested" when its sub-task moves to the "To be tested" phase.

// TODO: Please create a connection for the Zoho Projects service with the scopes "ZohoProjects.task.ALL". Replace 'xxxxxxxxx' with the connection name. Click this link below to learn how to create the connection.
// Link - https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/projects/integration/connections/articles/connections-23-5-2022#How_to_establish_a_Connection
taskDetails = zoho.projects.getRecordById(portalId,projectId,"tasks",taskId,"xxxxxxxxx");
info "current task Details : " + taskDetails;
info "-------------------------------------";
parentTaskId = "";
if(taskDetails != null && taskDetails.get("tasks") != null && taskDetails.get("tasks").size() > 0)
{
taskInfo = taskDetails.get("tasks").get(0);
parentTaskId = taskInfo.get("parent_task_id");
}
info "parentTaskId: " + parentTaskId ;
if(parentTaskId != null && parentTaskId != "")
{
parentTaskDetailsOfCurrentTask = zoho.projects.getRecordById(portalId,projectId,"tasks",parentTaskId,"xxxxxxxxx");
if(parentTaskDetailsOfCurrentTask != null && parentTaskDetailsOfCurrentTask.get("tasks") != null && parentTaskDetailsOfCurrentTask.get("tasks").size() > 0)
{
parentTaskInfo = parentTaskDetailsOfCurrentTask.get("tasks").get(0);
parentTaskStatusId = parentTaskInfo.get("status").get("id");
updateTaskParameter = Map();
updateTaskParameter.put("custom_status",parentTaskStatusId);
info updateTaskParameter;
taskDetails = zoho.projects.update(portalId,projectId,"Tasks",parentTaskId,updateTaskParameter,"xxxxxxxxx");
info "updated Task response : "+ taskDetails;
}
}

return "success";

Custom functions also make it easier to collaborate with other team members on your codebase. By encapsulating complex logic in reusable functions, you can create a more modular and flexible codebase especially useful when working on large, complex projects with multiple team members.

Creating custom functions in Zoho Projects is straightforward and well-documented. Zoho provides a range of built-in functions that you can use as a starting point, and you can also easily define your own functions using Zoho's scripting language, Deluge. If you're facing a complex use case in Zoho Projects, I highly recommend giving custom functions a try.

Watch this space for more such custom function codes.

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